Wicked Wyoming Nights (26 page)

“Afternoon, Miss Sage. What you doing out today?” Eliza stiffened. She always disliked it when people called her by her stage name.

“I’ve been cooped up all morning, and I want to go for a ride.”

The young man didn’t move. This is not a good day to be driving about. People are all upset about the killings.”

“Well they’re not upset at me” retorted Eliza, irritated he had made no move to harness a horse to the buggy.

“Does your uncle know you’re leaving?”

“Please harness my horse at once,” Eliza responded, quite angry now. “I intend to go visit a friend.”

The boy got up to fetch out Eliza’s horse. With maddening deliberation, he settled the harness over the placid animal and methodically attached it to the buggy, making sure that every trace was secure and every harness strap properly buckled.

Eliza was barely able to contain her impatience, but she knew she must not do anything to arouse the boy’s curiosity. It was imperative that her uncle and the others not guess she was going to warn Cord.

“Don’t be back too late,” the boy informed Eliza as she climbed into the seat and took the reins. “The boss don’t like it when the carriage horses are kept out after dark.”

Eliza drove away at a smart trot without giving him an answer.

She had intentionally chosen a bonnet with a large brim in hopes no one would recognize her, and she got out of town, recognized or not, without anyone stopping her.

Eliza pulled the buggy to a halt in front of the gate. She had never been to the house before, and she didn’t know where to look for Cord, but she was nearly rendered speechless when a woman stood up, practically from under her feet, where she had been working in the garden. It had never occurred to Eliza there might be a woman at the ranch.

“How do you do.” The woman’s greeting was open and cheerful. She was pretty in a buxom sort of way, and obviously not one to mind hard work. She wore a bonnet with an even larger brim than Eliza’s, and her gloves were soiled from working in the dirt.

“Forgive my appearance, but if I don’t get the last of these roses properly buried, the cold will kill them. I keep telling Mr. Stedman it’s a shame to let his garden go to ruin, but he can’t see the value of anything cows won’t eat. They would eat the whole garden if I let them, the nasty beasts, but everything here’d be no more than a few mouthfuls for one of them. I told him some day he’s going to get tired of living on me back of a horse, and then he’ll be sorry he let his yard go.”

Eliza gaped at the garrulous young woman who seemed as much at ease as if she were in her own home. But she is at home, thought Eliza; I’m the outsider.

“You’ll have to forgive my running on like this. It’s so seldom I see a female my tongue starts spinning like a windmill in a wind storm. I’m Ginny Church, the foreman’s wife. I don’t believe I know you.”

“I’m Elizabeth Smallwood.”

“So you’re the schoolteacher.” She pulled off her gloves as she stared quite openly. “They told me you were pretty, but they never, said you were beautiful. Come on inside. We can’t talk with the wind freezing our wits. I suppose you’ve come to see why I haven’t been sending my boy to school.” She opened the gate surrounding the little garden and indicated for Eliza to precede her. “I mean to send him next year, along with Myra Landis’s boy, but he’s just turned six and that’s too young to go such a distance by himself.” She looked at Eliza a little guiltily. “Besides, I wanted to keep him with me a little longer.”

“It’s not that at all,” Eliza assured her. “I came to see Mr. Stedman on a matter of some urgency. I very stupidly assumed he would be at home. I should have known this was probably the last place I’d find him.”

“He’s in,” Ginny said. “I’ll have my husband see if he can round him up for you!” She ushered Eliza inside. “This house used to be just about as empty as the plains, but Mr. Stedman brought back a whole houseful of furniture. I don’t know when I’ve been more surprised by anything.”

Eliza was led into a room that would have done justice to any parlor in Cheyenne. Instinctively she took off her bonnet.

“Ain’t it pretty?”

“It’s beautiful, but I must see Mr. Stedman. It’s rather urgent.” Eliza realized she sounded rude, but she couldn’t stand around talking about furniture when Cord’s life might be in danger.

“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll see if I can find Frank.” But she didn’t get a chance to leave the room. The sound of boot heels on the polished hall floor was quickly succeeded by the appearance of her husband.

“Frank, this is Miss Smallwood. She’s come to see Mr. Stedman.”

“We’ve already met,” Frank said; Eliza frowned in an effort to remember. “In town.”

“Now I remember.” She didn’t. She felt dull and stupid, and she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Do you know where to find Cord?” asked Ginny. “It’d be a pity if she came all this way and he was halfway to Casper.”

“He’s here somewhere, miss. I’ll find him. I need to see you a minute, Ginny.”

“Frank,” she chided, speaking like she would to a small boy, “you know I can’t leave Miss Smallwood alone.”

“It won’t take long.” Still his wife hesitated. “It’s important.”

“Excuse me, miss. I won’t be but a minute.”

“You needn’t hurry.”

“Now what’s so important?” Ginny asked her husband as soon as they were out of the room.

“Do you know who she is?”

“Sure. She’s the schoolteacher.”

“But do you know who else she is?”

“Quit with your games, Frank. She can’t be more than one person at a time.”

“She can. That’s Miss Belle Sage, the singer at the saloon.”

“Oh, go on. She’s only the schoolteacher. Though I must say she’s pretty enough to do just about anything she wants.”

“They’re one in the same, and unless I miss my guess, she’s the reason for all this fancy furniture.”

Chapter 19

Ginny’s eyes suddenly glowed with excitement “Find Cord and get him in here as quick as you can. Then you take every cowboy on the place and get them away from here. I don’t want one of those bumpkins stumbling in complaining about some cow just when he’s about to pop the question. Where is Cord anyway?”

“He should be coming through the back door any minute,” her spouse informed her.

