City Girl (2 page)

Working at not being discouraged, she thought of the family that was gathered. The oldest brother, Charles Rawlings Jr., better known as Cash, had come from Kinkade, Texas. The middle brother, Dakota, was present; he had just resigned from his position as a Texas Ranger to take a sheriff's job in the small town of Jessup, Texas. And their grandmother, Gretchen Rawlings, from Hilldale, Texas, had also made the trip. Liberty reminisced over the time they had all gathered in Shotgun, Texas, for her wedding to the youngest brother, Slater.

“Here you go,” Slater said, coming into the room with a large glass of juice in his hand. “How does orange juice sound?”

“Wonderful,” Liberty said sincerely, scooting up against the headboard to drink. The first sip was just what she needed, and already feeling better, she drank more than half the contents.

“Thank you,” she finally said, setting the glass aside and looking into her husband's eyes.

“I'm still asking myself if we should have come,” Slater admitted.

Liberty opened her mouth, but Slater cut her off.

“And before you say anything about what Duffy had to say, you can let me have a second thought or two.”

Liberty shut her mouth but still smiled a little.

Duffy was her stepfather. He was also her doctor. When word had come that there was to be a wedding after the first of the year, Liberty's heart had sunk, thinking it would be too close to her due date to travel, but then a second letter had come, saying the wedding would be in January. Liberty assumed they would go. Slater had other ideas.
Liberty smiled as she remembered the conversation.

“Oh, Duffy and Slate, I was hoping I'd find you together,”Liberty said as she entered Duffy's office with a letter in her hand.

“What's up?” her husband asked.

She waved a letter. “It's about the wedding; he's getting married in January. Isn't that good news?”

“We knew he was getting married, Lib, so why is this good news?” Slater asked.

“Now I can go with you,” Liberty stated what she thought was the obvious.

“Let's get one thing straight,” Slater said firmly. “I'm not going to the wedding without you, and since you can't travel, I'm staying home.”

“But with the wedding in January, we don't need to stay home.”

“It's still too close.”

Liberty looked at her stepfather. “Will you please tell him?”

“It's fine, Slater,” Duffy said, his bedside-manner voice becoming rather matter-of-fact. “With her due date, it shouldn't be a problem.”

Slater's eyes grew suspicious. “Did she put you up to this?”

Liberty laughed out loud over this, Duffy joining her.

“Slater, Slater,” Liberty said, her voice loving. “I'm fine, and the baby's going to be fine.”

“You feel sick every morning,” he argued.

“That's normal.”

“
It is, Slater,” Duffy put in. “The stage ride to Keyes would be the most stressful part, and that's only 17 miles. Taking the train makes it a very easy journey.”

“You did remember that we're talking about St. Louis, didn't you, Duffy? It's a long way.”

The older man only smiled. Slater's eyes swung to his wife to find her smiling too. At that moment his face told them he was giving in.

“What's that smile for?” Slater now asked, breaking into Liberty's thoughts.

“I'm just remembering how panicked you were about
my coming here.”

“I have good reason. It's a long way in your condition.”

Liberty could only grin.

“You are impertinent,” Slater told her, but it was no use. As poorly as she had felt a few minutes earlier, she was glad she'd come, her smile attesting to that fact. Slater could frown all he wanted, but Liberty was delighted to be here for Dakota Rawlings' wedding.

“You have that tense look again,” Dakota said to Darvi Wingate, the woman who was scheduled to be his bride in less than a week. He had just arrived at her house, and they were sitting alone in the parlor.

Darvi was from St. Louis, and if the guest list was any indication, a boatload of family had come to wish her well. That, along with the wedding paraphernalia that could be seen everywhere, indicated it was going to be quite the occasion.

“I am tense,” Darvi admitted. “The caterer informed us this morning that he didn't know we wanted candelabra.”

“Do we want candelabra?”

“My mother does,” came Darvi's standard reply.

Dakota couldn't stop his smile as he teased her.

“I'm not going to let you forget that it was my idea to elope.”

“And have my mother hunting us down for the rest of our lives?” Darvi reminded him with a theatrical shudder. “I know you'll forgive me. I'm not too sure about her.”

Dakota suddenly leaned forward and kissed her.

“What was that for?”

“Do I need a reason?”

“This time, yes.”

He studied her. “You're fun, and I'm in love with you.”

Darvi gazed at him, her own heart in her eyes.

“That was a nice reason. I'm glad I asked.”

“Oh, Dakota,” Mrs. Wingate said from the doorway of the room; the couple had not even heard her approach. “I'm so glad you're here. Did you take care of the carriages?”

“Yes, ma'am.” Having come to his feet, Dakota answered politely, not bothering to remind her that she had already checked with him on this subject. “They're all set.”

“Good. There's no problem with your suit or those of your brothers, is there?”

