Farmer's Daughter Romance Collection : Five Historical Romances Homegrown in the American Heartland (9781630586164)

by Peterson, Tracie; Davis, Mary; Hake, Kelly Eileen; Stengl, Jill; Warren, Susan May

  Concentrate now, Marty. The larger spoon is for soup, and one of the forks is for de—

  “Miss Rawlings, is something wrong?” Silvia McRae asked.

  Marty quickly opened her eyes to find the McRaes, Dani, and Davey staring at her. “Nothing’s wrong,” she stammered. “Just saying grace.”

  “Why don’t you say it aloud for all our benefit?” Silvia looked down her straight, pointy nose at Marty.

  Marty cleared her throat and tried to swallow the lump there. Me? Pray? She bowed her head and blessed the food as she had heard Lucas do at every meal. After the amen, but before she raised her head, she quickly added a silent plea to help her make it through this meal with at least a little dignity. A calmness washed over her.

  She was smart, and if she just watched what everyone else did and did the same, she wouldn’t make too many mistakes. But she was not to get off that easily.

  “Well, now we know where the twins learned their horrendous table manners,” Dora said, crinkling up her nose while looking straight at Marty.

  Marty wanted to truly show her manner and stick her tongue out at the pompous windbag but decided it would be wiser to restrain herself.

  “Absolutely no breeding, like her sister. It’s a good thing we rescued the twins when we did. Who knows what would have become of them?” Silvia’s insult wasn’t quite as direct. “I think manners are the first thing we should work on. We’ll never be able to take them anywhere with their primitive behavior. I doubt there is anyone of breeding to be found in the whole Montana Territory.”

  We do, too, have breeding. There is horse breeding, cattle breeding, and one family even breeds rabbits. Marty smiled to herself. She had little respect for her sister, but next to this woman, Lynnette had looked pretty good.

  William McRae didn’t talk during the meal but kept a critical eye on Marty. He made her nervous. She wondered what was on his mind behind those cold gray eyes. Always watching. She could handle Dora’s and Silvia’s innuendoes, cutting remarks, and the way they talked about her like she wasn’t there. But William’s quiet, methodical staring could be her undoing. It was as if he could see into her very soul and was taking her apart…bit by bit.

  Chapter 17

  While Davey and Dani were asleep and the McRaes were huddled in the parlor, no doubt discussing their unwanted guest, Marty snuck into William’s den. She wanted to see if she could find anything incriminating in his desk and blackmail them out of her nieces, if it came to that.

  Wasting no time, she sat in the chair behind the massive oak desk and jerked the first drawer. It wouldn’t open. She pulled harder. Still, it wouldn’t budge. It was locked, as were the others when she checked them one by one. William McRae wasn’t a very trusting man.

  She found a letter opener and worked one of the drawers open. She shuffled through the papers in it. When the door opened, she looked up with a start and found a pair of cold, gray eyes staring back at her.

  William had a smirk on his face, obviously pleased he had caught her. “Looking for something?”

  “I…I was looking for some writing paper.” Marty slipped the papers back into the drawer. “I wanted to write a letter to my sister-in-law and tell her we made it here safely.”

  William came around the desk and put a hand on the back of the chair, trapping Marty where she sat. “You won’t find any writing paper in that locked drawer.” With his other hand, he closed the drawer Marty had jimmied open. “I keep some writing paper on top of my desk next to the pen and ink.” His hand came down firmly on a stack of blank paper. “What were you looking for?”

  “I was looking for paper.” Admit to this man who wanted to steal her nieces what she was really after? Not on her life! “I didn’t see any there. I’ll be sure to remember next time.”

  “I don’t believe you. You were after something. You can use all the writing paper you want, but don’t go snooping in my desk. Next time I catch you,” he said in a cool tone, drilling her with his cold, stormy gaze, “I won’t let you off so easily.”

  Next time, you won’t catch me. Marty pushed the chair back hard and out of his grasp. “I’m tired. I think I’ll write my letter tomorrow.”

