The Debutante's Secret

by Peggy McKenzie

Marianne moved to rise, but Roxanne kept hold of her hand. “My dear, dear sister. I apologize for my bad temper. You don’t deserve my acrimony. Please, go and have a wonderful time at your garden party. And I hope you find someone who will make you deliriously happy.”

  Marianne kissed her on her cheek. “You are forgiven. Now I must go, or I shall be late. There is actually a certain someone who has caught my eye.” Her sister gave her a sly look, but she didn’t stay long enough for Roxanne to inquire as to whom that certain someone was.

  Alone once more, Roxanne pondered the days spent at the ranch and how happy she had been living with Alex and Grace. She wondered how Grace was getting on with her momma these days. She hoped the woman had a change of heart and realized what a very lucky woman she was to have a husband...the thought stopped her short. She had no business wondering about Alex, his wife, and that big four-poster bed she herself slept in for weeks. Alone.

  A knock on her door and a soft voice drew her from her thoughts, “Roxanne, the dressmaker is here to measure you for your wedding dress. Please meet me in the grand parlor in half an hour, if you don’t mind.”

  “Yes, Mother.” She heard her mother’s footsteps retreating down the hall. “I’ve got nothing better to do,” Roxanne mumbled under her breath.

  She stood and walked across her bedroom to the vanity and sat on the upholstered stool.. The reflection staring back at her was one she was becoming all too familiar with since she returned from Durango. Dark half-moons rested beneath her once lively brown eyes. Now, they appeared dull and lifeless. She tried to put on a happy face for her family, but looking into her mirror she knew it was a hopeless situation.

  Thoughts of Alex filled her mind. No matter how hard she fought to keep him out of her mind during the day, every night he took over her dreams. His arms around her. His lips caressing her mouth. His chest so strong and warm. Her dreams of him made her weak with desire. And led to many sleepless nights. Her fairy tale adventure had been nothing but an illusion. The Alex she longed for didn’t exist. The only thing real were her feelings for him.

  It had only taken her a month to fall head over heels in love with him, but it would take her a lifetime to forget him. She didn’t have a lifetime, because she was getting married in two weeks.

  She rose from her seat and pulled the large journal from the shelf beside her bed. She flipped the pages to the middle of the book where several telegrams lay folded. She had returned all of his letters. It was better that way. Though she admitted—if only to herself—she wished now that she had read them first. Not that any explanation mattered at this point, but it may have made her heart less…broken.

  She shook her head. No, that wasn’t possible. Alex had made her fall in love with him—hopelessly in love with him—and he had a wife. There was nothing he could say that would justify that kind of blatant duplicity.

  Roxanne stared at the pages of her journal for another minute or so. She was tempted to read through them again…just one more time, to remember how beautiful Alex’s ranch was, how much she loved sitting underneath the willow trees with Grace reading, standing at the kitchen sink and Alex turning her in his arms to kiss—

  She slammed the book closed and threw it across the room. Alex Harp had lied bald-faced to her more times than she could count. She would never forgive him.

  Alex sat on his big covered porch alone and stared at the finished fence surrounding the pasture where his new shipment of prime brood mares grazed in the knee-high tall grass. He had everything he had ever wanted. This ranch. A beautiful daughter. Money in the bank. And, thanks to John’s friend, Judge Baker, he now had a divorce from Kate.

  It had taken every bit of the last two months to acquire it, but it was signed, sealed, and legal. Now, all he needed was a second chance for happiness, but that wasn’t gonna happen.

  He refused to think about what could have been between him and Roxanne. And, he supposed it no longer mattered. She was beyond his reach. If he was being honest, now that he knew who she was, she had been beyond his reach all along.

  During the last two months he spent trying to secure his divorce, he had sent her twelve telegrams and ten handwritten letters trying to explain what went wrong. He admitted to being a scoundrel. A cad. A blackguard. And any other names he could come up with. But all of his telegrams went unanswered even though the telegraph clerk assured him the messages had gone through. Alex grasped at straws and had the clerk in Durango check to see if the messages in Boston were delivered. They were. Every single one of them.

