Mountain Jewel

by Tracey Lyons

  She sighed in exasperation. Could it be possible that she did find the man attractive? Hannah shook her head as if to clear away the cobwebs. She couldn’t forget that, even though they shared a common bond having survived the loss of their parents, they were still at odds over the garnet mine.

  “Perhaps I think that everyone I love so dearly should be as blissfully happy as Stephen and I are.” Reaching across the table, Julia patted her hand. “I think you should give some thought to the possibility of becoming closer to Chase.”

  “Julia, right now that man and I are on opposite sides. We don’t want the same things from life.” A frown creased her brow. “I just don’t know if he could ever come to love these mountains the way I do.” Hannah leaned her elbows on the table, resting her chin on the palms of her hands. “He seems to care more about doing his job then about the people he’s hurting.”

  “Give him time, Hannah.”

  Rolling her eyes heavenward, Hannah snorted in a very unladylike fashion. “Since when did you become such a wise old sage?”

  “Oh, I’ve always been the wise one, Hannah, you’ve just never sat still long enough to notice before.” Julia shrieked with laughter.

  Her friend’s laughter was contagious and within seconds the two of them were doubled over in convulsions of mirth. Trying to catch her breath, she squealed, “Oh, we really must stop this!”

  “It’s not very ladylike at all, is it?” Julia gasped for breath.

  Hannah swept her hair back from her face. “No, but it feels wonderful. Thank you, Julia.”

  “For what?” Julia cocked her blond head to one side, the laughter still lingering in her eyes.

  “For making me feel better.” It had felt so good to laugh again. It seemed as if it had been days since she’d even felt like smiling, let alone laughing with such gay abandon. It made her want to be out in the spring air. “Let’s go for a walk.”

  They rose from the table. “That sounds like a great idea to me.” She followed Hannah down the porch steps to the stone path that led to the main street.

  The two women strolled arm-in-arm along the planked walkway edging the road that cut through the center of town. Hannah had to admit that she quite enjoyed the admiring glances being cast her way. It must come as quite a surprise to her neighbors to see her dressed in long skirts once again.

  The open stares being directed at them were not lost on Julia, either. “My dear, Hannah, I do believe that you are creating quite a stir in our small town today.”

  “Let them drink their fill, because I won’t be seen like this again for a long time.” She smiled wickedly at Julia as a warm breeze carried the scents of spring.

  They walked along in silence for several minutes and then Julia pulled Hannah to a stop. “Don’t look now, but isn’t that Chase riding into town?” Julia pointed in the direction of the livery.

  He sat tall in the saddle as if he’d been born to ride. Even from this distance he cut a handsome figure with his felt hat tipped back on his head and his long blue shirtsleeves rolled up above the elbow. She watched from the shade of a maple tree as he swung a firm-muscled leg over the pommel of the saddle, gracefully dismounting the magnificent Appaloosa.

  She felt herself blush from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair when he turned and tipped his hat to her.

  Julia stood silently at Hannah’s side. Hannah looked over at her and saw the glint in her friend’s eyes. She was up to something.

  She was even more convinced of this when Julia suggested, “Let’s go visit my mother.”

  She allowed herself to be led by the elbow down the dusty street and into the musty-smelling general store. A cream-colored poster, advertising the annual summer dance, hung on the inside of the windowpane alongside of the front door.

  Mabel Curtis was just finishing up with Mrs. Holden as they entered the shop.

  “Your lilacs are lovely this year,” Hannah commented as the small rotund woman came toward them.

  “Why thank you, Hannah. They are the lushest they’ve ever been. I think it’s because we’ve experienced such a perfect spring.”

  “I suppose,” she replied absently, thinking how her spring had been changed by Chase Malone.

  “Have a good day, ladies,” the stout woman called over her shoulder as she left the shop.

  Hannah made her way over to the low counter where Julia and her mother had their heads together, talking in low voices. “…I’ll ask her myself, Mother.”

  “Ask me what?” Hannah’s eyebrows rose in suspicion.

  “Are you planning on attending the dance?” Julia’s eyes were lit up in unconcealed excitement.

  She turned and glanced back at the poster in the window. “I haven’t given it much thought.” She hoped Julia would be so kind as to not point out her lack of dancing skills.

  She turned to look at Julia and Mrs. Curtis. From the anxious looks on the faces of both mother and daughter, it was clear the two of them were hoping Hannah would give in and attend the dance. The expression on their faces froze as a shadow fell across the floor.

  “I’d lay odds that an evening among neighbors and friends would be quite enjoyable.” Chase had entered the shop, apparently overhearing the conversation among the three women. “And might I add that you look mighty pretty today, Hannah.”

