Tanner stood and walked around to the side of the wagon and leaned against the buckboard. “I can’t do that. I’ll come back to visit when I can, but I can’t live here permanently.”
“Why not?”
“I need to keep moving. I don’t stay in one place very long,” he said unable to meet his brother’s eyes.
Travis glanced down at his drink. “Mother’s going to be disappointed. She was really planning on you staying here with us.”
“I know. But I can’t stay. I have some things I have to take care of,” he said, taking a swig of water.
“You know, Mother told Tucker and me not to ask you about where you’ve been, but I have to, Tanner. Why didn’t you come home after the war?” Travis asked his younger brother. “We kept waiting and worrying about you.”
Tanner glanced at his older sibling and shrugged not about to confide in his family why he hadn’t come home from the war, why he really couldn’t stay. “Time sort of got away from me. Then it seemed like I had been gone so long, and I hadn’t left on very good terms. I just couldn’t come home.”
“So for ten years you’ve been wandering the country?” Travis asked his voice rising. “Thinking that none of us cared about whether you lived or died? We hired investigators, held séances, and tried every way we knew of to find you.”
“Séances?”
“Mother’s idea, not mine,” Travis, stated. “So you’ve just been traveling all this time?”
“More or less,” Tanner said vaguely, not looking at his brother.
“Damn it, Tanner, you could have been more responsible. If not for Father, then at least for Mother.”
Tanner looked at his brother, meeting his gaze. Travis was angry with him for being gone all these years. “Maybe I should have come home sooner, but I didn’t know I would be welcome.”
“Did you think to write, send a letter, a telegram, anything to let us know you were alive?” Travis stared at Tanner, his eyes cold with anger. “What finally brought you home? What changed that made you want to see all of us?”
Tanner picked up his hammer, intent on getting back to work and ending this conversation. How could he answer that question? His family would still not know if he were dead or alive except for his chance meeting with Beth on that stagecoach.
“I . . He shrugged his shoulders. “I was here.”
Travis stared at Tanner, his face turning even redder than the tinting of sunburn on his dark skin. “You didn’t intend for us to see you that day, did you? You weren’t really coming home. You just got caught.”
Tanner picked up his hammer and began to pound the nail into the wood.
“Damn it, Tanner, you still don’t care about us. You got caught and can’t even admit it."
***
Beth gazed down at the completed pavilion. Chinese lanterns were strung gaily around the dance floor. Tables and chairs were scattered across the lawn, with decorated lanterns on each of the tables. One long buffet table was situated close to the house, loaded with food. Wagonloads of guests were beginning to arrive.
Cook ran around dressed in his Sunday best, making sure that the food and drinks were ready, Eugenia not far from his heels.
Beth watched the preparation for the festivities from her upper bedroom window. She glanced down at the peach silk of her dress and its full flounced skirt. Fourteen years ago it had been the latest fashion, but now the style was dated, to say the least. Bare shoulders and full skirts were no longer the rage, but it was her only party dress, and somehow it still fit.
She wrapped a lace shawl over her shoulders to protect her from the evening breeze and wandering glances. Nervously, she twisted an end of the shawl over and over in her hands. She kept looking out the window for Tanner and Tucker and had yet to see them.
A knock on the door startled her.
“Can I come in?” Rose called.
“Yes.”
The door opened and Rose hurried in and shut the door behind her, keeping her hand behind her back. A mischievous grin lit her face, like the glow from a bonfire.
“You look stunning. If you weren’t nearly my sister- in-law, I’d be so jealous, but instead I’m excited.” She thrust out her hand, a corsage gripped in her fingers. “This is for you.”
Beth looked at her, stunned as she accepted the arrangement of tiny peach roses made to wear around her wrist.
“How lovely. Did you make this for me?”
“Well, I made it, but at the request of a certain gentleman, who just happens to be one of my very handsome brothers-in-law,” Rose said with a smile, her eyes twinkling with delight.
