“But…”
“Don’t argue.” She consented quickly and John backed up, feeling as if the ten foot rope was really ten inches. He gave a pull.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The outhouse door squeaked open. The sun was in the perfect position to shine directly inside, giving John full visibility of the structure’s interior. His gun was cocked and ready as he peered intently.
A few heartbeats later he dropped the rope, stepped closer, then walked up closer still.
“Stay back,” Charity cautioned.
“It’s gone.” Now confident the reptile was nowhere to be found, John took a hold of the door frame and leaned inside, his Colt 45 grasped lightly in his hand in case he’d been wrong. “Nope. Not here anymore.” He walked around the back making a full circle.
Charity and Harland came forward, followed by Jedediah and Jane. “You sure?”
John smacked the side of the building with an open palm. “Yeah.” He went inside and found a good-sized hole in the flooring. “There’s where he got in and out. We’ll board it up. He won’t be able to get back in.”
Charity’s look was bleak. “But he’s still around.”
“I don’t like that either. We’ll all just have to be careful until, and if, he decides to show up somewhere else.” They were all still crammed into the outhouse, looking at the hole into which the snake had disappeared.
“John, is that you?” a voice called.
John peered through the door as the others piled out of the structure, giving him room to exit. He still held his gun, the hammer un-cocked, and his hat was pushed back on his head for better snake hunting. He thought he was seeing things. “Emmeline?”
“Yes, it’s me. Who else were you expecting?” She ran up the incline and flung herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.
She leaned back and gazed into his face, her expression falling dramatically. “Oh, my Lord, John. What happened to your face?” She pulled back farther to get a better look. “It’s horrible.”
“It’s a long story,” he said, taking a small step away. She looked as beautiful as he remembered and not at all worn from the long trip she must have endured. “I’m surprised to see you.”
“Is that all you have to say?” Again she laughed as if she hadn’t a care in the world. “Hello, darling would be so much nicer.”
She did have a way about her, he realized, remembering all the reasons he’d fallen in love with her in the first place. She gazed at him though her long, dark lashes, smiling all the while. He chuckled, then gave her a kiss in front of everyone. “I’m just shocked to see you here without any warning.”
“Didn’t you receive my letter? I gave you the timeline and details when I should reach Rio Wells. Oh, my gosh, John. The country here is so different from Boston. Nothing could have prepared me for the move. Not even a letter from you—if you’d been so inclined to write.”
“I did write. It, uh, went out yesterday.”
“I see. Well, mail doesn’t fly, you know.” She laughed gaily. “I think I’ll invest in carrier pigeons. The knights and princesses of England and Ireland had a much better system. I just love those stories.”
He glanced at his sister who was watching with curiosity. “She’s an avid reader, Charity.”
“This is Charity? I’ve heard so much about you.”
“All good, of course,” Charity said, her startled expression looking past the petite brunette, up into her brother’s face.
Emmeline laughed again. “Of course all good, silly. All John ever talks about is his family in Montana and how amazing you all are. And, of course, all his ranching stories.”
“I do not,” John said in defense to no one in particular.
“Are you settled in Rio Wells, too?”
“No,” Charity replied. “I’m just visiting for a few weeks. It had been so long since John had been home I couldn’t wait any longer to see him.”
“I know what you mean.” She reached over and touched his arm. “I’ve missed him too. You’re a teacher?”
“Just filling in until the new teacher arrives. This is my first day, actually.”
Emmeline clapped her hands together. “That’s wonderful. I’ve always fancied myself a teacher.”
“You have? I didn’t know that,” John said surprised. He pulled his hat lower to shield his eyes from the sun.
“Men,” she said, giving Charity a wink. “They always think they know everything, don’t they?” She waved her gloved hand in front of her face in an effort to cool herself. “It’s quite hot.” She turned back and placed her hand on John’s arm. “Mama and Daddy send their love.”
He smiled and nodded but his gaze drifted all the way down Dry Street. “That’s nice,” he replied, patting her hand. “Are your things at the hotel?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s get you out of this heat and let Charity get back to work.” He’d noticed a fine sheen break out on Emmeline’s forehead, and her cheeks had flushed a deeper shade of pink than he thought healthy.
“What were you all doing in there?” she asked, gesturing to the outhouse.
“A rattlesnake was trapped inside. I planned on shooting it but it got away. Just stay aware—” Emmeline’s eyelashes fluttered several times and she wilted like a piece of day-old lettuce. John caught her just in time and swung her easily into his arms.
Lily was saying goodbye to Madeline when she noticed John coming down the street carrying a woman in his arms. Her head rested on his chest, and one arm hung down toward the ground, limp. The full blue skirt fluttered around John’s legs each time he took a step and her little booted feet bobbed up and down. People gawked, trying to see who he carried.
“Look,” Madeline said excitedly. “Someone’s fainted. Let’s go see who it is.”
Lily held back. “You go.”
Madeline grabbed her hand. “Come on. It will only take a second.”
John reached the doctor’s office and Madeline ran and opened the door for him. He went into the examination room and laid the dark-haired young woman on the recovery bed in the corner.
