by Lyn Horner
Bejasus! The grinning mongrel had his hands on her now, sliding them boldly up and down her arms. Seconds later, one hand moved to her waist and began inching upward. Why didn’t she slap him and tear into him with her sharp tongue?
Tye had vowed not to go near her as long as she wished him to keep his distance, but the look she’d sent him moments ago made him wonder if she still felt that way. And damnú, he couldn’t just stand here and watch that man’s hands crawl all over her. He had do something. Yanking off his gloves, he shoved them under his wide sash.
“I’ll see ye in a bit,” he said without looking at David and Jessie. Not waiting for a response, he strode toward Lil.
* * *
Lil fought a strong urge to shove Frank away. She hated the touch of his hands. This was a bad idea. Give Frank Howard an inch of ground, and he’d try to take the whole pasture.
She’d purposely led him on, smiling and denying any interest in that black-haired rogue by the door, and Frank hadn’t even questioned her sudden change of heart. The swollen-headed fool probably thought she couldn’t resist him. Now she was paying the price. And why? Just to show Tye Devlin she wasn’t without her admirers. As if he cared.
The fiddler finished tuning up. Beside him on a raised wooden platform, the caller shouted, “Y’all ready to shake a hoof?” He got a loud ‘Yeah!’ from the crowd. “All right, gents, grab your gal and get ready for a reel.”
Frank gave a boisterous whoop, seized Lil’s hand and dragged her onto the dance floor. As they lined up with the other couples, she glanced around and saw Tye standing near where she and Frank had just stood. Had he meant to ask her to dance? Meeting his fierce scowl, she swiftly looked elsewhere, flustered.
Fortunately, Uncle Jeb had taught her how to dance a reel. Not risking another glance at Tye, she got through it without making a fool of herself – or slapping Frank for the way he continued to leer at her. When the dance ended, she clapped without much enthusiasm.
“Yuh dance real good, honey,” Frank commented. “Never woulda thought yuh knew how.”
She smiled tartly. “I’m just full of surprises, Frank.” She glanced toward her mother and received a nod of approval. Her father and uncle were on their way out the door, for a smoke no doubt. Not glimpsing Tye, she wondered if he’d also stepped outside. With a woman, perhaps? The thought caused a sinking sensation in her stomach.
The caller announced a waltz. Without asking if Lil wanted to dance with him again, Frank grasped her arm and swung her toward him. Incensed, she resisted. Just then Tye stepped out of the crowd.
“Might I have the pleasure of this dance, Miss Crawford?” he asked, smiling at her and ignoring Frank.
“Go find yore own gal, mister,” Frank barked before she could say a word. “This one’s mine.”
Tye drilled him with a hard blue glare. “Indeed? Well now, I’ll hear that from the lady’s own lips if ye please.” He grinned in challenge. “Or even if ye don’t.”
Frank cursed and made a move toward him.
Anger drove Lil to step between them. She faced Frank, fists on her hips. “I’m not your property, Frank Howard. And I’ll dance with whoever I please.”
He gaped at her. “But yuh said yuh don’t even like –”
“Never mind what I said. You don’t own me.” Turning her back on him, she scowled at Tye. “Well, you want to dance or not?”
“By all means,” he said, flashing a wicked smile and offering his hand.
Accepting it, she saw him throw a taunting grin past her and heard Frank’s furious snarl. Then Tye led her out to the strains of Sweet Genevieve.
Frank vanished from Lil’s thoughts the moment Tye took her in his arms. A barrage of dizzying sensations shot through her. Where he touched her, even through layers of clothing, her skin burned. The aroma of shaving soap, mixed with his own subtle, manly scent, stirred her blood. His broad, black-cloaked shoulders filled her vision, and she felt an absurd longing to lay her head on that inviting expanse. When she raised her eyes, he smiled down at her in a caressing way that made her feel, well, pretty. That was nonsense, of course.
“Have ye forgiven me at last, colleen?” he asked. “For what I said that day when we rescued the calf, I mean. I’d take back every cruel word if I could.”
She lowered her gaze to his shirt front. “I said some things, too. Reckon we’re even.”
“I think not, but so long as ye don’t hate me, I’m content. Now tell me, who is this Frank Howard who wishes to keep ye all to himself?”
