Last Promise (11 page)

Chapter Eleven

It was a perfect evening for the social in town. The McBride brothers were on the porch enjoying the warm breeze and a sky full of twinkling stars while they waited for Victoria and Promise. The ladies had kept them waiting so long, the men decided to go inside and have a drink. They were sitting in the parlor sipping on their whiskey when the women finally appeared.

Colt nearly dropped his glass when his wife walked in front of him. “I haven't seen that dress before.” He would have remembered a dress that showed so much flesh.

“It's the latest fashion from Paris. Mrs. Wellington brought me a sketch from a catalog advertisement so Promise and I could make our dresses for tonight.”

Promise walked in behind Victoria and Jake frowned.

“How do you like it, honey?” Promise asked, twirling in front of her husband.

Jake didn't smile and his tone confirmed his displeasure. “You two are showing a lot of skin. We'll be fighting every cowboy at the dance.”

“Jake's right, it seems like the latest fashion doesn't look suitable for a simple ranchers' social,” Colt added.

Luke was grinning from ear to ear. He couldn't believe how his brothers were acting over a couple of dresses. Personally, he was enjoying the view. Maybe he shouldn't have judged Arina's low-cut gowns now that he knew they were the latest styles from France. And their dresses were not nearly as low as Arina's. He walked forward and held his arms out to escort the ladies to the front porch. “Don't pay any attention to them. They are crazy; you two are beautiful.”

Colt and Jake followed them out the door. “I didn't say they weren't beautiful, I just don't want every rancher from here to Montana enjoying the view,” Colt grumbled.

Victoria turned to make a face at Colt. “Husband, don't be an old fuddy-duddy, you need to keep up with the times.”

From his vantage point, Colt thought he might be able to see her toes. “I don't think anyone has ever called me a fuddy-duddy. Besides, what's wrong with the old times? I like the old times.”

“You and Jake seemed to enjoy Arina's dress when she came for dinner,” Victoria said sweetly. She knew none of them knew the color of Arina's eyes.

“The last time I checked I wasn't married to Arina,” Colt replied.

“So you can gawk at other women, but you don't want to appreciate your wife's figure?”

Colt heard his father in his head.
Don't argue with a woman, son
. He knew he couldn't win this battle.

“We didn't gawk at her dress,” Jake added.

“That's right, and I don't want to hear one word out of you if I knock some cowboy's teeth down his throat for ogling my wife.” Colt pulled his pistol and checked the chamber just to let Victoria know he meant business.

She grinned at his theatrics. “I'm sure you can control yourself. By the way, do you know the color of Arina's eyes?” Victoria asked.

Colt didn't know the answer and he looked at Jake hoping he could bail him out.

“Jake, what color are Arina's eyes?” Promise asked.

Jake didn't respond. He didn't know. Point made.

“Luke?” Victoria asked.

“Blue.” Luke knew where the women were going with this question and he was thankful he had the answer. He looked at his brothers and told them they were acting like jealous morons. To his way of thinking their wives had lovely figures and there was no sense hiding them. “I'm going to pick up Arina, I'll see you there.”

“Try to keep her under control,” Colt warned.

* * *

By the time Luke arrived with Arina on his arm everyone was already dancing. He spotted Colt and Jake and made his way through the crowd to them. Everyone acknowledged Arina politely, and he was sure his brothers were comparing dresses. He already knew Arina's was, by far, the most revealing so Colt and Jake should be happy about that. But the women were not pleased. Victoria and Promise pulled their husbands to the dance floor before Arina started flirting with them.

“Dance with me, Luke,” Arina said.

Luke figured enough cowboys had seen Arina when they walked in so he would have men cutting in right away once they started dancing. Not only that, but the dance floor was a good place to look for Mary Ann. “Okay.” He took her in his arms, making an effort to keep her at a respectable distance, but she quickly closed the gap between them.

“I'm so happy to be here with you,” she purred in his ear. “It's been so long since I've had an exciting evening.”