“Lord have mercy, and you letting me stand here just as useless as yourself. Get out the front door, and don’t show your face until Miss Smallwood’s gone.” Frank dutifully let himself out while his wife hurried to a closet under the stairs where she extracted a heavy coat and driving gloves. Then, alternately tapping her foot impatiently and pacing the broad hall, she waited until she heard the back door open. She quickly erased the smile from her face, replaced it with a look of mild concern, and pounced on Cord the instant he stepped into the hall.

“There you are, and not a minute too soon. I’ve been fretting over whether to go and leave you to guess where I’d gone.” Ginny hurried on before Cord could open his mouth. “My sister has fallen and hurt herself, or something like that, her Jim wasn’t explaining things too clear, and there’s someone to see you in the parlor.”

“Who is it?” Cord asked when she paused for breath.

“The schoolteacher, I think, but I was too distracted to pay much attention.” She hurried out of the house intending to keep him from asking any more questions, but Cord had forgotten Ginny before her sentence was finished; he hurried into the parlor where he was greeted by Eliza turning apprehensively toward the doorway.

“Eliza,” he said in a husky voice, and crossed the room in five strides. Eliza rose to her feet in time to be swept into his arms and ruthlessly kissed.

“There’s something I’ve got to tell you,” she protested, trying to avoid his ravaging lips.

“It can wait.” He pressed his hot mouth to the pulsating column of her throat.

“No it can’t,” she insisted, pushing him away. “Two men have been found dead, and everybody thinks you did it. They may be coming out here this very minute.”

Cord stopped abruptly. “Who were they? When did it happen?”

“Simon Frater and someone named Keller.”

“Harry?”

“I think so. They found one of them last night and the other this morning. Both were shot in the back.”

“But why do they think I did it?”

“One was found on the road that runs west of your land. The other somewhere to the south.”

“So if they were killed close by, I must have shot diem?”

“I guess so, but it doesn’t matter. There are a lot men at the, saloon drinking and talking about how something’s got to be done to protect the little people.”

“They’re going to have to look for someone else to blame this time,” he said with a deep frown. “I can prove I didn’t do it.”

“But they won’t believe you or your men. They say they’d all lie to protect you.”

“Probably not every one of them.” Cord smiled so brilliantly Eliza’s heart skipped a beat. “But this time they won’t have to. I was in Cheyenne with two perfect strangers who can swear to my whereabouts for the last week.”

“Are you sure they will listen to you? They are mighty upset, and some of them swear you must be behind it.”

“I’m sure.”

“And if they come out here?”

“They won’t. The sheriff and Sanford Burton both know where I’ve been.”

“Then you’re really safe?”

“Yes, I’m really safe.”

“You can’t believe how worried I’ve been. And all the time you weren’t even here.” The sense of relief was so great she felt light-headed. “What were you doing in Cheyenne?”

“I was winding up the details of my loan and buying enough furniture to fill this house. You, Miss Smallwood, are looking at the proud and sole owner of the Matador. Every stick of wood on the place and everything on four hooves is
mine
.”

Freed of the need to worry about Cord, Eliza broke into a broad smile. “You’ve paid off the whole debt?”

“Every penny of it. I’m not a rich man, but I’ve got enough for now. In five years I’ll be rich enough for you to throw everything out and buy whatever you like.”

“But this is your house,” stammered Eliza. “I would never tell you what to put in it.”

“I’m inviting you to make it
our
home, my little love,” Cord stated, compelling her eyes to look into his. “I want to get married,
now
. Would Christmas be too soon?”

“C-C-Christmas?” Eliza stammered, tightening her grip to support her weak knees.

“Yes, Christmas, with a preacher, a church, a white dress, and anything else you want.” Eliza looked completely stunned. “You do still want to marry me, don’t you?” Cord asked intently.

“Of course. I’ve been in love with you for months, but what am I going to do about Uncle Ira?”

“I really don’t care whether he likes me or not. I’m not going to ask him to live with us.”

“But I can’t abandon him. I promised Aunt Sarah
on her deathbed
I would never leave him, and I can’t go back on that vow now. I just can’t.”

“You’re going to have to face the possibility he may never change his mind, and if he doesn’t, you’ll have to choose between us.”

Eliza began to feel as though she was being assaulted from both sides. There seemed to be no way out that would be acceptable to both men. “Maybe when he sees how badly he’s misjudged you this time, he’ll realize he’s been misjudging you all along,” she said hopefully.

Cord doubted Ira would see anything he didn’t want to see, but he didn’t say so.

“Will you wait until I’ve had a chance to talk to him again?”

“Okay, but only if you set the date somewhere between Christmas and New Year’s. I have a feeling 1892 is going to be my lucky year, and I want to start it as a married man.”

“I feel the same way” agreed Eliza, torn between her desire to marry Cord as soon as possible and fear of what would happen when she confronted her uncle. “I just don’t know what to do about Uncle.”

“I’m not interested in Ira right now. You haven’t answered me yet. Will you marry before the end of the month?”

“If you’re really sure, I would like it very much.”

“I’m really sure,” Cord said, and smothered her in his embrace. But this time both his hands and his lips showed a tendency to stray. Eliza felt her body respond to the heat of his presence, and allowed Cord to unbutton the sacque she wore, and then the lacy blouse underneath. His lips trailed kisses while his hands found her breasts and massaged them until they rose against the restraints of her chemise.

“Someone could come in,” she managed to whisper, not wanting to say the words.

“I’m the only one who stays in the house,” he said, his lips never losing contact with her velvety skin. “And Ginny’s gone to visit her sister.” Cord’s entire concentration was on Eliza and the nearness of a body that nearly drove him crazy.

Eliza felt her resistance fade quickly. “I guess I could stay for a little while.”

Cord sat up in the bed. “Did you know you’re the most beautiful woman in the whole world?”