  Roxanne had returned all of his letters unopened with the words no one at this address by that name scribbled in Roxanne’s distinctive handwriting. He knew she wasn’t pining away for him. After all, she was just in Durango for a few weeks to have some fun , but he wanted to explain how everything had happened. If he had known who she was, he would never have tried to hire her, but she lied to him and that fact brought him right back to the beginning of a vicious circle.

  Grace had cried herself to sleep for two weeks after Alex explained to his daughter why Roxanne was gone. At least, as much as he could explain to a four-year-old. She had hugged him and whispered through her tears, “You were right, Papa. Roxanne was so sad she couldn’t fix momma being sick, she left us all alone.” His daughter’s words broke his heart.

  He had hired another caretaker for Grace, but it wasn’t the same. Oh, the woman was capable of cooking and cleaning, but Grace no longer laughed or skipped as she had when Roxanne was here. His little girl did her chores when asked and studied her lessons without protest, but there was no joy in her blue eyes anymore. There was a sadness about her that a little girl her age should never experience. As her father, all the blame lay at his feet. He couldn’t even blame Kate for this one.

  Alex sat on the porch swing and closed his eyes to allow himself a walk back in time. He wanted to remember how it felt to hold Roxanne close and kiss her under the wild, star-filled sky. He wanted to lay her down and...

  The sound of a horse and carriage coming down the road pulled him back to the present. He squinted to see who would be visiting him this late in the afternoon. It looked like his friend, John and...Regina was with him. This can’t be good. He hadn’t spoken to Regina since the day Kate surprised them all. What could this mean?

  He stepped off the porch and into the yard waiting for what, he had no idea. Whatever Regina had to say to him, he deserved it all.

  The carriage slowed and then John pulled the horse to a stop in front of the hitching post. “Good afternoon, Alex.”

  “John. Regina. What brings you two out my way?”

  John stepped down and helped his wife from the carriage. “Regina had something she wanted to give you. Something that couldn’t wait it seems.”

  He turned to Regina while John tied the horse to the hitching post. “Regina.” He didn’t know what to say so he left it up to her to start the conversation.

  “Alex, I have a bone to pick with you.” She walked up the steps and into his house. He cast a questioning look at John who simply shrugged. “I guess I better get inside and take my licks.”

  Alex opened the door for his friend and followed him inside. Regina was pacing the floor in front of his fireplace.

  “Can I offer you something to drink? Or eat?” He offered.

  They both shook their heads no. He wasn’t certain what he should do, so he offered Regina and John a seat. He took up his position by the fireplace, his arm on the mantel. He felt more in control standing. A quicker getaway he supposed was his reasoning. He took a deep breath and reopened the conversation. “You said you have a bone to pick with me, Regina. I can guess what that bone might be.”

  Regina cradled her reticule in her lap. Alex thought it looked a bit heavy for a woman’s purse and wondered if there was a pistol in there. He swallowed hard.

  “Let’s get right to the crux of the matter, Alex. Do you love Roxanne ?” Her words blunt and to the point.

  “Uh, what?�
�� That was not what he had been expecting her to say.

  “Are you, or are you not, in love with my cousin?” Regina demanded an answer.

  “I don’t really see how that matters now. I mean—“

  “Just answer the question, Mr. Harp. Do you or don’t you?” Regina pushed for an answer, but why?

  John spoke up. “Alex, I suggest you answer my wife’s question or we’ll be here all afternoon.”

  “Well, of course, I’m in love with her,” Alex admitted with caution. Was this a trick question? One of the two was going to shoot him. He just knew it.

  “Then why haven’t you gone after her? If you love her like you say you do, then do something to fix this.” Regina glowered at him so hard she had him pulling at the collar of his shirt certain it was strangling him under the weight of her glare.”

