by Linda Broday
“I’m sure we’ll have the dance soon to celebrate. Eleanor, please come.”
The woman’s face registered interest, but before it took a good hold, sadness crept in. “Honey, it’s been far too long. I don’t dance anymore. I doubt I’d remember how anyway.”
“That’s foolish talk. I’ve only danced once in my life, and that was on my wedding day, but I’m sure going to try again.” She pressed her friend harder. “There’ll be many single men there wanting to take a spin around the floor. You’d have no shortage of partners. It would do you good.”
“I don’t know. Maybe I will.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” Addie gave her a hug and left with a promise to call again soon.
As she made her way to Ridge’s office, Nora caught her. “We’re full speed ahead for the dance on Saturday.”
“That’s wonderful! I just came from Eleanor’s and we were talking about that. I invited her to come.”
“Good. We’ve tried for a year or more to get her to mingle with us and this will be an excellent opportunity.”
“She seemed excited at first, then it faded. I’ll keep trying.” Addie’s thoughts flew to what she might wear. Maybe her blue dress. No, the red one. Yes, Ridge hadn’t seen her in that yet, and it would be perfect. She could picture his eyes lighting up, and a shiver raced up her spine. “How about we take Charlotte under our wing and spruce her up a bit?”
“Do you think it’ll upset her?” Nora worried her lip. “With a little help, she could be pretty, but I wouldn’t want to cause her to think she’s not good enough.”
“Let’s go see.”
They went straight to the hotel and knocked on her door.
Charlotte seemed happy to see them. She had piled her hair messily on top of her head with two pencils stuck through the heap holding it in place. “Come in, ladies.”
Once seated, Addie took the lead. “Nora and I were wondering about something, and we hope we don’t offend you by asking.”
“Good heavens, I’m sure you won’t.”
Nora took the plunge. “We want to show you a few tricks to do with your hair and clothes.”
“My hair and clothes? I’ve always been plain, and no one expected anything else.” Charlotte glanced from Nora to Addie. “It used to hurt, and I always looked at beautiful girls with envy, but I’ve accepted who I am. My mother is fond of reminding me that beauty is only skin deep, but I know she only says that to make me feel better.”
Addie’s heart broke, and she could imagine how devastated Charlotte had been growing up. “You have such pretty features. You only need a little help with your hair.”
Her thoughts went back to her release from prison and how Josie Legend had helped her feel pretty just by teaching her how to fix her hair and buying a few new dresses. But finding the beauty inside was something no one could help with. She’d had to search for that.
“If you can change me, I welcome it, but I warn you, my hair is as straight as a ramrod.” Charlotte rose and sat on a stool in front of the large dresser mirror. Tears came in her eyes and she began to sob.
Addie drew a chair next to her. “What’s wrong? Did we offend you by offering to help? I hope we didn’t make you uncomfortable?”
“Nothing like that.” Charlotte wiped her eyes. “Can I tell you something?”
“Of course,” Addie murmured. Nora met her gaze and lifted her shoulders in question.
“I met someone last year. He was so handsome and said all the right things, except he never would take me anywhere, always insisting we stay far from people. I truly thought he cared for me until one night I overheard his conversation with a male friend in which he admitted that he was only after my money. The ugly little rich girl, he called me. They laughed.” Charlotte’s voice faltered. “All my life, the people I thought were friends were only after what I could do for them. Never just me. They never saw the person inside, yearning for someone to share things with.”
“Oh, honey.” Addie laid an arm across the banker’s shoulders. “How devastating.”
“By the time we get through, you’ll show all of them the error of their ways,” Nora declared.
Charlotte dabbed at her eyes, her chin trembling. At last she whispered, “I’ve failed miserably at everything I’ve tried. My father sent me here after my failures repeatedly became a source of embarrassment. He gave me a year to prove myself.”
“And if you don’t?” Nora asked.
Charlotte shrugged. “Then I suppose I’ll stay permanently.”