He didn't want to say or do anything that would encourage her to make more advances. That thought made him shake his head. He never thought he'd see the day he would want to discourage a woman from flirting with him. If she wasn't Sam's wife, he might be singing a different tune. “I'm not sure how exciting it will be, but it is a lovely evening for a dance.”

Arina's hand moved to the back of his neck and she ran her fingers through his hair. “I guess it will depend on how it ends.”

Before Luke could respond he felt a tap on his shoulder. “Could I dance with your lovely partner?” Judd Detrick asked.

For the second time Luke was happy to see Old Man Detrick. “Certainly.” He relinquished Arina's hand.

“Sally was looking for you,” Detrick said before Luke walked away.

That had to be a first, Luke thought, Detrick trying to push him on Sally. The old man must be truly smitten with Arina if he was trying to get him out of the way. He looked around for his brothers, but seeing they were dancing with their wives, he decided to find the punch bowl. Walking through the crowd, he saw Mary Ann dancing with one of the ranchers. He watched for a minute as the two of them laughed and moved around the floor. They seemed to be having a good time. Forgetting the punch, he pushed through the dancing couples and tapped the rancher on the shoulder. “I'm cutting in.”

The cowboy didn't like it, but he nodded and walked away. Luke took Mary Ann's hand in his and pulled her close. She looked beautiful in her white dress, which was designed very much like the dresses his sisters-in-law were wearing. He couldn't believe she would wear such a low-cut gown. It was much too provocative and he hadn't realized she had such an abundance of curves. “You look beautiful tonight, but don't you think your dress is too . . . revealing?” No wonder the cowboy she had been dancing with was all smiles.

“Not compared to your date's dress,” she countered coolly. She'd seen him when he walked through the crowd with Arina. Even though he had Arina on his arm, she thought he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. Everyone in the town greeted him like he was the prodigal son. And she saw him take Arina in his arms for the first dance. She reminded herself Arina wasn't the only woman on his list. She hadn't forgotten he was upstairs in the saloon with a different woman. If he thought she was going to be on his long list of conquests, she had news for him.

Uh-oh, he didn't want the conversation to go in that direction. Still he didn't want all the cowboys drooling over her. “Your hair looks really pretty down.” He remembered how her hair looked the night she was watching him from her bedroom window. It was draped over one creamy pale shoulder and he'd never seen such a lovely sight. He started to mention it until he realized she'd seen him talking with the gals from the saloon. Now that he knew where her bedroom window was located, he wondered what else she saw that night. It occurred to him that she had a bird's-eye view of the second floor of the saloon.

“Mr. McBride, do not waste your flowery words on me. I do not intend to be on the list of women vying for your attentions.” It wasn't as if she couldn't see why women flocked to him. Not only was he devastatingly handsome, those mischievous blue eyes of his twinkled brighter than the stars. Even she couldn't deny he had charm to spare. And if that wasn't enough for any woman to fall into his trap, he danced divinely. But he was still a scoundrel, she reminded herself, and she would do well not to forget that fact.

“Miss Hardwicke, I was simply stating a fact, not trying to add you to a list.” He had to be the biggest kind of fool for cutting in on her dance. The way she was laughing with that cowboy he thought she might be in a more agreeable mood tonight. But she seemed heaven-bent on keeping him from making any headway with her. He didn't know why he was wasting his time.

Mary Ann felt a little bit guilty for her sharp tongue. “In that case, thank you.”

