An Unconventional Lady

by Cynthia Hickey

  He gripped her shoulders and grinned. “You’re perfect for this. Annie, love, you single-handedly stared down a mountain lion.”

  Chapter 21

  “I’d like to renew my contract through March.” Annie stood before Miss Cartwright, her hands folded in front of her. “There’s little enough to do in the winter, and I can use the money.”

  The head waitress laughed. “I’ve heard of worse reasons for a girl to renew. I’m glad to have you back.”

  Annie forced a smile. Since their return from the canyon tour a week ago, Dallas had avoided her like the plague, Mother was wrapped up in Mr. Harris and Annie felt very much alone.

  At first, Mother had spent a couple days doting and fussing over Annie, then it was back to business as usual. Except there was no business. Any tourists arriving at the Grand Canyon during the cold winter tended to book rooms at El Tovar. While Mother continued to bake for the hotel, she seemed to care little about whether she had boarders or not.

  Her waning enthusiasm for the business was the final straw in Annie’s decision to renew her contract. Come spring, she’d help her mother sell the house, then she’d follow the railroad. Maybe to California. She’d heard the weather was mild and the ocean fantastic.

  “I can begin right away. As soon as I put on my uniform.” Annie headed to the seamstress, sure the woman still had the one tailored to fit her. There weren’t many women as tall as she was.

  Once dressed, she entered the dining room, pleased that Miss Cartwright had reinstated her at her current position, and searched for Dallas. Her spirits drooped when she didn’t see him.

  He’d called her love, then walked away. Confusion clouded her mind. Maybe the endearment was a slip of the tongue. She’d read too much meaning into the simple word. Even retiring her split skirt to her bedroom trunk hadn’t elicited more attention from Dallas. No, the only man who came calling was Sean. Annie felt as if Mother was already planning her wedding.

  Annie shrugged. If she was married, Mother could leave with Mr. Harris without worrying about her.

  After collecting the drink pitchers, Annie rolled the cart to the waiting customers, pasted on a smile and got to work. Maybe she would focus on becoming a head waitress. It was a respected position, after all. She could have her pick of restaurants across the country.

  Her gaze fell on the eager face of Sean. Of course, there was the matter of one Pastor McMurray. She’d taken to sitting in the front row while he preached every Sunday. Folks seemed to expect it, even going so far as to hint about them having a courtship. Annie would sit in the back row this week. Hopefully, Sean would get the hint without her having to voice the words.

  While he was an extremely kind man, handsome and well-mannered, Annie didn’t love him as a woman should love the man she married. Her heart belonged to a man who seemed to only tolerate her. It promised to be a long winter.

  “Miss?” A woman held up her coffee mug. “Are you going to pour?”

  Annie’s face heated. She’d stood lost in her thoughts long enough for a customer to notice.

  Miss Cartwright frowned from across the room. If Annie kept getting distracted, the head waitress might regret signing her on again, and demote her back to the lunch counter. Annie had a job to do, so she’d best do it and do it well. Moping would get her nowhere.

  Besides, she wasn’t one to let life pass her by. She’d always forged ahead to experience it at its fullest. Why should now be any different? So things didn’t go as planned. She’d shake it off and continue. God had bigger and better things in store for her.

  Better than Dallas? Her hands shook. She’d like to think so, but had a hard time wrapping her mind around it. Perhaps God didn’t intend her to marry, and she should stop fretting. She would experience what life had to offer and if God wanted her to wed, then He would prepare the way.

  She’d been perfectly content to seek out life’s experiences until Dallas strolled into the boardinghouse that day. Shortly after, her world had been turned upside down and her heart wrung out. Since the first glimpse of his face, her life hadn’t been the same.

  She grinned, knowing she wouldn’t have changed any of it. Sure, her heart might ache at knowing he wasn’t hers, but not knowing him would’ve been worse. She gave thanks to God for the precious friendship they’d shared. She’d seek Dallas out at the first opportunity and let him know how much he meant to her. As a friend. She didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, after all.