Addie patted her hand, her reply quiet. “I can think of worse places to spend a lifetime.”
“Me too.” Her voice held grit. “I don’t think I shall miss San Francisco all that much.”
Addie liked this woman with determined brown eyes and what looked like a great deal of courage to keep trying in the face of disappointment. “Let’s get started on showing the world who you are and what you’re made of.”
Charlotte forced a laugh. “I’m all for that.”
Addie and Nora pulled the pencils from Charlotte’s hair and began the transformation. A short time later, they stepped back to view their handiwork. Addie was amazed at the difference.
Charlotte touched the hair falling around her shoulders in loose, shiny waves, then moved to the fringe of bangs they’d cut to soften her face. “I can’t believe this. I’m…I’m—”
“Pretty,” Addie supplied. “You’re a pretty woman, and don’t forget it.”
“Now, your clothes.” Nora went to where they hung, all in various shades of brown. “You need color, Charlotte. Lots of color. Greens, blues, reds, purples.”
Addie linked her arm through Charlotte’s. “You’re going shopping. A new dressmaker has come to town, and you’re sorely in need of her help.”
“But—”
“No buts.” Nora got on Charlotte’s other side and tucked her arm through Charlotte’s elbow. “It’s time to step out of your shell.”
They strolled down the street to Tara Quinn, Proprietress. Two hours later, they emerged with a stunned Charlotte. She faced Addie and Nora, tears in her eyes. “I can’t believe the big difference little things can make. I owe you both so much.”
Addie kissed her cheek. “It was all there. We just helped you find it.”
“You’re beautiful, Charlotte. Now step into life.” Nora hugged her. “Take back your power.”
Their paths separated, and Addie and Nora headed down the street. Nora went back to making plans. “We’ll begin decorating the big community barn Saturday morning. The men will hang whatever we need and arrange hay bales. I’m sure Ridge will help.”
“Bodie too. I think this will be good for him. He stays out on the farm by himself too much, and I worry about him sometimes. You know?”
“He seems a well-mannered young man.”
“I’ve never seen anyone so young with such a desire to help. All he needed was for someone to believe in him, and now he’s flourishing.”
“My Sawyer was that way. He seemed far older than his nine years. By the time we found him in an outlaw camp, he’d already been through hell and back.” Nora searched the buildings and corral, her eyes softening when she spied the boy with Jack. “This unforgiving land makes old men of the young. I hope that changes one day.”
Addie knew exactly what she was talking about. “Me too.” Her thoughts sprang to her half brother, and she prayed he was all right. If only she would hear from Zelda.
Addie went home after they parted, daydreaming about waltzing in her red dress with Ridge.
* * *
Ridge woke to clouds and rain on Saturday, and he watched Addie’s spirits fall as she worried about getting the decorations safely into town without the weather ruining them. By midmorning, however, the clouds moved out, and sunshine instantly improved her mood and his.
Chatting over dinner, Addie told them about Charlotte’s transformation. “Just wait until you see her.”
“Bless you for helping her. I know you and Nora have worked wonders.”
Bodie stared off into space. “I wonder if Violet can dance.”
“Son, you needn’t worry. Violet can do about anything anyone with sight can. She once walked a tightrope in a circus the kids put on and never fell.”
“Really?” Addie gave him a sideways look of disbelief.
“A tightrope? I’d like to have seen that.” Bodie urged him to tell more.
“Well, it was actually planks stretched between two sawhorses.” Ridge grinned. “But it was still pretty incredible.”
“She’s brave.” Bodie lapsed into silence, and Ridge imagined he was woolgathering about waltzing with a certain young lady.
Ridge did some dreaming of his own. He put an arm around Addie and prayed that one day he could be the kind of man he saw reflected in her eyes.
* * *
Ridge dressed for the dance and waited for Addie in the parlor with Bodie. She’d bathed, then locked herself in the spare room with strict orders not to bother her.
