Before the Dawn (30 page)

“I hope that basket you're carrying has a lunch the bachelors can bid on,” he told Leah.

Amused, she replied, “As a matter of fact it does.”

“Good, then while Sister Eloise helps with the last of the organizing, I'll introduce you around to those folks you don't know. If that's okay?”

Leah looked to Eloise and saw approval in her eyes. “Lead the way, Reverend.”

Leah found everyone just as nice as Eloise had promised. No one sneered or turned away; no one asked impertinent
questions about her marriage or questioned her morals. In fact, they all seemed genuinely pleased to make her acquaintance. Leah's modestly designed, but costly green dress, with its lace-edged collar and row of tiny jet buttons down the front made her stand out like a peacock among the dull browns and calicos worn by the other women, but no one seemed to hold it against her. These were plain folks: farmers, miners, lumbermen, domestics; they looked her in the eye and offered genuine smiles. They made Leah feel right at home.

Her peace was ruffled by the sight of Seth dismounting from his expensive rig. Leah wondered if he were part of the congregation because she didn't remember seeing him in church before.

The reverend said evenly, “I didn't expect him here today.”

“Is Seth a member of your congregation?”

“No, but we welcome all.”

Leah was curious about the disapproval clouding the Reverend Garrison's angelic features but was distracted as Seth, still a few feet away, called out to her and waved.

Leah pasted a false smile upon her face and waved in reply.

The reverend looked down at her, and asked, “Do you know the true nature of the beast?”

Leah paused for a moment to study the reverend's now masked features; she knew without further words that he'd been talking about Seth. She nodded solemnly. “I'm beginning to.”

He nodded.

“Good, then I'll go and see if anyone needs my help.”

He left her, and Seth joined her a few moments later. “Leah, hello. I heard about the auction, and thought I'd see if you were here.”

“Why?” she asked coldly.

He appeared taken aback. “Just wanted to maybe spend some time with you.”

“Why did you tell your brother I'd slept with you?”

He visibly jumped, then tried to charm her with a smile. “He didn't believe me, did he? I was just trying to get his goat.”

Had Leah a pistol she'd shoot him right between the eyes. “I'm no longer available to keep company with you, Seth.”

“Aw, Leah don't be mad. It was a prank, nothing more.”

“Some prank. You believe a woman's reputation is something to make light of? How about we go find Barksdale Wayne and you can joke about sleeping with Cordelia.”

He paled. Leah was glad to see her harpoon had hit. She had nothing further to say, so she turned and walked back to the gathering.

On the Reverend Garrison's signal everyone gathered around. He led the assemblage in the Lord's Prayer and once it was done, the festivities began.

First up were Eloise's Sunday school children. As the adults and adolescents made themselves comfortable on the tarps, blankets, and seats of the two trestle tables, the young ones lined up. With Eloise standing before them, she raised her hands like a conductor, and the young voices broke into song. They were dangerously off-key but sang the up-tempo hymn with such boisterous enthusiasm, those watching could only smile.

Once the children finished, they sat down to rousing applause and were followed by Callie Dotson, the aforementioned older sister of little Dorcas. Leah guessed the young woman to be about eighteen years of age, far too young to be anywhere near a man like Ryder Damien. She was a beauty though: clear brown skin, short-cropped hair, and a heart-shaped face. Her dress, like the ones worn by the
other women, looked to be her best, but like the dresses Leah had worn back home, the garment had seen better days. There were small, discreet patches near the waistline, and the shiny lines above the hem bore evidence that it had been let down more than once to compensate for her growth. However she had a voice gowned in gold. The high pure soprano soared majestically over the meadow as she sang, “Precious Promise.” That she'd been given a gift became readily apparent; her voice gave Leah goose bumps. Listening to her made Leah forget about everything but the rising beauty of Callie Dotson's hymn.

When the last moving note faded away, thunderous applause erupted. Smiling shyly, Callie bowed and took a seat next to her proud parents.

The Reverend Garrison stood up and gave a few announcements about upcoming church meetings and the baptism scheduled for the next Sunday. He also spoke about the whirlwind swirling around Andrew Green, the man charged with the shooting death of the streetcar conductor. “The sheriff's talking about a public hanging if he's convicted.”

Leah, like many others, shook her head sadly. Thousands were likely to attend the hanging, bringing box lunches and their children. No one deserved to be executed as the center act in a circus.

The reverend continued, “Now nobody's disputing this Green fellow is a bad type. He's a thief, a drunk, and even shot his own daddy when he was just a youngster, according to folks here who know him, but nobody should be hanged like that. In your prayers remember him.”

