I’m sorry, Kyle. She squeezed her eyes shut momentarily to ward off the tears that threatened. If Hiram had returned, she didn’t want him to see her weak. She hastily readjusted the satin sash on her morning gown. Although it was nearly noon, she hadn’t bothered to get dressed. The closet in the bedroom contained several new gowns, none of which Kate had any desire to wear. They were of expensive silks and satins, all of the latest fashions.
Kate recalled passing the dressmaker’s shop with Kyle yesterday. Hiram must have paid the seamstress well. The woman had spent several hours with her last evening, taking measurements, and making adjustments on several articles of clothes she’d brought with her. This morning, the fruits of the woman’s labors – no doubt she’d worked all night on alterations – were delivered. Kate hadn’t looked at a single dress, and only instructed the hotel maid to hang them in the closet. She’d been tempted to throw the corsets that lay splayed out at the dressing table into the fireplace.
“Go on in, then,” a gruff voice said. “You sure as hell don’t act like no lady, though.”
The door swung open, and Hiram’s guard stepped aside to allow a woman to enter the room. She strode in quickly, her taffeta dress swishing softly as she walked.
Kate’s eyes widened in surprise. “Danica?”
The last time she’d seen the girl had been in the mercantile almost a week ago. The difference in her appearance was astounding. She’d been drowning in boys’ clothes then. Right now, in front of Kate, stood a stunning young lady in a rose-colored off-the-shoulder dress, the material shimmering in the sunlight that streamed in through the window.
Danica’s youthful bosom didn’t quite do justice to the dress she wore, but in a few years, Kate had no doubt she would turn every man’s head in such an outfit. Yards of material gathered at her slim waistline, and ruffled at the full skirt. Her hair was swept out of her face and came together in curls at the back of her head. Several loose ringlets framed her pretty face.
Danica rushed over to Kate, and embraced her in a fierce hug. “I’m so sorry, Kate,” she blurted out. “I should have never come into the mercantile that morning. I feel responsible for Trent seeing you there.”
“Danica? What are you doing here?” Kate was too stunned to see the girl here, she didn’t know what else to say.
“I should have let Kyle knock the stuffing out of Trent right then and there. But he sure got his come-uppance yesterday.” Danica stepped back and smiled at Kate with a gleam in her emerald eyes, the triumphant smirk on her face highly unbecoming of a lady. She apparently would ignore Kate’s question.
“How did you know I was here?” Kate shook her head, and took a step back.
Danica laughed coyly. “Well, it’s kind of funny, actually,” she said rather evasively, and studied her fingernails. She walked to the window and peered out. “Seems like your . . . husband,” she turned to face Kate again, her nose wrinkled with disdain, “and my dear papa have forged quite a friendship since yesterday.” She paused for dramatic effect. Her eyes narrowed, and she scoffed. “The smell of money attracts men to each other like vultures to carrion.”
Kate shook her head, her eyes drawn together. She eyed Danica’s expensive outfit. A week ago, the girl had looked like a street waif.
“My papa owns the bank here in town,” Danica explained, waving her hand dismissively. “He probably saw your old man’s rig coming from miles away. Since more and more people are leaving Virginia City, it’s not the social hub it used to be. My papa is happy to see other men who he considers to be in the same social class as him. He looks down on all the common folk and gold prospectors here.”
Kate doubted Hiram would consider a banker from this territory to rank among his peers, but for now, it was the closest he had. So she could well see the two men drawn to each other.
“That still doesn’t tell me what you’re doing here,” Kate prodded.
“Oh, I was getting to that.” Danica moved around the room, fingering the ornate lamp at the end table by the settee, giving the crystal a flick with her finger. She looked up at Kate. “Your dearest husband seemed concerned for you, that you didn’t have a lady’s maid or female company to attend to you. It was quite touching to hear him say it, actually. I volunteered my services.”
Kate scoffed. Hiram would not concern himself with whether she had female company. No doubt he wanted to make sure she didn’t try another escape, and be properly dressed for his liking.
