Misty's True Love (Mail Order Brides of Pioneer Town, Book 2) (8 page)

“
Charmed,” the woman said
shortly, yet her tone indicated that she was anything but charmed
with Misty’s presence. Her lips puckered thoughtfully as she looked
the young woman up and down, studying the dress. It confused Misty
to no end why the woman would bother to invite her if she was so
openly displeased.

“
You could almost pass as a
respectable young woman,” Mrs. Mills stated as she stood with hands
folded perfectly in front of her.

“
Thank you, Mrs Mills.”
Misty could not think of anything else to say. The barely veiled
insult was the closest the woman had ever come to paying her a
compliment.

“
Of course, it takes more
than a fine dress to make a lady of quality,” Olivia stated in a
falsely pleasant tone. “A sow’s ear is still an ear, no matter how
much lace you hide it under.”

Misty tried not to gasp at the
rudeness. “I fail to understand your meaning, Mrs. Mills,” Misty
said in an even tone. She was determined not to let this encounter
ruin the evening.

“
I did not expect you to,
my dear. Do not think too much of it. I was merely musing out
loud.”

No matter what the woman thought of
her, Misty was still at the ball. That meant that the woman had to
feel as if she were worthy of the invitation, no matter how
obligatory it might have been. She had to prove she was able to
serve as a good partner for Mrs. Mills’ son. She only had one
chance to make the impression. If she failed, it would be with half
the town watching. She could not afford to let the spiteful
comments rattle her.

“
I shall cast it from my
mind then.” Even Misty could not believe how convincingly she faked
the cheerful tone as she brushed away the conversation. “The ball
is simply lovely, Mrs. Mills.”

“
Oh.” the woman gave a soft
laugh and waved a hand elegantly toward the room. “A little thing
like this? I imagine it would seem amazing, especially to a maid
who probably never saw more than a glance from the kitchens. But I
do thank you for the compliment.”

“
Actually, as a
lady’s
maid, I saw many
balls. I assure you, this one is simply splendid.” Misty said
pleasantly. “Please do not worry. I am possessed of enough
experience not to embarrass you in front of your other guests,” she
said haughtily, unable to resist the comment.

“
That is... most
reassuring,” Olivia said, though she seemed less than pleased at
the claim.

Misty said scanned the room trying to
find a hint of Indiana. It was almost as if Mrs. Mills had hoped
that she would embarrass her at her own ball. But that was silly,
wasn’t it?

Some sign or excuse to escape. Just
then, she heard Cody’s formal name announced at the doorway. She
could not conceal the sigh of relief at the sound of his
arrival.

As if sensing what Misty was thinking,
Mrs. Mills turned toward the doorway. “Ah! What excellent timing.
I’ve a few things to speak to my son about. You will excuse me,
will you not, my dear?”

“
Surely, Mrs. Mills,” Misty
said as pleasantly as she could, watching the woman depart with a
mixture of regret and irritation. She understood that Mrs. Mills
would want the best for her son, and she was only a maid. Yet it
seemed Mrs. Mills had invited her solely to have a chance to jab at
her with veiled insults all night. What was the point in such an
undertaking?

Their encounter did affirm one thing.
Olivia indeed had thought she was just a scullery maid, one who
likely would have made mistakes all the evening, and Misty had a
sneaking suspicion that Mrs. Mills had counted on it when she had
invited her in the first place.

Chapter 11

Indiana made her way back to Misty’s
side. “What happened? I could see you looked
distressed.”

“
We were civil with one
another,” Misty assured her friend, wanting to put the whole thing
behind her as quickly as possible. The situation between her and
Mrs. Mills was what it was. She did not want to spoil the evening
by voicing her suspicions. “Please do not dwell on it. Everything
is fine.”

Indiana did not look convinced, but
she kept her thoughts on the matter to herself. To Misty’s relief,
Indiana soon provided a distraction by pointing out various members
of the town. Misty could not even begin to imagine trying to keep
up at a ball in a larger city.

“
That one over there is the
town deputy.” Indiana nudged Misty to point out a rather large man.
The man seemed to favor one leg as he walked, nothing overly
obvious at a glance.

“
How did he get that limp?”
Misty asked, as her imagination started to run away from her. A
fight with a bandit? A stampede maybe?

“
He shot himself in the
foot.” Indiana was so matter of fact that Misty was sure that she
meant it figuratively. However, as she was about to ask for
details, Indiana elaborated. “According to my husband, he was
showing off some fancy twirling and whatnot with his pistol, and he
did not have the safety on when he holstered it. Bang.”

Misty looked at her with a dubious
expression. “Surely that has to be a rumor. They couldn’t possibly
keep someone who would shoot himself in the foot in charge of the
law?

Indiana shrugged, “Honestly, there
were worse in leadership back in the city.”

Misty could not argue with that. The
city political structure was rife with favoritism and incompetence.
But at least here, it seemed to be a little less of the case. Or
that’s what she hoped. It was still too early to know for
certain.

Indiana pointed out a few more figures
from the town, but it was like trying to catch mist. The names and
faces simply refused to stick in her mind. Trying to learn a whole
mob at once was an exercise in futility, but at least it distracted
from more troubling thoughts.

Misty’s attention suddenly turned to
one person in particular milling in the crowd. The gentleman was
dressed in a fine suit that looked like it was custom fit just for
him. He cut such a handsome figure, she could not help but
stare.

Cody was always a handsome man. She
had been attracted to him since he made his appearance in the city.
Tonight, he could have been mistaken for a prince, or a young duke
at the very least. He was dressed in a fine suit, every button and
buckle shining with perfection. He could have come straight out of
a fairy tale, if she believed in such things.

