The Debutante's Secret

by Peggy McKenzie

  “I understand what is expected of me and I won’t disappoint you or Mother. I think your offer is more than fair, and I promise that after my time for adventure is up, I will choose a suitable husband.”

  Alexander Harp stood on Durango’s train platform and stared at the surrounding mountains. It was the one thing he could do to keep from pacing the wooden planks. It had been three months since he had left his life in New Orleans to lay claim to his late uncle's horse ranch here in Colorado. And today, his wife, Kate, and four-year-old daughter, Grace, were on the train due to arrive any moment. It was hard to contain his excitement, especially when he thought back to everything he had to do to get this far.

  It had taken all his persuasive abilities to talk his wife into moving to the southwestern Colorado mining town of Durango. Kate was from a wealthy family and used to the finer things in life, so she hadn't been thrilled when he told her he was going to quit his job at his father's bank and move west to take up horse ranching on his Uncle Zach’s ranch.

  “Hey, Alex,” he turned to see a man he recognized from the neighboring ranch call out to him. He liked knowing people in his community by name. It was a far cry from the big city of New Orleans.

  “Hey, Harvey. How’s it goin’?” The man waved and kept on walking.

  It was a concept his father couldn’t grasp. His father, Andrew Harp, insisted Alex take up the family business, and being the dutiful son, he went to the college his father chose for him and then worked at his father’s bank. But he knew from the very first day behind the teller’s cage, he hated everything about it. And yet, he stayed…because it was what his father expected.

  But it wasn’t long before his father pushed him to marry the daughter of his best customer, Carl Bishop, one of the wealthiest men in town. Alex didn’t much care for Kate Bishop, but after constant pressure from everyone, he finally gave in. He married the girl hoping to make his father happy.

  And then his Uncle Zachariah died and made Alex his sole heir of his ranch in Colorado. The very same ranch Alex had loved to visit as a boy. He couldn’t believe it. He now had the opportunity to change the course of his life and he grabbed it without thinking twice.

  “Train’s comin’. Stand clear of the tracks, please.” A railroad employee hollered loud and clear.

  Alex inhaled a deep breath of clear, clean, Colorado mountain air. He felt good about his decision to move here. It was the first time in a long, long time, he felt…happy. Well, mostly happy. He and Kate had some work to do on their marriage. He hoped they could make it work for Grace’s sake. That little girl meant everything to him.

  Just then the train whistled in the distance and jerked him from his thoughts. His heart raced and he checked his clothes once more. Kate hated a mussed appearance, and he needed to make a good first impression for this new life he had chosen for his family.

  Alex saw his friend, John Kingston, across the train platform and waved. He was someone Alex had gotten to know over the many summers he had spent here with his Uncle Zack on his ranch. He had been a kid then, but he was smart enough to know that John had a pretty rough life living on the streets. And now, the man owned half of those streets.

  John hadn’t turned his back on Alex and helped him secure a loan to buy new mares and the best studhorse around. They were a huge part of his breeding program and without them, he wouldn't have been able to bring his family here. He owed his friend a lot of gratitude.

  He heard the train’s whistle blow loud and clear as it chugged into the station, steam billowing in every direction as it slowed to a stop. Alex stood in anticipation of Kate and Grace's appearance at the train's doors. He was surprised at how nervous he was. He wiped his palms on his clean jeans.

  Before long, the conductor stepped out from between two cars and placed steps against the train leading to the wooden platform. Then, one by one, he helped passengers down the steps. Alex waited and watched as man, woman, and child stepped off the train and were greeted by family and friends.

  Soon, the platform cleared and only a few people remained. Alex wondered if Kate needed help with Grace after such a long trip. His daughter had probably fallen asleep. That would make sense and explain why they had not yet appeared.

  “Excuse me,” Alex directed his inquiry to the conductor who was beginning his preparations for the departing passengers. “Would it be possible for me to board the train? My wife may need my held with our daughter.”

