“Now, boys, play nice,” Caterina cautioned, although an elated smile wreathed her face.
“You appear incredibly happy about something, Caterina,” Grant observed. “Did you receive word about your brother and his wife?”
“Mama sent a telegram early this afternoon. Bruno and Elena are on their way home. She broke her arm and he has two broken ribs, but considering what could have happened, we feel so blessed they are able to travel. I’m so glad they left the babies with Mama and Papa.”
“That is a blessing,” Aundy said. She reached over and squeezed Caterina’s hand. “Although I think they might take exception to being called babies since they are six and four.”
“They are all babies, to me.” Caterina dabbed at her eyes and offered the group a watery smile.
“I heard the word babies. Did you tell them?” Marnie asked Caterina as Lars pulled out a chair for her and took a seat at the table.
“Tell us what?” Aundy asked, staring at first Marnie then Caterina.
Caterina glared at Marnie then lifted her gaze and motioned at someone across the room. Tony and Ilsa approached the table and took the last two chairs. “Everyone is here, so now we will tell them.”
“What secrets are you keeping now?” Tony asked, nudging his sister’s arm with his. “I already know Bruno and Elena are home safe. After the way you squealed and carried on when I brought you the telegram, half the town knows, too.”
Caterina smacked her brother’s arm then glowered at Kade when he chuckled in agreement. Indignant, she huffed and looked around the group. “Do you want to hear our most wonderful news or not?”
“Of course.” Ilsa looked around Tony to her sister-in-law. “I’m all ears.”
“Hardly, chickadee.” Tony kissed his wife’s cheek. “Even if you were, they’re such cute little ears, you’d still be beautiful.”
Ilsa’s cheeks bloomed with color, but she gave Caterina an encouraging smile. “Please, what wonderful news do you have to share?”
Caterina nodded to Marnie. They both smiled, speaking at the same time. “You’re going to be aunties and uncles again.”
Aundy was the first to jump up and hug Caterina then Marnie while Garrett shook hands with Kade and Lars.
“Congratulations to you all,” Grant said, lifting his glass of punch in a toast. “To healthy babies and a happy future.”
“Here, here!” The rest of them clinked their glasses together then returned to their meal, speaking animatedly about the arrival of not one but two new babies to their close circle.
Lacy couldn’t hide her smile as she listened to them talk about names and how Caterina had better hope she had another boy because the twins would terrorize a little sister. She glanced over and caught a glimpse of haunting pain on Aundy’s face before the woman chased it away with a forced cheerfulness.
Although Aundy never mentioned it, Lacy had heard Ilsa and Marnie discussing how much she wanted a child of her own. She spent many hours with the children at the orphanage but it seemed apparent to all that she wanted to give Garrett a baby more than just about anything.
The news that her best friend and her sister-in-law were both expecting had to be difficult for Aundy to hear. It didn’t surprise Lacy when she excused herself from the table as soon as everyone finished eating.
Garrett started to go after her, but Caterina motioned him to stay and followed her friend out of the ballroom.
Aware of the sympathetic glances cast his direction, Garrett took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Aundy and I are both thrilled about the upcoming additions to the family. Truly we are. She just needs a minute.”
Quiet settled around them, along with an aura of sadness. Grant took it upon himself to chase away the melancholy. “Say, did you hear Marvin Tooley took the Widow Johnson on a picnic the other day?”
“You’re pulling my leg,” Kade said, leaning back in his chair with a dubious grin. “Even a woman as desperate as the Widow Johnson ain’t that desperate, is she?”
Lars chuckled. “Apparently, she is. I saw him escorting her to the mercantile yesterday when I made my rounds through town.”
“What kind of crazy woman would take up with that smelly ol’ goat?” Garrett asked with a teasing smile.