“Who is she?” Madeline asked. “I’ve never seen her before. Is she going to be all right?”
Lily watched as he straightened out her legs, making her comfortable. He loosened a few buttons at the neckline of her blouse. The young woman’s skin was flawless. Her features looked as if they were made of porcelain. Her complexion, the most unusual shade of rose and sunset mixed, reminded Lily of the picture of the Madonna back home in St. John’s. She was one of the most beautiful women Lily had ever seen.
“She’s fainted is all,” John finally said. Going over to the window he opened it and then repeated the process with the one on the opposite side of the room.
“Do you know her?” Madeline stepped into the room a little farther, trying to get a better look.
John straightened and turned, looking straight at Lily. “This is Emmeline Jordan, my…” His sentenced trailed off. “My friend from Boston.”
Madeline gasped. “Your fiancée? Did you know she was on her way? You never said a thing.”
“Not exactly. We had made some open-ended plans but that was all.”
Madeline stepped closer, trying to get a better look at her. “What happened? Why’d she faint?”
“There was a rattlesnake in the outhouse at the school. I guess hearing about it was too much after her long trip.”
Lily’s mind reeled in shock as she took in the sight before her. She was here at last—and so beautiful. Despair, darker than she’d ever known before, swallowed her.
The door banged open and Dr. Bixby and Tucker came in behind Lily and Madeline, moving around the two women to see who was on the bed. The old doctor stopped at John’s side. “She all right?” He reached down and felt the pulse in her neck.
John looked a little annoyed. “Yes. Just some talk of a rattlesnake.”
Dr. Bixby nodded, then turned to the other women, ushering
them out with open arms. “No woman I ever knew liked to wake up being gawked at by others of her own species. Now out with you both.”
“Of course, Doctor,” Madeline said. Before leaving the room she added, “She’s beautiful, John. Congratulations. Be sure to bring her out to the ranch for a visit real soon. Mother and the rest of the family will be anxious to meet her—and hear all about life in the big city. And about the wedding.”
“Go on now,” Bixby said.
Blood pounded through Lily’s head as she tried to get a hold of her emotions. In a fog, she said goodbye to Madeline and went back into her shop, this time closing the world out behind her little glass door. Tangled thoughts jumbled in her head and her heart felt as if it had been ripped from her chest and thrown into a bottomless pit. She’d never feel it again. She took several slow, calming breaths, then tried to put the whole situation from her mind, recreating the delicious feel of excitement and awe she’d had this morning, just before opening her doors for the first time and actually contracting a substantial commission.
Life was good, she reminded herself sternly.
She was no different now than she had been the day she and Tante Harriett climbed into the stage in Concepción. She’d known almost from the first moment she met John that he had a fiancée and that the woman would be joining him. This was no surprise.
Lily couldn’t stop the burning or the tears that now flowed unchecked. Oh, God, this hurts. She brushed at her cheeks as a tiny sob escaped between her lips.
Getting a firm hold of her emotions she reminded herself she was glad she had been preparing herself for today. Just because they’d survived the Comancheros together and he’d been helping her from the day they arrived, and that she felt a closeness and oneness with him that she had no way of describing…none of that meant anything at all. And what about the kiss? Well, he hadn’t actually kissed her …but he would have if Charity hadn’t shown up. She closed her eyes remembering how his lips, hovering so close, had drawn her like a magnet. Looking into his eyes, so expectant and deep, caused her heart to flutter around her breast like a trapped bird. She’d dared to think they might actually have a chance. Frustrated, she opened her eyes wondering if she’d imagined the whole thing. Emmeline’s arrival wasn’t a shock, she reminded herself. It was not.
Lily flopped the bolt of lilac taffeta over, wrapping it back into place and set it on the shelf. She picked up the collection of sketches that lay skitter-scatter on the small table and carefully placed them back into the leather-bound book. She was alive and happy. And so was her aunt. They were going to be secure in their new home with a business to support their every need. Maybe when she had paid back all the money to Dr. Bixby, and they were on their feet financially, she could send for Giselle or Gretchen and teach one or both of them to become dressmakers. Her world was open to any direction she wanted to take it.
Chapter Thirty
In her misery Lily didn’t hear the bell so when she turned it was a shock to see John standing there. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed that her eyes were red and puffy, her nose wet.
“Mind if I check on Harriett?” he asked stiffly. He looked directly at her. It seemed his gaze touched her very soul.
Warmth washed over her. She was swamped with conflicting feelings. She wished she could run to him and throw her arms around his neck and hold him close, tell him everything he meant to her and how much she loved him. But that was clearly impossible. Emmeline was now in Rio Wells and was a visible, living, breathing reason why she shouldn’t, and would never be able to. She tried to smile but knew her expression fell short. His expression was unreadable.
“Of course. I was just doing that myself. I’m worried. She still refuses to come down.”
“We don’t want to rush her.”
“No.”
“Upstairs is the perfect place—she can feel close to you and yet she’s out of the curiosity of others while she regains her strength and mental health.”