  With her mood lightened after realizing that she could have a relationship with Dallas without it having to be a romantic one, she floated through her day. She performed her duties almost without thinking, and ended the day satisfied and fulfilled.

  After work, she headed to the barn. Light spilled from its open doors. She stood in the doorway and watched as Dallas cleaned his horse’s feet. He’d removed his coat in the warmth of the barn, and his muscles rippled under the cotton of his shirt. It might be harder than she’d thought to look at him as only a friend, but God had given Annie an inner strength. She could rely on it in a time such as this.

  “Dallas?” She pleated her apron, anxious that he might take her words wrong and not accept friendship at all.

  “Good evening, Annie.” He straightened. “Is everything all right?”

  “Very.” She drew a deep breath. “I haven’t properly thanked you for rescuing me from the cougar. I couldn’t help but notice how you’ve...avoided me since. And, well, I value—”

  * * *

  “Value what?” It took all of Dallas’s willpower not to throw the pick he used to dig stones out of Rascal’s shoes. Annie had to be the most infuriating female he’d ever met.

  “Why, our friendship, of course.”

  He shook his head, wanting to shake some sense into her. Why couldn’t she see he wanted to be more than friends? Well, if that’s the way she wanted it, then that’s what they’d be. Friends. He huffed. “So do I.”

  “You sound facetious.” She tilted her head to the side.

  Turning away before she could discern his true feelings, he shrugged. “Nope. Not a bit.”

  What a liar. He sighed and started brushing Rascal’s coat. The horse picked up on his mood and grew restless, snorting and stomping his feet. “Hush, boy.”

  “I understand.” She turned to leave.

  “Understand what, Annie?” Dallas stilled his brushing and stared at her over the horse’s back. “What exactly do you understand?”

  “You have no desire to be friends.” She squared her shoulders. “And I respect your decision. But since we are living in such close quarters, and winter is upon us, we should at least be civil with each other, don’t you agree?”

  He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on Rascal’s shoulder. “Yes, I agree.” Frustrated, he said nothing to prevent her from walking away. He needed time to form his thoughts into words before saying something he’d regret.

  The two of them needed to stop dancing around each other and speak plainly. At least he did. If Ma knew he had yet to tell Annie he loved her, she’d skin him alive. If he were a betting man, he’d wager Rascal’s saddle that Ma expected him to show up at the ranch with Annie come spring.

  By the time he had Rascal curried, smells of supper were drifting across the yard. Sometimes it was hard telling his stomach to wait until Annie got home to eat, but he understood Mrs. Rollins’s reasoning.

  He stomped the mud off his boots and entered through the back door, Hero on his heels. After washing up in the mud room, he continued toward the dining room. Mr. Harris’s booming laugh echoed, followed by Mrs. Rollins’s giggle, and another man’s answering laugh. Dallas wanted to kick something. McMurray must have been invited to supper.

  “Feel free to take a bite out of his leg,” he told the dog. “It’ll be dark under the table. Hard for a mutt t
o see, right?” He scratched Hero behind the ears, glad he’d been allowed access to the house after proving how well behaved he was, and then marched to the table. “Food smells good. Evening, McMurray.” He might as well be mannerly. The sight of a roasted chicken, bowls of mashed potatoes and green beans, and a basket of biscuits made his stomach rumble. Mrs. Rollins sure did know how to cook.

  “Good evening, Mr. Baker. We were just getting ready to say the blessing.”

  Avoiding Annie’s eyes, Dallas took a seat as far from her as the small kitchen table would allow. Why was it that every time he built up the nerve to tell her of his love, McMurray showed up?

  Dallas could hear his mother’s voice ringing in his ears, saying, “When did you become such a coward, son?” He sighed and laid his napkin across his lap.

  “Although I was a bit put out at first that our dear Annie renewed her contract with the Harvey Company,” McMurray said, spearing a biscuit with his fork, “I understand a woman’s need to keep occupied.”