  She didn’t miss the glance that passed between Julia and her mother. The two appeared quite pleased that Chase had happened by—and that he’d used her proper name. She shot Julia a look of her own and, nibbling on her lower lip, turned to face him.

  If he’d looked handsome when she’d watched him at the stable, Chase Malone looked even better close up. Trying to keep her voice from showing the nervousness that raced through her, she said, “Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Malone.”

  His gaze swept over her like a wild fire. “Well, now, I was just speaking the truth. And I thought we’d agreed to call each other by our given names.”

  “So we did.”

  “I’m glad to see you made it off your mountain in one piece.”

  Her stomach fluttered. “Yes. It was a lovely day for a ride in the woods.” Her composure was almost lost as a soft summer breeze carried the scent of him across the room. He smelled like a mixture of soap and leather. Her resolve softened. It was hard to be at odds with a man as charming as he.

  “We were just discussing the dance next week. The McClearys are going to be hosting it this year.” She blurted out the statement.

  Coming around from behind the counter to stand next to her, Julia asked, “Will you be joining us for the festivities, Mr. Malone?”

  “I hadn’t really given it much thought. A night out with friends would be enjoyable.” Chase smiled at Julia, and then glanced back at Hannah.

  “Good, good.” Julia put her arm around Hannah’s waist, pulling her closer.

  Hannah tensed; could Julia feel the rapid beat of her pulse?

  “Looks like we’ll be seeing each other next week.” He held her gaze for several moments, then with a tip of his hat, turned and left the store.

  He hadn’t even cleared the doorway when Julia whispered, “I think this will be the best dance we’ve ever attended!”

  Hannah’s mind was already racing ahead to the evening of the dance. How could she have been so silly? What had possessed her to open her mouth and mention the dance to him? What would he say when he discovered the truth? She couldn’t dance.

  Chapter Seven

  Hannah’s toe tapped out the lively beat of the music floating from Joe McCleary’s fiddle. As she looked around the McClearys’ barn she was amazed at how a good sweeping with a stiff broom, and some daisies and black-eyed Susans placed in containers around the corners of the spacious floor, could transform an old barn into a colorful dance hall. The smell of hay mingling with the faint scent of the freshly baked pies soothed her jittery nerves. It had been a long time since she’d been to a dance.

  She ran her hands down the front of her gown
, and adjusted the folds of the satin skirt for what must have been the hundredth time. Ever since speaking to Chase at the mercantile her nerves had been on edge. What had possessed her to mention the dance to him? Every waking moment of the past week she’d wavered in indecision. First, whether or not she was even going to attend the annual event; finally having made the decision to come, she wavered between wearing the gray cotton dress or her blue silk.

  Much to her grandmother’s delight she’d finally settled on the blue silk.

  Julia wandered over behind her. “Are you going to dance tonight?”

  Hannah spun about and smiled at her friend. “Not tonight.”

  “I find it hard to believe that in all the time you were at school, you never even had one dance.”

  “I managed to escape the clutches of my partner every time,” Hannah joked. She couldn’t help herself. She’d never quite learned how to dance, and had decided a long time ago that it didn’t matter. It wasn’t important. Other people danced, not her.

  She watched as her grandparents finished the last steps of the quadrille. It was wonderful the way they never seemed to miss a step. She sighed. If only she had inherited their style and ability.

  Poking her elbow into Hannah’s ribs, Julia whispered, “Look, here he comes!”

  She winced and rubbed her side.

  “I think he’s going to ask you to dance.”

  “Hush, Julia!” Her heart pounded. What if he did ask her for the next dance? What was she going to do? Say no. Pure and simple. She couldn’t dance with him because she didn’t know how. Every time Julia had tried to teach her, even the simplest of steps, it felt as if she’d had two left feet.

  Chase bowed slightly at the waist. “Good evening, Miss Curtis, Hannah.”

  Julia acknowledged him first. “Mr. Malone, it’s a pleasure to see you again. I hope you’re enjoying the festivities.”

  “I would enjoy them more if one of you lovely ladies would give me the honor of the next dance.”

  “I apologize, Mr. Malone, but I must decline your offer. I’ve promised all my dances to Stephen, and here he comes now.”

  Hannah smiled stiffly at her departing friend and avoided meeting his gaze. She studied his polished shoes and gray pants. Her gaze drifted to his freshly laundered white shirt. She looked everywhere except into those dark eyes. She had a feeling that his eyes would see into her very soul.

  “I guess that leaves just you and me. Shall we?” Chase smiled as he offered Hannah his arm.

  “I…” She tried speaking, but it was becoming harder to focus her jumbled thoughts. The last thing she wanted was to cause a scene in front of her neighbors. But, how could she go out there in the middle of the dance floor with Chase Malone of all people? He saw her reluctance. “You’ll do me the pleasure of just one dance, won’t you?” he coaxed, extending his hand to her.