As if he were that brave.
He grinned. He liked this bossy side of her. Once the sun went down and they crawled into bed, she was all kitten, and he could make her purr in short order.
“How long do you think she’ll be?” Bodie fidgeted in the new shirt and pants he’d bought earlier in town. “I don’t think I can stand this wait. Why do women have to take so long? We just throw on our clothes and comb our hair, and we’re done.”
“Son, you have a lot to learn about women. They have a lot more to do than you and me, and one day you’re going to appreciate the pains they take. Sit down and quit pacing.”
Bodie perched on the arm of the chair. “What time is it? Do you think we’ll be late?”
“Stop. No, we won’t be late.” Ridge knocked cat hair off his black trousers and ran a finger between his neck and collar to loosen it. “One thing I have to warn you about. Violet will be dancing with Sawyer too, and maybe Henry Truman. She can dance with whoever she likes. There will be no fighting. None. I hear about any, and I’ll have to hold back your pay. Understand?”
“I won’t fight. I promise.”
Footsteps sounded upstairs at last. Ridge pulled himself to his feet and went into the entry. He gazed up, and all of sudden his throat closed, and he couldn’t speak.
Addie floated down the stairs in a red dress that whispered like silk with each step. She’d left her hair down like he preferred, and the golden mass of curls cascaded over the tiny bit of fabric covering her shoulders and spilled down her back.
How was he going to get through this night? Talk about Bodie fighting for his girl, it was Ridge who’d have trouble. He’d probably knock out anyone who dared ask Addie to dance.
She slid her foot onto the bottom step. “Cat got your tongue?”
“Something sure did. You’re beyond my wildest dreams.” He kissed one delectable shoulder.
Bodie came from the parlor and whistled. “You’re really pretty, Addie.”
“Thanks, Bodie.” Addie straightened the collar of his shirt. “You look very handsome.”
The kid ducked his head. “Aww, I’m just my same old me.”
Ridge reached for the new Stetson he’d bought to replace the one he’d lost in the tornado. “Ready?”
“Just a moment more. I want to get a good look at you. I do think I’ll be the luckiest woman at the dance.” She gazed up at him, her palms resting against his black frock coat. The fragrance of wild roses circled around him. “You’re the only man for me, Ridge Steele. The only one who knows the way to my heart. The only husband I will ever need.”
The shimmering in her eyes, the way the avowal slid off her tongue, weakened his knees.
His chest about to burst with deep longing for a bed, he lowered his head for a kiss instead. He’d meant to keep it short, but the moment his lips touched hers, they were like soldered steel, held together by a fire that burned within.
Behind them, Bodie mumbled and scuffed his feet, breaking them apart.
“Let’s go before Bodie has a conniption.” Ridge settled his black hat on his head and handed Addie her shawl.
The full September moon bathed everything in silver, a light breeze blowing. The darkness wrapped around them like a lover’s arms, whispering secrets and hope.
People had already started arriving, and the musicians were warming up by the time Ridge maneuvered the wagon into a spot near the barn. Bodie leaped out before Ridge set the brake and went off looking for Violet. Ridge prayed the kid wouldn’t get his heart broken, but his interest in Violet was all part of growing up. He’d have to discover for himself that life didn’t play favorites, and both the good and the bad were for keeps.
Sometimes if a man got real lucky, he found a second chance.
He lifted Addie down from the wagon and held her against him for a long moment, savoring the feel of her body, her wild heartbeat, the way her breath fluttered against his face like angel wings.
She met his gaze. “Ridge, will we still have this sizzling connection when we’re old and doddering?”
“I can’t speak for you, but I’ll feel the same way until I die.” He brushed her cheek with the pad of his thumb. Lanterns hanging outside the barn made her eyes shimmer like green diamonds. His voice was husky. “I’m afraid to blink, or you’ll disappear.”
Addie cast a nervous glance around. “If I do vanish, will you come looking for me?”