He’d sent her a corsage.
“Tanner asked you to make this for me?” Beth asked without thinking. She caught her slip almost immediately and tried to laugh it off. “How silly of me. I meant Tucker, of course.”
Rose gazed at Beth, a quizzical expression on her face. She paused and then said, “Yes, Tucker. He asked that I give it to you, since he was busy downstairs.”
“How thoughtful of both of you. It’s very lovely.
“Here, tie it on for me,” Beth asked handing the corsage to Rose.
She tied the rose-and-ribbon corsage on Beth’s wrist and proceeded to fluff the lace and bow into position.
When she was finished, Rose stood back and admired Beth.
“You look absolutely dazzling tonight.”
“My dress . . . it’s not too old?” Beth questioned.
“It’s beautiful. All the ladies will be envious. Now, come on, I know that they’re all waiting for us downstairs. Let’s go.”
Beth let her fingers trail over the flowers. “Thanks, Rose. You’ve been very kind to me.”
Rose laughed gaily and took Beth by the hand. “Come on. This is going to be so much fun tonight.”
She led Beth down the stairs to the waiting Burnett men and Eugenia. At the bottom of the stairs, Rose let go of her hand and went to stand beside her husband. Beth glanced into Tanner’s brown eyes and watched as his gaze started at her head and trailed down her body, lingering over her curves.
A blush flamed her cheeks as he glanced back into her eyes and she felt the heat of his stare. She swallowed trying to calm the racing of her pulse as she observed how handsome he looked tonight.
Tucker cleared his throat, and she turned toward him and smiled.
“You look fantastic,” he said and stepped up and offered her his arm.
She placed her hand on the inside of his arm, her skirt lapping around his feet. She glanced up at him; though his eyes were bright, his gaze didn’t have the same effect on her as Tanner’s heated looks. But they would. All she needed was some time, and then, whatever physical reaction she had to Tanner, she would feel for Tucker. She was certain of it. And she was determined to marry Tucker and forget about Tanner.
After all, Tanner didn’t want her.
Eugenia swooped down on the couples, checking them out like a soldier inspecting the troops. “All of you look so nice. Come on, everyone, let’s go greet our guests.”
They walked out the front door, across the wooden porch, and down the steps to the waiting party.
Beth turned toward Tucker and gazed into his eyes. “Thank you for the corsage; it’s lovely.”
He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it. “You’re welcome. This is your party; enjoy it.”
Beth wanted to feel something, anything at the touch of his lips to the back of her hand, but she felt only awkward—no rushing sensations, no welcoming response, only a trickle of unease that left her tense.
The two couples split at the pavilion and went their different ways, Tucker introducing Beth to their guests, Travis and Rose greeting old friends. Tanner and Eugenia wandered together through the gathering, Eugenia introducing him to newcomers and reacquainting him with ones that were here before he left.
Children ran through the crowd, playing chase or hide-and-seek, while the adults mingled, catching up on the latest gossip
and renewing old friendships.
The smell of roasting calf drifted over the gathering, and the crowd soon congregated around the buffet table. Lines formed as the guests made their way down the table, which was loaded with food.
While the guests ate, the musicians warmed up their instruments beneath the star studded sky. The food was good, and the people were friendly, but Beth kept looking around her, always searching for the man whose gaze she could almost feel upon her.
After dinner, Tucker left her side and joined a group of men over by the barn. Beth sat at the table with Rose, who brought her up-to-date on the latest gossip.
“See that woman in the blue dress with the two young children,” Rose whispered.
“Yes,” Beth replied.
“She’s married to the minister, who is standing over by Mr. Kincaid. He owns the El Paso Hotel. Personally, I think he has a thing for Eugenia, but she doesn’t know it.”
“What makes you say that?” Beth asked.
Rose raised her brows. “The way he looks at her, the way he laughs more when she’s around.”