  When she stood up, William stepped forward and backed her up against the bookshelves behind the desk. “Lynnette’s little sister.” He scanned her from head to toe. “You were just a bit of a thing last time I saw you. Clinging to her skirt, as I recall. Do you remember me?”

  She would have liked nothing better than to have forgotten him, but instead he gave her nightmares. Those cold, gray eyes staring, watching. “I’ll be going now.” She tried to move past him.

  He put his hand up against the bookshelf, blocking her way. “You’re a pretty girl.” He reached up to touch her cheek.

  Marty slapped his hand away. She glared at him and tried to leave in the other direction. He grabbed her by the upper arm and kept her from escaping.

  “Git your hands off me,” Marty growled through gritted teeth.

  He just sneered at her with half a smile and moved his other hand from the bookcase to touch her hair.

  “I said, git your hands off me.”

  He glared at her. “I heard what you said.”

  And you ignored me. She drew her fist back and socked him as hard as she could in the stomach, wiping the self-satisfied grin off his face.

  He stepped back, doubling over.

  “I said git your hands off me, and I meant it.” Marty moved away from him and around the desk as Dora came into the room.

  William held his stomach. “You little witch. You’ll regret this.”

  Dora ran over to him. “William, what happened?”

  “I caught her going through my desk, and she punched me.”

  Marty thought about protesting and telling Mrs. William McRae what her husband had really been up to, but figured Dora would believe her husband no matter how much Marty tried to argue. She may have even suspected or known her husband was a no-good, low-down snake, but she would always side with money. Those two deserved each other.

  Marty moved to the door.

  “Miss Rawlings,” Dora called after her, “we know why you are here, so don’t think you can just up and leave with the twins. We’ll be watching you and the twins.”

  Marty left without a word and headed up to her room. Dora’s threat of being watched didn’t frighten her. She figured it wouldn’t be too tough to take the girls, if she had a mind to. But she wanted to have them free and clear, so she wouldn’t have to keep looking over her shoulder. No, Dora’s threats didn’t scare Marty—but Mr. McRae did. Marty would steer clear of him and his reach.

  Out on the veranda in the back, Marty watched Davey and Dani gather leaves. Marty had been in the McRaes’ house for nearly a week, the girls longer. It seemed like an eternity. She had tried each day to search William’s den again, but found the door locked each time. A man that distrusting was not to be trusted.

  Dani and Davey came up on the veranda to show Marty the variety of beautiful leaves they collected.

  “Listen,” Marty said in a low voice to the girls so Rol couldn’t overhear from his perch on the rail at the far end of the veranda. He was the watchful eye Dora had threatened Marty with. “We want them to question if they have done the right thing. You need to be rowdy and obnoxious and difficult, but don’t overdo it so they suspect. Do you think you can do that?”

  Dani and Davey looked at each other slyly, then turned back to Marty. “We can do it.”

  “And mix yourselves up,” Marty added.

  “They don’t care about that,” Dani said.

  “They just call us the twins,” Davey added.

  “Like we are one person,” they chimed in unison.

  Couldn’t they see that Dani and Davey were two unique people? No, Marty guessed they couldn’t, not when they dressed the girls exactly alike and did their hair the same. Marty even had a hard time telling them apart in these getups, but their unique personalities s
till showed through. The three headed into the house but stopped in the hall when they saw Reece at the door talking with Madam Silvia.

  “I would like to take Miss Rawlings, Daphne, and Daniella for a buggy ride to show them our fair city.” Reece smiled cordially.

  Silvia McRae smiled back at him with contempt in her eyes. “You may take Miss Rawlings anywhere you like and keep her for all I care, but the twins do not leave the premises.”

  “A walk in your lovely garden then would be refreshing,” he said. He seemed to be having difficulty keeping his forced smile intact.

  “Rol will be keeping an eye on the twins to make sure they don’t wander off and get lost.”

  “Of course,” Reece said politely, though he looked like he wanted to tell her more. He tipped his head to her and stepped by her to where Marty was. He escorted Marty and the girls outside with Rol lurking close behind.