  What did he miss? The entire blessing? And now McMurray was rattling on about Annie. Dallas needed to pay closer attention instead of losing himself in his head.

  “Please don’t speak for me,” Annie said, her brows drawing together. “I renewed my contract so I could travel down the rail line come spring.”

  Sean’s eyes widened. “You’ve already decided to renew again? Annie, the winter is long and you may change—”

  “I won’t change my mind, Sean.” She set her fork beside her plate, lining it up perfectly with the plate’s edge. “I’ve never kept it a secret from you that I have no plans to marry.”

  “But...” He expelled a sharp breath, his lips fluttering. “Mrs. Rollins, surely you—”

  “The supper table is no place to discuss this,” Mrs. Rollins admonished. “This is a private matter between the two of you. While I have my own hopes for my daughter, I will not push her into anything she does not desire.”

  Dallas switched his gaze from one to the other. When his gaze met Mr. Harris’s, the older man shrugged and refocused on his food.

  Annie had no feelings for McMurray? The knowledge warmed Dallas more than the food. If she spurned the other man’s courtship, Dallas had ample opportunity to win her heart during the winter. He could bide his time instead of rushing to tell her of his love.

  He lifted a chicken leg to his mouth. Unless another gentleman entered the picture. One who could offer Annie the adventure she craved.

  Would being a rancher’s wife provide enough excitement for her? Ma seemed content, but maybe that wasn’t the life for every woman. Ranching was hard work. There was planting, calving, round-up, branding...the work never ended. Why, a family rarely left the ranch unless there was a big to-do in town.

  He focused on Annie’s beautiful face. The thought that ranching, that he, might not be enough for her, chilled his heart.

  “Are you going to eat that chicken leg or keep smelling it?” Annie gave him a wry grin.

  Dallas stared at the meat in his hand. What in tarnation was wrong with him? He was acting like a schoolboy with a crush.

  “I’m thinking the lad has a woman on his mind,” Mr. Harris said. “When a man is in love, he can’t focus on anything else.”

  Annie’s eyes widened and her mouth opened.

  Dallas couldn’t pull his gaze away.

  Chapter 22

  “Playing with you is no fun.” Annie sat back and crossed her arms, glaring at the checkerboard. “I’m no competition for you.”

  “But you make a pretty picture sitting across the table.” Dallas winked and jumped another of her pieces.

  He’d been nothing but attentive, offering flattery at every turn, since she’d finally managed to convince Sean there could be nothing between them. That was four months ago, and Dallas still hadn’t said a word about love. She almost felt as if he treated her like a younger sister, except for the look of admiration in his eyes.

  If he didn’t make his feelings clear soon, she’d have to step over the boundaries of propriety and take the initiative. That might be wickedly delightful.

  “What are you grinning about?” Dallas claimed another of her pieces. “You’re losing badly.”

  She laughed. “You have no idea who the loser will be, Dallas Baker. No idea at all.”

  He frowned and stared at her. “Are you tired?” He glanced at the mantel. “It’s only eight o’clock, but you’ve been putting in long hours at the hotel, and—”

  “I’m fine. Really.” She stifled another smile and studied the board. He had one more move and it would be game over. In life as well as checkers.

  Annie would give him until it was time to renew her contract in two months. If he didn’t say anything by then, she’d tell him how she felt and say goodbye. Renewing her contract didn’t mean she had to stay at El Tovar. She glanced around the room. She sure would miss the old house and the view of the canyon. Maybe she could visit home once in a while if they sent her away. She doubted the Harvey Company would let her stay at El Tovar indefinitely.

  “Do you want me to put the game away?” Dallas asked.

  “No, I’ll do it. I’m not heading to bed right away.” She stood and swept the pieces into their wood box. “Good night, Dallas.”

  He stood. Moving close, he ran his thumb along her jaw, sending prickles along her arms and stealing her breath. “Good night, Annette Rollins.”

