The Debutantes of Durango Box Set Books 1-3

by Peggy McKenzie

  Breaking the silence, Matthew said the first thing that popped into his mind, "And how about that little girl of Alex and Roxanne? She was the cutest little thing. And smart too.” Matthew made small talk while his mind wandered. Could he and Rose make a future together?

  “She is so sweet. And she loves Roxi as much as she does Alex. It is a bit surprising she could have those feelings after what happened with her mother, you know.”

  Matthew frowned. “I guess I don’t know. What happened with her mother? Did she pass away?”

  “Well, that was the story in the beginning.” Rose admitted. “But later, after my cousin developed feelings for Alex and his little girl, she learned quite by accident that the story Alex told about his wife’s passing was a bald-faced lie.”

  “A lie? You mean she wasn’t dead?” Matthew didn’t much like where this story was going.

  “No, she wasn’t dead at all. It turns out she left Alex and Grace for a man. Stole all Alex's money. And nearly cost him the ranch his uncle had left him.”

  When Matthew didn’t say anything, Rose continued with her story. “Anyway, Alex lied to Roxi about being a widower because he needed her help in taking care of Grace while he worked the ranch. Roxi never would have let herself fall for Alex if she had known he was a married man.” Rose stated matter-of-factly.

  “So, if Alex lied to your cousin, how is it that they got married? Did Alex compromise your cousin and her father made them marry? But, wait, how could they get married if he was already married?” Now Matthew was completely confused.

  “By the time Roxi found out the truth, she had already fallen in love with Alex and his daughter.”

  “So she forgave him then?”

  “Not at first. Roxi was heartbroken that Alex had lied to her, so she went back home with every intention of marrying her fiancé.”

  “Then what happened to change her mind?” He was still confused. Rose was a lovely girl, but she sure did have a round-about-way of telling a story.

  “Alex followed her. All the way back to Philadelphia. He snuck into her bedroom and found her in her wedding dress.”

  “Well that must have been troubling for him.” Matthew could only imagine what it would be like to find Rose in her wedding dress getting ready to marry another man. That thought was troubling indeed. “So, he convinced her to forgive him then?” Matthew was still a bit confused.

  “No. She had every intention of marrying the man her father had chosen.”

  “Then please, Rose, put me out of my misery and tell me what happened that would make these two forgive each other’s lies and get married.” Matthew let out a breath of exasperation.

  Rose looked at him, a hint of humor in her tone. “Why, Mr. Bell. I had no idea you were so impatient or such a romantic.”

  “I didn’t either, truth be told.”

  Rose smiled at him. “Alright, I may have dragged the story out, but the end does justify the circuitous route, doesn’t it?” She grinned and he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on her mouth. He was pleased to see her blush.

  “Roxanne is a twin, her sister’s name is Marianne. She’s the one who insisted Roxi follow her heart even though she is the practical twin.”

  “Roxi is the practical one?”

  “No, Marianne is the practical one. Follow along, Matthew. You must pay attention to the details of my story.”

  “I swear I’m trying.”

  “Okay, let me explain my twin cousins to you. Roxanne is interested in reading books about fairy tale romances and happy-ever-afters, but Marianne is the pragmatic one with the head for business. That’s why it’s so amusing that Mari is the one who convinced Roxi that she should marry the man of her dreams.”

  The carriage crested a hill revealing a sweeping panoramic view of lush grasslands lined with fences and dotted with horses. The backdrop of the beautiful mountains and pine forests made Matthew envious of Alexander Harp.

  “There it is. My cousin must be so happy here. Look, there she is waving to us from the front porch. And there’s little Grace.” Rose’s excitement was shining in her eyes.

  “It’s breathtaking, wouldn’t you agree?” Rose asked sitting on the edge of the carriage seat.

  Once again, Matthew turned to gaze at the woman next to him. What was it about her that had stolen his heart so quickly? He couldn’t put his finger on it, but whatever it was, he wanted to hang on to it and the only way to do that was to find Abigail Livingston and get that five thousand dollars from her father.

