“LaRisa, this is Joanna, Matt and Serena’s daughter. This tall good-looking fellow next to her is her brother, Russell. Russ, how old are you now?”
Russ straightened his back and stood as tall as he could. “I’m almost grown, Uncle Spence. I’m twelve.”
“I’m William, but you can call me Will. I’m only ten,” he added with disgust. Then he brightened. “You sure are pretty. Are you my aunt now?”
“I…well, I mean…”
“Give in and just say yes,” Spence muttered. “We’ll straighten it out later.
“Yes, I guess I am your aunt. I’m pleased to meet you. I’m pleased to meet all of you.”
Joanna took charge and organized the ride home, ushering bags and people toward the surrey.
“Spence!”
As a group, they turned to find a delicate blond woman in an elegant pink walking dress rushing toward them and dragging a man by the hand. She looked to be in her middle to late twenties, while the man was considerably older, with distinguished gray sideburns. LaRisa felt Spence stiffen at her side.
“Spence,” the woman cried again. “Welcome home. My, it’s been so long. And congratulations. I couldn’t help but notice the sign the boys were holding.”
Spence tipped his hat. There was a guarded look in his eyes. “Maryanne.”
On closer inspection, LaRisa realized the woman was well along with child. Her condition hadn’t been obvious at first due to the clever design of the front panel of her dress.
Envy stabbed deep in LaRisa’s heart. She wanted children. Her own children, not those of others who were sent so far away from home and who clung to her at Carlisle. She had loved them dearly, had ached for their misery, but she wanted her own family.
LaRisa wasn’t one of those women who thought that a woman’s sole function in life was to produce children. With her nursing training, she knew women could do other things, important things, and do them well. But she still wanted children.
The trouble was going to be finding a man she would be willing to share her life with. How would she find her warrior, when she was surrounded by white men?
“What happened to your poor face?” the mother-to-be asked Spence.
“I cut myself shaving.”
“Oh,” the woman said as though his answer were logical. “I’m forgetting my manners. Lawrence, I’d like you to meet Dr. Spence Colton. I believe you know Serena, Joanna, and the boys. Spence, this is my husband, Lawrence Hoddinger. We were married last year. I’m dying to meet the newest Mrs. Colton. Where is she?”
LaRisa felt the old anger rise. She was the only stranger among them, yet the woman had taken one look at her and dismissed her, obviously certain Spence’s new wife was not at hand.
Serena and Joanna both looked slightly affronted, but Spence’s bland expression did not change. He placed a hand low on LaRisa’s back and drew her to his side. “LaRisa, this is Maryanne Hoddinger, an old friend of mine, and her husband, Horace, was it?”
“Lawrence,” the man corrected stiffly.
“My apologies,” Spence said. “Maryanne, Lawrence, my wife, LaRisa.”
Maryanne blushed and gave an embarrassed smile.
LaRisa’s smile was wide and as false as the other woman’s extended bustle. “I’m always happy to meet such an old friend of Spence’s.”
Serena made a strangled sound in her throat.
Joanna clapped a hand over her mouth and coughed.
“I’m so pleased to meet you,” Maryanne said awkwardly. Then she gathered her composure and turned to Spence. LaRisa did not care for the tender look the beautiful Mrs. Hoddinger gave to him. “Oh, Spence,” the woman said, “I’m so pleased for you.”
Spence studied the woman he’d once been engaged to and realized she meant it. Maryanne was glad to learn he’d gotten married. Hell, she of all people should know better. Still, she didn’t seem at all troubled by their last meeting a week before they were to be married, when they’d called the whole thing off. At the time, she’d been so embarrassed and ashamed that she hadn’t been able to look him in the face. Spence had been…resigned. And, he could admit now with all honesty, he’d also been relieved. If his life had gone the way he had planned and he’d ended up married to her, he knew she would have bored him to tears in less than a month. The whole thing had been a mistake from the start.