He placed his mouth at her ear. “Better believe it, lady. No one had better try taking you away from me.”
“I’m glad. I live with the fear that this will all end one day, that I’ll wake up in a strange place. I’ll look for you, but you won’t be there.” She shivered and forced a smile, linking her arm through his. “Let’s forget all that and enjoy ourselves.”
“Absolutely. Plus, I have to keep an eye on Bodie. The mood he’s in, he might get into trouble either with Clay or the other boys.”
“Oh dear, I sure hope not.”
Heads turned when they walked in, and Ridge knew they weren’t looking at him. Addie really was a vision in red. They’d barely taken three steps before people came over to chat and congratulate his beautiful wife on the decorations. He finally left her to the women and joined Clay, Jack, and Tait over by the wall.
“How’s it going, hermanos?” Ridge glanced around for Bodie and relaxed when he saw him talking to Henry Truman and Tait’s twin nephews.
Tait plucked a piece of straw from a hay bale and stuck it in his mouth. “Between keeping an eye on Melanie, making sure Joe and Jesse are staying out of trouble and Becky isn’t into something, I’m as good as a man can hope for. Those twins can run a man ragged, and I’m doing double duty with Mel out of commission.”
Jack laughed. “Stop griping. You’ve got no more than the rest of us. Just think, three years ago, we were all bachelors with no wives or kids. How times have changed.”
“Then Tally showed up with Violet and started the ball rolling.” Clay reached into a pocket for his cigarette makings and tapped a straight line of tobacco onto the paper. “The town is big enough now that we need to put up a population sign.”
Tait pulled a flask of whiskey from inside his coat, took a swig, and passed it.
“Not a bad idea.” Ridge took a sip from the flask and handed it to Jack. “We also need to open up the back entrance and soon.”
“I’ve had that on my mind too and think it’s something we need to address again.” Clay rolled the cigarette, lit it, and took a drag. “It’s past due.”
“More and more folks arrive every day, and I’m selling land left and right. Business is booming.” Nothing scared Ridge more than success, because wit
h it eventually came failure. He was used to having nothing and doing without. That was safe. Comfortable. He wasn’t cut out to be a rich man with all new problems.
The new banker strolled in wearing a deep-blue dress, and Ridge almost swallowed his teeth. Addie had been right about Charlotte’s newfound confidence. Tonight she was drawing men’s glances like honey drew flies and would have her pick of partners to dance with. She joined the women, and Addie immediately struck up a conversation with her.
“We’ll have the time now that the house rebuilding is done. I’ll call a town meeting Monday.” Jack glanced around. Just then, Dallas Hawk and his three-piece band launched into the first waltz, and he wandered off to find Nora.
Ridge went to Addie and held out his hand. “Let’s make a memory, Mrs. Steele.”
“I’ve been as impatient as Bodie.” Her face glowed with love and happiness. “One more memory added to the hundreds I already have won’t hurt.”
“Nope, not one bit.” His arm encircled her as she moved against him, her body warm and face flushed. Her movements were sure and confident as he swung her out into the throng of dancers. “You’ve been practicing.”
“Trying.” She grinned up at him. “I’ve been doing some practicing when I go riding lately.”
“Don’t tell me King was your partner?”
She laughed. “He’s not that good, but I bet he’d try if he could stand on two legs long enough.” She got serious, and desire deepened the green of her eyes, giving her voice a throaty sound. “You changed my life, Ridge.”
“No, I can’t take credit for that. All I did was offer you a safe place to live while you got stronger. Everything was already in place inside you. You just had to find it.”
They lapsed into silence, Ridge soaking up the feel of his beautiful wife and the way her body molded to his. Every dip and sway and swirl was like a match to dry tinder and a resulting flame.
With one hand on her waist and the fragrance of wild roses teasing him, he guided her around the floor in wide, sweeping circles. She lost step a time or two but quickly recovered.
