Charlene Sands (11 page)

“For me. I think so. I was discouraged to learn she was visiting family friends and she was heading back to St. Louis in a week’s time. I stayed on in Abilene, determined to win her.”

“And you did,” Lily said wistfully. The story seemed like one of the fairy tales she’d been reading to Bethann.

He nodded. “Lizabeth was born in St. Louis. She was used to citified ways. I had no right dragging her out to the ranch.”

“But she agreed to marry you.”

Tyler frowned. “I don’t think she knew what she was getting into. Ranch living is a whole lot different than city living. We were both so young. We just wanted to be together. After my father died, the responsibility of the ranch landed on me. I had to make all the cattle drives. Lizabeth complained something fierce about me leaving her for so long. She convinced me that she and Bethann could come along. Bethann
was just a tot.” Tyler stopped to shake his head. “I shouldn’t have listened.”

“She died in a stampede,” Lily stated softly.

“Yes, I was watching the herd late one night. It started raining unexpected like. The sky just opened up and poured down in big buckets. Lizabeth left the wagon to come looking for me. She was bringing me my rain slicker. I didn’t know she was outside…till it was too late.”

Tyler stopped talking. He closed his eyes, but not before Lily saw moisture filling them. He shook it off and continued. “Would’ve been all right if the storm hadn’t turned ugly. Lightning and thunder always spook the cattle. She was caught right smack in the middle of it.”

Tyler bowed his head as if he was reliving the moment. His face filled with grief, his eyes half shuttered, and his body stiffened.

“I’m sorry, Tyler,” Lily said with her whole heart. The pain and loss might have downed a lesser man. But although Tyler lived with his grief every day, he had managed to make a life for his daughter and himself.

Tyler stood and watched the small rapids travel around the bend in the creek. “I’ve never told anyone this before.”

Lily stood, also, and looked into a face marked with pain. Her heart was splitting, watching him suffer so. If only she could ease a bit of his suffering. “It wasn’t your fault. You had no way of knowing there’d be a storm that night, or that she’d come looking for you.”

Tyler said nothing, but his eyes blinked. Lily reached out and touched his sleeve. “I’m glad you told me.”

He nodded and before Lily had a real sense of what was happening, Tyler pulled her into an embrace. He held her loosely with his hands lightly touching her waist. She brought her arms up tentatively around his neck. Tyler kept his body away from hers but with his gentle coaxing her head came to rest on his shoulder. Long strands of Tyler’s dark hair brushed the side of her face. A soft and warm flow of blood surged through Lily’s body. She took in an unsteady breath.

“Thank you, Lily. I needed—”

“I know.” She stood there locked in a delicate embrace, giving him all her comfort, all her compassion, and knowing deep in her heart she was in love with Tyler Kincaide.

They stood together long moments, the sound of rippling waters and an occasional bird chirping was all that interrupted the quiet. Lily wasn’t sure when it happened exactly, but slowly, magnetically, their bodies moved closer to each other. Tyler breathed in the scent of her hair. “Lilacs. Lily, you always smell so good,” he murmured.

She closed her eyes and relished being in Tyler’s arms. Lily’s breath caught in her throat. Unable to utter a word, she listened to the sound of Tyler’s heart beating. His lips moved through her hair and she heard him groan. Gently moving his hands from her waist, he splayed his fingers just under her breasts. The tips of his fingers caressed the soft underside of her small globes. Lily trembled. She wanted his touch more than she wanted her next breath, but he hesitated.

Tyler, as if regaining his composure, bent his head and rested his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry, Lily. I shouldn’t have.”

“Tyler,” she managed to hoarsely whisper.

“Forgive me. It’s been so long since I’ve held a woman. I forgot you aren’t…you haven’t…” He stepped back and clasped her arms above her elbows. His eyes searched hers. “The right man will come along for you, Lily. I’m sure of it. I promised not to compromise you.”

Lily swallowed hard. The ladylike thing to do would be to accept his apology and pretend the incident never happened. But she couldn’t ignore the rapid thumping of her heart or the yearning Tyler had evoked.

Lily gave him a brave smile, then fastened her gaze to his. “I want to know, Tyler,” she said in a hushed tone, but with such determination, Tyler blinked.

“No, Lily.” He shook his head slowly as if trying to convince both himself and Lily. “It wouldn’t be right.”

Lily wanted to cry out. She’d spent a lifetime doing the right thing and where had it gotten her? Now, the one time she’s willing to abandon her rigid morals for the man she loved, he’d turned her down.

Lily put her head down. She wasn’t woman enough to hold on to a man like Tyler. She wasn’t anything special, she knew. And Tyler, with all his good intentions, had just confirmed it.

