“Dolly, are you feeling all right?” Maude asked, seeing her flushed face.
“I think it’s this dress,” Dolly replied. “I forgot how it makes me feel hot. Would you excuse me? I’m going to change into something lighter.”
As she rose from the table, Betsy entered the room to start clearing the plates, and invited Ida to join her in the kitchen for a chat.
“I’d like nothing better,” Ida said warmly. “We haven’t visited for a coon’s age.”
“Why don’t you sit here at the table for a spell and have some coffee together,” Maude suggested. “I’m sure Duke wouldn’t mind, and there’s something I need to discuss with Dolly anyway. I should go up with her.”
Betsy, knowing her place in the household, hesitated, but when Maude sent her a smile and a nod, Betsy pulled out a chair and sat down.
“Do you remember,” Ida began, excited to be talking to her old chum, “when the only crime in Spring Junction was a boy stealin’ an apple from the cart outside Roy’s fruit stand?”
“I do,” Betsy said wistfully. “I don’t even recognize the place now, and when I shop I get myself in and out of town as fast as I can. One of the ranch hands comes with me, but I’m still kinda nervous.”
With the ladies happily gossiping, Maude followed Dolly up to her room and helped Dolly change into a simple yellow cotton dress.
“I hope Lucy turns up soon,” Dolly sighed. “I’d like to go for a walk.”
“Why don’t you sit a spell and let me brush your hair,” Maude suggested. “It’s been too long since we’ve done that.”
“That’s because I’m not a little girl anymore,” Dolly replied, then seeing the disappointment in Maude’s eyes, she smiled and added, “but I think it’s a lovely idea, and maybe it’ll help me relax.”
Sitting at her dressing table, she closed her eyes as Maude began the ritual, and with the brush gliding through her long locks, a soft breath escaped her lips and she felt her shoulders drop. The tension was leaving her body, and she realized she was filled with apprehension. So much depended on the success of Tucker’s plan; their immediate happiness, their days ahead, and their future, but was there a future for them? She believed there was, she fervently believed there was. And Spring Junction! The town had to be saved! It just had to be!
A soft knock on the door snapped her from her thoughts, and opening her eyes, she glanced at Maude’s reflection in the mirror. It was Lucy arriving to gather up Dolly’s laundry. The time had come for them to have the conversation that Lucy needed to overhear.
“Come in,” Maude called. “Ah, hello, Lucy,” she said as Lucy entered with the cloth sack in which she carried the clothes to be washed. “I need to you stay here tonight. I need the extra help with our two guests.”
“Yes, Miss Maude,” Lucy replied, then entered the bathroom to collect Dolly’s soiled clothes from the basket.
“Isn’t it a shame we had to say goodbye to Father O’Brien,” Dolly remarked. “I wish he could have stayed here with his friend Tucker.”
“I agree,” Maude replied. “Father O’Brien was unique, he was unlike any man of the cloth I’ve ever known, not that I’ve known many.”
“Tucker told me that Father O’Brien isn’t his real name. Did you know that?” Dolly said, as if sharing a great secret.
“No, I didn’t. What else did he say?”
“Father O’Brien, or whatever his name is, lives in an isolated retreat somewhere, but he was once the fastest gunmen in the west. Tucker said a few years back they used to run together on the wrong side of the law, but the priest found the Lord, and Tucker decided to change his life too. That’s when he started helping people, like he’s helping us. When he needs him, the priest leaves the retreat and helps him.”
“So that’s why the father came in and stayed only a short time,” Maude remarked. “He did what he could then left.”
“I’m so glad Tucker stayed,” Dolly said happily. “What a handsome man he is, and so nice, but fancy being able to beat up Conan McGill like he did. He’ll be the town hero when it comes out.”
“But that won’t happen until he manages to get his brother Patrick as well,” Maude said soberly, “and hopefully that will happen next week. Once that man is out of the picture, maybe Marshal Bragg will be able to get Spring Junction back under control and things will return to normal.”