“He’s a friend,” she said falsely, “from up Fort Worth way.”
“’Twould seem he considers himself somewhat more than a friend.”
Lil stiffened. “Listen, I agreed to dance with you to show Frank he doesn’t own me. That doesn’t give you the right to nose into my business.”
His mouth curved downward briefly, but then he nodded. “As ye say, colleen.” He tilted his head, studying her. She was about to tell him to quit staring when he spoke. “And will ye also object if I ask ye, as I did once before, if Lil’s your full given name?”
She blinked at his unexpected change of subject and shrugged. “It’s Lily, like you guessed that day at the barn raising, but nobody ever calls me that. It doesn’t suit me.”
He laughed softly. “Ah, but I think it does, for you’re as beautiful as your namesake.”
Lil forgot to breathe for a moment. Was he mocking her the way he had that day last summer at the creek? Or . . . was it possible he really meant what he said, both now and back then? Suddenly unsure, she felt herself blush and sent her gaze skittering away like a terrified rabbit searching for a hidey-hole.
“Y-you must be addled. I’m not even pretty.”
He sighed and murmured in a deep, husky tone, “Lily, Lily, ye know not your own worth. You’ve the face of a Greek goddess I once saw pictured in a book. Your skin glows as if kissed by the sun, your brown eyes spark with fire when you’re angry and call out to me in my dreams. And your hair . . . ah, colleen, it makes me think of moonlight on dark water. My dearest wish is to bury my face in it and drink in your sweet scent.”
Never had a man said such things to Lil. Melting warmth enveloped her as she lifted her head and got lost in Tye’s radiant blue eyes. She parted her lips, but no words came out. Instantly, his gaze swooped down to her mouth, and it shocked her to realize she wanted him to kiss her. What was left of her rational mind cried out in protest.
“Don’t talk nonsense,” she whispered, sounding breathy and unconvincing even to her own ears.
“Nay, Lily, ’tisn’t nonsense, ’tis the simple truth. And there’s more, much more I wish to say . . . and do.”
She gasped, suddenly fearful.
“Ah, luv, don’t be frightened,” he said quickly. “I’d never hurt ye, I swear.”
At that moment the music stopped. Lil withdrew her hand from his and stepped back. “I-I’d better go to my mother. She doesn’t like being left alone at these things and . . . and I saw my father head outside.” What Ma would say about her dancing with Tye, she didn’t want to imagine.
“Will ye grant me another dance later?” he asked before she could escape.
“Maybe,” she said, knowing she ought to tell him no. Then she hurried to join her mother. Along the way, she spotted Frank Howard and encountered his mean glare. She hoped he wouldn’t make trouble.
Ma was spitting mad. “Why do you give that red-haired one cause to scorn you?” she hissed, shooting a cold glare across the room.
Turning, Lil saw Jessie accompany David into the crowd of dancers. The other woman frowned at her, and their eyes clashed until David drew Jessie into his arms. Then Lil noticed Tye. Seated in his sister’s vacated chair, he bounced Nora on one knee while cradling baby Reece in his opposite arm. He seemed perfectly comfortable playing uncle, much to Lil’s surprise.
“Look at me!” Ma snapped.
Lil wrenched her gaze away from Tye. Seeing the fury in her mother’s jet-black eyes, she
swallowed hard.
“Why do you ignore Frank and anger him? How can you fall into that Irish Yankee’s arms like a fly into a spider’s web? Your father told you not to mix with him. And what of your brother? Have you forgotten him?”
“No! But Tye didn’t kill Toby, and I didn’t fall into his arms. I only danced with him.”
“I do not believe you. He is a spell caster and you are in his power. I see it each time you are near him. Everyone does. Look. See the staring eyes, hear the wagging tongues.”
Against her will, Lil glanced around the room. Sure enough, the busybodies were eyeing her and chattering in each other’s ears, no doubt wondering what a man as handsome as Tye Devlin could want with a rangy old maid like her. Then she caught Frank Howard’s smirk. He obviously enjoyed watching her get a dressing-down from her mother.
When Ma started in again, Lil slashed the air with her hand. “Enough! I won’t listen to any more. I’m not a child. Stop treating me like one.” Whirling, she strode away, tired of being chastised simply because she’d behaved like a woman for once.