While he went on with a few other announcements, Mable France appeared seemingly out of nowhere and took a seat on the blue quilt beside Leah and Eloise. Mable greeted them both with a smile.

There were now close to fifty people assembled. Many
had come after the start of the hymns and had quietly taken up positions in the back so as not to cause a disturbance. The majority of the late arrivals were men dressed up in their Sunday suits. Many of the suits looked worn, but were clean. Leah spotted Sam among them. He was gussied up, too, and when his eyes met Leah's he touched his hat politely. Glad to see him, she inclined her head in greeting.

She leaned over and whispered to Mable, “Sam's here.”

“I know,” she responded with a blush.

Leah grinned.

It was now time to start the main event. All of the women came forward and placed their baskets on the trestle table, then returned to their seats. The first group of lunches up for bid had been prepared by married women. Under good-natured teasing and calls from the crowd their husbands came up one by one, placed their winning bids in the crock, and purchased their wives' baskets.

The unmarried women came next.

The Reverend Garrison said, “Now, since we have a visitor in our midst, I say we put hers up for bid next. This basket comes from Sister Leah Montague. Oh, and she's a widow by the way.”

Leah saw the smiles directed her way and found all the attention a bit embarrassing.

“Now, we don't know if Sister Montague can cook, but she's so pretty, I'm sure you men won't mind if she can't. Let's have the first bid.”

Laughs followed that disclaimer and a grinning Leah dropped her head, embarrassed once more.

Seth's hand shot up. “Five dollars!”

The crowd reacted with surprise. The other baskets had gone for fifty cents, a dollar at the most. Five dollars was a lot of money in this setting. In reality, Leah was shocked to find that he hadn't slunk back under his rock after the tongue-lashing she'd give him, but then remembered his
boasts to Helene about courting her in hopes of gaining the keys to Monty's estate. Leah turned and hoped no one saw the glare she gave him.

Because of his exorbitant bid, she doubted any other man would be so foolish as to top his offer. For the sake of the church, she resigned herself to Seth winning her basket.

“Any other bids, men?”

A silence fell over the meadow. Then, from somewhere behind her, Leah heard a familiar voice declare loudly, “Fifty dollars, in gold!”

As the crowd gasped, Leah stiffened.

Ryder.

L
eah hissed at Eloise, “I thought you said he wouldn't be here!”

Eloise shrugged innocently.

When Leah turned to see where he was standing, his dark eyes were waiting for her. She looked away, irritated with him for a variety of reasons, the least being making her the center of a whisper-filled controversy once again. However, as she glanced around at the crowd she saw that these people didn't appear scandalized; instead they were smiling fondly in her direction. Some of the older women even had knowing looks on their faces and others were out and out grinning. They appeared genuinely pleased by this startling turn of events, but Leah had no explanation as to why.

She leaned over to ask Eloise, “Why is everyone smiling?”

“They like him, and they like you, dear.”

Applause accompanied his walk to the front of the
crowd. He had his hair in two plaits today, and they hung in front of his shoulders. They were a cultural contrast to the suit coat thrown over his arm, the open-throated white shirt and tailored trousers. Leah assumed they were congratulating him on his large contribution to the church's building fund, or at least she hoped they were.

Under the reverend's approving visage, Ryder placed his gold pieces in the crock. He then picked up her basket, and as the auctioning continued, began a slow walk in her direction.

Nervous, Leah asked Mable, “Why's he coming this way?”

“He gets the honor of your company for lunch.”

Leah shot Eloise a look. “You didn't tell me that part.”

The woman simply smiled.

Leah didn't want to share the basket with him. He'd hurt her feelings, or had he forgotten again? However, with so many folks looking on, she had no recourse but to sit politely and wait for his approach.

As Ryder crossed the field to where she was sitting he had no trouble reading the frostiness in the
Morenita
's black eyes. Even though he still hadn't figured out a way to convince her to talk to him again, he was ready to try.

When he reached the quilt, he said, “Afternoon, ladies.”

Mable nodded, and Eloise said, “Thanks for the bid, Ryder.”

“You're welcome.”

He looked down into Leah's cool gaze. “Shall we?”

She studied him for a long moment, then slowly got to her feet. Ryder could see Seth looking on; his brother appeared furious at having been bested. Ryder mockingly dipped his head in Seth's direction, then didn't give him another thought. His dear brother once owned the mortgage on the land where the congregation's old church now stood, and if Seth hadn't foreclosed on that land and the building
in order to make good on some of his gambling debts, none of this fund-raising would be necessary. Ryder supposed Leah's presence had drawn Seth to the event, because there wasn't a person there who didn't wish the fancy Creole elsewhere.