  Marty enjoyed and even looked forward to Reece’s daily visits. She depended on him. The strange feeling he caused was not quite as distasteful as she had once thought.

  “Those are real nice dresses you have on, Miss Daphne, Miss Daniella.” Reece held out each of their chairs and seated them at the table on the veranda. They giggled at him calling them miss.

  “They’re scratchy,” Dani said, and both girls scratched under the high collar.

  “They’re awful,” Marty said with disgust. “They can’t do anything in them because they might get those precious ruffles dirty.” She couldn’t stand seeing her nieces cooped up in this dreary house trapped in useless clothes for active little girls. Marty felt confined as well and longed to ride off on Flash…anywhere, but she would not leave Dani and Davey alone for her own comfort.

  “Don’t get too discouraged, the time will go quickly, and you’ll all be out of here,” he said with a wink of encouragement to the girls.

  A servant came and served them lemonade. They spoke of many things, and Marty almost forgot this distasteful place. The girls got antsy and ran off to collect more leaves.

  Reece seemed relieved when the girls were gone and asked, “Are you accompanying the girls to the party tomorrow night?” He obviously wanted to ask her in private.

  “Of course.”

  “I wasn’t sure if the McRaes would allow you to attend.” Reece spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully.

  “They weren’t, but I told them if I didn’t go, Dani and Davey might not behave themselves. They asked if I had anything appropriate to wear to an elegant occasion. I assured them I brought my very best pair of Levi’s.” She smiled, remembering the looks on Dora’s and Silvia’s faces. “I thought they were going to faint at the thought of me showing up in pants. Dora moved faster than a jackrabbit with a coyote on his tail to find me one of her cast-off dresses. It was going to be given to charity anyway, and she figures I qualify as charity, and it’s ‘more than good enough for the likes of me.’ ”

  “I’m sure you’ll outshine Dora McRae no matter what you wear,” Reece said. “Everyone who is anybody will be there. All of Seattle’s society will want to know who is this mysterious girl with the beautiful, deep blue eyes.” He took her hand and kissed it.

  Marty couldn’t help but smile at his compliment. Did he really like her eyes? Or was he just telling her what he thought she wanted to hear, like he did with everyone else? How could she know if he was sincere? He took great pride in his ability to manipulate words; after all, it was what he did. And as he said, he did it well. But how could he make her feel tingly inside with a look or his presence? He used no words. And he did come every day. Maybe he really meant it. She liked the thought of Reece possibly liking her, and she smiled self-consciously.

  “Gina says her grandmother is sparing no expense for this party,” Reece said.

  Gina Sadder. Why did he have to go and mention her? She’s beautiful, rich, and always acts like a lady. Marty couldn’t compete. Miss Sadder had everything, including Reece. She wondered if Miss Sadder knew he came to visit poor, backwoodsy Marty.

  Reece had continued on about how wonderful the party was going to be, but Marty heard nothing after Gina’s name. “I don’t feel like being outside anymore.” Her chair scraped the wooden floorboards as she jerked to her feet. “I’m sick of these trees.”

  Reece stood up with his hands out, palms up. “What?” All he could do was stare in confusion at the doorway Marty disappeared through. What had he done? He could not believe she didn’t prefer the great out-of-doors, especially when the option was the McRaes’ home.

  “Where’d Aunt Marty go?” one of the girls asked, startling Reece out of his daze.

  Reece studied the little girl. He could no longer tell the twins apart. At least before he could distinguish them from one another by their braids. Now, any uniqueness was being stripped away, molding them into a pair of perfectly matched dolls to decorate the furniture.

  “In the house.”

  “Why’d she go inside?”

  He shook his head. “I have no idea.” He had been telling her about the Sadder party to assuage any fears she might have. An upscale party like this one could be overwhelming for someone who had never been to one. And Marty had certainly not had an opportunity before. Had he scared her? No…not Marty. But what then?

