Abigail's Secret (A Whimsical Select Romance Novella) (10 page)

BOOK: Abigail's Secret (A Whimsical Select Romance Novella)
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“Safety?” Phillip chimed in.

“A man shot at Mister Winslow, my cousins, and me near a week ago past.”

Brice continued to glare at Abigail but offered his hand toward Phillip.  Phillip readily accepted it and smiled.
              “Would you like some lemonade, Abilene?”  He took her hand into his in a familiar way and kissed her forehand.  “I’ll give you two some time to talk.”  He sneaked a wink before he left and Abigail knew a blush tainted her cheeks.

“Who the hell is that?” Brice demanded once
Phillip walked away.

“I do believe I already introduced you,” she
said.  “Are you too daft to remember, Mister Winslow.”

“You know what I meant, Abigail
,” he said sternly.  Brice’s face softened and his tone turned to concern.  “He’s a stranger, Abigail.  For all you know, that could be the man who shot at us.”

“Look around,” she said with a flow of her hand offering a view of all the people who
were already in attendance to the picnic. “What chance do you think it would be that this one man is
the
man who assaulted us?  To my way of thinking, it’s mighty slight.”

“Be that as it
might, it’s not smart, Abigail.”

“This display you are putting on here today is not without notice.  You’ve made your point, so you can
now stop.”

“Stop having fun with my new friend?” she asked.  “Did you not state just this morning I nee
d to acquire more friends?  Yet now you complain when I am only following your good advice?”

“You’re doing it to make me jealous, Abigail,” he accused.  Brice nodded in the direction that Phillip had taken.  “And some men may not take kindly to their emotions being toyed with.”

“Oh, Bosh,” Abigail said.

Brice
raised his eyes heavenward and grabbed her by the hand.  He began to lead her toward the house, and she pulled from his grasp to no avail.

“You will release me,” Abigail ordered.

“Release her,” Phillip ordered.  His jacket was pulled back behind his holster and his hand rested on the hilt of his gun.

“This is a private matter,” Brice stated.  “I’d take kindly if you just
walk away.”

Abigail
looked behind her and saw that the head musician, who was a gentleman of elder years, looked frightened by the two men’s conflict in front of his group.  He had stopped their music and the guests all watched on with quizzical stares.

“Brice, people are staring
,” she pointed out angrily. “This is the first true social event we’ve hosted since the war and I’ll not have you ruin my brother’s affair for his sake or this town,” she whispered harshly.

“Then its best you send your friend on his way because I
’ll not have you left without protection.”

“As he is the one who is near to shooting you, I’d say I’m quite well protect
ed.”

Phillip
grinned.

Brice di
dn’t say anything for a moment.  He glanced at Abigail and carefully regarded Phillip.  Brice smiled after a few seconds passed.  “It would seem that we will both accompany you on this day.”

Phillip returned his jacket to cover his
pistol, and Abigail faced the band’s leader and smiled. “Please continue,” she said.

T
he man struck a chord on his fiddle and the band began playing
Oh! Why Should the Girl of My Soul Be in Tears. 
The crowd slowly returned to their entertainments and left them about their business.

Abigail rolled her eyes heavenward and started for the veranda.  “Perhaps it’s best if we sit in the shade and cool these
heated tempers,” she suggested over her shoulder.

As there was no room to sit, she rested on the banister of the veranda’s railing. “So tell us, Phillip, what is your occupation in Virginia.”

“I have a small cattle ranch and help out at a friend’s plantation,” he replied.

“And what of
your town since the war,” Brice inquired. “Was your parts poorly affected by the Yankees as well?”

“We saw our fair share of destruction and a great loss of men,” he said sadly.  “And I lost a very dear friend
due to it,” he said quietly.

“I’m truly sorry, Phillip. I share
in your grief.  I lost my father in the war as well.”

“My
sympathies go out to you…Abigail?” he asked.

“I wondered if you caught my blunder back there
,” she hesitantly smiled.

             
“I’d be obliged if you keep that under your hat,” Brice said.  “I fear Abigail may find herself in danger otherwise.”

“And what of this other Abigail?
” Phillip asked.  “You don’t fear for her safety as well?”

             
“She wasn’t the one who came up with this outlandish plan.  She was,” Brice said, and thumbed his hand at Abigail.  “I doubt most these men would take kindly to being flimflammed.”

Abigail scowled at Brice.  “For the record, Mister Winslow, it was my brother who
did the scheming, and his intentions are honorable, as his purpose is to protect my heart and purse.”  She looked at Phillip.  “Don’t mind him, Phillip; he’s sore over being out of the competition.”

             
“Is that so,” Phillip said. He looked at Brice and they shared a chuckle.  Neither of the men seemed to believe her.

“It’s truly a shame you
’re not in need or want of a wife, Mister McKenzie.  I think you’d make a perfectly good husband,” she praised.

Brice glowered at her.

“Well, as wives go, I think you’d make a perfectly good wife as well,” Phillip returned.  “Unfortunately, my responsibilities and loyalties are to my friend’s wife and children.”

“Your friend
, the one who died in the war?” Abigail asked, and Phillip nodded.

“You’re a good man
, Phillip McKenzie,” Brice added.  “Not many men would be so faithful.”

Phillip nodded his
appreciation and then looked off to the gardens where people had gathered to play croquet.  “If you two will excuse me,” he said tipping his hat.  “I think I’ll partake in a game or two.”

“So,” Brice said
after Phillip had left.  “How many more new friends do you intend to acquire today?”

