Texas Tender (19 page)

Of course that was impossible. At first, people would be too shocked at the news about the dam to comment on her mode of dress. But after the excitement of the destruction of the dam began to subside, they would remember that she'd been only half dressed. That she'd been wearing Will's shirt would make the incident memorable and the subject of gossip for as long as either of them stayed in Dunmore.

“I don't mean to desert you,” Carl said to his sister, “but I want to get to the store and back to the ranch as fast as possible.”

“I can take care of your sister,” Will said. “Just tell Andy to charge everything to me.”

“I can take care of myself,” Idalou insisted.

“Don't be a dope,” Carl said to his sister. “You don't have any clothes, any money, or any place to stay. Let Will take care of all that. We can figure out how to repay him later.”

Idalou had already reached that conclusion, but she didn't like hearing it stated. She agreed that the hotel was the logical choice, but staying there meant she'd have no privacy at all.

“Once you have a room, I'll see about getting you some clothes. What shops do you like?” Will asked.

“Ella Huffman's store is the only one with made-up clothes,” Idalou said, “but I can't afford anything she has.”

“We can afford at least one dress,” Will said. “That will give you time to get something made.”

Will clearly didn't have any idea how long it took to put together a woman's dress, but maybe she could get one of the housewives to run up something quick and simple that she could afford.

As they approached town, Will and Carl rode close on either side of her. Still, she knew that wouldn't be an effective shield once they reached Main Street.

“Let's ride down the alley,” Will said. “Idalou can stay in my office until I make arrangements for her room in the hotel. Then we can take her there.”

“I'd prefer to wait until after dark,” Idalou said.

“Once people hear that your home was destroyed, they'll be too sympathetic to worry about what you're wearing.”

Will didn't understand that to be seen in his company was the same as shouting to every female in town that something was going on between them.

“Maybe we ought to go to the dress shop first,” Will said. “That way no one will have any reason to comment on what you're wearing.”

Idalou would have suggested the same thing, but she couldn't bring herself to ask Will to spend money buying her clothes.

Maybe it was the heat or the fact that it was mid-afternoon and everyone was a little sleepy after lunch, but they passed only three people as they rode down the alley. None of the three gave them more than a glance or spoke except to greet the sheriff. They arrived at the back of the dress shop and dismounted.

“Wait here while I go inside,” Will said.

“I can't go in there,” Idalou said when Will was out of earshot.

“Why not?” Carl asked.

“I forgot that Junie Mae works with her aunt.”

“For God's sake, Lou, can't you forget that Webb was sweet on her?”

“How would you feel if Mara was sweet on Van?”

“She's sweet on Will, and I get along just fine with him.”

“That's because
he
isn't sweet on
her.
”

“For all you know, Webb wasn't sweet on Junie Mae, just tired of you blaming his father for everything. Everybody knows she turned to Van soon enough after Webb died.”

That had made Idalou even more angry at Junie Mae. It was bad enough that she'd stolen Webb from her. It was unforgivable that she couldn't stay faithful to his memory for even a week. “I don't care. I don't want to—”

The back door to the store opened and Will stepped out. “Ella Huffman is at lunch, but Junie Mae says she'll be glad to take care of you.”

If she had had any place to go, Idalou would have turned and ridden away. The idea of letting Junie Mae help her choose a dress while Will watched was almost more than she could contemplate.

“Come on, Lou,” Carl said as he dismounted. “You've got plenty of class. Now's the time to show it.”

That was the trouble with having class. You had to do all sorts of things you didn't want to do and pretend you liked them. You had to be nice to people when you were aching to scratch their eyes out. You had to be thankful for things you'd rather throw on the ground and grind under your feet.

“Let me help you down,” Will said.

Before she could object, he put his hands around her waist, lifted her from the saddle, and set her gently on the ground. The sound of her feet squishing against the wet socks inside her boots made her feel even more like running away. Could she be more humiliated?