Danica’s face lit up in a bright smile. “I think my papa wanted to hug me when I offered.” Her forehead wrinkled, and she tried to look stern, although Kate could see the amusement in the girl’s eyes. “Mind you, he never looks favorably on anything I do. But my offer surely pleased him this time. Anything to gain favor with a member of the wealthy class.” She laughed, and rolled her eyes.
“You’re here as my lady’s maid?” Kate asked, stunned. “You’re not a maid.” Far from it.
“Well it’s the perfect excuse, isn’t it?” Danica rushed to stand in front of her. Her eyes met Kate’s unwavering. “I’m here because Kyle asked me to check on you.” Her smile vanished. “He can’t get near the hotel. Ole Hiram’s henchmen are crawling all over the place. It’s like they’re guarding Fort Knox, or something.”
Kate’s heart sped up. Kyle. What must be going through his mind? She was glad to hear that he wasn’t trying to get past the guards.
Danica grabbed for Kate’s hand, and squeezed. “That man is so worried about you, Kate. He’s wanted to come. He’s not concerned about his ability to sneak past Hiram’s gargoyles. None of them have much more than beans between their ears. All they know to do is follow orders. But Mr. Russell and Mr. Osborne won’t let him come. They threatened to tie him up if he tried to leave the house.”
”Kyle sought you out?” Kate couldn’t believe he would even remember Danica, or think to send her here.
The girl’s eyes lowered to the ground, and she actually looked demure for once.
“No. Actually, I . . . was at the mercantile. I was . . . looking for—”
“Josh?” Kate surmised. She smiled, the gesture reminding her of the bruise on her cheek.
Danica’s head popped up, and she returned Kate’s smile, her green eyes sparkling. “How did you guess?”
“I saw the way you looked at him that day you bumped into him.”
Danica’s face sobered. “He wasn’t there. Mrs. Russell said he’d left town.”
“Danica.” Kate wasn’t sure what to tell the girl, but she didn’t want her to get her hopes up. “About Josh. He’s used to living by himself, in the wilderness. He’s not the settling kind of man, and . . . well, I don’t think—”
“I know, I know,” she interrupted, waving her hand in front of her face. “A man like that couldn’t possibly be interested in a girl like me.” She turned away, and hugged her waist.
“I’m sorry,” Kate didn’t know what else to say. “You’re so beautiful, I’m sure you have lots of beaus.”
Danica sniffed and cleared her throat. She turned to face Kate again. “I didn’t come here to talk about me. That man of yours sure cares for you a lot. He’s nearly beside himself with worry.” Her hand reached up to touch the purple spots on Kate’s chin and cheek.
“Don’t say a word to him, do you understand?” Kate said heatedly, grabbing Danica’s wrist.
“Why?” She frowned. “He needs to know that low-down son of a bi—”
“Danica!”
“What? It’s what he is,” she said indignantly. “I swear, if any man lays a hand on me, and tries to hurt me, I’ll kill him. And your man wants to do the same to this bigwig eastern pansy.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. That’s why you can’t say a word to Kyle about this. Promise.”
Danica sucked in a deep breath, and expelled it loudly. “All right, fine.” She put her hands on her hips, and leaned forward, glaring at Kate. “But it’s not right.”
“I don’t want
to see Kyle go to jail or . . . hanged because he did something stupid. The fact is, I am married to Hiram, and there’s nothing Kyle, I, or anyone else can do about that.” Kate put her hand on Danica’s shoulder, willing the girl to understand. Kyle could not find out that Hiram had struck her, or….done other things to her.
“Is there something you want me to tell Kyle?” Danica’s shoulders slumped, apparently seeing Kate’s reason.
Kate blinked back tears. “Tell him I love him, and tell him to continue his work for the making of the great geyser basin park. It’s where his focus should be. Not on me. We’re leaving for Helena tomorrow. I think from there we’re going back east.”
“I’d sure like to see that area someday,” Danica said, a faraway look on her face.
“You’ve never been in the Yellowstone River region?”