Tyler stroked the line of her jaw with his index finger until it was under her chin. With gentle prodding, he lifted her face to view him. “I know what you’re thinking, Lily. And you’re wrong.”

Lily knew Tyler had read her thoughts. “Am I?”

“I’m doing this for your sake, Lily. I made you a promise and I intend to keep my word. Tomorrow, you’ll see that I’m right.”

She doubted that. But she also knew tomorrow
she’d be too embarrassed to show her face. Good thing he would be leaving in the morning.

Tyler glanced out at the creek one last time. He cleared his throat. “We’d best be heading back,” he said, but then Lily thought she heard him mutter quietly to himself, “before I change my mind.”

Small consolation. Lily had practically thrown herself at the man. And little did Tyler know, for Lily the right man had indeed come along.

T
yler leaned back against his blankets and gazed up at the stars. The ground was hard and cold, but the air held a crisp freshness, a bite that told his senses he was alive. He shuffled down into the warmth of the wool and watched as a shooting star streaked along the night sky.

Smiling, he wondered if Lily had looked out her window and seen it, too. He’d tried in the past two weeks to put her out of his mind. And he’d been successful every day in doing just that. Busy with the grueling work of roundup, making sure his ranch hands were fed and well tended, he’d had little time during the day to think of much else.

At night he thought about Bethann, the little angel-faced child with devilish ways he’d brought into the world. He missed her. She was what made life worth living. He knew she’d be well taken care of. Then his thoughts would turn to Lily, the woman who had helped make his home a fit place for his young daughter. He couldn’t place the title of housekeeper on Lily. She was so much more. There was genuine affection between she and Bethann. And that did his heart good.

But with a frown, Tyler realized that Bethann would be lost when Lily left. She was staying on at the ranch on a temporary basis. Even if she didn’t find her uncle, Tyler didn’t believe she’d stay on indefinitely.

And maybe it’d be best if she didn’t.

At least for him.

Having a young female underfoot was trying to his willpower. And Tyler had loads of willpower. But he’d almost given in to temptation that day at the creek.

He’d spoken to Lily of things he’d not told another soul, Lizabeth’s death and his guilt. The pain was still entrenched in his heart. He hadn’t let anyone see it, until Lily. She’d lent him the comfort and support he needed. She had listened to him, tried to console him. And he’d almost taken unfair advantage of her.

I want to know, Tyler.
The words had haunted him every night for the past two weeks. He conjured up a picture of holding Lily in his arms. She’d been soft and sweet-smelling. And it’d been too damn long since he’d held a decent woman. He shouldn’t have brought her close, shouldn’t have touched her. When she shivered, he’d realized he’d frightened her.

Tyler rolled onto his side, closing his eyes, blocking out the image of Lily’s hope-filled face. She was an unsure, fragile flower. He’d not dare bruise her in any way. He admonished himself that he’d almost given in to temptation and shown her how it was between a man and a woman.

Only, he knew it was wrong. Tyler had no intention of committing to a woman again. He couldn’t take Lily without offering her a true and honest commitment.

Tyler groaned when he again thought about her words.
I want to know, Tyler.

He quelled the rising need below his waist. Damn. First chance he got, he was heading to the Golden Garter to look up the redhead who always greeted him with a welcoming smile and a guilt-free time. He fell asleep thinking of Renee Boudreau, the fiery French-woman who would, if only for a short time, help him forget his past mistakes.

Morning dawned bright and cool. Tyler was greeted with a mug of piping hot coffee as he stoked the small campfire. “Thanks, Wes. Coffee smells good.”

“It’s good when we’re out ’ere tryin’ to keep warm, but it ain’t comparin’ to Lily’s. She makes a mighty fine brew.”

Tyler nodded and winced as his sip of the hot liquid burned his tongue. “Roundup ain’t gonna be the same once all the fences go up in the territory. Ours are half up. Another couple of months and we’ll be fenced in completely.”

“Yup. Next year, about this time, we’ll be keeping strictly to Kincaide land, ’cept for the strays that find a torn down fence or two. Won’t take as long, neither.”

“That’s a good thing, I suppose. I hate leaving Bethann for too long. Girl’s growing faster than one of Lily’s cornstalks.”

Wes laughed. “She is at that.” He gave Tyler a sidelong glance. “Yore missing that li’l lady, too, are ya?”

Tyler spilled out the remainder of his coffee onto the fire. A small gust of smoke spiraled upward as the fire diminished to orange-red embers. “Damn it, Wes.
Every chance you get, you bring up Lily. What’s got into you?”