Junie Mae was waiting just inside. The back room of the store was the workroom where dresses were cut out and sewn together. Bolts of material were stacked on shelves lining one wall. One table was covered with material being cut out for a dress while patterns lay scattered over another. Pieces of dresses lay across two sewing tables. Cards of ribbon, lace, and various trims rested in a specially built case along with dozens of spools of thread.

“You poor thing,” Junie Mae cooed. “How awful.”

Idalou wanted to tell her it was no such thing, but it
was
awful and she did feel like a poor thing.

“We need a dress for her to wear,” Will said. “All her clothes got lost in the flood.”

“I'm sure we have something in your size,” Junie Mae said.

“Nothing expensive,” Idalou said. “I can't afford to stay in the hotel and buy fancy clothes.”

“I won't hear of you staying in the hotel,” Junie Mae said. “You can stay with me.”

Idalou was certain it was impossible to be more humiliated. She didn't want to stay in the hotel because of the lack of privacy and Will's having to pay for it, but how could she share a room with the woman who'd stolen the only man she'd ever thought she wanted to marry?

“That's awfully kind of you, Junie Mae,” Will said, “but it is your aunt's house.”

“That's right,” Idalou said, grasping at the straw Will had handed her, however unintentionally. “I couldn't even consider it without your aunt's consent.”

“She won't mind,” Junie Mae insisted.

“Still, it might be better if Idalou could choose a dress so we can head to the hotel,” Will said.

Before Idalou had time to look at any of the dresses, Junie Mae's aunt returned from lunch.

“Somebody blew up Idalou's dam and the water washed the house away,” Junie Mae said to her aunt. “She was going to stay in the hotel, but I invited her to share my room. Is that all right with you?”

Before Idalou could think of an excuse, Ella Huffman had gripped both of Idalou's hands in her firm grasp.

“You poor child,” she said. “What kind of horrible person would do something like that?”

“I don't know,” Idalou said, “but you don't have to—”

“I didn't hesitate to give my sister's child a permanent home when she died,” Ella said, cutting off Idalou's protest. “Of course you'll stay with us.”

“The hotel is really quite comfortable,” Idalou said.

“But it's filled with men, isn't it?” Ella asked.

“Yes, I suppose.” She didn't recall a woman ever staying there.

“That's all the more reason for you to stay with me.”

“That's very kind of you, but I can't—”

“I won't hear a word of protest,” Ella said. “I'm sorry I can't offer to let your brother stay, but it wouldn't be right to have a young man who's not a blood relative in the house with Junie Mae.”

Idalou came to the conclusion that unless she was willing to appear ungrateful, even rude, there was nothing she could do to keep from sharing a room with Junie Mae. However, she intended to do everything she could to make her stay as short as possible.

“It's very kind of you,” Idalou said, giving in. “Carl's staying at the ranch to keep an eye on our cows.”

“Where will he sleep?” Ella asked.

“He has his bedroll,” Will said.

“Men do all sorts of things a woman would never do,” Ella said with a wink, as though she and Idalou were sharing a secret.

“I'll check on Carl to make sure he's okay,” Will said.

Ella beamed at Will. “So kind. Dunmore is very fortunate to have you with us, even for a short while.”

Idalou wasn't surprised at Ella's almost fawning attitude toward Will, but she was surprised to see Junie Mae looking acutely uncomfortable and staring at her feet.

“Idalou is looking for a dress,” Junie Mae told her aunt. “Everything she had was washed away in the flood.”

Apparently, Ella hadn't noticed that Idalou was wearing only a shirt. Once she did, however, it didn't matter that Will had pulled her bodily from the water or had ridden next to her for five miles through open country. The rules of propriety had to be strictly observed. She bundled Will out the door with assurances he could, at a suitable time, come see for himself that Idalou was being properly cared for. It would have been funny if Idalou wasn't afraid that Will was secretly relieved to have her taken off his hands.

“Is she really going to share a room with Junie Mae?” Carl asked Will, caught between surprise and amusement. “I'm surprised she didn't bolt.”