  When he left without giving her the kiss she yearned for, she slapped the checkerboard in half and added it to the box. She was deluding herself. The man gave her tender touches and kind glances, but never went so far as to hold her hand. Ugh, he frustrated her so.

  “Shouldn’t you be headed to bed, dear?” Mother turned down the wick on one of the lanterns. “You have work in the morning.”

  “May I ask you a question?”

  Mother turned. “Of course.” She motioned to the settee. “Should we sit or move to the kitchen for tea?”

  “Tea would be nice. I’ll finish up in here and join you in a few minutes.” Annie set the game box on the fireplace mantel and extinguished the last lamp. She rarely asked her mother for advice, but the situation with Dallas warranted it. She could tell from the occasional looks on her mother’s face that she often wondered what was going on between her daughter and their tour guide.

  With the parlor put to rights, Annie joined her in the kitchen, where water boiled on the stove and fine china teacups were set on matching saucers. Annie smiled. Since Mother had found love, her stern demeanor had softened, making her the woman Annie remembered from before her father’s death.

  “Now.” Mother sat at the table. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

  Annie pulled out a chair. “I’m not sure how to begin but...how do you get a man to express himself? I mean, you and Mr. Harris have been courting for months. Why are you waiting so long to get married?”

  Mother smiled. “You’re asking about two different things. Let’s start with Mr. Harris.” She tapped her chin with her forefinger. “I loved your father, dearly, you know that, but things weren’t always rosy with us. For one, I did not relish being uprooted from my home and brought here. He let me have very little say in the matter. I’m afraid that after his death, I may have been too forward in my opinions to make up for that.

  “So, before I hitch my wagon to another man, so to speak, I intend to be sure that we want the same things out of life.”

  Annie nodded. “Such as the freedom to travel.”

  “Exactly. We aren’t getting any younger, and now that you’re grown, there is nothing to tie me here.” She waved off Annie’s protest. “Of course, I’ll miss you, but I’ll have the freedom to visit you anytime I can get a train ticket.”

  The teakettle whistled and Mother leaped up to take it from the stove. “As for get
ting a man to speak about his feelings, why, dear, that’s been an ongoing battle for women since the dawn of time. Are we talking about Dallas?”

  “Yes.” Annie sighed. “Sometimes he looks at me as a man looks at a woman he cares about, and at other times he treats me like a younger sister. Spring is almost here. I’d like to know how he feels about me.”

  Mother glanced over her shoulder. “You love him?”

  “Very much, and it terrifies me to think he may not feel the same.”

  “Oh, he feels the same way.” Mother set the teapot in front of her. “It’s written on his face. He’s scared out of his wits.”

  Annie nodded. “I’m giving him until the end of my current contract to say something. If not, I’ll tell him I love him and I’ll leave. He can follow me or not.”

  “I’m sorry you’re going through this turmoil.” Mother reached out and pressed her hand.

  Annie was afraid to move. Her mother rarely showed her any open affection, other than a smothering hug after the cougar incident. Annie put her free hand over hers and squeezed back.

  “I may need your help picking up the poor man off the ground when I tell him I love him.”

  * * *

  Dallas lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. Why didn’t he kiss Annie? He’d had the perfect opportunity. Her sweet lips had been lifted to his, her face soft under his touch. It took all his inner strength to take things slowly. For him to woo her as one would a wild horse. Not that Annie was a horse. Not at all. More like a deer.

  He had two more months to make her love him. Oh, she was beginning to; he saw it in her eyes. Maybe there was more there than he thought. He’d had so little experience with females. The isolation of the ranch had left little time for mingling with the fairer gender. He should have asked more questions of Ma and Pa while growing up. Even his brothers knew more than he did, especially since one of them was married.

  Dallas rolled over and punched his pillow. He sure had lost a lot of sleep thinking about Annie over the months he’d lived in Arizona. Wouldn’t his brothers get a kick out of his haggard face?