“Do you think Eugenia would be interested in remarrying?”
“I don’t know, but it’s something to consider, given the fact that she is so involved with her son’s lives.”
“You aren’t considering trying to get the two of them together, are you?” Beth asked.
“Why not? If she were married, she’d be less likely to be an interfering mother-in-law. Don’t get me wrong, I love her to pieces, but she has a tendency to be too involved with her sons’ lives. And that, dear friend, is a personal warning for you.”
Beth smiled. “Surely it’s not that bad.”
“Just remember that you were warned,” Rose said. The musicians started to play in earnest, and suddenly couples were heading toward the dance floor. Travis came and grabbed Rose around the waist. “I think it’s time I carried you off to the dance floor.”
“Ooh, I love it when you become demanding,” she said, gazing up at her husband adoringly as he twirled her off in the direction of the pavilion.
Beth watched as one by one the couples began to waltz. She watched Travis and Rose weave through the dancers. Eugenia passed by in the arms of Mr. Kincaid, and Beth had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.
One dance turned into two and then three as Beth sat and watched the couples on the floor. Suddenly, Tanner was standing in front of her.
“Where’s Tucker?” he asked sharply.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Last I saw him, he went off toward the barn with some men. Why?”
“I thought he taught you to dance the other night?” Tanner had heard them in the parlor that night when she had kissed Tucker, which had been a terrible mistake? She swallowed nervously.
“He did.”
“Then why in the hell aren’t you out there dancing with him? You two have a fight already?”
Beth stared at Tanner, amused at his brusqueness. “No, we are not fighting. I just thought he must be busy. So I’ve been watching.”
He grabbed her by the hand. “Come on. You didn’t come to watch.”
Pulling her onto the dance floor, he took her in his arms. The musicians were playing a waltz again, and they glided into the steps. His hands felt rough, as a man’s hands should feel. His palms were calloused from working around the ranch.
The touch of his skin against hers wreaked havoc on her senses.
“I thought you didn’t know how to dance.”
“No, I just hadn’t danced in so long, I was afraid I had forgotten,” Beth explained patiently.
“You’re doing just fine. Not that my younger brother would notice.”
“Thank you.” She smiled at him. “So are you having a good time tonight?”
Tanner shrugged. “It’s all right. So many of these people I don’t know. They all moved here after I left. Mother keeps introducing me to all the marriageable young women. She wants me to settle down here.”
“Are you going to stay?”
“No. I should have left already, but I haven’t wanted to. Soon, I’ll have to.”
Beth felt her stomach sink. He was leaving, and though it shouldn’t matter, it did. She nodded her head as if to agree, hoping for some time to compose her unruly emotions, which were plummeting. She smiled, her mouth tight and stiff.
“Where will you go?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know yet.”
He spun her around, and she gasped. “You know you’re not a bad dancer yourself.”
“I get by.”
The waltz ended, and he removed his hand from her waist, leaving her skin warm and tingling. He walked her back to the table, his steps brisk.
“I’m giving Tucker five minutes, and then he better show up,” he said, glancing around for his brother.
“Tanner, I’m sure he’s gotten busy somewhere and he’ll return soon.”
“This is your big night, your party. He should be here at your side,” he said, his voice almost a growl.
“It’s all right,” she assured him.
Tucker walked up to Beth’s side. “There you are. I saw you dancing with Tanner. I was in the barn talking.”
“Why aren’t you dancing with Beth?” Tanner asked.
Tucker glanced at him, surprise evident on his face. “I would have been, but you were dancing with her.”
Beth stood up and put her hand on Tucker’s arm, suddenly feeling the need to separate the two men. “Come on. You may dance with me now.”
He took her by the hand and led her to the dance floor, leaving a flustered Tanner behind.
Tanner watched his brother put his hands on Beth and had to force himself to unclench his insides. If the sight of Tucker touching Beth bothered him now, how would he react when they kissed? When they were together as husband and wife? When she had a baby someday?