“If she'd had anything to wear, I think she would have.”

“Idalou is a great gal, but sometimes she needs taking down a peg,” Carl said with a boyish grin. “I could never do it.”

“I wouldn't even try.”

“You could.” Carl's expression turned serious. “She complains about you all the time, but she listens to what you say.”

Will would have placed a substantial bet that the only reason Idalou would ever listen to him would be to take the opposite position. They were in the jail, and Carl was carefully packing all the provisions
he'd bought into two saddlebags. He'd told Will he didn't intend to come back to town for at least a week.

“Everybody listens to you,” Carl said. “Now that they know you saved Idalou, you'll be even more of a hero.”

After leaving Ella's store, Will had headed to the Swinging Door. There he'd found Carl regaling more than twenty men with his account of Will fighting his way through the floodwaters with Idalou on his back. Apparently, Carl had told Andy Davis about it while buying his supplies, and Andy had insisted that he go to the saloon and tell everybody else. All the men expressed proper indignation over the destruction of the dam and promised to do anything they could to bring the culprit to justice.

“If anyone does listen to me—and I'm not sure they do—it's only because I was fool enough to take this job when nobody else would.”

“You stopped Van from running over Pepper, you put Newt in jail, and you convinced Jordan he ought to pay us for using our bull. Nobody else has ever come close to doing that.”

Will figured they hadn't tried very hard. Any one of his brothers—Luke, Zeke, or Hawk—would have had this town buttoned up tight in less than twenty-four hours.

“I haven't figured out who took the bull, I don't know who blew up the dam, and I don't know who's behind all the trouble on your range. That doesn't make me sound too all-fired great.”

“You'll figure it out.”

Will wondered why Carl had more confidence in him than he himself had. “Then there's Mara thinking she's in love with me, your sister disliking me, and Junie Mae . . .” He fell silent.

Carl looked up from his packing. “Mara would get over you if her ma wasn't drumming it into her head that you'd make the perfect husband. Idalou doesn't dislike you. She's just real aggravated by the trouble we've been having. I didn't know anything was wrong with Junie Mae, but come to think of it, she has been looking a little peaked lately.”

“I think she may have been disappointed in love,” Will said, kicking himself for mentioning Junie Mae.

Carl turned back to his packing. “I used to think Van and Webb were both sweet on Idalou, but after Webb died, Van's pa made it clear he wanted Van to marry Mara. Van can be a real bastard, but he'd never go against his pa. Junie Mae never had a chance.”

If a boy as oblivious as Carl could tell that Junie Mae was looking off-color, it was a surefire bet every woman in town had noticed and was speculating as to the reason. It looked as though things would be coming to a head sooner than Will had thought. He was glad he'd already written Isabelle.

“I'll come check on you in a couple of days,” Will said, hoping to get off the subject of Junie Mae.

“You don't have to check on me.” Carl seemed offended. “I can take care of myself.”

“I'm sure you can,” Will assured him, “but if I don't check on you, your sister
will
be mad at me. What's more, she'll check on you herself. You get your choice, her or me.”

“You,” Carl said with a defeated sigh. “I've got to be the only eighteen-year-old boy in Texas whose sister checks on everything he does.”

“I'm twenty-eight and my mother still checks on me,” Will said. “My father, too. And that doesn't count two sisters and nine brothers. Fortunately, they're not all home at the same time. Want to trade places?”

“No,” Carl said with a grin. “I'm surprised you didn't run away.”

“I sort of did.”

Carl's eyes grew wide. “Men your age don't
run away
. They just leave.”

Will didn't know what had gotten into him. He'd nearly given away Junie Mae's secret, and now he was trying to do the same with his. As for leaving, Carl didn't understand. No one
left
Isabelle. Even when she was a thousand miles away, she was with you, looking over your shoulder, whispering in your ear, reminding you of the lessons you'd forgotten. Luke said she followed him like his personal rain cloud.