  “Of course, mister, but there are only a few passengers left on the train. You might check this car and the one behind it. All the other cars are empty.”

  “Thank you. I'll do that.” Alex stepped up on the wooden steps just as a dark-haired woman in a pink dress stepped down. The woman's steps faltered as she caught the hem of her dress with the heel of her shoe.

  “Oh.” Alex heard the surprise in the woman's voice as she reached out a hand to steady herself. But her momentum carried her forward causing her to fall. He reached out automatically and caught her, keeping her from tumbling down the steps and coming to harm. She was a tiny thing, and he bore her weight easily.

  He looked down at the woman in his arms and dark eyes tinged with gold flecks looked back. And though he had no business looking, he couldn’t seem to turn away from the warmth he found there in her eyes.

  Her cheeks pinked at his scrutiny. “Thank you, sir. I do apologize for my clumsiness. You may put me down now. I’m fairly confident I can continue on my way without further mishap.”

  Alex set the woman upright and stepped back when she stood on her own.

  “My apologies, ma'am. The fault was all mine. I was…in a hurry…I guess. I…I wasn’t watching where I was going.” He stumbled over his words like an awkward schoolboy.

  The woman smiled at him and ran her hands over her skirt to smooth it out. “I hardly think that is the case, sir, but I appreciate your chivalry all the same.”

  They stood next to the wooden steps in awkward silence. Finally, Alex said. “Well, if you’re certain you are alright, I need to find my family.”

  “Papa!” Alex turned at the sound of his daughter's voice.

  Grace stepped down the wooden stairs with the help of a woman Alex had never seen before.

  The woman in the pink dress spoke again, dimples creasing her cheeks. He found the effect enchanting even though he shouldn’t.

  “It seems your family has arrived. I will leave you to greet them.” She turned away just as his daughter ran toward him.

  Alex bent down and caught Grace up in his arms and hugged her close to his chest. “Gracie, sweetheart, I've missed you so much. I can't believe you are finally here in front of me. And look how much you’ve grown.”

  “I've missed you too, Papa.” He heard Grace’s voice muffled against his shoulder.

  He took a moment or two to relish the feel of his little girl in his arms again. Then he pulled back and gazed lovingly into her beautiful blue eyes. “Oh, Gracie, my sweet girl. We are going to have so much fun here in Durango. I've met some really nice people who have children for you to play with and there’s a school you’re going to love. I can't wait to show you and your mother the ranch. It's so incredible, and—”

  It suddenly dawned on Alex that Kate was missing. Where was his wife?

  “Sweetheart, where is your mother and why aren't you with her? It is always best to keep hold of her hand in a crowd. You could get lost,” he admonished.

  “You must be Alex Harp.” The woman standing off to the side spoke up. It was the woman he had seen hold Grace's hand down the train steps. She extended her hand and offered him an envelope.

  Still holding his daughter's hand, he stood and took it from her. “Yes, I'm Alex Harp. And you are?” Alex looked around for Kate. What exactly was going on here?

  “Papa, this is the lady Momma asked to bring me here.”

  Alex studied his daughter and then the woman who handed him the letter. “What are you talking about? Grace, where is your mother?”
>
  A sick sense of foreboding hit Alex in his gut. He tore open the letter and saw his wife's elegant handwriting across the wrinkled page. His heart punched his ribs as if preparing him for what was coming.

  “Dear Alexander,

  I know you are not going to understand my reasons for not moving to some godforsaken ranch in the middle of nowhere, but I'll do my best to explain.

  I was never meant to be the wife of a rancher. Had I known you were going to change course in the middle of our marriage, I would have never allowed our fathers to talk me into this obvious mismatch.”

  Their fathers had talked her into accepting his marriage proposal? But he hadn't even wanted to get married. Suddenly, he felt like the biggest fool New Orleans had ever produced.

  “Since you've been gone these past months, I've had the privilege of making the acquaintance of people who understand the kind of lifestyle I prefer. I'm happy to say that I've formed a special attachment of sorts to one person in particular and I refuse to leave him.