Wes smirked and slowly straightened his wiry body. “Ain’t nothin’s got into me, boy. Nothin’ at all.”

“That’s good.” Tyler stood up and stamped down the fire. He kept his eyes on the broken branches, kicking dirt over the low-lying flames. “’Cause that’s what’ll happen between me and Lily. Nothing. She cares for Bethann and does the house chores. We have an understanding.”

Tyler bent to roll his blankets and tie them off. Wes began walking to the mess wagon. The old man chuckled, then said over his shoulder, “Seems to me, ya two do a wagonload of talkin’ about what’s not gonna happen.” Then he barked loudly over the whole awakening camp. “Breakfast’s ready. Come and git it.”

Tyler grabbed his plate filled with scrambled eggs and biscuits fried in bacon grease and leaned up against one of the wagons. He was halfway through his meal when Randy showed up. The lanky young cowpuncher took a spot next to him against the wagon. “Mornin’, Randy.”

“Mornin’, boss.”

Randy’s lips were set in a thin line. Stiff-shouldered, he looked out toward the circle of cowboys having their first meal of the day. Tyler waited patiently. He knew Randy well enough to know something was eating at the boy.

“I, uh, got something to say and I want you to know this don’t come easy for me, but I thought you had every right to know, since I’ve been workin’ the Circle K for better than four years now.”

Tyler recognized the tension in Randy’s voice. Balancing
his plate down on the wagon wheel, Tyler turned to face him. “Say it.”

“Well, it’s just this. I know you don’t take kindly to trouble out on the range, but if I run into Jack McGee again, I’m going to have to take off his head. The boys held me off him yesterday. I had a mind to—”

“What’s this all about? What happened yesterday I don’t know?” Randy was a peaceable sort. As far as Tyler could remember he’d not had any trouble with him at the ranch or on the cattle drives.

“I told the boys I’d tell you first thing this mornin’ and that’s what I’m doin’ now. You’ve always been fair with me and I thought to give you fair warnin’. We ain’t had much trouble on the range since I came to work for you. But if that worm McGee makes one more indecent remark about Miss Lily—”

“Lily?” If a rattlesnake came up and bit him, Tyler wouldn’t have been more surprised. “What’s Lily got to do with anything?”

“Seems McGee and some others from the Double Diamond Ranch got a notion of Miss Lily that ain’t right. McGee made the mistake of spouting off in front of me.”

“You fought him?”

“I wanted to beat him senseless, but, like I said, the boys took me off him.”

Anger boiled just under the surface. Lily was innocent of any wrongdoing, but she’d told him her reputation would be ruined if she took up his offer. And damn if she hadn’t been right. But that hadn’t stopped him from persuading her to stay on at the ranch. And now Randy had been the one to uphold Lily’s honor. Tyler found himself envious of his young ranch hand.
If Tyler had been there, he’d have relished the chance to put Jack McGee in his place. He didn’t know the ranch hand, but had heard tales of his manhandling the ladies in the Golden Garter. He’d been thrown out and told to never return. “What’d he say exactly?”

Randy cleared his throat. When he hesitated, Tyler nodded for him to respond, although Tyler knew he’d be better off not hearing what Randy was about to say. “He said Lily was nothing but a skinny little whore dressed all proper-like, pretending to be a lady. Said if he was you, he’d a not left her to her lonely bed. He’s got a mind to get over to the ranch and have a turn at her himself. After that, my fist was in his mouth. He didn’t have much else to say.” Randy frowned and Tyler noticed for the first time, a large purple bruise on the young man’s hand.

Tyler pushed himself away from the wagon. He paced back and forth. “Damn it all! If I get my hands on him, he’d better pray there’d be someone around to pull me off him. None of it’s true. Not one damn bit.”

Some of the tension eased from Randy’s face. “I know, boss. I know Miss Lily. She’s a decent woman.”

Tyler stopped pacing to look Randy dead in the eye. “You did the right thing. I want to thank you. If I’d been there, I’d have done the same. The problem is, Lily is a young unmarried woman living under my roof. People are bound to get notions. Nobody’d say a blasted thing if she was round about the middle and graying at the sides of her head. Tom Harper’s got a housekeeper. I haven’t heard anyone speak unkindly about her.”

“She’s about twenty years older than Tom and at
least twenty pounds heavier.” Randy grinned. “If you don’t mind me pointin’ that out.”

“Exactly my point. You don’t think the man would actually head over to the Circle K, do you?”

“Doubt it. He’s a snake, but he’s all talk. He ain’t got an ounce of guts. He ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

Tyler put his hands on his hips. He took a breath slowly to calm his fury. A tiny shred of good sense was all that held him back from seeking out McGee and finishing the job Randy had started. “All right, Randy. I’ll take care of McGee from here on out. You best be staying clear of him.”

