“We’ll all be ready.”
She tidied the kitchen quickly and prepared a nursing bottle. She carried Lillian upstairs and entered Tanner’s room to change the baby’s dress and pack a small bag of changing cloths and a light blanket. Two pair of black boots stood beside the bureau, a comb, brush and daguerreotype sat atop the piece of furniture.
Meriday usually cleaned this room, and Raylene had never before noticed Tanner’s personal belongings. Picking up the framed likeness of a young couple felt invasive, so she drew her hand away, but studied the image of a young man in his Union uniform and a strikingly beautiful woman in a white lace gown and veil. His sister. Lillian’s mother.
Sitting in front of her new husband, she appeared so serene and hopeful. Her whole life had been ahead of her.
Raylene’s throat constricted, and she blinked away the stinging sensation behind her eyes. Both of them were now gone, leaving a beautiful child behind. She felt Tanner’s pain anew and carried Lillian to her own room to place her on the bed. While she quickly brushed and arranged her hair, the memory of her own wedding portrait surfaced. She’d packed it, along with a few other mementos when she’d left to travel back to Winston Farms. It had been on her dressing table.
That daguerreotype, along with all of the others, as well as paintings of her family, had been destroyed in the fire. Vivian must have been carrying her wedding portrait with her to her new home.
Raylene donned a green hat with a satin sash and silk flowers, gathered the baby and the bag, and went outdoors to wait with the other ladies.
Tanner didn’t disappoint. He arrived with two handsome horses pulling a buggy. He helped Miss Cameron and Mrs. Hobbs into the rear seat and Raylene to the front beside him, then stored their refreshments and blankets. Raylene held Lillian, and he headed the team away from Twin Springs.
It was mid-afternoon and the sun was bright and warm overhead. Jackrabbits bounded across the road, and insects buzzed in the fields they passed.
“You’re not a native to this state,” Tanner pointed out. “Are you familiar with the trees and wildflowers?”
“Only a few,” she answered. “I recognize the firs and spruce. Meriday and I looked them up in Uncle Vernon’s books about Colorado.”
“There are grand fir and Douglas fir,” he pointed out. The grands grow in close stands, and the mature trees have branches only on the upper thirds.”
“I’ve seen those.”
“The very tall slender ones are lodgepole pines,” Miss Cameron pointed out from the rear seat. “The Indians used those for their lodges.”
He nodded. “They make excellent lumber for building as well.”
“What about all those shrubs that grow so thick?” Raylene asked.
“A lot of that is bitterbrush. The deer love it. Those you see with the white flowers are thimbleberry.” He turned his gaze on her.
“It’s beautiful country,” she said. “Not like home, but beautiful in a different way.”
“Hopefully we’ll see serviceberries, so I can show you what they look like. They’re a staple for the Blackfoot.”
Soon the sound of water reached them, and Tanner found a flat grassy space near the river with shade for them and the horses. He helped all the ladies down, Raylene and Lilian last. He took the baby, and Raylene spread blankets under the branches of a dense sixty-foot poplar.
Almira and Emerald strolled toward the river.
Raylene removed her hat and set it down.
Tanner reached to tuck in a long strand of her hair that had caught and fallen loose. His touch on her hair created goosebumps along her skin. She looked up at his eyes, still shaded by the brim of his hat. He smiled, removed his hat and tossed it to the blanket.
“Does she feel too warm?” Raylene asked. “We can remove her dress.”
“I think she’ll be fine if we lie her down.” He placed her on the blanket. She was awake, and kicked her arms and legs. She stared at the leaves overhead, her mouth forming a tiny ‘O.’
“She’s a beautiful child,” Raylene said softly.
He plucked at the knees of his trousers as he sat, knees bent, arms hanging over them loosely. “I’ll have a big job when she’s older, won’t I?”
Raylene gave him a questioning look.
“Fending off the young men vying for her attention,” he explained.