  “Yes, I most certainly would agree. It is breathtaking.” He slapped the reins against the little mare’s rump and together they descended into paradise.

  Chapter Eight

  After Matthew dropped her off at the house, he drove the rented carriage up to the barn so she spend the morning helping Roxi and Grace pick the last of the summer squash before the cool temperatures dipped below freezing.

  “Momma Roxi, can I go in the house and color?” Grace asked while wearing the cutest pout Abbie had ever seen. “I’m tired of picking vegetables.”

  Abbie watched her cousin’s tender gaze fall on the precocious five-year-old. “Of course, sweetheart. Just be careful to keep your colors on the table this time. You know what happened last time when your father stepped all over them when you left them in the floor.”

  “I know. I’ll keep them on the table this time.” Grace nodded in agreement. “I’ll be careful.” She turned and ran up the hill toward the house. Abbie wondered where Matthew was and what he was doing.

  Once Grace was out of sight, Roxi turned to her. “Now Abbie, tell me about this man of yours. Is he going to ask you to the Harvest Ball, or has he done that already?”

  Abbie straightened her back and met her cousin’s gaze. “I assume he will, but I suppose that will depend on his business here in Durango. And please, don’t call me Abbie. I’m Rose, remember?”

  She knew Matthew and Alex were up on the hill in the barn, so they couldn’t hear, but she just wanted to remind her cousin now so she wouldn’t make the same mistake when Matthew was nearby.

  “I’m sorry. I forgot. But don't worry I'll be more careful when Matthew's around.”

  Abbie smiled and stood up straight to stretch her tight back muscles. “I know that you of all people understand why I didn’t tell Matthew the truth about who I am. At first, it didn’t seem to matter. He was a stranger on the train that I found handsome and charming. I didn’t see any problem with a little harmless flirtation. But I found myself liking him...a little too much...and then it was— ”

  “Too late?” Roxi interjected. “Yes, I completely understand that sentiment. Things start out innocent and unassuming, but when feelings get involved, it can all go south in a a very big handbasket quickly.”

  Abbie laughed. “Yes, it certainly can. How much does Alex know? I mean, he knows I’m your cousin, but does he know all the details?"

  “Well, yes...and no.” Her cousin stood and rubbed her lower back.

  “And what exactly does that mean?” Abbie set her basket of squash down and studied Roxi.

  “Well, it means he knows that you are my cousin, but he was confused about the Abigail-Rose name thing. After I heard the story from Aunt Lila and Aunt Jeannie about why you were going by your middle name, I understood. So, I explained to Alex that you were now going by your middle name because you simply liked it better. I didn’t want to lie to him since we swore when we got married we would always tell each other the truth.”

  “What about my last name, Collins? Wasn’t he curious about that?” Abbie wondered.

  “No, since I never really mentioned you by your last name, Alex doesn’t have a clue about that or the reasoning behind it.”

  Abbie drew in a breath and let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. I want to be the one to tell Matthew the truth. I just need to find the right time, that’s all.”

  Roxi bent down to pick up her basket full of squash. “I would advise you to tell him soo
ner rather than later, especially if you think you might be in love with him. Men have a way of justifying their behavior. Lies they tell are always for a good reason and somehow it always seems to be in our best interest.” Her cousin sent her a wry smile. “But in the end, a lie is a lie and even if our intentions are honorable in the telling, sometimes the consequences can be brutal.”

  Abbie picked up her basket and followed her cousin up the hill toward the house, as she pondered her cousin’s advice. Roxi knew what she was talking about firsthand, and Abbie would be foolish to discount what she said about Matthew's feelings when he found out about her deception. Brutal consequences did not sound like something she wanted to face. She knew she needed to tell Matthew the truth about who she really was because if Matthew’s feelings for her was as strong as hers, he would want to take their relationship to the next step.

  “Abbie—I mean Rose. Are you alright? You seem a little dazed.” Roxi’s words pulled her out of her thoughts.