  “I—did. Well, sort of. I mean I’ve sent her dozens of telegrams and as many letters. She refuses to acknowledge any of them. What am I suppose to do? I can’t leave the ranch.” His explanation sounded weak even to his own ears. “Her silence has made it clear she doesn’t want to hear anything I have to say,” he explained again.

  “Have you gone to Boston to make her listen?”

  “Go to Boston? What good would that do? Her father would probably shoot me on sight. I thought perhaps if I gave her some time to calm down, she might be more receptive to my explanation, but—”

  “You don’t have time.” Regina reached into her reticle. Alex winced certain she was going after a loaded derringer. Instead, she pulled out a cream-colored envelope and handed it to him.

  He took it and frowned in confusion. “What is this?”

  “Open it up and read it,” Regina demanded.

  He pulled the seal off the back and opened the envelope. There was an engraved card inside. He pulled it out and read it. Suddenly, his heart plummeted to his feet making it hard to breathe. “It’s a wedding invitation. For Roxanne.” He forced the words past his lips.

  “That’s right. It’s a wedding invitation for Roxanne and Maximillian Banks. As you can see by the date, it is in two weeks. Apparently, my invitation was delayed, and I only just received it today. My question is what are you going to do about…this?” Regina pointed to the offending piece of mail in his shaking fingers.

  Alex stared at the engraved names on the invitation. Roxanne Sheffield and Maximillian Banks. Roxanne was getting married...to a man named Maximillian. He had to admit he hated it.

  “Well?” Regina's words stabbed at his pain.

  “Well, what? What do you expect me to do?” He crushed the expensive paper between his fists.

  “I expect you to declare your love for my cousin and sweep her off her feet. That’s what I expect you to do. Now, I’ve already made arrangements for Grace to come and stay with us in town. John has hired a couple who needs work and they can start tomorrow. They are honest people and you can trust them to help out while you are gone.

  “Mrs. Avery can help your housekeeper and Mr. Avery can help Jeremy keep your ranch running smoothly in your absence. And, of course, John will come out here to check on things periodically. Until you get back from Boston with Roxanne.

  Alex turned an astonished look to John who offered him a shrug and a smile.

  Regina inhaled a breath and kept going. “I’ve taken the liberty of purchasing you a round trip ticket to Boston. It leaves tomorrow morning at eight o’clock sharp.” She stood and crossed the room to hand him the ticket.” Her dark brown eyes pinned him with a stare. “You had better be on it.” Then, she turned to her husband. “John, I think we should be returning to town. Alex has a lot of things to do before tomorrow morning.”

  She turned to him once again. “Bring Grace by the house on the way to the train station. And, Mr. Harp.” Regina stabbed him with another glare. “Do not return to Durango without my cousin, are we clear on this matter?” It was then she smiled and he knew he had been forgiven.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Alex grinned back and sent John a silent thank you. His friend must have worked long and hard to get his wife to forgive Alex after what he had done.

  Alex clutched the train ticket in his hand and watched John and Regina returned to town. Then, he got busy. He notified Jeremy he would be gone for a couple of weeks and help was on the way. Any problems that came up could be taken up with John Kingston until Alex returned.

  He packed Grace’s bag with enough clothes to last for three weeks. Then he packed his own bags and readied for bed. He finally forced himself to sleep some time in the wee hours of the morning.

  Morning came early—too early, but his excitement at seeing Roxanne again pushed him up and out of the house in no time. With final instructions for his employees, he loaded an excited Grace into the carriage and headed to town. He hadn’t told Grace he was going to get Roxanne in case his plan didn’t work. He would die before he disappointed his little girl again. All she knew was that she was going to spend some time with Regina in town and play with the children at the school while he took care of some unfinished business.

  Unfinished business. Yep, he and Roxanne definitely had some unfinished business. Thanks to Regina, he was gonna settle it one way or another.