“Boss, what you plannin’ on doin’?”

“Hoping to God Almighty I don’t have a run-in with the man myself.”

“Ouch. Oh, damn it!” Lily looked around the parlor guiltily then muttered, “I mean, darn it!” The sewing needle had pricked her finger, almost breaking the skin, but there wasn’t anyone around to hear her outburst. Bethann had been asleep for hours. And Lily was too tired to really care. Her lips curved up slightly. She’d been spending too much time around Tyler Kincaide and his foul-mouthed ways. They were rubbing off on her. She’d have to be more careful. She’d never in her life taken to swearing. But then again, there were plenty of things she’d done since living on the Circle K she hadn’t ever done before.

Lily spread the hem of her new dress out onto her lap. The deep blue satin shimmered under the glow of the lantern light. She’d stayed up late the past week working diligently on the dress, patiently making sure every line, every detail, was just right. And it was. She compared the dress time and again to the picture she
had saved from years ago taken right off the pages of
Godey’s Lady Book.
Her dress was an exact replica.

Lily sighed and wondered if she’d have the courage to wear such a fine dress to Henderson’s barn dance next week. She wondered if Tyler would go, if he’d ask her dance.

Silly notion.

He’d already said he didn’t much care for barn socials. Still, it’d be a dream come true if he’d ask her to dance. Just one time.

Lily got up and stretched. Stiff-necked, she tried to rub the weariness from her aching muscles. She’d been rising earlier than usual and going to bed later each night since Tyler had been on roundup. But for her efforts, she and Bethann had two new dresses each. The child had insisted Lily make them a set of matching dresses. Lily had obliged, sewing them each a colorful blue and yellow calico. Wouldn’t Tyler be surprised when he viewed his daughter in a garment edged in lace and ruffles?

Lily had even splurged with her earnings, taking Bethann into town when Jose Morales had offered. She’d bought them both ready-made dresses from Wilbourne’s Emporium. For Bethann, she purchased a lemon-yellow broadcloth with wide puffy sleeves. For herself, she bought a simple pale blue dress made of lightweight cotton with a bit of ruffle around the collar. The color matched the hue of her eyes and Lily had instantly loved it. And surprisingly enough, the dress needed only a slight tuck or two on the inseams. The drab colors of her tattered dresses were a thing of the past. In her new clothes, she felt more alive, more vibrant and much more feminine.

Morning dawned without ceremony. The sun overshadowed
by dark gloomy clouds had scarcely made an appearance. Lily went about her chores, taking time out of the day to give Bethann her lessons. The young girl had an easy capacity for learning and had even begun reading three-word sentences. Lily was proud of Bethann’s accomplishments over the past two months.

By afternoon Lily was bone-tired. “Bethann, I need to close my eyes for a few minutes. I’m giving you a list of chores to do.”

Bethann groaned. “But I just fed Pint-Size and swept out her stall.”

“I know, and I’m happy to see you’ve been taking such good care of your horse. But, you left your room a mess. The chores are easy and when you’re through, come get me. We’ll do something fun.”

Wide green eyes lighted. “Like what? Can we play a game?”

“Well, sure. But I thought you’d rather learn something new.”

Bethann’s mouth turned down. Her small shoulders fell. “I don’t want another lesson.”

“It’s not a lesson. Wait here.” Lily went to her room. She found the jumping rope she’d had secretly hidden in her dresser. When she returned, she found Bethann staring out the window. “Bethann,” she said softly, “this is for you.” Lily handed the girl the shiny wood-handled rope. “I bought it the other day when we were in town. I thought I could teach you how to skip rope.”

“Oh! Thank you, Miss Lily!” Bethann clutched the new rope to her chest. “Rhonda Mae has a rope for skipping, but it’s dirty and worn ’round the edges and her rope don’t have pretty handles.”

“Doesn’t have pretty handles,” Lily corrected with a smile. “Then you know how?”

“Not ’xactly. I tried, but I couldn’t. Rhonda Mae wasn’t very good, neither. She kept gettin’ her feet caught up all tangled like and she felled down a lot.”

“Well, after I rest, and you do your chores, I’ll be glad to teach you. It’s really easy.”

“Like riding a horse?”

Lily bit back a wry comment. Anything was easier than riding a horse for her. “For you, it’ll be just as easy to learn, sweetie. Now, go make up your bed, dust your furniture and tidy up your room. When those chores are done, I want you to practice reciting the alphabet ten times. Out loud. Then come get me.”