  “No, I was just thinking about what you said, and I know you’re right. After the Harvest Ball, Aunt Jeannie and I will be returning to Philadelphia. When Matthew’s business is concluded here in Durango, he’ll be returning home to Philadelphia as well. I know Matthew to be an honorable man, and if he plans on asking me to marry him, he will insist on asking my father’s permission for my hand in marriage first. I have to figure out how to break the news to both the men in my life in a way that doesn’t turn my whole world upside down. Got any ideas on how to make that happen?”

  Roxi shook her head. "Sorry. I don't have a clue. I was too much of a coward and waited too long to tell Alex. John told him before I had the chance to explain. Then Mari pretended to be me so Alex and I could sneak away, and I didn't have to face Father until after everything was settled. He and my mother eventually forgave me, but it took some time. And my father is not nearly as rigid in his opinions as yours, I hear. I don’t have any advice other than you should tell Matthew as soon as you possibly can because when Daniel Livingston finds out something’s been going on and he wasn’t included...well, let's just say I wouldn't want to be you.”

  Abbie knew her cousin was right. She had to make Matthew aware of what he was getting himself into. If he was really serious about her, they could weather her father’s storm together because there was nothing she could do that would prevent her father from overreacting. That’s who he was, especially when it came to his only child.

  “Yes, I wouldn’t want to be me either.”

  Matthew spent the morning helping Alex with his ranch. When they finished feeding and watering the horses in the stalls, they saddled up and rode the ranch looking for anything that could be a problem for his herd of three hundred broods mares and their foals.

  They rode up a steep rise and stopped to cast an admiring eye around the landscape. It was the most beautiful place he could ever remember seeing and that included his home in Kentucky. He was no stranger to rolling fields of tall grass and herds of horses, but there was something about the backdrop of pine-covered mountains and clear running rivers that made him want to live somewhere like this himself.

  "You've got a beautiful spread, Alex. It's incredible what you’ve done here.”

  He watched the man look out over his land. “Yeah, it is beautiful, but I can’t take all the credit. My uncle already has this ranch carved out of this wilderness. I just stepped in to fill his shoes.”

  “Well, in my opinion, it looks like some pretty big shoes to fill.” Matthew cast another sweeping view of the mountains, river, and grasslands below.

  Alex nodded. “Yeah, I’ll have to admit, my life turned out so much better than I could have ever dreamed. Better than I deserve.”

  “Why do you say that?” Matthew was curious.

  Alex turned in the saddle to face him. “Let’s just say Roxanne and I didn’t exactly start out on good footing when we first me.”

  Matthew saw the pain in the man’s face. “Well, I won’t ask what happened then. Rose told me a little bit out your story on the way out here.”

  Both men sat on their horses studying the beauty surrounding them and enjoying the quiet of nature when Alex turned to him again. “Just so you know, I’ve been instructed to find out as much about you as I can.”

  Matthew grinned. “Is that a fact? Why?”

  “Because my wife thinks you might be a little sweet on her cousin.”

  Matthew nodded. “That might be true.”

  “Well, let me give you a warning…just in case it is true.”

  Matthew frowned. “What kind of warning?”

  “I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but the women in this family are…what’s the word I’m looking for?”

  “Head strong?” Matthew offered.

  Alex laughed. “That’s probably a good description, but I was going to say strong-willed. Maybe even independent.”

  Matthew turned to look across the pastures where he could just make out Rose and Roxanne moving up the hill toward the house from the garden. “Yeah, I’d say that’s a pretty good description.” He was thinking of Rose on the train when she introduced herself and struck up a conversation about his book. And how she’d let him kiss her that first day. She struck him as the kind of woman who knew her own mind and didn’t let rules get in her way. And yet…he sensed she held herself in high regard—respected herself enough not to take things too far unless she had strong feelings about something or someone.

  “What’s your warning?” Matthew reminded Alex.

  “It’s more of a prediction, I suppose, but if you’ve got your heart set on Rose, you might as well get ready for one helluva ride.”