“No, ma'am. Everything is in order.”

Clarisse Wingate stared blankly at Darvi and Dakota for a moment before giving a small gasp and hurrying on her way.

“Is your mother going to make it?” Dakota asked compassionately when she had left.

“I hope so. When you consider that she wasn't even speaking to me in the fall of last year, we've come a long way. Having me marry in style has always been important to her. I took the chance away from her once; she's not going to be denied again.”

“Well, if I have anything to say about it,” Dakota said, sitting back with a smile, his eyes still on his fiancée, “she'll see you married.”

“Is that right?” Darvi's smile held a teasing glint. “And what makes you so eager, Mr. Rawlings?”

Dakota tried to look nonchalant. He studied the ceiling with interest. “I'm just thinking that our trip to the gulf sounds nice. I've never been to the gulf.”

Darvi laughed. She wasn't fooled in the least. He was looking forward to being alone and on their honeymoon as much as she was.

Dakota was reaching for her hand when Darvi had a sudden thought.

“Oh, Dakota, I just remembered something. Uncle Marty sent us a gift.”

“That was nice. What is it?”

“I didn't open it. I wanted to wait for you.”

Dakota watched her move from the room, loving how graceful and feminine she was. The uncle she spoke of had been Dakota's superior in the Rangers. He hadn't been happy when Dakota had wanted to leave but in the end had admitted that he understood.

“Let me get that,” Dakota said as Darvi came back into the room, a large box in her arms.

Dakota waited for her to take a seat on the sofa and then set the box down so it would be positioned between them. Darvi had opened a few gifts already, presents from people Dakota did not know, so it was special for her to watch him open this box and remove the gift. It was a beautiful wall-mount coffee grinder.

“Oh, my,” Darvi said as she took in the size and heavy cast-iron make. “This is wonderful. I think Uncle Marty knows how much you like your coffee.”

“I think you might be right.” Dakota suddenly stopped and stared at Darvi. “Are we thanking all these people at the wedding for this stuff or what?”

Darvi laughed until she was red in the face.

“Leave it to a man,” she finally gasped, “not to know what's going on. If a gift arrives early, it's usually because the giver can't attend the wedding. I've been sending out thank-you cards as things come in.”

Dakota looked rather sheepish but still laughed a little.

“Thanks for taking care of all this, Darv.”

“You're welcome.”

The couple's eyes met and held for long moments. Dakota was glad the box separated them. Darvi wished she could move it. Both were thinking:
Just a few more days.

Cash Rawlings sidestepped a running child and the woman darting after him and made his way into the downtown shop. Each and every time he was in St. Louis to see his parents, he took a gift to his housekeeper, Katy. Knowing her personality, it had always been something practical. This time he was going to surprise her.

“May I help you, sir?” asked a friendly woman who met him in the middle of the store.

“Yes, please. I'm looking for something for someone who is a little older. I'm not even sure she'll welcome the idea,” Cash added with a smile, “but I'm going to give it a try.”

The perfume shop owner's smile was genuine, her eyes twinkling as she said, “I believe I have just the thing.” She turned and led him to one of the three perfume counters, slipped behind it to face him, and from under that glass countertop withdrew a tray full of tiny bottles .

“Try this,” she said, uncorking a small vial and waving the lid in his direction.

“That's nice,” Cash said, but it had a scent he would term romantic. He almost shuddered as he pictured Katy's reaction.

“Too romantic?” the woman shocked him by saying.

Cash looked down at her and blinked. “As a matter of fact, I was thinking that very thing.”

“I was hoping you were, in case you realize you have a second lady at home who would enjoy some perfume.”

She was openly flirting, and Cash's smile was kind, but he stuck to the business at hand.

“I'll just shop for my housekeeper this time,” he said, not unkindly. “Have you something else in mind?”

“I do,” she stated, all at once becoming very professional. She put the first tray back under the counter and had Cash follow her to the next counter.

“This is what I should have shown you in the first place. I believe you will like it.”

The woman was right. Cash inhaled the gentle scent and thought that not even Katy would be able to hide her pleasure.

“This is perfect,” he stated quietly. “I need it giftwrapped and able to travel.”

“Right away,” the woman agreed with a smile, wondering why some woman had not snatched up this charming, redheaded cowboy. His manners were faultless, and if the cut of his clothing was any indication, he was not living on the streets. But the thing she was most drawn to was his eyes. A deep shade of brown, they were so warm that even a stranger was made to feel as though he cared.

The package wrapped and secured for travel, the proprietress walked Cash to the door as if it were an everyday occurrence. It wasn't, but she couldn't deny herself the sight of watching him put his hat back in place and then seeing his long legs take him down the street. She knew her business would never survive out of the city, but for a moment she wondered just how far west she would need to go in order to find a town where the men were all like that.