“Perhaps you were right this morning,” Abigail admitted.  “I truly enjoyed meeting someone new today, and Phillip was the perfect gentleman to test that
notion.  He is fun and delightfully charming.”

“And?”

“And I believe I have been too busy putting all my eggs in one basket, Brice.”

“Meaning?” he asked, and he sounded
concerned.

She turned and looked at
him. “It feels that I have been in love with you the whole of my life,” she brazenly admitted.  He didn’t show a reaction to her confession, and Abigail wasn’t sure if she should feel insulted.  “Yet I never allowed another man entrance into my life to see if perhaps he was more suited for my heart.”

Brice loosened the
knot on his necktie.  “That’s a wise decision,” he acknowledged.


I believe it is as well,” she said excitedly.  “I think I shall speak to my brother and have him arrange for some gentleman callers and see where that may lead.”

“So
, are you saying your affections for me have passed?”


Perhaps,” she said with a shrug, but she wasn’t entirely convinced.  “I’m not rightly sure.”

Brice chuckled.

“You find that amusing?” Abigail asked.  She expected that he may be disappointed or at least slightly angry at the thought of her courting other men, but Brice didn’t offer her either.

“I find it
very pleasing that you want to live life as it should be enjoyed,” he said. “What I find amusing,” he added as he took her hand and placed a kiss softly on her forehand, “Is that in the end, your heart will return to me.”

“And how are you so confident of that, Mister Winslow.”

Before Brice released her hand, he repositioned her bare arm for her to view the gooseflesh left in the wake of his kiss. 


That,” he said raising her arm, “Is how I know.”  Brice released her hand and tipped his hat to Thomas who had made his way towards them.

Brice gave her a boyish grin and walked away.

CHAPTER NINE

              “I shot Brice.”

             
Abigail was brushing her hair and preparing for bed after the full day and night of festivities at the barbeque when Thomas entered and made his statement.  His declaration claimed all of her senses and she could neither speak nor move.

“Did you hear me, Abigail?”
He walked to her and took the brush from her hand.  “I shot Mister Winslow.”  He shook his head and added, “Well, I didn’t shoot him myself, I hired someone to do so.”

“Have you lost your mind
, Thomas?” she cried out when her voice returned. “Why would you do such a foolish thing?”  She clutched his jacket’s lapels on either side and shook him hard.  “Is he all right?  You haven’t killed him, have you?”

“Calm yourself, Abigail,” he gently ordered.  “I’m not talking about now
, you dolt.”  He gently pushed her away.

“Thomas,” she
said sternly.  She eyed him with derision. “Is Brice all right or not?”

“He’s perfectly fit
,” he said.  “I am referring to the other night when we were all shot at.”

“You had someone
attack us?” Abigail’s mouth opened wide and Thomas slipped his finger beneath her chin and closed it.

“No, I had someone attack the house.  It was
just an unfortunate blunder when a bullet ricocheted and hit Brice.”

“Why on
God’s earth would you hire someone to shoot at us, Thomas?”

“I wanted to test Brice and see who he’d choose to save first, you or Tess.”  He walked to a sitting chair in the corner of her room and
plopped down.  He crossed his legs at the ankles and released a heavy sigh.  “I’ve been feeling ever so guilty about it and felt the need to confess.”

“Your confession should come by way of an apology to Brice as he was the one
shot,” she shouted.

“I doubt he’d be as understanding as you,” he
grinned.  “I needed to get the confession off my chest. Now that I have done so, I feel remarkably better and see no need to bother Mister Winslow with the details.”

“That’s why you so readily paid his debts,” she declared.  “I knew there was something behind your
excessive generosity!”

Thomas
shrugged his shoulders.  “And yet I still feel guilt-ridden for the unfortunate mishap.”

“And what of Tess?  Have you confessed this to her yet?”

“Actually, I had planned to tell her first.  As she has a much better temperament than you, I thought she’d be more readily able to accept my explanation.”

“But you’ve yet to tell her?”

“Although I risk being pigeonholed as a gossip, I confess that I heard Tess partaking in some merriment with our butler in her bedchamber.  I thought best not to interrupt.”

“Oh, Thomas, shame on you for your lack of discretion
!  To reveal such a personal matter about our guest is unseemly,” she chided.

“If you
walk out into the hall, you will hear for yourself that discretion isn’t something they are overly concerned with.”

“Thomas!” she admonished. 
Abigail’s mouth opened wide.  “Then you shall go to her on the morrow and admit what you have done,” she ordered.  “After that, you will tell Brice and apologize.”

Thomas rose from his chair and stretched.  “If I must, then I shall,” he said
as he walked to the door.  “I expect some painful bloodshed after telling Brice,” he sighed.

“Then you’ll take it as a man and
appreciate it as deserved,” she said.  She rose on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.  “Good luck,” she said and closed the door behind him.

Dressed in her
nightclothes, she was about to crawl into bed when she heard pebble stones being tossed at her window.  “Brice,” she murmured.  She reached for her shawl and wrapped it securely around herself for propriety sake.

Opening the doors to her terrace, she stepped out
and was surprised that Phillip McKenzie was making his way over her balcony wall.

“Phillip,” she said
startled. “I didn’t expect it to be you.”

“You were hoping it was Brice?” he smiled.

She thought about it a moment.  “Perhaps, but that doesn’t lessen my delight in seeing you once again before you make your way back to Virginia.”

“That’s actually why I’ve returned,” he said.  “I’ve decided to head out tonight and return back home.”

BOOK: Abigail's Secret (A Whimsical Select Romance Novella)
8.2Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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