He felt the tension in his muscles ease. He held no grudge against Maryanne, and if he was reading the message in her eyes correctly, she had kept his secret. For that he was grateful. He was glad to see her settled and happy. He only wished he didn’t have to see her while she was pregnant. That could have been his child she carried. Not that he specifically wanted Maryanne to be the mother of his children. He’d decided long ago that he didn’t. But children…
There wouldn’t be any children. Not for him. Just as there would never be a woman he could call his own. He’d resigned himself to that fact a long time ago.
“Thank you, Maryanne.” And he meant it, in more ways than one. “Hoddinger, pleased to meet you.”
“Colton. Come along, dear,” Hoddinger added to his wife. “I’m sure these good people would like to get home before dark.”
After the couple had walked on, Serena said, “She’s changed a lot since you saw her last.”
“So I see. I’m glad for her.”
Serena glanced to LaRisa, then back. “Me too. Personally, I think things worked out just fine.”
If you only knew, he thought. “Do you want me to drive?”
“You can’t,” Will protested. “It’s Russ’s turn. I drove to town while he rode.” He pointed to the roan gelding saddled and tied to the back of the surrey. “Now we get to switch places.”
“I see.” Spence tugged down on the corners of his mouth to keep from grinning. He glanced over to Serena. “How very diplomatic of you.”
“Didn’t you know?” she asked him. “Diplomacy is one of the required skills of motherhood.”
Joanna and Serena sat on either side of Russ in the front seat, while Will rode beside the surrey and Spence and LaRisa sat in the back seat.
LaRisa tried to take in as much of the town as possible, because in all likelihood, Tucson would soon be her home. But she had trouble taking her eyes off Spence’s family. They were so warm and loving and had welcomed her unconditionally. They obviously thought her marriage to Spence was real. She felt like a fraud. What would they think of her, how would they treat her, when they learned the truth?
“Just out of curiosity,” Spence said over the clatter of hooves and wheels as they rode out of town, “how did you know we were married and that we were coming?”
Serena peered over her shoulder at him. “We got a telegram from Pace three days ago.”
“Why, that ornery…” The rest of Spence’s words were so low LaRisa couldn’t hear them.
“He told us when you left Mount Vernon, and we had the station master here figure out when you would arrive.”
So, Pace was playing games.
How the hell were Spence and LaRisa going to explain their annulment to people like Maryanne and her husband?
Dammit, Pace, what have you done?
They reached the Triple C as the sun dipped below the horizon and shot vivid streaks of orange and pink into the sky. The sunset was spectacular, as only a desert sunset could be, but it was the ranch that nearly took LaRisa’s breath away. She’d had no idea the Triple C was so large and prosperous. She’d seen entire towns with fewer buildings.
And people! They came from everywhere to welcome Spence home. He lifted her down from the surrey and introduced her to so many hands and cooks and…she couldn’t keep up with them all.
Amid the barrage of congratulations and welcomes, Joanna herded Spence and LaRisa toward the house. The others left them at the door, and only the family went inside.
“Why don’t you check on supper,” Serena told Joanna, “while I make sure they have everything they need in their room. Will, Russ, put those bags in S
pence’s room, then go clean up before it’s time to eat.”
The boys tore off down the hall with the luggage.
“We’ve put you in your old room, Spence.” As the boys barrelled out after depositing the bags, Serena ushered Spence and LaRisa into the bedroom. At the door she glanced to make sure everything was in order. “If you want to freshen up, take your time. And if you need anything, just yell.” In a whirl of blue skirts, she stepped away and closed the door behind her.
Being suddenly left alone in a bedroom with Spence threw LaRisa a little off balance. The quiet was almost deafening. The intimacy, unwanted. This was somehow different from sharing a compartment on the train. That had been for expediency—the train had been nearly full. This…this was more…deliberate. She found she could do no more than stare at him.
He gave her a half-grin. “They can be a little overwhelming at first.”
LaRisa made an effort to smile past her sudden nervousness. “Only a little?”