“Garrett, you know Marvin is one of your wife’s little projects. Since she and Caterina befriended him, he’s started bathing with some regularity, visits the barbershop occasionally, and even purchased new clothes and launders them instead of wearing them until they disintegrate.” Ilsa grinned at her brother-in-law. “I don’t know that he’ll ever be entirely civil or civilized, but he is trying. I, for one, am glad he’s taken an interest in Mrs. Johnson. They both need a special friend and something to look forward to.”
“And I look forward to dancing with my lovely wife.” Lars rose to his feet, tipped his head to the women at the table then walked toward the end of the room where the band waited for the cue to begin the ball.
“Did you get a dance card, Lacy?” Ilsa asked, casting an admiring glance at her friend. “As beautiful as you are in that dress, we’ll have to stand guard around you tonight.”
Lacy blushed at Ilsa’s teasing and nodded her head. “I’ve never attended a dance like this before. I’m not sure what to do with my dance card.” She lifted the small booklet with a picture of dogwoods on the cover and set it beside her empty plate on the table.
Grant snatched it up and flipped past the title page to the “Order of Dances” page. Fourteen dances comprised the list, along with the name of the piece and the composer. A line beneath each musical selection left room for a gentleman to write his name with the small attached pencil.
“Now, Grant, don’t you fill in every line.” Ilsa tapped his arm with the fan she held in her hand. “You know you’re only supposed to dance three times with a lady unless you want to create a scandal.”
Grant gave Lacy a devilish smile and pretended to write his name on every line. “Then by all means, let’s create one.”
Everyone laughed as Grant started to give the dance card back to Lacy. Tony snatched it from his hand and wrote his name on one line then passed it to Kade and Garrett. By the time the booklet made it back to her hands, Lacy didn’t have many empty spaces to fill. She noticed Garrett added Lars’ name, along with a few other men they liked and trusted.
Aundy and Caterina rejoined them as the band struck a few practice notes. Lacy noticed that although they both appeared in good spirits, Aundy’s eyes didn’t sparkle as brightly as they had when they first arrived.
Lars returned to their table, bowed to Marnie, and kissed her fingers. “Come on, sweet thing. It appears we’re supposed to lead the Grand March to get this shindig started. The rest of you better fall in line because I’m not gonna be the only one out there dancing.”
“We’re right behind you,” Tony said, helping Ilsa to her feet then offering her a gallant bow.
“Shall we?” Grant asked, pulling out Lacy’s chair and waiting for her to stand. She slipped the cord of her dance card over her gloved wrist and followed the others out to the dance floor.
Other couples joined them on the floor and the ball began.
Lacy danced a quadrille with Garrett, a galop with Tony, and a polka with Lars before she found herself back in Grant’s arms for a waltz.
“Hello, there,” he said. A warm light flickered in his eyes as he spun her around on the dance floor.
“Hello.” Breathless and lightheaded, Lacy knew it had nothing to do with the lively dances. The cause remained solely with Grant.
Many women ogled him as he danced, but she couldn’t blame them. It was hard for her to keep her eyes from the fine figure he made in his black suit. The long tails of his coat made him appear extraordinarily tall and resplendent while his crisp white shirt and stiff wing collar accented the tan of his face.
A few times, she’d caught his eyes lingering on her. The knowledge she captured his attention filled her with a joy beyond h
er ability to define or describe.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” Grant asked as he stepped to the side then twirled her around.
“Oh, yes, Grant! It’s been a wonderful evening.” Lacy’s eyes glowed with excitement and happiness. “It’s like something from a dream. A lovely, magical dream.”
Although for different reasons, he fully agreed with her assessment. Lacy was a dream come true for him. Grant never thought he’d find a lovely, tenderhearted girl who liked him for him, not who he was or what he represented. Lacy was smart and ambitious, but also kind and gentle.
It was no wonder she’d stolen his heart. How could he not fall in love with her, especially with how she looked tonight? Full of fanciful thoughts, he decided if she wore a crown, she really could be a princess.
A vision of her in a castle with a court in attendance came to mind. It drew another smile to his lips and crinkled the corners of his eyes.