Lily turned without answering and preceded John up the narrow staircase. “Can I make you a cup of tea?” she asked over her shoulder. “I’m already making one for myself and Tante.” He always shared a cup with her on his mid-day visit. They used to joke that it was the only way they made it until supper without going nutty. The little white kitten—who had abandoned the doctor’s office completely for Lily’s shop— trotted up to her when she arrived in the upstairs parlor, and she stopped to pick her up.
“I better not. I have lots to do, but thank you.”
The regret in his tone was impossible for him to mask, at least that was what Lily thought. If she couldn’t be more to John than she already was, then she wanted to be a help to him. As he’d been for her. Not a stumbling block. Not someone to make him unhappy or feel uncomfortable around.
He turned and opened the bedroom door slowly, tapping on the doorjamb. “Harriett, you awake?”
Lily went in and said hello to her aunt, and then went back downstairs, leaving them alone. She checked the water in the teakettle, knowing full well it wasn’t hot yet. Then, with her iron poker, she pushed the glowing embers of the stove around, giving them some air.
By the time the kettle was whistling John was just coming back down the stairs.
“Harriett seems less shaky today and even a little stronger. I want you to keep giving her the molasses and iron elixir to build up her blood.”
Lily reached for the teacups, needing to do something to keep from staring at him. “I will.”
“Good.” He seemed as if he was stalling, looking for something to say.
She glanced at him as she poured the heavy kettle, holding it with two hands and a potholder. “Is there anything else? “
“Guess not.” He headed for the front door.
“She is beautiful. Emmeline, I mean.”
He turned back, nodding. “Yes, she is.”
What on earth had possessed her to say that? She shrugged, feeling like an uncertain child looking for reassurance from her mother. “Just wanted to tell you.”
As if understanding her motives completely, he nodded.
His smile was as warm as his gaze and her glance strayed to his wound. “It is so much better this week. Pretty soon it will just be a little line.”
“Not quite, but the wonder salve Doc Bixby makes is working better than anything I’ve ever seen. I think he should bottle it up and send it all over Texas. Heck, maybe even farther. I think he’d be a rich man if he did.”
“Who’ll be a rich man?” Emmeline said, stepping though the door and looking around. “You took so long, John, I wanted to come find you. This is your patient?”
Lily smiled the best she could.
“No,” John replied. “She’s upstairs. I’ve just finished up and was heading back over to the office. How do you feel? Are you still dizzy?”
“I’m fine, you silly worrywart. I’m sorry about fainting. Just the thought of a big snake makes my knees go weak,” she directed her answer to Lily. “You know what I mean?”
Lily nodded.
“This is Lily Anthony,” John said quickly. “And this is Emmeline Jordan.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Lily said, taking the opportunity to look more closely at the beautiful fabric of Emmeline’s skirt. It was expensive and finely made. A beautiful piece of clothing.
“The pleasure is all mine.”
“Doctor Bixby mentioned that you and your aunt are new to town also. How do you like Rio Wells so far? I can say I’ve never been anywhere so hot and dusty before.”
John stepped over to Emmeline, taking her by the elbow. “Let’s get you over to the hotel and settled. I’m sure you’re worn out by your long trip getting here. There’ll be time later for talk.”
“Actually, I’m famished. There was so little food at the stage stops I feel as if I’ve not eaten anything substantial for days. Do you think we could go and get a bite to eat first?”
“Absolutely. The hotel has a fine dining
room.” They stepped to the door and John tipped his hat. “Lily.”
“Good day,” she replied, knowing the hard part of meeting Emmeline was over, but also that the pain of watching the two of them together would never, ever be any easier.
***
Finished for the day, Charity walked down the street toward the hotel. Teaching was hard work, mentally and physically. As soon as she was back in her room she was going to remove her boots and put her feet up. She’d never really stood in one place before for so many hours at one time.
The moment she’d said class was over, Harland Shellston had taken off without a by-your-leave or even a glance over his shoulder. The boy unsettled her. Usually there was a reason for such incivility. Perhaps she could win him over and be his friend. Surely, he wasn’t all bad.
She glanced back as the Coles’ buckboard left town with the children chattering away to their father. After class, she’d waited with Jedediah and Jane for him to pick them up. The snake was still fresh in her thoughts and she didn’t want to trust that the children would keep a keen enough eye out for it
As she drew near to the Cheddar Box Restaurant, Lector Boone stepped from the interior. He tipped his hat as she approached. “Miss McCutcheon. How was your first day of class?”
Something inside Charity told her to keep walking, to ignore him, but that would be out and out rude. Several people were inside the restaurant and she didn’t want to seem impolite being the new teacher.
“Fine, Mr. Boone. Thank you.” That was until the snake decided to show up for class, she thought to herself causing her lips to tip up in reflection. Seemingly encouraged by her smile, he swung into stride next to her and took the books she was carrying from her hands.
“These look heavy,” he drawled. He boldly reached over and swept a stray lock of her hair behind her ear.
“There’s no need,” she said, jerking back. She reached for her books but he held them from her reach. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Theodore, who was sweeping off the walk in front of the livery across the street, stop and stare.
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