He turned and walked away, forcing his back to the sight of them dancing, their arms around one another. He had to get accustomed to the thought of them as a couple. He had to adjust or he could never be around them. He had to forget the memory of Beth naked and trembling with passion in his arms.
The musicians finished up one song and played another, and then they played another before Tanner forced himself to look back at the dance floor.
Beth was dancing, but not with Tucker. Now she was dancing with a young man named Mike that Tanner had met earlier in the evening. He glanced around the area for Tucker and found him dancing with a young girl whose beauty was no comparison to Beth’s. But Tucker was laughing and having a good time, while Beth was putting up with some two-bit cowboy who had already stepped on her toes once while Tanner was watching.
Was Tucker out of his mind? How could he let some cowboy dance with the woman that was going to be his wife?
Beth stumbled back to the table, where she sat down and removed her foot from her slipper.
Tanner ambled over and sat down beside her. He wanted to take her small foot in his hand and gently rub the limb and soothe away her pain, but he couldn’t. It wouldn’t be proper to massage her foot, though it was tempting.
“How are you holding up?” he asked.
“I’m fine, really,” she said.
“How’s the shoulder? It’s not aching, is it?” he asked.
She grimaced. “A little bit.”
“Maybe you should quit for the night.”
“No. I’m having a good time.”
He glanced at her; although she seemed anxious, almost depressed, she told him she was having fun.
What was wrong with his foolish brother?
She slid her foot back into her slipper. Another cowboy came up and asked Beth to dance, and she left Tanner sitting at the table alone. He watched as she glided around the floor with the young buck, and Tanner wanted to strangle his brother. Where was he?
Tucker came around the floor with a young girl in his arms that Tanner didn’t know. He watched as his brother laughed at something the girl said and wondered wh
y he was neglecting Beth. After all, even though Beth was the prettiest woman here tonight, Tucker had spent more time in other women’s arms than in Beth’s.
The band began to play a slow waltz once again, and Tanner saw Tucker make his way to Beth. He watched as his brother placed one hand on her waist and her other hand in his. He groaned as he saw Tucker pull her in closer than was really appropriate, and he had to look away when Beth smiled up at him.
She should be dancing with Tanner, smiling and laughing with him, gazing at him as if he were the most important man in her life. But he could never be that person in her life. That was his brother’s job.
Tanner glanced up just in time to see the song end and Tucker lean down and give Beth a chaste kiss on the lips.
It was more than he could bear. He had to get out of here now, tonight. He couldn’t wait another minute, couldn’t stand the sight of his brother with Beth another moment. For Tucker had not behaved toward Beth the way she deserved to be treated.
He whirled around and marched toward the barn his legs carrying him as fast as he could walk, away from the sight of the two of them together. The wide-open spaces could never hurt as much as watching Beth and Tucker.
He slung open the barn door, strolled in, and began to saddle his horse. It would take only moments to gather his few belongings, but if his horse was saddled and ready, then he could slip into the house, get his things, say good-bye to his mother, and ride away before anyone noticed.
Tanner took the bridle down from the wall of the stall. He slipped the bit into the horse’s mouth and threw his saddle blanket on its back, followed by his saddle. He began tightening the flank cinch and adjusted the foot stirrups. He’d be gone within the hour.
The door of the barn opened, and in walked Tucker.
“There you are,” Tucker said, his mouth dropping open in surprise. “What are you doing?”
“I’m leaving,” Tanner said without ever looking at his younger brother.
“Now?” Tucker said in surprise. “Does Mother know?”
“Nope. Just decided a few minutes ago.”
“What in the hell is the matter with you?” Tucker said, his voice rising. “We have a yard filled with guests and you think now is the time to leave? Do you give a damn about how Mother is going to feel about this?”
The Outlaw Takes A Bride (The Burnett Brides) Page 17