“What’s so amusing?” Lacy asked, smiling at him in return. Her whole face lit up and Grant almost tripped at the affection and adoration glimmering in her eyes.
“You.” Grant pulled her a little closer than was entirely proper. “I was picturing you as a princess, with a crown on that beautiful head.”
Lacy’s cheeks heated at his words but she held his gaze. “If you think I’m a princess, you most definitely would be the prince.”
Grant bent his head so his mouth hovered close to her ear. “I’m glad you think so, Princess. You better be careful or I might steal you away and take you captive.”
Languid from Grant’s words and his warm breath on her neck, she somehow managed to keep her feet moving in time to the music. “I thought captives always went to the dungeon.”
“No dungeon for you,” Grant said as he swept her around, making her skirts flare behind her. “I’d keep you prisoner in a room filled with feather pillows and sheets made of silk and…” The image that filled Grant’s mind caused his shirt collar to tighten until he thought it might choke the air right out of him. He cleared his throat and changed the subject. “You dance superbly, Lacy. Did you learn at school?”
She shook her head. “I learned a few dance steps at school, but mostly from my cousins. Rose and Daisy both love to dance and taught the rest of us.” Lacy recalled all the rainy afternoons she’d spent in Uncle Charlie’s barn with her cousins, learning to dance. She was glad she’d taken an interest in dancing. Those lessons enabled her to enjoy her evening at the ball.
As Grant twirled her around, she noticed his mother staring at her and whispering something to Mrs. Bradshaw. She’d seen them speaking several times while glaring her direction. Assumably, they spoke of her and it didn’t take much to discern the words were anything but kind.
“Is your mother having a good time?” Lacy returned her focus to the amazing man who held her in his arms.
“Most likely.” Grant frowned as he glanced over to where Imogene and her friends stood. “The evening includes three of her favorite things.”
“Oh? What might those things be?”
Grant tipped his head toward his mother. “Good food, good music, and listening ears for her gossiping tongue.”
Lacy stifled a laugh and gave Grant a look that warned him to behave. Despite the way he joked about his mother, she knew he loved the prickly woman and did his best to take care of her while she stayed at his house.
As the song drew to an end, Grant hesitated to release Lacy into her next dance partner’s keeping. When J.B. Nash stepped up to her, Grant gave her a polite bow then walked over to the refreshment table.
Slowly, he sipped a cup of punch, grateful for the refreshing drink cooled with ice Tony provided for the event. He moved to stand against the wall and surveyed the room. His eyes rested on his mother as she spoke, quite heatedly, with the agent from the Umatilla Reservation. When he saw her point in Lacy’s direction, warning bells clanged in his head.
Inconspicuously, he worked his way around the room and stationed himself behind a tall plant where he could listen to his mother’s conversation.
“But, sir, you don’t appear to fully embrace the severity of the situation. That woman should not be allowed to roam around Pendleton causing trouble. You have no idea what havoc she’s wreaked in the last few months,” Imogene stated, stamping her foot for emphasis.
“Now, ma’am, I realize you and Mrs. Bradshaw and the others are concerned about Miss Williams. I assure you I will investigate the matter Monday, but for this evening, I haven’t seen the girl do a single thing wrong. I’m not hauling her back to the reservation tonight, so you might as well enjoy this very nice party. Good evening.”
Grant wanted to cheer as the agent walked away, leaving his mother blustering and muttering under her breath.
He worked his way back across the room and just happened to stop by the dessert table where the agent filled his plate with an assortment of pastries.
“Quite a party, isn’t it?” Grant asked as he placed a piece of berry pie on a plate and picked up a fork.
“It is.” The agent turned to look at him. “These folks know how to throw a memorable event.”
“That they do.” Grant nonchalantly cut into his pie as they wandered to an empty table and sat down. “Lacy Williams helped Ilsa Campanelli and Marnie Thorsen with the planning. In fact, she came out yesterday after work and assisted with the decorations.”
“Is that a fact?” The agent studied Grant for a long moment. “Did I see you dancing with her earlier?”