  As his mind churned with thoughts of an untamed beauty, he feigned interest in Daphne and Daniella’s leaves. The poor girls were prisoners here. If they were forced to remain in this house, would they have the grit and tenacity Marty did to keep their identities even with each other to rely on, or would the McRaes break them both?

  Lord, forgive me for what I have done here.

  Chapter 18

  It amazed Marty how long it took these people to get ready for a stupid party. With all the baths, primping and preening, ironing clothes, curling hair, and dressing, it was an all-day affair. But not for Marty. She took a bath and towel-dried her hair. She didn’t want to put her dress on one minute before she had to, and Tessy offered to do her hair. From bath water to the last pin in her hair was exactly one hour, which was too long. When she stepped in front of the mirror, she could hardly believe it was her reflection. She felt like a princess from one of those fairy tales Cinda would read to Dani and Davey. The light blue satin dress came off her shoulders slightly and was riddled with ruffles. She had had a choice between this one or a peach dress drenched in lace. She determined she had made the right choice when her nieces came running in.

  “Ooooooooh,” both girls crooned.

  “Aunt Marty, you are soooo beautiful.”

  Marty eyed her. “Don’t overdo it, Davey.”

  “Well, you do look beautiful, and I bet Mr. Keegan will think so, too,” Dani said.

  Marty doubted he’d even notice her with the elegant and refined Gina Sadder around. After all, it was Gina’s domain, and she would surely monopolize Reece.

  Marty and her nieces left her room and headed downstairs. The McRaes waited at the bottom like a big, happy family. Her thoughts drifted to her own family. Her brothers, Trevor and Travis, would certainly laugh at her for being all fancied up, and Tommy Jensen would tease her for weeks. She would wallop him. Then, a horrible thought crept in. What if someone at the party laughed at her? No one in Seattle had laughed at her so far for wearing a dress, but what if someone did? She couldn’t very well wallop them at this fancy party. What would Reece think of her?

  When they got to the Sadder estate, Marty noticed Reece right away, but he didn’t see her. He was swirling around the dance floor with Miss Gina Sadder in his arms. Dressed in a pink gown with some transparent fabric over it that fluttered when Gina moved, she looked like a beautiful angel floating on a cloud.

  The music stopped, and the dancers left the floor. An announcement was made about Silvia McRae’s good fortune in finally being united with her long-lost granddaughters.

  Marty saw Reece across the room with Gina firmly attached to his arm. Reece scanned the crowd until he laid eyes on her. He tipped his head to her and
smiled. Marty looked away quickly as if she hadn’t seen him, and soon the dancing resumed.

  Marty moved to the back of the crowd. Several people’s heads turned as she passed by. For the most part she ignored them. It put her on edge when some of them started whispering. She feared the whole room would burst into laughter, she being the target of their jokes. No one would miss her if she left. No! Wimps turned tail and ran; she was no coward. She held her head high and stared back at anyone bold enough to look at her for more than a moment.

  A handsome, blond-haired man stared at her the longest, until he finally strode in her direction. He bowed and said, “Good evening, miss. My name is Tony Bittle.”

  Marty smiled politely, her nerves unraveling. “Good evening. I’m Marty—I mean, Martha Rawlings.”

  “Well, Miss Martha, may I have the pleasure of this dance?”

  Dance? Marty looked from him to the dance floor, then back at him. “No, thanks. I don’t—”

  Reece came up next to her. “Miss Rawlings promised me this dance.” Mr. Bittle backed out graciously, obviously irritated by being circumvented.

  Reece took her hand. “Shall we?” he said, leading her to the dance floor.

  “I don’t like all these people staring. It’s like being surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves just waiting to devour their prey. They know I don’t belong. I can hear them whispering.” Marty held back, trying to slow their way to the floor.

  “You’re right. They are whispering about you.” Reece took her right hand in his left and put his right hand at her waist in the standard waltz position. “They are wondering who this beautiful, mysterious woman is. I even heard one woman say you must be a socialite from back east.”

  Marty looked up startled. No.

  He nodded as if reading her mind.

  She put her hand on his shoulder when he started moving her on the dance floor and immediately stepped on his feet.