Robin Lee Hatcher (11 page)

She cares too much for the man already
.

Bethany reached to touch his cheek. “I’m not a little girl, Papa. Surely you can trust me to behave like a lady. It isn’t like I would be alone. Ingrid would be with me.”

He shook his head. “Ingrid is not a suitable chaperone. She is younger than you are. Not to mention that she’s formed an attachment to Mr. Howard.”

“Then Griselda can go with us.”

“Griselda?”

“Why not? She’s part of our family after all these years, and she is certainly old enough. A more proper chaperone couldn’t be found.”

“I don’t know.”

“She won’t let us out of her sight for a moment. I promise.”

“Well, I suppose — ”

“Oh, thank you, Papa!” She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. As she pulled away, she placed a kiss on his temple, then whirled away in a rustle of fabric and was gone from his study in a flash.

Nathaniel shook his head as he rose from his desk and walked to the window. How much simpler things had been when she was a little girl, her long hair in braids and ribbons. He’d been the only man in her life then. But she had blossomed from that pretty girl into a beguiling young lady, and now there were other men who vied for her attention. With a cock of her head or a bat of an eyelash, she could have almost anything she wanted.

He wondered if he’d been wise to take her away from Philadelphia. The men out West — men like Hawk Chandler — were different. They were toughened by a hard land. When the time came, would she be able to find happiness with one of them?

Lord, grant me wisdom. And protect Bethany from her own headstrong
nature
.

Hawk was no stranger to prejudice and duplicity. He’d seen enough of it as a boy, and as a young man he’d been spurned because of his mixed race by the girl he’d come to love. But his humiliation at Bethany’s hands struck much deeper than anything in his past. She had played him for a fool. She’d made him believe she cared for him, but all she wanted was to win a bet. Nothing more.

As he jogged his horse down Main Street, he schooled his face to reveal nothing of his thoughts, nothing of the anger that throbbed inside him. He would woo her. He would win her heart. And then, after she agreed to marry him, he would tell her what he thought of her and her selfish tricks.

He stopped at the white picket fence and dismounted. A carriage and one saddle horse waited at the side of the house. It looked as if the women were ready to go.

As his gaze flicked toward the front door, it opened, and Bethany stepped outside. His chest tightened when she smiled and waved. She was clad in a tan riding habit. The bodice fit snugly; the skirt was short and simply draped, accentuating the narrowness of her waist. A yellow cravat was tied in a bow at her throat, and a matching yellow gauze veil was wound around the crown of her tan silk hat.

A ridiculous outfit for riding the range. She should be on some mincing mare parading through a park. She didn’t belong in Montana.

Yet, even as he told himself those things, he couldn’t deny how pretty she looked. It made him ache for what might have been.

“Good morning, Mr. Chandler.” Her voice was melodic, like a mountain songbird.

Had he noticed that before?

Don’t be fooled by her.

He wrapped the reins around a fence post and opened the gate. “Morning, Miss Silverton.”

“Ingrid and Griselda will be ready soon. Won’t you come in and say hello to my parents?”

He stepped onto the porch and removed his hat. “Be glad to.”

“It was kind of you to invite us to see more of your ranch.”

Hawk let his gaze slide to her mouth, full, pink, and inviting. He meant to kiss that mouth again before this month was out. Perhaps before this day was out. Winning his bet didn’t have to be an unpleasant task, after all.

The day didn’t turn out quite as Bethany expected.

Rand met them near the spring above the ranch house where they ate a picnic lunch in the shade of the willows. Afterward, they explored the area, Rand driving the carriage with Ingrid at his side and Griselda on the seat behind them, Hawk and Bethany riding their horses nearby.

Rand did most of the talking, sharing stories of past adventures on the trail, of the first summer he and Hawk were in Montana, of the birth of Sweetwater two years before.

Hawk said little, but it wasn’t his silence that bothered her. It was the way he looked at her, the way he’d looked at her all day. His dark eyes seemed cool and emotionless, even when he smiled — which wasn’t often. She didn’t understand. She’d thought he cared for her. Why else invite her to see his ranch?

“What do you think, Miss Silverton?”

“What?” She looked at Rand. “I’m sorry. I let my thoughts wander. The countryside is so beautiful.”

“Glad you think so, because right over there is where I’ll be building my house.” He glanced at Ingrid, who blushed as she stared toward the homesite.

Bethany wondered if Griselda noticed the look that passed between the couple in front of her.

Why doesn’t Hawk look at me that way?

She swallowed a sigh. It would be awful to let his strange mood spoil her day. “Are we going back to the ranch house now?”

Hawk nodded.

“Then let’s race. Buttercup needs a gallop.” With that, she gave the mare her head.

The wind felt good on her face. She only wished she could lose the hat and let her hair fly free. And why not? Who was to stop her? She loosed the ribbon and sent her hat soaring. Laughter burbled in her throat. Oh, how she loved the freedom of this land.

The ranch house had come into view before Hawk caught up with her, the discarded hat in his hand.

She smiled as she called to him, “Isn’t it wonderful?”

“Slow down.”

She laughed again and leaned forward, urging more speed from Buttercup. But Hawk was too quick. His hand shot out and grabbed the mare’s reins, drawing both horses down to a canter, then a trot, and finally a walk.

“One of these days you’ll break that pretty neck of yours.”

“Don’t be silly. I’ve been riding almost since I could walk.”

He scowled.

Oh, he was frustrating
. But he thinks my neck is pretty.
Her heart sang.