“I hope so. I miss our happy town. I miss going down there.”
“Lucy, why are you hanging about?” Maude frowned, turning around and seeing the servant girl loitering by the bathroom door. “Get on with your chores.”
“Yes, Miss Maude,” Lucy replied, moving quickly across the room with her full sack.
As she left, closing the door behind her, Maude and Dolly shared a triumphant glance. Mission accomplished!
“I hope she remembers everything we said,” Dolly remarked, keeping her voice low.
“She will; there wasn’t that much,” Maude said reassuringly, “but it wouldn’t hurt to follow her when she sneaks off to do her dirty work and listen in.”
“I was already planning to,” Dolly replied. “Maybe I’ll hear something useful for us. One thing’s for sure, when Patrick hears that the man who beat up his brother and caused all the trouble is staying here, he’ll come up for sure.”
“If McGill had any second thoughts about going forward with his plans, I’ll bet he’ll throw them away when he hears all that,” Maude declared, placing the brush back on Dolly’s dresser. “I’m going to go downstairs to check on Ida. Would you like to come?”
“No. I’m going to head down to the barn and visit Daisy, maybe take her out for a graze.”
“All right. I’ll see you later,” Maude smiled. “Maybe you could check on Ida’s horse while you’re there.”
“I will.”
As Maude left, Dolly ambled across the room and flopped onto the edge of her bed. While it was true she wanted to see her mare, her main purpose for going to the barn was so she could walk around by the trees and stare down at the thicket. If luck was on her side, she might catch a glimpse of Tucker. Closing her eyes, once again she relived the heart-stopping moments she’d shared in his bed; her stomach did its floppy thing again. She loved the feeling and rode it through until it waned, then letting out a sigh, she rose to her feet and headed off to the barn.
After giving Ida’s small carriage horse some carrots, she slipped the halter on Daisy and led her around the side of the stable. The sun was high in the sky and warm against her face, and letting her mare loose to graze, Dolly sat down on the thick green grass under the shade of a tree and rested her back against its trunk. Gazing out at the view, everything appeared to be silent and still, and to her dismay there was no sign of Tucker. With the summer breeze wafting around her, and visions of him floating through her mind, she dozed off.
It was her mare that startled her awake, nudging her with her muzzle. Dolly was startled to see the sun was now low and shining its hot rays directly on her. Realizing she must have slept through the afternoon, she brought her hand to her forehead to shield her eyes and glanced across the valley. Three cowboys were riding up the hill to the house, and to her joy she saw Tucker was with them, but rising to her feet she had a sudden thought. Had she missed Lucy and the illicit meeting?
“Are you ready for your hay?” she said, yawning as she rubbed her horse’s neck, “or are just wanting to go back into your corral for some water?”
Moving back to the barn, Daisy following like a puppy, Dolly put her back into her pen, then, torn between meeting Tucker in the courtyard and checking to see if there was any sign of Lucy, she decided on the latter. Tucker would be with the other men and it might be awkward, and she’d promised Maude she’d make sure to keep tabs on the servant girl.
Walking quietly along the narrow path that skirted the wall of the house, she soon reached the gardens, and peering around the corner, she saw not a soul. Sighing heavily, worried she’d made a terrible mistake a
nd missed the exchange between Lucy and McGill’s man, she walked through the flowerbeds into the kitchen.
“You look a sight,” Betsy declared. “What have you been doin’?”
“I fell asleep under a tree,” she replied. “I don’t know why I was so tired,” but even as she spoke the words, she knew exactly why; it had been her nocturnal escapade with Tucker.
Wanting to see if he was still in the courtyard with the ranch hands, she hurried through the house, and was striding across the foyer when Maude called to her from the reception room.
“Is it important?” Dolly called back.
“Yes, but it will only take a minute.”
Slightly irritated, Dolly headed into the room, but when Maude took her elbow and led her to a quiet alcove next to a bay window, Dolly felt her impatience dissolve. Obviously Maude had something important to say, and as they sat down on the padded bench seat, Dolly was eager to hear what it was.