“Yes, probably.” She couldn’t really imagine a scenario that far in the future. “You would never make a choice like that for her though, would you?”
“Which choice?”
“The choice of a husband.”
“I’ll probably want to guide her to a suitable young man, but all that will really matter is if she’s happy.”
Raylene nodded. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
She hoped he would choose his own partner the same way. Someone who made him happy, but who would also be a good choice for Lillian.
“Will you be making an offer on that land soon?”
He nodded. “William Rumford has sold all the cattle he intended to. I have a meeting with him next week to discuss the remaining stock and negotiate a price.”
She wished she hadn’t asked. The probability of him and Lillian leaving had now become real. Uncomfortably real. “Is there a house?”
“Yes, but I’ve only seen it from the outside. It’s small, but I plan to build a larger one as soon as possible.”
Of course. Whomever he chose to marry and take to a ranch with him would want a nice home. She tore her gaze from the branches swaying over the river to look at him. Nothing had ever felt as right as the kiss they’d shared on the back-porch stairs. Nothing had ever made her want something she couldn’t explain or imagine. Nothing had ever made her as sad or as disappointed in herself. Tanner was planning to buy a ranch and go raise horses. Her time was slipping away. If she wanted to be kissed, she’d better grab her chance before he was gone.
He caught her looking at him, and her face warmed. Her heart beat a little faster. She imagined scooting so close that her shoulder pressed against his, close enough that she could touch his cheek again. Her fingers tingled at the memory of his freshly-shaven jaw. At the memory of his lips on hers, the sweet sensations were fresh in her mind. Acutely aware of her sensory reactions, she imagined the freedom of leaning over and kissing him. If he leaned toward her a mere fraction of an inch, she’d likely faint.
Raylene gathered her errant thoughts. “I think I’ll walk along the river.”
“I’ve invited Mr. Holden to supper today,” Raylene told everyone at breakfast the next morning. “It’s our civic duty to support the local schoolteacher.”
“As a single man, I would wager he receives invitations regularly,” Almira said with a twinkle in her eye. She raised her eyebrows at Raylene.
“I invited him because he’s the teacher,” she said quickly. “Not because I have any romantic notions.”
“He’s hardly a catch,” Emerald said in a sardonic tone.
“You’ve never liked the man because he replaced you,” Almira said. “The school board practically dragged you down the stairs to get you out of there.”
The two women had known each other for many years, and for the most part they got along well and kept each other company, but occasionally they bickered. Today was one of those days. Later in the day as they sat on the porch, their voices raised in a discussion about who had been present at a town council meeting on a day twenty years previous. Apparently, Almira was still peeved over a vote.
By supper, their quarrel was over, and though it was mid-week, they both dressed in their Sunday finery for their guest.
“A homecooked meal during the week is a treat,” the schoolteacher said.
Mr. Holden was a tall, lanky fellow, with fair hair meticulously slicked down from a rigid part. The balloon sleeves of his brown woven-fabric suit had been fashionable almost a decade ago, and Raylene felt bad about noticing and worse about comparing his dress to the walnut-colored vest
Mr. Bell wore over a stylish white wing-tip shirt that required no tie.
“I’d imagine you get quite a few invitations,” Raylene said.
“A few,” he replied.
Emerald inquired about curriculum, and they discussed the perfectly good blue-backed spelling book by Noah Wester. “It’s taught children for over eighty years. I see no reason to change something that’s working so well,” Emerald said.
“I am pleased with the new Spencerian Key to Practical Penmanship, however,” Mr. Holden said. “This method of penmanship is easier to teach and the uniformity is easy on the eyes. It’s still a challenge for me to use it, but the students now learning to write are doing quite well.”
“That’s the book his sons published after his death, isn’t it?” Raylene asked. “Do you think I might borrow a copy, so I can create a key? Unfortunately, I’ll have to write out all the letters. We’re missing the luxury of a blackboard.”