  Since he travels quite frequently, we have decided that Grace should stay with you. After all, a house with a precocious four-year-old always asking questions isn't the place for a budding romance to grow, now is it?

  Good luck, Alex. I wish you the best in this new life you've chosen for yourself. I hope it brings you the happiness you are looking for, but it’s not the life for me.

  Kate

  “Mr. Harp? Are you alright?” Alex heard the woman's voice calling to him from a distance. “Mr. Harp?”

  Dazed, he looked up from the letter in his shaking hands to see the concerned faces of this stranger and his little girl.

  “I’m not sure,” he finally managed to form the words.

  “I know you probably have a lot of questions. I suppose the main ones have been answered by that letter, but if you have any more, I’ll be in town for a few days.”

  Alex shook his head. No, he didn't have any questions for the stranger, but he had a million questions for Kate even though her letter left no doubts as to what her intentions were.

  “I guess I'll be going then.” The woman turned to Grace. “Be a good girl, Grace, and don't give your papa any trouble, okay?”

  “Yes, ma'am,“ Grace replied.

  Alex watched the woman leave, his mind a jumbled blur of whirling emotions. He’d like to get his hands around Kate’s neck right about now. He had known his wife was a self-centered creature, but he just hadn't known how deep that selfishness went until this very moment. Never mind him. How could she turn her back on her own daughter? It was unbelievable.

  He looked down at his beautiful little girl knowing he was now her only parent. How on earth was he going to watch over a four-year-old and run a ranch at the same time? He honestly had no idea.

  Alex folded the letter and stuffed it into his shirt pocket. He'd deal with his feelings later. Right now, he owed it to Grace to be the responsible parent and put her needs first. He shrugged off his disgust at his wife’s behavior and turned to his daughter with the brightest smile he could muster under the circumstances.

  “Don’t you worry one bit, Grace. Everything is gonna be just fine. You are gonna love your new home. It has a covered porch that goes all the way around the house where you can sit outside and play. And you just won’t believe how blue and clear the river is that runs next to the house. It’ll be perfect for teaching you how to swim. And best of all, the barn is full of kittens just waiting to be cuddled, and—”

  “Papa?” His daughter's troubled blue eyes looked up at him.

  “Yes, sweetheart?”

  “Are we gonna have to get a new momma now that ours doesn’t want us?”

  Alex's heart broke at his daughter’s words. “Ah, honey. It’s not that...she didn’t want... us, it’s just that...” What on earth could he tell a four-year-old about such matters? “Baby, don’t you worry. Your papa is gonna take care of everything. I know just what to do to fix it,” he said.

  Grace hugged him around the knees, and he guided her toward his wagon and team. He had just told his daughter a bald-faced lie because he had no idea what to do or how to fix it. He hadn’t a clue.

  Chapter 2

  Roxanne had spent the last two days getting settled in with her cousin, Regina, and her husband, John. She had been thrilled to hear Regina and John were expecting a baby, and she couldn’t wait to help with the preparations of the baby’s room, but right now, she was ready for adventure. At least something other than unpacking and sorting her traveling trunks.

  Her cousin had volunteered her to help teach art and reading at the care school for children too young to attend primary school. Roxi had to admit the prospect of doing something out of the ordinary excited her.

  This school was a wonderful notion that Regina and John had come up with to help working parents with children too young to spend the day at regular school. It provided a healthy, safe, friendly environment for the children so the parents didn’t have to worry about them while they worked. Roxanne thought it was a brilliant idea and when she went back to Boston in September, she planned to promote the idea to the working sections of town through her family’s foundation.

  Roxi glanced at the clock. “Oh, I’m going to be late for my first day of volunteering if I don’t hurry.” She grabbed her hat and art satchel on the way to the front door.

  “I’ll see you this afternoon, Cousin,” she said loud enough so that Regina could hear her through the open window from the garden.