  Chapter 14

  Roxanne looked at herself in the mirror, standing there in in her exquisite wedding dress. The hand-stitched crystals catching the light of her bedroom lamp giving the illusion of a fairy princess. The illusion of a happy bride on her wedding day. Tears burned her eyes at the thought for she was anything but happy. She was quite miserable.

  She had visited the church earlier today. She bowed at the alter and prayed for a miracle, but she knew none would be forthcoming. Her fate was sealed, and in less than two hours, she would be marrying a man she barely knew.

  The empty church was filled with beautiful bouquets of fall flowers and ribbons of silk draped across the backs of every pew. She had to admit it was beautiful. She just wished she could be happy about it all because today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life.

  A tear slipped down her cheek as she thought of all the people who would soon be crowding into those pews to witness her walk down that aisle on her father’s arm—to marry.

  Candelabras lined the pews and the candles would cast a romantic glow over the crowded room. It would be the wedding she had always dreamed about, except the man standing next to her wouldn’t be the Prince Charming of her choice.

  A knock at the door pulled her from her misery. It was probably the seamstress returning to see if there were any last minute alterations needed to her wedding dress.

  Roxanne drew a deep breath and cast another look into the mirror. She tried to smile, just to see if she could pull off the happy bride look. She shook her head in disgust. She would just have to work harder because she would not disappoint her parents or Maximillian Banks. The very handsome. The very wealthy Mr. Banks. Any young woman within a thousand miles would love to trade places with Roxanne, but she wished she could just disappear into thin air never to be heard or seen again—

  Another persistent knock at the door pulled her from her misery.

  “Yes, who is it?” Roxi asked trying to keep her emotions in check. It would never do to let her mother see how upset she was on her wedding day.

  An unexpected male’s voice muffled through the heavy closed door that caught her full attention.

  “Flowers for the bride,” she thought he said.

  Flowers? She remembered her mother had said her bridal bouquet would be arriving soon and she would send it up when it arrived. Roxi stole a look at the clock on the wall, the second hand busy ticking off time until her wedding.

  “Just a moment,” she called out and padded barefoot across the floor to open her door. But when she swung the door open, instead of her bridal bouquet, there was a gigantic mountain of flowers standing in her doorway with only a pair of legs sticking out from below. It was all she could see of the man behind the flowers. “Oh, my. Well, do come in. Set them on
this table here next to the door,” she instructed.

  “Yes, ma’am,” the man mumbled from behind the huge bouquet. He stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him.

  A shiver of anxiety pulsed through her body. “What are you doing? You can’t come in here like this. What’s the meaning of this?” she edged closer to the brocade bell rope to call for help. She had only taken two steps when the man set the flowers on the table and turned around to face her. Recognition hit her stealing her breath away. “Alex,” she whispered.

  “Roxanne. I had to come.”

  She was so happy to see him, and yet he had no right to be here. “How dare you show your face around here. I’ll have my father toss you out on your ear, you despicable, lying cheat.”

  “And I would deserve that and anything else he decided to do to me, but please hear me out first. I promise I’ll leave without so much as a whimper if you will just let me try to explain why things happened as they did.”

  Roxanne’s heart raced in her chest. “There’s nothing you can say that will change the fact that you lied to me. You are a married man. Period.” She clung to her indignation at his betrayal. It was the only thing keeping her from running into his arms. She turned away from him because looking at his handsome face hurt too much knowing she would be marrying someone else today.

  “Please, just give me five minutes. Isn’t a happily ever after worth five minutes of your time?”

  It was the one thing he could have said to entice her to listen. She really shouldn’t, but…

  “Just say what you are here to say and then go back to your wife. I’m getting married in two hours. Everything is in place so there’s really nothing left to say between us. But…if it makes you feel better, then…go ahead.” Her heart pounded in her chest.

  “I’ll be quick about it.” Alex approached her. “Can we sit? Just for the time it will take me to tell you the reasons I did what I did.” His blue eyes held her gaze. Unable to look away, she nodded and sat on the settee. He took his seat beside her.