“I don’t know where you were today,” Maude said as they sat down, “but—”
“I’m sorry,” Dolly said, interrupting her. “I took Daisy to graze by the side of the barn and I feel asleep. I feel terrible. I’m sure I must have missed Lucy’s meeting.”
“It’s fine,” Maude said reassuringly. “That’s what I want to tell you. Lucy met up with her fella, and Ida overheard the whole thing.”
“Ida? Again? Where would we be without her?” Dolly declared. “Thank goodness, but how did she hear them talking?”
“She was napping too, in one of those high-backed comfortable chairs your father put in the corner of the garden. Lucy didn’t even notice her.”
“That’s wonderful,” Dolly sighed. “I’m so relieved.”
“I thought you would be,” Maude said, “that’s why I stopped you. Where were you off to in such a hurry?”
“I saw Tucker riding up the hill. I was on my way into the courtyard to see if he was still there.”
“I’d get straightened up first, you’re a mess,” Maude said, moving some stray hairs off Dolly’s face, then pausing, she added, “You really are taken with him, aren’t you, Dolly?”
“Yes, I am,” she said softly. “I like him a lot.”
“I’m very glad to hear it. He’ll be good for you, and from what I could see at dinner last night, he’s just as taken with you.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes, I really think so,” Maude said with a warm smile, “but I think you should get yourself cleaned up before you see him.”
Feeling relieved and happy, Dolly kissed Maude on the cheek, and moving swiftly across the foyer, she headed up the stairs and down the hallway, but as she passed Tucker’s room she heard a noise and paused her step; to her delight and surprise, the door opened and he stepped out.
“Tucker!”
“Dolly,” he grinned, taking her hand and pulling her back inside with him. “What are you doin’ lurkin’ outside my door?”
“How did you know I was there?”
“I didn’t. I was gonna go downstairs and see if I could rustle up a drink. I’m dyin’ for a long cold glass of water.”
“I’ll get it for you,” she offered.
“Hey, wait just a minute,” he said softly, gripping her upper arms. “It’s sure good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too,” she replied, thrilled by his words and his unexpected attention. “How did it go today? Is everything working out?”
“Even better than I expected. How did you fare with Lucy?”
“Maude and I talked, and Lucy heard every word, but I’m sorry to say I fell asleep and missed her meeting up with McGill’s man, but Ida was there, and Lucy passed on all the information just like you wanted.”
“Ida,” he said, shaking his head. “Buyin’ her that coffee in the Golden Rock Hotel was the best three dollars I ever spent… well, almost,” he added thoughtfully.
“I’m sorry I let you down. It’s just so lucky she was there.”
“Sounds like it was meant to be. McGill knows now that I’m stayin’ up here, and Father O’Brien is gone with the wind. That’s the main thing.”
“You seem so happy, Tucker. I haven’t seen you this happy and relaxed since we met.”
“I reckon that’s true,” he nodded.
“Should I go and fetch you that water?”
“Not just yet,” he said softly, then looking at her intently, he wrapped her into his arms.
Throughout the day she had shadowed him. Never before had a woman consumed him, and for the entire afternoon he couldn’t stop thinking about the lascivious dream that hadn’t been a dream at all. When the day had come to an end and he’d been cantering up the hill, he had seen her beautiful gray mare grazing just below the barn, and he’d been sure Dolly would be somewhere nearby. He had wanted to break away from the men with whom he’d been riding to seek her out, but had managed to resist the temptation. Opening his bedroom door and finding her in the hallway had been an unexpected and welcome surprise, and now, holding her tightly, he could think of no words to describe the feelings rushing through his body and his heart.
“What is it about you, Dolly Baker?” he murmured, breaking his hold and gazing down at her.
“Maybe it’s one of those things we’re not supposed to know.”
“Do not come into this bedroom later, you hear me? I won’t be able to turn you away a second time.”