Luke was tapped on the shoulder and he was forced to relinquish Mary Ann to another cowboy. Before he took two steps, Sally Detrick appeared and asked him to dance. He maneuvered Sally near Mary Ann and her partner. Considering the gown she was wearing, he thought he should keep an eye on her to make sure none of the men got out of line. The tall cowboy she was dancing with didn't take his eyes off her, just like the last one. The dance with Sally ended, but before he could ask Mary Ann for another, Lucinda grabbed his hand. Another man had Mary Ann in his arms and he was holding her way too close. Luke stayed near, ignoring his respective partner to make sure the cowboy minded his manners. Two more women asked him to dance, but by the end of the next dance, he'd formed a plan. With some maneuvering, he managed to be right beside Mary Ann and her partner when the dance ended. He looked at the man and said, “Let's change partners.” In the middle of his dance with Mary Ann, the first cowboy he'd tapped on the shoulder returned the favor. Luke said, “No.”

“Hey cowboy, that's not the way this works.”

“That's the way it's working during this dance.” Luke was determined he was going to finish this dance.

“I'm cutting in,” the man said more forcefully.

Luke stopped dancing and glared at him. “You've had your dance, now find another partner.”

The cowboy wasn't going to back away easy. “If this ain't your wife, I'm cutting in.”

Luke pulled his arms from Mary Ann, and the cowboy smiled thinking he'd won this round, until he saw Luke's eyes.

Luke had the look of a man who wasn't going to take any guff. “You want to walk out of here tonight, or be carried? Your choice.”

The cowboy didn't like what he saw and took a step back. “No sense getting in a huff over a dance.” He turned around and walked away.

Luke was glaring at Mary Ann when he took her in his arms. “See, that darn dress is like fanning the flames of a fire.”

Mary Ann couldn't believe Luke was going to fight over a dance, even if she didn't want to dance with anyone but him. And the way he acted about her dress confused her. He didn't seem to mind Arina's dresses. By comparison she could be nominated for sainthood. “You don't like my dress?”

“I like it too dang much. Along with every other cowboy here.” After a few moments he'd calmed down enough to say what he felt. “You're the most beautiful woman here.” She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Period.

She didn't want to be susceptible to his charms like the other women in town. Still, when she looked up at him she was lost and she couldn't force her eyes from his. Did he lure every woman into his web so easily?

The music stopped, but Luke still held her in his arms as they stared at each other. In those few seconds, Luke knew something changed, and he knew she felt it too. He'd been ready to shoot a man over a dance and he knew why. He wanted her. Taking her by the hand, he led her through the throng of people and he didn't stop until he reached the back of the church. Once he found the most secluded area called
the sparkin' corner
, he took her in his arms.

“You're beautiful in the moonlight,” he whispered, cupping her face in his large hand.

Mary Ann's heart was thumping loudly, and she quickly forgot all of the reasons she wanted to stay away from him. His arms tightened around her, crushing her to his chest and she couldn't think of anything other than how good it felt being so close to him.

When he lowered his lips to hers she didn't resist.

Luke was lost in the kiss, he pulled her even closer to his body, not giving a thought that someone might see them. His kiss was long and she clung to him. He pulled his lips from hers so he could nibble his way down her neck, over her bare shoulders to the soft skin along the neckline of her dress. She smelled so good, tasted even better, and he wanted more. He wanted it all.

Having never experienced anything like Luke's kisses, Mary Ann was ill-prepared for her own raging desires. Everything about him enticed her; his smell, his powerful body, his warm skin, his very talented mouth. His lips seared her skin and it felt so wonderful she offered no resistance. She was on fire, and begging for more, weaving her fingers through his hair and holding him to her. It wasn't until she felt him tug at her dress, trying to pull it lower, that sanity returned. Realizing what he was about to do, she placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away. “You must not.”

Luke stopped, his breathing was labored as he stared at her trying to make sense of what just happened. He had to focus on reining in his insatiable desire. He'd been so caught up in his craving for her that in another moment he would have had her dress half off, not giving a thought to where they were or who might see them. He was ashamed he'd let his hunger for her get the best of him. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone that far.” He fully expected her to berate him for his behavior, and it would have been well-deserved.

“The fault is not yours alone,” she said. “I'm afraid I was as caught up in the moment as you.” She silently scolded herself for behaving as shamelessly as Arina.