He chuckled. “You’ll get used to them.”
She shook her head. “What are we going to do? They think we’re…well, that we’re really married, when we…well, you know.”
“Yeah, I know. What I’d like to know is why Pace would pull such a stunt. When I get my hands on him…”
“What do we do in the meantime? Do we tell them the truth?”
Spence sighed. “That woman you met in town, Maryanne…let’s just say that I’m sure it’s all over town by now that you and I are married. I don’t plan to ever marry again, so I don’t care what anybody thinks. But a woman who’s been married and annulled will set every tongue in town wagging. I’m sorry, LaRisa. It looks like, at least for appearances’ sake, we’re stuck with each other for the time being. At least until we can figure something out. As far as the family goes, what do you want to tell them?”
“Me?”
“You said you wanted to make your own decisions. I have to warn you, though,” he said. “If we don’t tell the family the truth, they’re going to expect us to share this room.”
LaRisa eyed the double-sized bed beneath the window and swallowed. There was room enough for two, to be sure, but that didn’t mean she was willing to share it with him.
But if she did, came the selfish thought, the others would think they were really married and would keep on being nice to her. If they learned the truth…She shook her head. “Not telling your family the truth would be the same as lying. I can’t ask you to lie to your family for my sake.”
“I wouldn’t like to lie to them. In any case—damn. I’ve got a letter for Serena from Matt in my bag. I should have given it to her the minute I saw her.” He placed his valise on the bed and dug around until he came up with the letter. He looked at LaRisa. “He’s probably told her the whole story.”
“It’s just as well,” she said quietly. “I wouldn’t feel right lying to them. But I think it would be better if we told them ourselves.”
“All right. Let’s go talk to Rena and Jo. We’ll leave the boys out of it for now.”
The explanations to Serena and Joanna weren’t nearly as awkward as LaRisa had feared. Spence simply told them how and why they had come to be married and about their promises to Chee.
“Chee’s…dead?” Serena looked stricken.
“Damn, I’m sorry. I should have realized you wouldn’t have gotten word yet. In fact—” Spence pulled Matt’s letter from his pocket. “—it’s probably all in here. I forgot to give this to you earlier.”
Serena’s face lit with joy as she eagerly tore open the envelope. Before reading the letter, she looked back at Spence. “You did the right thing, bringing LaRisa here. I’ve spent time at the Mount Vernon Barracks. If we can keep even one person from having to live like that, I’ll count our lives well spent.”
She then turned to LaRisa. “I’m sorry Mother and Dad weren’t here to greet you. They’re still in Washington. I’m not sure when they’ll be home, but I know they would tell you that we want you to stay here for as long as you need to. Forever would be fine with us, and I mean that.”
LaRisa’s eyes stung. She was humbled by such open acceptance, especially when compared to the way she’d been treated by her own people at Mount Vernon. “Thank you,” she managed past the lump in her throat.
Serena frowned. “I’m glad you didn’t tell us in front of the boys. You know how kids are. They’re liable to say anything to anybody, especially their friends in town and at the other ranches. Let’s don’t bother the boys about it just yet.”
“What will they think about Spence and LaRisa not sleeping in the same room?” Joanna asked. “In this house, that’s unheard of. They could easily let something slip.”
“Good point.” Serena tapped her index finger to her lips several times. “Would it work if we moved another bed into your room?” she asked Spence.
He looked to LaRisa. After a pause, she nodded.
“Well. Now that that’s settled,” Serena said as she rose from the sofa. “Supper will be ready in about ten minutes. If you’ll excuse me,” she said, her grin widening, “I’m going to my room and read my letter.”
Joanna blinked with feigned innocence. “You’re not going to read it out loud to all of us?”
Serena laughed. “Not on your life, honey. I’m hoping it will be very personal.”
Supper with the Colton family was a new experience for LaRisa. She knew her eyes probably looked like they were about to pop out of her head, but she couldn’t help it. She had never in her life seen so much food on one table!