* * *
Observing Lil’s clash with her mother from his position across the room, Tye hated being the cause of trouble between them, but he couldn’t regret dancing with her. Holding her in his arms had felt like being reunited with his other half. He’d wanted badly to tighten his arm around her, to press her close and kiss her. It had required every bit of his self-control to resist the urge.
He watched her march away from her mother and caught the black glare Rebecca Crawford aimed at him. A couple danced past, breaking their eye contact. Deciding it was best to ignore the woman, he didn’t look her way again. Instead, he bounced Nora on his knee and hummed off key to little Reece while craning his neck, searching for Lil. He finally spotted her through a break in the crowd. She stood by the refreshments table at the end of the room, sipping punch from a small glass cup. He longed to join her but couldn’t while in charge of his niece and nephew. Anyway, he guessed she wouldn’t want his company just now, after being chastised by her mother for dancing with him.
Later, once she had time to calm down, he’d ask her for another dance. He hoped she’d be brave enough to say yes.
* * *
After drinking two cups of punch and letting her temper cool, Lil danced with a variety of men, even Frank again. He goaded her maliciously, and she gave him the cold stare she’d learned from her mother. Turning red, he glowered and stomped off the moment the dance ended. From then on, he kept his distance, content to bask in the admiring smiles of women who didn’t know what a skunk he was.
Lil went through the motions of each dance, forcing herself to act sociable, though she felt stilted and awkward, so different from how she’d felt in Tye’s arms. As the evening progressed, she avoided her parents, fearing her father’s wrath, especially after what Uncle Jeb said when he claimed her for a dance.
“Your ma told him about you dancin’ with Devlin, and he’s madder than a cornered bobcat. Rebecca made him promise not to start trouble here, or he’d be after that boy right now. Reckon you’re gonna catch heck later, sweetheart,” he warned gently.
Lil thanked him, glad he didn’t condemn her too.
During all of this, she tried not to notice Tye. What did she care how many times he danced with this or that woman? He was nothing to her. All he’d done was cause her trouble. And she was disgusted with herself for her mindless behavior when she danced with him earlier, for halfway believing all his hogwash about her looking like some Greek goddess. Maybe he had cast a spell over her.
She mustn’t let it happen again. If he approached her for the second dance he’d requested, she would turn him down. So she told herself. But when he finally sauntered over and bowed to her with a beguiling smile, she found it impossible to refuse him. Conscious of the stares they drew, she stepped into his arms as the fiddler began to play The Yellow Rose of Texas.
Again, she experienced a heady rush of excitement, but she valiantly fought against it. Recalling something she’d wondered about, she asked, “Were you in the war?”
Tye frowned. “No, I was a bit young, and my father wouldn’t hear of me joining up even as a drummer boy.” He shrugged uncomfortably. “Da considered it none of our affair, though God knows there were plenty of Irish who fought and died during those bloody years.” He looked at her earnestly. “Lily, ye should know I’d have stood alongside them if I could. On the Union side.”
Lil stared at his tan throat and nodded. “I figured that, you being from up north. My brother fought for the South. He . . . he didn’t come home.”
“I know, colleen, and I’m sorry.”
She raised her eyes and found genuine sympathy in Tye’s soft gaze. Then he suddenly glanced aside as he guided her past the crowd edging the dance floor.
“Your father’s scowling at us, and your mother looks as if she’d enjoy flaying me alive,” he commented dryly.
Lil shot a look at her furious parents. Jeb was right; there’d be hell to pay later. She must be loco to dance with Tye again. Could she trust Pa to keep his word and not start trouble? Surely he wouldn’t after finally agreeing to throw in with David for the spring cattle drive, would he?
Hiding her worry, she quipped, “Maybe you’d rather she staked you out on an ant hill.”
“Saints preserve us, ye don’t think she’s planning anything so unpleasant, do ye?” Feigning fear, Tye widened his eyes.
Lil had to laugh. “Don’t worry, she’s not a wild Comanche. She’s a civilized Cherokee – the half of her that’s Indian.”
He showed no surprise. Obviously he already knew about her Indian blood. He’d probably heard all about her and David, too, from his sister. The thought unsettled Lil.