“Tucker, what if something goes wrong tomorrow?” she whispered. “What if tonight will be our only chance to be together?”
He caught his breath. Was she right?
“Nothin’ will go wrong,” he said, then kissing her softly, feeling his cock rising in his trousers, he wondered if he should give in to their desperate passion after all. Was Dolly right?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dinner was a quiet affair. Tucker was weary from his long day, Dolly was still suffering from her lack of sleep the night before, and Ida and Maude, having spent many hours catching up, were almost talked out. It didn’t help that Lucy was helping Betsy serve, so even though the pending confrontation with Patrick McGill and his gang was on everyone’s mind, no one could bring it up.
If there had been a way to prevent Lucy from walking through the thicket on her way home, Tucker would have let her leave, but the risk was too great. A stranger walking onto Duke’s property and wandering through the wooded area during the night was highly unlikely, but Tucker wasn’t about to take any chances, and had posted some ranch hands to keep watch just in case.
Dolly’s blossoming romance with Tucker had helped to distract her from Duke’s decree that she was not allowed anything sweet for a month. Surprisingly she’d found her craving for cookies and cake was diminishing, but when it came time for dessert, the thought of everyone else enjoying their pudding while she couldn’t was beginning to aggravate her.
“If you’ll all excuse me,” she said, rising from the table, “I think I’m going up to my room.”
“Are you feelin’ all right?” her father asked.
“I fell asleep this afternoon, and it’s strange, but I think it actually made me more tired, not less. I can’t imagine why.”
“Probably too much sun,” Ida suggested. “Were you in the shade?”
“Now that you mention it, I was when I dozed off but not when I woke up. Maybe you’re right.”
“Cool cloth on your head,” Ida said wisely. “That’ll see you right.”
“Thank you, Ida, I’ll do that,” Dolly nodded, then glancing across at Tucker, she sent him a smile before heading from the room.
Closing the door behind her, she started toward the foyer, but suddenly stopped. There had been so much happening that she’d completely forgotten about the cake and biscuits she’d wrapped in a cloth and left in the urn in the hallway by her father’s office. The thought of having the forbidden treat lifted her spirits, and breaking into a smile, she turned around and hurried off to collect them.
In the dining room, Tuc
ker was feeling restless. He didn’t know if it was fatigue from the day, anxiety about the following night, or his need to be with Dolly, but after a couple of mouthfuls of baked apples in cinnamon, he found he couldn’t sit at the table for another minute. As he was about to make his apologies and leave, Maude covered her mouth and let out a long yawn.
“I am sorry,” she said. “I confess, I think Dolly had the right idea.”
“I’m feelin’ a mite done in myself,” Ida agreed. “If you’ll all excuse me I’m takin’ these tired old bones to bed.”
“Tucker, we’re bein’ deserted,” Duke exclaimed. “How’s about we go to my study for a brandy?”
“Sure appreciate the offer, Duke, but I’m feelin’ like I need some air. I think I’m gonna take a quick walk in the garden out back before I turn in.”
“I’m not much for drinkin’ alone, so I guess I’ll just head on up to my room as well,” Duke said resignedly. “Come with me, ladies, I’ll walk you both upstairs. Tucker, I’d suggest usin’ the side door to go out back. Follow the hallway past my office. You’ll see it. Just make sure and lock it when you come back in.”
“Sure will,” Tucker nodded. “Sleep well, everyone.”
As Tucker left, he saw Duke moving around the table to help Ida from her chair. She was smiling up at him, and he realized what a special time it was for her. Instead of sitting at home alone, she was surrounded by old friends who genuinely cared. It had also been obvious that Maude was grateful that Ida was there. Tucker frowned. The McGills weren’t just murderous thieves, they were responsible for keeping dear friends separated; Maude was afraid to go into town and visit Ida, and it was difficult for Ida to get up to the house.
Tucker's Justice (Wild West Cowboys Book 1) Page 17