“I have a few extra copies you may have,” Mr. Holden said. “In fact, our McGuffey readers were replaced with a newer version, and the school board has a crate of the previous edition. If your students could use them, I’ll request we give them to the Willow Creek School.”
Her heart lifted with appreciation. “That’s very kind of you. It would be so helpful if all of the students in a same grade level had the same readers. Helpful to those of us who are teaching, for certain. Most of these children, even the older ones, are learning to read. There are two exceptional readers, however, and they’re a benefit to all.”
Ever since he’d been a tenant at the boarding house, Tanner had dressed for dinner, and this evening he looked exceptionally handsome. He entertained their guest on the veranda while Raylene and Meriday made quick work of the dishes and prepared coffee. It was nearly dark as they sipped their coffee, and Mr. Holden thanked the women and took his leave.
It was a warm summer evening, a breeze rustling the cottonwoods along the property line. Tanner sat with Lillian on his lap, while Raylene leaned against a balustrade. Meriday had gone inside.
“It was nice of Mr. Holden to offer their used books,” Tanner said.
“Yes, it was.” Raylene set down her cup on the porch railing and glanced over the darkened yard. “We actually need several for the various grade levels, however. They’re ten cents each from the catalog at the mercantile. I’ve been buying one every other week. But we have new students all the time. I’m concerned now about outgrowing the church. The space is inadequate. The children should have desks, and the teachers need blackboards and supplies.”
“How many students do you have now?”
“Twenty-four. In all practicality, if attendance continues to grow like this, we’ll need a new plan.”
“Maybe there’s something more we can do,” he said.
“Without the school board or the city council’s help, I don’t know what. I’ve written them collectively and individually to no avail.”
He stood with the baby in one arm and joined her. “You’re doing the very best you can,” he told her in a sincere tone.
She touched the sleeping baby’s silken cheek with the back of her finger. “As are you.”
His smile in the bright moonlight spawned a shiver along her spine. She remembered her thoughts about kissing him while she still could. What was the harm? Taking a step closer, her midriff came up against the arm that held Lillian. She reached up to touch his jaw. Not silky-smooth like Lillian’s. Warm. Firm. When she slid her fingertips back and forth, his day’s growth of whiskers rasped against her skin. Her ready response to the sensation was an intake of breath and an increase in her heart rate.
The remembered pleasure of his kiss was a promise she’d made herself. A harmless gift to unwrap from her memories when he was gone from her life. When she saw the others with their husbands and their children, she would remember she’d been well kissed.
“Will you kiss me, Mr. Bell?”
Chapter Eleven
Without hesitation, he wrapped his free arm around her and drew her close. She met his lips, expecting, yet still unprepared for the heady pleasure this intimacy ignited. It was natural to meld her lips against his, lean into his heat and simply enjoy. Moments of abandon were something new and fragile—so fragile she had to remind herself to breathe. She molded her mouth to his, learning what she’d missed out on and discovering what she wanted.
He splayed his hand at the base of her spine, and she leaned into him, as though to meld and lose herself. She broke the overwhelming kiss to frame his jaw with both hands and press her cheek to his. She needed to feel his warmth, absorb his goodness. Burying her face against his neck, she learned his unique scent…starch and something woodsy he used after shaving. Her delight was so sharp that tears stung behind her eyes, and she pressed them tightly closed. She wanted this to last.
He moved his palm along the fabric of her dress, his touch against her lower back unfurling heat through her clothing. She inched away barely enough to meet his eyes. She couldn’t see them clearly in the semi-darkness, but she remembered their uniqueness and the way she’d occasionally spotted him watching her. She never sensed criticism or disappointment in his gaze. And now she sensed more than saw appreciation…and something more.
He reciprocated her desire to test these titillating feelings, she was nearly sure of it. Her husband had never looked at her like this, never kissed her in this way, never burned through her clothing with a single touch.