“I suppose that makes ye only a quarter civilized,” he teased.
Smiling at his joke, she asked, “Does it bother you, me being part redskin?”
He turned serious, gazing into her eyes and gently squeezing her hand. “Your skin’s no darker than mine these days, and every part of ye bothers me, Lily.”
A flash fire swept through her at his words. Before she could even begin to recover, Frank Howard charged up, pushing everyone in his path aside.
“Turn loose of her, yuh carpetbaggin’ Yankee,” he snarled, shoving Tye away from Lil. “I told yuh she’s mine.”
Lil cried out, and Tye grunted as he stumbled backward into another couple. The woman yelped in fright. Her partner cursed and thrust Tye aside, nearly knocking him down.
Frank guffawed loudly at the sight, then turned and clamped a bruising hand around Lil’s arm, wringing a cry of pain from her lips.
“Let go!” she blurted, clawing futilely at his hand.
“Why? Is he the only one good enough to touch yuh?” he sneered, reeking of whiskey. Lil had seen him slugging back whiskey from an ornate silver flask. Now he was half drunk.
Tye regained his footing and charged in. “Take your hands off her!” he roared, straight-arming Frank in the chest.
Lil gasped as Frank lost his grip on her, staggered and tumbled to the floor. She teetered and might have fallen, too, had Tye not steadied her. His touch was far gentler than Frank’s.
“Are ye all right?” he asked anxiously. His hand lay warm and comforting at the small of her back.
“Now I am,” she said, rubbing her abused arm.
“You lowdown Yankee bastard!” Frank bellowed, clambering to his feet. “I’ll teach yuh not to meddle with somebody else’s gal.”
“No, Frank!” Lil cried, darting between them as she had earlier.
Frank’s face was a mask of rage. “Get outta the way!”
“Lil, stand aside before ye get hurt,” Tye barked at her back.
“No, I won’t watch you fight over me.”
He gripped her waist and forced her to move, ignoring her protests. Just then, her father pushed through the ring of onlookers.
“Hold it, Frank,” he said, grabbing his shoulder. “I prom
ised Rebecca there wouldn’t be any ruckus.”
Ma marched up right behind him. Glaring at Tye, she snatched Lil’s wrist and yanked her away from him. “Stay back, you fool,” she muttered. “Have you and that Irishman not made enough trouble?”
“It wasn’t me or Tye. It was –” Lil began. Frank’s loud voice cut her off.
“Dammit, Del, this Yankee had his hands on Lil. I’m gonna teach him a lesson he won’t forget.”
“You and how many others?” Tye taunted.
Mouthing a filthy oath, Frank crouched, ready to lunge at him.
“I wouldn’t do it, Howard,” a steely voice said.
Lil sighed in relief as David emerged from the crowd. When Jessie appeared beside him, loaded down with both children, Lil wasn’t so glad to meet her accusing gaze.
“Taylor, you traitor,” Frank snarled. “Still sidin’ with your Yankee pals? Guess that’s no surprise after how yuh turned on your own kin and jilted Lil.”
Lil gasped, truly hating the lowdown snake. David gave a wordless growl and took a step toward Frank, but Jessie stopped him by unceremoniously handing Nora over to him.
“Shut up, Frank,” Pa barked. “I won’t have you shaming Lil.” Then he glowered at Tye. “Devlin, I told you once to stay away from my daughter.”
“Aye, and I told ye I would so long as that’s what Lil wanted.”
“You’ll leave her alone, period, or by God –”
“Del,” David interrupted, “folks came here to dance and have a good time. It’d be a shame to spoil their evening.” As he spoke, he moved closer to Tye, with Nora still perched on his arm. The little girl sucked her thumb and looked from one angry face to another.
Watching Pa grind his teeth, Lil held her breath. She let it out when he turned to her and her mother.
“Get your coats,” he ordered. “We’re leaving. Frank, go on down with Jeb and wait for us.”
Belatedly, Lil noticed Jeb as he stepped forward to nudge Frank toward the door. Then her mother tugged on her arm, leading her away through the crowd of gawkers.
“Nobody’s gonna make me leave!” Frank blustered behind her.