Some of the couples sharing the auctioned basket lunches were seated on blankets they'd spread out on parts of the meadow that were a short distance away from the main gathering. For courting couples it offered a measure of privacy yet kept them in plain view of their mamas and the rest of the congregation.

Basket in hand, Ryder walked Leah through the knee-high grasses and flowers to a spot near a small clearing on the meadow's edge. “This field could use some Grass Dancers,” he told her.

Leah lifted her hem in hopes of making the walk easier. “What are Grass Dancers?”

Ryder was relieved that she was at least speaking to him. “In my grandfather's day, they were the men who'd dance down the high grasses so the new villages could be erected.”

Leah stopped. “Wouldn't that take a long time?”

He halted, too. “Usually, but they didn't measure life in terms of time. Grass dancing had a purpose, but it was also an event, a celebration. There'd be drumming and challenges to see who danced the best.” He began walking again, and added, “Besides, the women loved the Grass Dancers.”

She followed his trail. “Why?”

“They were usually the fittest and handsomest men in the tribe.”

Grass Dancers
. Leah had never heard of such a thing.

He stopped, looked around, and asked, “How about right here?”

She saw that although they were a distance away, they weren't too far from everyone else. “This is fine.”

Only they didn't have a blanket.

He spread his coat on the ground, gestured at it, and took a seat beside it.

“I can't sit on your coat.”

“Why not? You planning on eating standing?”

“I didn't plan to eat at all.”

Their eyes met. She had her hand on one hip.

He told her honestly, “After the last time we were together, I suppose I deserve that.”

“No, you deserve much more,” she countered flatly.

He winced. “You know, if you don't sit down, folks are going to think you don't want to share your lunch with me.”

“And they'd be correct.”

“Then I'll just go and get my fifty dollars back.”

“Now you're stooping to extortion?”

“Whatever it takes to get you to smile at me again. What I did was wrong, stupid, uncalled-for, and I hurt you very badly, I know that now. Please,
carinita
, sit, and let's talk.”

Don't call me that
, she wailed inwardly. She didn't want to let go of her anger, she didn't want to be hurt by him again, but the whispered plea reached out to her, touched her, and
damn
if parts of herself weren't responding. Leah swore she was sitting only to ensure he didn't go and retrieve his coins; it had nothing to do with the softening of her will.

“Thank you,” he said softy.

She didn't reply.

A three-piece band was playing back at the main gathering. They were as terribly off-key as Eloise's children's choir had been, but Leah and Ryder were far enough away not to have to hear it up close.

Leah waited as he removed the red-checkered cloth covering the contents in the basket. Inside were sandwiches, a jar of lemonade, and fat slices of freshly made pound cake.

Ryder looked over at her. “All of my favorites.”

He peeled back the bread a bit and looked inside. “Yep, ham and mustard. How'd you know?”

Leah shot him a look. “I suppose pound cake is your favorite, too?”

“Sure is.” He grinned, biting into the sandwich.

Leah smelled a rat and its name was Eloise. Leah had had no idea what the basket held because Eloise had handed it to her just before they climbed onto the wagon. Had Eloise known in advance that Ryder would be getting the lunch and therefore packed it with his favorite things? The answer seemed pretty obvious. Leah bit into her sandwich.

The ice in the lemonade had melted and the sweet drink was a bit watery, but it was still very cold. Watching Leah drink from the frosty jar, Ryder scanned her silently. He liked the dress she'd chosen to wear. Emerald green with a high neck and long sleeves, there were tiny jet buttons marching down the front that he'd have enjoyed spending an afternoon slowly opening. The well-tailored bodice fit her lines smoothly, subtly emphasizing the tempting swells of her bosom and the trimness of her waist.

As Leah ate her cake, she could see him watching her. She wanted to stare him down and show him just how angry she was still, but found it difficult because of the genuine sincerity in his apology. “Thank you for bidding on my lunch. Eloise said today's auction would go a long way toward getting the church built.”

He finished his lunch and was now lying on his back in the grass, looking up at the clouds. “You're welcome. Are you talking to me again?”

“No.”

He told her solemnly, “You know, if you're carrying my baby, you'll have to marry me.”

“No, I don't.”

He rolled his head toward her. “And I want daughters just like you.”

The quiet conviction in his eyes and voice shook her to her toes.

“Daughters as fierce and prickly and beautiful as their mother.”

Leah didn't know what to say. The idea that she might be carrying his child was a real possibility. Her courses were two weeks late. But could she marry a man so hobbled by the past? Her mother had raised her without benefit of a husband, and as a result Leah had suffered the slings and arrows associated with such a birth. Did Leah want her child subjected to the same treatment by the same narrow minds and views? “And when some brash young Cheyenne brave comes courting these daughters of yours?”