He ended her hesitation by pressing his lips to hers and effortlessly stealing her breath. His lips were firm and warm, and he slanted his head to deepen the sweet bond. She hadn’t known she’d wanted that, hadn’t known the kiss could be improved upon, but seemingly she had much to learn. What she experienced now was a new happiness. But at the same time this heady sense of awareness and appreciation bloomed, practicality tempered it.
Movement against her breast distracted them both as Lillian stretched, and they moved a several inches apart, breaking the kiss.
Tanner smiled.
Raylene didn’t know whether she wanted to laugh or cry, but she managed a smile.
“I’d better prepare a bottle.” He removed his hand from her back, leaving an empty ache where heat had been.
She took a full step back, came against the porch railing, and steadied herself. She was grateful, that was all. He’d awakened something she hadn’t known was in her. She hadn’t known a kiss like that existed. How naive she’d been. She been abruptly awakened to strong feelings she hadn’t known were possible. Perhaps she’d been impulsive. Maybe….
Maybe, but she didn’t regret that kiss for one minute.
Tanner met William Rumford at the Twin Springs Liberty Bank and negotiated a contract for land and stock. Upon signing a bill of sale and transferring money from his account, Tanner received maps and papers on water rights. The Rumfords had until the end of the month to remove their personal possessions.
The bank manager took a bottle of whiskey from a cabinet and poured each of them a squat glass of the amber liquid for a toast. Tanner finished his off in two swallows, and the resulting burn took the edge off his nerves. He’d just invested a good portion of his life’s earnings and still had to buy horses. He’d spoken with Samuel and John Jay. Both were willing to work the livery. He still had no idea how he was going to navigate setting up a home for his niece…or who was going to care for her.
After experiencing her kisses, his plans would be a lot simpler if his landlady was as eager for a husband as the other women in town. She’d made her lack of interest very plain when she’d told everyone that she had no intention of taking Russell Warner as a husband. She was vehement about not forfeiting ownership of her boarding house. And he couldn’t blame her. She’d shared enough of her story for him to appreciate that she and Meriday had suffered not only to live, but to get to Colorado and set up a business to support themselves.
But those kisses….
She was a lady. A strong-willed—somet
imes irritating—but lovely young lady. She might be all about maintaining appearances, but her fortitude set her apart from every last one of the other available females.
Marrying her wasn’t an option.
Marrying one of the others wasn’t appealing.
He had to make a decision.
After shaking hands with the other two men, Tanner left and rode Solomon along Golden Street. As the boardinghouse came into view, he thought of how the people living there had helped him in so many ways. They felt like a family.
Approaching, he waved to Mrs. Hobbs and Miss Cameron on the shady front porch. He tied the horse and took the stairs two at a time.
He found Raylene in the garden, her blond tresses stuffed under a straw hat, Lillian tied in the wrap around her torso. With gloved hands, she wielded a hoe as though those weeds were personal insults on her sensibilities.
“That must strain your back after a while,” he said.
She startled and twirled to face him. Wiping the back of her glove across her cheek left a mud trail in the perspiration. “She’s not heavy.”
Her eyes were brighter blue than the sunny sky framing her hat. Her face was pink from sun and exertion. “Can I take that and relieve you a spell?”
“You’re wearing good clothes.”
“I came home to change.”
He heard the word as soon as it left his mouth, and apparently, she did too. Her gaze dropped to his lips. He smiled. It felt like home here.
“I’m almost finished,” she said.
“All right,” he conceded. “But don’t prepare supper. We’re going out this evening.” He gestured toward the house. “All of us. To celebrate.”
“Did you buy the land?”
“It’s mine. Silver Spur Ranch.”
“That’s what you named it?”
“Like it?”
She nodded. “I do.”
“I’ll let the ladies out front know about dinner. Will you ask Meriday, please? I’ll be inviting John Jay, along with Samuel and his wife.”
Tanner (Bachelors and Babies Book 14) Page 12