  “Have fun, Roxi,” Regina call back to her.

  Once outside, Roxi tied her bonnet in place and looped the cord of her art supply box over the crook of her arm. It took only five minutes to walk to the lovely old home that had transformed into the school. She could hear the children playing in the back yard two blocks away.

  Roxi entered the school and set her things down on the table next to the front door.

  “Can I help you?” A woman’s voice spoke over her shoulder.

  She turned and saw a woman wiping her hands on her apron.

  “Yes, I’m Roxanne Sheffield, I’m—”

  “Oh, you are Regina’s cousin. It’s so nice to finally meet you. She speaks of you often.”

  The woman offered her hand. “I’m Mary. My husband, Charley, and I sort of run the school these days.”

  “It’s very nice to make your acquaintance, Mary. My cousin has told me more than once that she couldn’t have gotten this school up and running if it hadn’t been for your help. I know she’s very grateful.”

  Mary blushed. Then she added, “If it wasn’t for Regina and Mr. Kingston, I don’t know where Charley and I would be right about now. And our baby.” Mary rubbed her slightly rounded belly. Roxi could see the woman was with child.

  “I know they are proud to help however they can,” Roxi offered. Regina had told her about Mary’s situation, but she didn’t want to embarrass the woman by letting her know Roxi knew.

  Mary pointed to the table where Roxi had set her art box. “Why don’t you bring your things back into the children’s room. I’ll give you a chance to get settled before I call them in front outside. Trust me, it’s easier that way.”

  Roxi grabbed her art supplies and hat and followed the woman through the door toward the back of the house. They walked through several classrooms before coming to a large open room.

  “Set everything on that desk.” Mary pointed to a desk at the front of the room. “Let me know when you are ready for the children and I’ll round them up. Be prepared, they are quite a handful.” She grinned and ducked inside the kitchen off to the left of the room.

  Roxi smiled and set to unpacking her supplies. When she was finished, she took a few moments to get her bearings before she went in search of Mary. She was studying the alphabet on the left side of the chalkboard and the numbers on the right side when a masculine voice startled her. She jumped at the unexpected sound.

  “Are you one of the teachers here, Miss?”

  She turned
to see a man standing in the doorway. But he wasn’t just any man. He was the man from the train station. The one who caught her in his arms the day she arrived.

  Her heart fluttered at the sudden sight of him. Funny, she had thought of him often since their brief encounter. Now, why was that, she wondered?

  “Can I help you, sir?” She watched him frown as he studied her.

  “Don't I know you from somewhere?”

  She smiled and offered an answer. “We met a couple of days ago. At the train station. I stumbled and you—”

  “The woman in the pink dress. I caught you on the steps.” Recognition reflected in his blue eyes. “I remember.”

  Roxanne felt her blush as it warmed her face. She remembered too and had been quite surprised by her immediate attraction to him. But even more surprising was her willingness to flirt with him. Well, before she realized he had a wife and daughter that is. She was not a husband stealer. So why was she so pleased he remembered the color of the dress she wore?

  “It's nice to see you again, ma’am, but I don't believe I caught your name.”

  “Miss Sheffield. Roxanne.” Her words sounded breathy even to her own ears. What on earth was the matter with her? She had never been a simpering debutante, but she had also never felt this much attraction to a man before. What was it about him that made her feel this way?

  Hat in hand, he walked across the room and stood in front of her offering her a polite bow. “It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Sheffield.”

  “Please, call me Roxanne.” She wasn’t usually so forward. She should be ashamed of herself, and yet—

  “Very well. Roxanne. I’m Alexander Harp. But since we’re on a first name basis, how about you call me Alex? I’m the owner of a horse ranch just outside of town.”

  “Alex.” She liked the way his name sounded when she said it. “It’s very nice to meet you... Alex.” She tried to keep the tremor from her voice. “Well, now that we’ve been properly introduced, what has brought you into our little school today?”