“No, but I hear it’s something to see.” She took another deep breath, then rubbed her hands together. “Okay, Kate. Before I go and tell Kyle you are a happily married woman, how would you like me to style your hair?” The mischief in Danica’s eyes gave Kate cause for concern. She stared at her friend, hoping to mimic the dark looks she’d seen in Josh’s serious eyes.
Danica threw her hands in the air. Kate’s glare was obviously ineffective. “Okay, fine. Answer me this - how does your husband like your hair?” the girl asked.
“Put up neatly,” Kate said.
“Well, then it’s settled. We’ll just have to leave it down.” They looked at each other, and then burst out laughing. Danica’s rebellious nature was refreshing and infectious, despite Kate’s dire predicament. She wished some of it would rub off on her.
*****
Someone knocked softly on the door. Kyle jumped from his seat at the kitchen table, and ripped the door open. At first glance, the small person standing in front of him looked like a boy wearing britches and a shirt that was several sizes too large. A wide-brimmed Stetson covered the youth’s head.
The firm set to Kyle’s jaw softened, and he stepped aside. “Come in, Danica.”
“Call me Dani,” she said. She bent to pick up several parcels she had sitting on the ground next to her, and stepped over the threshold into the kitchen. She dropped them on the table with a loud thud, then removed her hat, and shook her head. Her long blonde waves spilled down her back like a cascading waterfall. Kyle’s chest tightened for a split second. It reminded him of Kate.
“Well?” Kyle asked impatiently. Danica turned to face him.
The girl set her mouth in a firm line, then looked him straight in the eyes. She inhaled deeply, and said, “She says she’s fine, and Hiram’s seen the error in his ways. He’s been nothing but a doting husband.”
“Goddammit!” Kyle roared, and slammed his fists on the counter. Several jars rattled precariously along the wall. He wheeled to face the girl again. “How badly did he hurt her?” he growled.
Danica lowered her eyes. She slowly walked around the kitchen table, running her hands along the backs of the chairs as she went. Kyle stepped in front of her when she didn’t answer.
“I know Kate told you to keep your mouth shut,” he said, trying to maintain a level tone. It wouldn’t do him any good to unleash his frustration on this girl. She’d been more than cooperative and willing to help.
“She’s all right, really.” Danica answered quietly. “She told me to tell you she loves you, and she wants you to focus on your goals for the geyser basins, whatever that means.”
Kyle ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He turned away from Danica, and paced the floor. He hadn’t slept all night. His eyes felt gritty each time he blinked, and the blood pulsed in his temples. All his muscles ached from tension. Kate had no doubt fared much worse than he. The thought of Hiram laying a hand on her . . .
“I can get you into that hotel room.”
Kyle stopped in his tracks. He faced the slight girl standing by the table. His eyes stared at her, unfocused. “What?” he asked, not sure he had heard correctly.
Danica shrugged. “I can get you in to see Kate.”
“How?” His eyes darted to the door leading to the living room. If his father or Samuel were within earshot, they’d be on him quicker than a grizzly on a fresh wolf kill. They’d been adamant that he should not attempt to see Kate. Both told him adamantly that he couldn’t fight a man like Devereaux with brawn.
Kyle wholeheartedly disagreed. His Katelyn was at this monster’s mercy, and he was helpless to do anything about it. He had promised her he would protect her, that Hiram would never hurt her again. He’d always kept his word. That he had failed the woman he loved above all else was worse than having his insides ripped out and shredded by vultures. Worse than his feelings of living in his father’s shadow.
“Hiram and Kate are leaving in the morning,” Danica said. Her hand rested on one of the parcels she had tossed on the table. Kyle sucked in a lung full of air at the news. “He’s taking her back east, from what Kate said.”
“I have to see her,” Kyle said through gritted teeth. “How do you propose to get me in there?”
Danica’s eyebrows rose, and she boldly raked her eyes over him from top to bottom. She drummed her index and middle finger against her chin, and tilted her head. Then she slowly walked around him, her eyes scanning his features. Her hand came up and she fingered some strands of his shoulder-length hair. What the hell was she doing?
”First,” she said, stepping back and resting her hands on her hips, “you need to get out of them duds you’re wearing.”