They rode in silence the rest of the way, the carriage nowhere in sight. Obviously Rand didn’t want to race either. Which served her purpose well. What dear, sweet Griselda — whose eyesight was not the best and whose hearing had diminished greatly — didn’t see or hear, she couldn’t report to Bethany’s father.

In the barnyard, Hawk swung down from the saddle and came to stand between the two horses. Without permission, his hands spanned Bethany’s waist, his grip warm and firm as he lowered her to the ground in front of him.

Her lungs lost all ability to take in air. He was near enough to kiss her. Would he? She wanted him to. He must know she wanted him to.

“I’ve got something to show you,” he said, releasing his hold.

The sting of disappointment was keen. He’d acted as if it was unpleasant to be near her, as if he were merely tolerating her. Well, she wasn’t going to tolerate his toleration. She would make him enjoy her company if it killed them both.

One did not catch a man by mooning over him. That’s what Eliza Carpenter had told her when they were at Miss Henderson’s. Eliza must have known whereof she spoke for she had married six months later.

Hawk headed toward the barn. “Are you coming?”

“Yes.”

Bethany followed Hawk into the barn, stopping in the doorway to give her eyes time to adjust. Somewhere nearby a horse stomped its hoof and snorted. The air smelled of hay and horse and dung, pungent but not altogether unpleasant.

“Over here.” He stood beside a stall. With his hand, he beckoned her onward.

Curious, she moved closer to peer over the stall door.

“This is Storm. Remember him?”

The black horse bobbed his head, causing his heavy mane to sway against his neck. He stepped closer to the gate, then pawed the barn floor before stretching his head forward to nibble Hawk’s hand where it rested on the stall door.

She turned her gaze from the horse to the man at her side. “I’m sorry. Why would I remember him?”

“He’s the bronc I was breaking the first time you and Ingrid were here.”

“That’s the same horse? But he looks as gentle as a lamb.”

“A steady hand . . . a calm voice . . . a little time.” His eyes held hers captive as his hand moved from the stall to her shoulder.

She trembled at his touch. Perhaps she’d been mistaken that he merely tolerated her company. Perhaps. . .

“You can tame the wildest of creatures that way.” His other hand rose to cup her chin. “Bethany.” He tipped her head back.

She held her breath, waiting, hoping.

The first brush of his lips against hers was so light, she wasn’t sure they touched. In the next instant, an explosion of sensations spiraled through her as the kiss deepened. Involuntarily, her arms rose to circle his neck.

It was everything she’d hoped their next kiss would be, and when he released her, she felt bereft, abandoned. She hadn’t wanted it to end.

This must be love. What else could it be?

Hawk stepped away from her. “We’d better go outside.” His voice was low and husky. “The others should get here soon.”

THIRTEEN

Bethany rolled onto her back, arms on the pillow above her head. Morning sunshine warmed her face as it fell through her bedroom window. Eyes closed, she allowed a soft moan to slip between her lips.

Each time she remembered yesterday’s kiss, it became longer and more breathtaking. She’d never felt like this before. It must be love. For both of them. He wouldn’t have kissed her if he didn’t love her. Not like that.

Throughout the night she’d thought of him, dreamed of him. As the hours passed, she forgot the cool look that could glaze his eyes. She forgot the firm set of his mouth that sometimes made him seem harsh. She saw only his wonderful, rare smile. She heard only the gentle sound of his voice when he’d spoken her name. He must love her. He must.

She opened her eyes, her heart quickening again. If only she could be with Hawk today. She wanted to throw caution to the wind and hurl herself into his arms and let him kiss her again and again and again.

But, of course, she couldn’t do that. She would have to wait until he called upon her. How soon would it be? Today? Tomorrow? Next Sunday? When?

“Bethany, dear.” Her mother’s voice was followed by a rap on her door. “Are you awake?”

“Yes, Mother.” She sat up.

Her mother opened the door. “Have you forgotten? The men start work on the church today. We need your help.”

“I did forget. I’m sorry. I’ll hurry.”

Following a quick washing, she dressed in a white blouse and dark blue skirt, then tied her hair at the nape with a matching blue ribbon. By the time she was downstairs, her mother, Griselda, and Ingrid were making sandwiches and rolling dough for piecrusts.

“What can I do to help, Mother?”

“Eat your breakfast first.”

“But I’m not hungry.”

“Eat anyway, dear. It’s going to be a long, busy day for everyone. You’ll need your energy.”

There was no point arguing with her mother at a time like this.

Thirty minutes later, she carried a tray out the back door. She placed the cups and pot of coffee on a table that had been set up in the shade of a tree. Before returning indoors, she paused to take in the activity.

The building site was located between the Silverton home and the boarding house. Stacks of lumber waited on the north side of the lot. Several men were stretching twine between pegs that had been driven into the ground. Nearby, her father stood with John Wilton and Fred Eberlie, the three of them studying the plans for the new church.

She called to him, “Papa, I’ve brought coffee.”

“Thank you, Bethany.”

There was joy in her father’s eyes. His dream was coming to life. This was what he’d worked toward from the moment he felt God calling him away from the familiar and into the unknown.

How blessed her family was. They couldn’t have known when they boarded that train in Philadelphia how happy they would be when they reached their final destination. Sweetwater was a place they hadn’t heard of until two or three months ago. Her mother, of course, was happy wherever Papa was, and Papa was happy because he was fulfilling God’s purpose and calling. Ingrid was happy because she was engaged to Rand. And Bethany? She was happy because she’d found —