The prince in question seemed intent
upon finding someone. He studied the crowd with a creased brow as
he made his way around the groups, speaking or sampling the various
foods available on perfect little silver platters. She felt a small
pang of disappointment as his eyes passed over her. Someone else
was on his mind at the moment, perhaps. A guest of Olivia’s? A
friend? She knew she was not the only person he would need to spend
time with tonight. Still, she could not hold back a childish twinge
of jealousy over who might command his attention at this moment.
Misty was torn between trying to catch his eye, and letting him
hunt down the person he was seeking. Then their eyes finally
met.

Cody stood frozen, scarcely seeming to
notice the other guests as they brushed by him. He gazed at her
from head to foot. She felt her face warm at the lingering stare as
he assessed her.

Indiana smiled as she looked from
Misty to Cody and back again. “I am going to find my
husband.”

Misty felt a small wave of panic as
Indiana excused herself. It was all she could do not to grasp her
friend by the arm and hold her in place. She had held her own when
she encountered Olivia, but she felt far from ready to be left
unsupervised in the middle of a place like this, especially with a
dashing man that seemed at a loss for words at her
appearance.

Yet even as she turned to ask her
friend to linger a moment more, Indiana had already disappeared
into the crowd. She glanced back at Cody with a shy
smile.

Cody regained his senses and quickly
made his way toward her. “Miss Misty, I do apologize. I intended to
meet you at the door, but I ran late getting here, I am afraid.
Have you been here long?”

“
Not so long.” Misty shook
her head. He smiled, his shoulders relaxing at her
denial.

“
I shall make it up to you
nevertheless. A gentleman should never leave a lady, especially one
as lovely as you, waiting. I am surprised that no one tried to
steal you away in my tardiness.”

Misty smiled at the exaggerated
compliment. She did not think herself to be nearly so intriguing,
especially in this company, but it was still nice to hear,
especially from him.

“
You were lucky,” she said
with a smile, playing into the game just a little. “They didn’t
have time to notice before you got here.”

“
Then they must be blind. I
scarcely recognized you. For a moment I thought you were one of
Mother’s guests from out of town.” He brow furrowed slightly in
remembrance as he regarded her. “Speaking of such—have you and my
mother crossed paths tonight?”

Misty felt her smile become a little
more strained at the mention, but she did her best to look
nonchalant at the mention of his mother. “We had a brief chat,
yes.”

“
Is everything all right?”
he asked, concern apparent on his face. “I shall talk to
her.”

“
No!” Misty said quickly,
then gave a reassuring smile. “Thank you, but this is something we
have to work out for ourselves.”

As much as Misty would love to have
him ride to the rescue, she did not want to come between him and
his mother. When it came down to it, Olivia would not accept her
until she was ready to, if ever. Never was a very distinct
possibility, and a worrisome one at that.

“
Please tell me if things
become too much,” he continued. I know she can be set in her
ways.”

Misty shook her head. “Please, let us
get used to each other at our own pace.”

Cody gave a brief nod, but Misty had
no doubt he was not convinced. It made her ponder what he heard
from his mother when Misty was not around to hear. He acted as if
he’d had a struggle of his own to deal with in that
matter.

They both paused as the music changed
to a slow waltz. Cody tilted his head slightly to listen to the
tune, and a smile spread on his face as he reached out a hand
toward her. “I shall leave the matter in your capable hands. In
the, meantime however, may I have this dance?”

Misty could not find an argument for
that. She smiled as she reached out and placed her hand into his
palm. He gently wrapped his strong fingers around her small hand
and led her to the dance floor.

* * *

“
You look lovely tonight.”
he said, as they glided along the dance floor. The song had faded
into another, or perhaps it was a third. She’d lost track somewhere
along the line. He guided their steps masterfully, his hand resting
gently but firmly on the small of her back. It was a comforting
feeling. The crowds around them seemed further away. The voices
were a faint drone just outside their corner of
existence.

Misty wished that she could just stay
here forever, stepping softly to the music in his arms. She had
never felt so at peace as in this moment. Everything suddenly
seemed a distant memory, her troubles with Mrs. Mills, getting
accustomed to a new town, the ball—everything seemed so trivial
compared to here and now.

“
You dance beautifully.”
Cody gazed down into her eyes.

She could stare into his eyes all day,
given the chance. They were so warm, so kind. He pulled her in a
little closer, and she rested her head softly against his chest as
they moved. She knew the music should have drowned it out, but she
could swear that she could hear his heart beat. A steady, soothing
drum beneath the strings and flutes of a quartet in the back of the
room.

All too soon the song ended. She was
sorely tempted to pretend not to notice, and Cody seemed to feel
likewise. They simply lingered in the dance floor in each other’s
embrace, waiting for a new song that did not come. A few eyes
watched them as they stood there almost past the time of
propriety.

Eventually, they parted and walked
from the dance floor arm in arm. Misty stole a glance at the
handsome man at her side. Was this all a dream? If it were, it
would kill her to wake up from it. She wanted to savor the moment
forever.

“
I am happy that you
accepted the invitation. It was on such short notice, that I half
feared that you would not make it.”

“
Only half afraid?” she
teased as he kissed the back of her hand, letting his thumb run
across the knuckles of her fingers before reluctantly letting her
go. She instantly missed the warmth of his touch, restraining an
urge to rest her hand back in his a moment more. That brazen act
would certainly go well past propriety.

“
Perhaps more than half,”
he admitted with a kindly smile. “Yet I am happy to be right. You
are brightening up a monotonous night.”

She smiled, not bothering to deny the
exaggeration. She never imagined that she would be so happy to be
in such a position. Who knew a ball could have such a deep impact
on someone?