Kyle frowned. The girl was likeable enough, but her evasive answers were beginning to get on his already tight-as-a-drum nerves.
“Stop playing with me, Dani, and make your point,” Kyle growled, his patience at an end. He grabbed her by the arm, then quickly thought better of it, and released her.
“Listen up,” Danica said, her eyes glaring at him, daring him to touch her again. She took a bold step toward him. “Hiram is meeting with my father tomorrow morning for breakfast to discuss some business venture. After that, he and Kate are leaving for Helena. Kate will be alone, presumably getting ready for the trip. I can probably buy you about twenty minutes with her.”
“How are we going to get past Hiram’s vultures?”
“Most of them don’t know you, right?” Danica moved away from him, and walked over to the counter, turned, and leaning against the cabinets. She crossed her arms over her chest, and one ankle over the other. If he hadn’t been so anxious, Kyle would have laughed. He had never met a girl with the mannerisms of a man.
“I’m sure Ole Hiram’s given them only a general description of you. Tomorrow morning, you’re going to become a dandy, and you’ll be escorting me to the hotel.” She smiled seductively. “There’s a guard posted outside the room, but I’ll take care of him.” She waved her hand in front of her. “But you’d better be prepared to part with that pretty hair of yours.”
Kyle self-consciously ran his hand through his hair. “Get a haircut, you mean?”
“Yup,” Danica grinned.
His mother would be pleased. She’d begged him for years to cut his hair, and he’d adamantly refused. For a few minutes with Kate, he was willing to do anything.
“What the hell am I supposed to wear to make me look like a dandy?”
The girl pointed to the parcels on the table. “You’ll find everything you need in those packages. The shirt and jacket might be a bit tight around the shoulders, but otherwise everything should fit. My brother was tall, like you.” Her eyes glazed over suddenly.
“Was?” Kyle asked hesitantly.
She fanned her hand in front of her face. “He was killed in a fight with some Indians a few years back. My papa took it very hard. He’s got a deep hatred for all Indians now.”
“I’m . . . sorry,” Kyle said lamely.
Danica smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes this time. “Well,” she said, clapping her hands together. “If you’ll get me some scissors, we can get to work. I�
��m pretty handy with a needle and thread, too, so you might want to try on those clothes in case we need to make some changes.”
*****
The following morning, at nine o’clock sharp, Kyle strolled down the boarded sidewalk toward the Daly Inn. He wore a fancy tailored suit complete with a bowler hat. A beautiful young woman clung to his arm. He’d been as stunned at seeing Danica in an extravagant dress as his mother had been the night before when she saw his short hair.
The girl had shown up at the mercantile this morning in her britches, another large parcel draped under her arm. Kyle had offered her the use of Kate’s room when she asked where she could change her clothes. A plain-looking caterpillar had entered that room. A breathtaking butterfly had re-emerged. He’d been rendered speechless.
Kyle’s father and uncle had immediately cornered him for information on what he was up to after he’d donned the fancy suit. After a heated debate, the two older men had relented. Kyle had given them no choice. He was going to see Kate, and no one would stand in his way.
Danica was correct. None of Hiram’s henchmen gave him a second glance. Most of their eyes lingered on the young woman walking next to him. Kyle suspected that had been part of Danica’s plan. Her low-cut red satin dress was designed to turn men’s heads, even if she was a tad young. No one confronted them in the hotel lobby, nor when they headed up the stairs to the second story.
Danica instructed Kyle to wait when they reached the top-most flight of stairs. Peering down the hall, he saw a man standing guard in front of one of the doors.
“I’ll distract him, and get the key away from him,” Danica whispered. “I’ll drop it by the door. You’ll be on your own once you get inside. I’m afraid you’ll have to exit via the window. You have about twenty minutes. I’ll be down in the street and make sure no one’s looking up.”
The brave girl was about to walk ahead, when Kyle held her back. He searched her face. “Are you sure this is safe for you?” He frowned. He didn’t relish the idea that she was putting herself in harm’s way.
Yellowstone Awakening (Yellowstone Romance Series Book 3) Page 24