  “I guess that means I won’t be bored.”

  Alex laughed out loud. “No, sir. You most certainly won’t be bored.” Alex laughed again at the thought and then cut a look across the landscape. “We probably ought to head back to the barn. My ranch hand is gonna need help getting those yearlings from that pasture,” he pointed to a group of horses in the east pasture down by the river, “to the round pen where I start my yearlings out breaking them to halter and lead rope.”

  Matthew looked in the direction he pointed. “All of them?”

  “Yes, sir. There’s twenty-two. It ain’t a job for sissies.” Alex turned his horse toward the barn. Matthew rode alongside.

  Alex turned to him again. “You know I can’t go back to the house without some tidbit of information. Like I said before, my wife gave me orders to find out as much about you as I can. So, start talkin’.”

  Matthew felt like he was on a slippery slope. If he told Alex the truth about who he was and what he was doing in Durango, would he rush back to tell his wife who would then tell Rose? What would Rose think? That his line of work was too dangerous and too unpredictable like Julia had done?

  He thought about his answer when Alex asked him another question. “Mr. Bell. You ever been married?”

  Well, he could answer that question honestly. “No, Alex. I have never been married.”

  “Ever want to?” Alex pushed.

  “Now that’s a little harder to answer,” Matthew admitted.

  They rode along for another minute or so before he answered. “Yes, there was a girl I knew once. We were engaged.”

  “What happened, if you don’t mind me asking.”

  “She didn’t like the fact that my job took me out of town sometimes. She said if I loved her, I would quit so I could be with her all the time.”

  “And I take it you didn’t want to do that?” Alex frowned his confusion.

  “No. I had to make a living, especially if we were planning to get married.”

  “What happened? I’m assuming something did.”

  Matthew gritted his jaw as memories of that day came flooding back. “Yeah, something happened alright.”

  “If it’s not something you want to talk about, I understand.” Alex assured him.

  Was he ready to share the details after all this time? He cut a specula
tive look to the man riding beside him. He liked Alex and now was as good a time as any to talk about Julia’s betrayal. “I suppose it’s the typical old story of a cheating woman and a love-sick fool.”

  “Ah,” Alex nodded as if he understood, but how could he? Roxanne was a jewel. “Yeah, I kind of know what you’re talking about. I was married before Roxanne you know.”

  “I knew that. Rose told me bits and pieces of your story on the way out here.”

  “Well, the part you may not know is that I was married to a cheating, conniving, selfish woman.”

  “I didn’t know that. So I guess you do know what it’s like to marry someone like that. Yeah, so was Julia. I think I suspected things weren’t right between us, but I just didn’t want to admit it at the time. I thought I was in love with her. And she with me. That turned out to be a big lie.”

  “Funny thing about lies,” Alex shook his head in frustration. “They start out innocent enough. I mean, I lied to Roxanne because I thought I would lose everything if I didn’t get her help. She lied to me at first too because me…this ranch, and Grace, were supposed to be temporary. But when things took a serious turn between us, we couldn’t find our way to the truth until we were forced into it. Each blaming the other. It did not go well as you can imagine.”

  Matthew nodded his understanding. “Yeah, it turned out Julia was one lie after another too.”

  Alex nodded. “Grace’s mother was a piece of work.”

  Matthew heard the bitterness in Alex’s words. He thought about what Alex and his daughter must have gone through to get to the happy place they were now. They rode on in silence until they were about a mile from the barn when he remarked on Alex’s last comment. “That’s sounds awful. For you and especially that little girl of yours. She’s a cutie.”

  Alex’s face softened. “Yes, she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Well, her and Roxanne.” They rode along in silence for a few more minutes when Alex reined his horse to a stop. Matthew did the same. “Matthew, I’m going to give you a piece of advice. Take or leave it. That’s up to you, but if you are serious about my wife’s cousin, do yourself a favor. Keep everything above board. Lies and deception are the two worst things for a budding romance. Think about it.”