“Yes, sir.” Grant took another bite of pie. He could barely taste it with his mouth full of bitterness at the trouble his mother attempted to stir up against Lacy. “I’ve been acquainted with Miss Williams since she began working at the telephone office. It’s right across the street from the bank, you know.”
“I see.” The agent bit into a small cake, finishing it with his second bite. “What do you think of Miss Williams working in town?”
“I think it’s grand. She’s a hard-worker. Did you know she’s saving her money to help her brother go to college? He wants to be an architect.” Grant noticed the man’s surprised expression, but he continued. “To cut down on her expenses, she cleans Mrs. Campanelli’s store and Mr. Campanelli’s photography studio in the evenings and their barn on Saturdays. In trade, they keep her horse at the barn and she lives in the apartment above the dress shop.”
“Really. From what I heard, she’s been begging people for assistance and preying on the kindness of the good citizenry of Pendleton.” The agent ate a cookie then turned his attention back to Grant. “Might I also assume she isn’t ‘working her wiles’ on the male population in town, either?”
Grant choked on the bite of pie he’d just swallowed. The agent pounded him on the back and he coughed a few times before he regained the ability to speak. Incensed at the vicious lies his mother spread, he decided to put an immediate stop to her nonsense.
“Might I assume that information came to you from my mother and her friends?”
“I really shouldn’t disclose my sources.” The agent grinned at Grant. “But you wouldn’t be wrong in that assumption.”
Grant sighed, wanting to take his mother aside and give her the verbal berating she so richly deserved. Rather than give in to the temptation, he turned to the agent. “Sir, I do believe the information you’ve received regarding Miss Williams is false and sent to you with a malicious intent to harm her indisputably sound character. I can vouch for Lacy Williams and provide a dozen more people who would willingly do the same. She works five days a week at the telephone office. Speak to Millie Matlock if you’d like a referral about her work ethics. She’s attended church each Sunday, except for the few she’s gone home to visit her family. Pastor Whitting would also attest to her character.”
The man nodded as one of the cowboys from Nash’s Folly danced by with Lacy. “What about you, Grant? What are your personal thoughts on the girl?”
Grant stared at the dancers, unwilling to admit
he was in love with her to the agent before he’d said the words to Lacy. He weighed his words before offering a response. “My personal thoughts are that she should be left alone to forge her own path. I realize it breaks with tradition for her to live in town and work at the telephone office, but she is carving out a place for herself in the community. She’s not breaking any laws, causing any trouble, or offending anyone except my mother and her friends. The reason for that has nothing to do with Lacy and everything to do with me.”
The agent studied him a moment then nodded his head. “I suspected something along those lines. It’s unusual for me to receive a complaint from someone in town, but to receive four of them regarding Lacy definitely put me on the alert. I still might ride into town Monday and speak with her, but I have no plans of disrupting the life she’s working so hard to build. Tell me more about Walker wanting to go to school. Does his father know about his plans?”
Chapter Twenty
“Are you ready to take a spin across the room with the best dancer here?” Kade teasingly asked as he stepped in front of Lacy.
Demurely, she tipped her head to him. “By all means, introduce him.”
“You’re dancing with him, Miss Williams.” Kade chuckled and moved into position as the band began playing and the dancers joined in another quadrille. “Honestly, I’ll just try not to step on your toes.”
“My toes and I thank you.” Lacy offered the deputy a sassy smile that faded into a more serious, yet happy expression. “I’m so thrilled for you and Caterina. Congratulations on the upcoming expansion of your family. What do the boys think of the news?”
“We haven’t told them yet. I’m not sure they’re old enough to understand. Anyway, they’ll be full of questions soon enough, so we thought we’d postpone it as long as we can.” Kade grinned. “I’m kind of hoping we have a girl this time, for Caterina’s sake. She gets a little overwhelmed with the three handsome and charming Rawlings men.”
Lacy: (Sweet Historical Western Romance) (Pendleton Petticoats Book 5) Page 23