“They'll have to offer me thousands of ponies just to learn their names…”

Leah turned away.

Ryder sat up. He said it again, “I'm sorry,
Morenita
. I truly, truly am.”

Leah hated crying, but she seemed to be doing it again. Why did he have to be the one able to twist her heart?

Ryder leaned forward and gently kissed one tear-filled eye, and then the other. “Forgive me,” he whispered.

Leah realized that no matter where she chose to hide, the fact that she'd fallen in love with this man would always find her. “You hurt me very badly, Ryder,” she replied in the same hushed tones. “Very badly.”

“I know, and I'll cut out my own heart before I let it happen again…”

They were only a breath apart.

“If you can't forgive me right away, I understand,” he told her genuinely. “What I accused you of is not something easily forgotten, or forgiven.”

“No, it isn't.”

Silence fell between them as they sensed each other, felt their feelings for each other rising again like dawn vanquishing the night.

“I want to kiss you…” he whispered.

“I know…”

“People will talk,” she reminded him, hardly aware of the crowd.

“Let them…”

The bittersweet kiss was filled with regret, forgiveness, and promise. They didn't care who might see or what might be said. They were trying to find their way back.

When he slowly pulled away, Ryder fed himself on the watery light shining in her dark eyes. “Are you talking to me now?”

“No,” she whispered “I'm kissing you…” And she lifted her lips for another, right there in front of God, the congregation, and everybody, including a seething Seth, who upon seeing them embrace, turned on his heel, stormed back to his carriage, and drove away.

Ryder pulled her in against him and held her tight as he murmured against her ear,

“I'll never hurt you like that again, I promise.”

Leah clung to him; her heart believed him, but her mind knew the possibility of being hurt again would remain until the past was laid to rest.

He leaned back and stroked her cheek. “I have to go to Virginia City for about two weeks. Would you like to come with me?”

She replied disappointedly, “I can't, I'm waiting for the lawyer from Boston.”

“Lawyer? What lawyer?”

“Judge Raddock's filed some sort of injunction, and he's sending out a lawyer to represent me.”

“When's he coming?” Ryder asked.

“I'm not certain, but soon, I'm guessing, and if he's successful, I suppose I'll have to put up with Seth and his grand plans again.”

He looked confused.

She explained what she'd overheard that day on Seth's porch.

Ryder shook his head. “He and that aunt are quite a pair.”

That reminded Leah of something she hadn't wanted to think about—Cecil's death. “Helene keeps saying Cecil died the same way her sister did—that he was poisoned. Do you think that's possible?”

He shrugged. “Anything is possible I suppose, but probable—who knows?”

“Maybe she's just trying to rile me. From what Cecil told me, he and Helene didn't get along very well back then.”

Ryder thought for a moment. “She doesn't get along with anybody now either, but what does she gain by wanting you to think Cecil was poisoned?”

“I've no idea.”

“Has it been bothering you?”

Leah nodded. “He's been in my dreams lately, and I keep asking myself, what if she's right? What if he was murdered? His death was quite sudden, if you think about it. I don't ever remember him being ill like that before.”

“We could have the body exhumed if you want to be sure. I've a friend up in Boulder who does autopsies. It may take a while for the results, but it would ease your mind.”

Leah shuddered at the idea of such a gruesome task, but knew she owed it to Cecil to find out for sure. “What do I have to do?”

“You don't have to do anything. I'll take care of it.”

“I want to be there when his casket is brought up though.
I owe him that much.”

“Whatever you wish.”

She had to ask. “Do you think I'm overreacting by having him exhumed?”

He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the nose. “No. If he was poisoned, we need to know and the sheriff told.”

Buoyed by his support, Leah set the matter aside for now.

Ryder looked around the meadow. “All the other couples are back over with the group. Do you want to join them?”

“I suppose we should, though I'd rather sit here with you.”

Ryder liked the sound of that. “I'd rather sit here, too.”

She plucked at a few blades of grass. “Why are you going to Virginia City? Business?”

He nodded. “Yep. Stockholders' meetings, and to look over some potential mine sites.”

“Wish I could come with you.”

“Me too, but—” He got to his feet, then holding on to her hand, pulled her up. “I'll have to settle for just thinking about you.”

Leah liked the sound of that. “When are you leaving?”

“In the morning, first thing.”

Leah sighed. If he kissed her now, they would be seen for sure, but she wanted another.

He correctly interpreted her desire. “You're looking like a woman who wants to be kissed.”