The roast on the platter in the center of the table would have fed a dozen Carlisle students for two full days. Add to that the huge mound of mashed potatoes, a bowl of rich, dark gravy, a basket of freshly baked yeast rolls, an ear of corn for each person, and a large bowl of black-eyed peas, and it was nearly more than LaRisa could comprehend.
“What did Dad say in his letter?” Joanna asked her stepmother.
“Mush, I bet,” Will said as he made a face. “Mushy-mush stuff, like always.”
Joanna grinned. “Did he get mushy?”
Serena grinned back. “I’ll never tell. He did say to tell all of you he loves you. And…as soon as the tribe is relocated to Fort Sill…he’s coming home.”
“Yippee!” Will yelled.
“No foolin’?” Russ asked.
“No fooling,” Serena answered.
“Does he say when?” Joanna wanted to know.
Serena shook her head. “No one knows yet.”
Spence warned that the move to Fort Sill had not yet been confirmed by Congress.
His gaze traveled to LaRisa, who was practically gawking at all the food on the table. “Kinda puts the dining car on the train to shame, doesn’t it?” he said.
She turned to him, eyes wide. “Do you eat like this all the time?”
“Every chance we get, honey.”
Honey? Good God, what had prompted him to call her that, Spence wondered in shock. By the look on her face, she was just as disconcerted as he was.
He didn’t mean anything by it, LaRisa told herself. It was just an expression. Just an expression.
After supper Spence gave LaRisa a belated tour of the house. She had already seen the study when they had told Serena and Joanna about their “marriage.” Now she saw the main salon, a small parlor, the office, the kitchen, and her favorite place, the courtyard.
“Oh, it’s beautiful. Smell the honeysuckle.”
Spence smelled the honeysuckle, but he was distracted by the way the moonlight played over her hair and across her face.
“And the stars.”
“You can’t smell stars.”
She laughed. “I meant look at them. There are so many, and they’re so big. They look close enough to touch.” She reached up with both arms as if to grab a handful of stars and pull them down.
Spence was entranced. He’d never seen her so light-hearted and carefree. When she forgot to be angry she was like another person. Lik
e a bright-eyed child—woman-child—stepping into a brand new world of delight.
“Your family is wonderful.” She lowered her arms and faced him.
“Yes. They are.”
“I can’t imagine having a family like yours and leaving them to take care of a bunch of—”
“Heathen savages?”
“No.” She shook her head and looked up at the sky again. “Actually, I was going to say strangers.”
Spence shrugged. “I thought I could do some good. I thought I could help.”
“I’m sure you did.”
“Huh. You’re wrong, there. The ones I might have been able to help didn’t trust white man’s medicine. They wouldn’t let me near them. At least not until it was too late to do any good. The ones who would let me near, I couldn’t help.”
“Like my father.”
Just the mention of Chee sent the fury of helplessness pounding through Spence.
“There wasn’t anything anyone could have done for him. Surely you can’t…You do!” she cried. “You blame yourself! Spence, that’s crazy. It would have taken a miracle to save my father. Even I know that.”
“Then I by God should have been able to produce a miracle!” Spence reined in his fury. His breath came out in a huff. “I’m sorry. This is your first night here, and I’m ruining it. Don’t pay any attention to me. Do you want me to light the torches?”
For the first time LaRisa realized there were torches mounted at intervals along the courtyard walls. “No. I like the moonlight.”
Shaking off his anger and frustration, Spence took her to the gate in the back wall and led her out into the desert. This side of the house was shielded from the rest of the ranch buildings by the house itself, giving the illusion that they were suddenly alone in the world.
LaRisa stared in awe at the moonwashed landscape, so different from what she was used to in Pennsylvania, but so much like her childhood memories. Then a sound intruded. “Listen!”
It started with a wild yip in the distance. Then another. Followed by another. LaRisa put a hand to her mouth and her eyes widened. “Oh, my,” she whispered. “Listen!”
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