  It was difficult to resist his charm, but she couldn’t go out there and risk embarrassing him in front of the entire town. Hannah dared to look into his gray eyes having summoned the courage to decline his offer. Then just as her mouth formed the word no Julia and Stephen glided passed them, moving as one to the strains of a graceful waltz. She’d have to be blind to miss the way Julia motioned for her and Chase to join the others.

  There was only one way out of her predicament. She accepted his offer and moments later found herself encircled in his arms. Her heart pounded furiously and the blood rushing from her head hummed in her ears. She could barely hear the music. All Hannah could think about was moving her feet in the rhythmic one-two-three steps she remembered from her childhood days.

  She missed a step and was knocked off balance. She grabbed hold of Chase’s sleeve in an attempt to steady herself, then stumbled clumsily along as she tried to catch up to the tempo of the music. Flushed in embarrassment from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair, she caught her lower lip between her teeth.

  Her palms began to sweat, and she was tempted to rub her hands down the sides of her skirt to dry them off. If Chase noticed her discomfort he was kind enough not to comment on it. His right hand rested lightly on her waist and she tried not to think about how close their bodies had become in the last few minutes.

  Slowly he pulled her closer to him. She smelled the lingering scent of the soap he had bathed with and the newness of his black evening coat.

  Her stomach fluttered as if scores of butterflies had taken flight. She was held captive in his arms as he spun her about the barn floor. She couldn’t explain the feelings that this man evoked in her. One moment she wanted to fling him off the mountainside and the next…well, the next moment she wished he would hold her like this. Hesitant to admit it, even if only to herself, she was growing more and more attracted to the one man she’d very much like to hate.

  Images of bright yellow flowers and smiling faces whirled passed as they continued around the dance floor.

  “Hannah, relax.” His voice was reassuring in her ear.

  She dared to sneak a fleeting look at his face, wondering if he’d read her thoughts. The first thing she noticed was that he hadn’t used hair tonic tonight. His dark hair, though worked through with a brush, she was certain, nevertheless had that tousled look. She liked the way the dark locks curled over the top of his shirt collar.

  For the next several beats Hannah concentrated on breathing and keeping her feet from stepping on her partner’s toes, rather than how good it felt to be dancing in his arms. Then it happened again—she stumbled. Only this time if Chase hadn’t caught her she would have found herself sitting on the floor. Her face burned with embarrassment.

  “Hannah, listen to me. You follow my lead, one-two-three, one-two-three. See, it’s really quite simple once you get the gist of it.”

  She braved a smile. “I apologize for not warning you about my lack of prowess on the dance floor. I’m afraid I was a very poor student.”

  Leaning closer to her, he spoke softly against her ear. “Perhaps it was due to the fact that you had the wrong teacher.” She had to admit it was much nicer dancing in the arms of a man than it was having Julia as her partner. She relaxed, concentrating on following the flow of the music.

  She looked up at him and caught him smiling back at her. “Do you like dancing, Hannah?”

  What a silly question for him to have asked her. He must realize by now that she had never danced in the arms of a man before. He was just being polite. If Hannah were to admit it, though, she’d have to say “yes,” she enjoyed dancing with him very much. Too much.

  “I could learn to enjoy it.” She spoke the words softly, trying to sound nonchalant.

  There was a decidedly mischievous glint in his gray-blue eyes. The corners of his eyelids crinkled when he smiled. He had wonderful eyes, she thought. She smiled shyly back at him, then stumbled once more. Concentrate on the one-two-three, she told herself over and over. Don’t think about how wonderful it feels to be in Chase’s arms. Desperately she tried not to be so aware of the heat of his body beneath the smooth fabric of his evening coat. A shiver ran down her spine as he dared to pull them yet closer together. Her heart pounded so hard she thought her chest might explode!

  “One-two-three, honey. Just count it out in your head.”

  His breath was warm on her face as he repeated the instructions to her. It seemed just as she finally learned the steps the music stopped leaving them stranded in the middle of the dance floor.

  Reluctantly, she allowed him to lead her over to the punch table. The dance had ended all too soon.

  “You two looked wonderful out there!” Julia spoke in breathy tones, exerted from the set she and Stephen just danced.

  Hannah beamed. “Thank you.”

  “Stephen, nice to see you again.” Chase held his hand out to the tall, thin man who stood at Julia’s side.

  Hannah was never quite sure if one could call Stephen handsome or not. Compared to Chase he certainly wasn’t, but on his own she supposed his looks were passable. He had a long
thin nose that sort of matched the rest of his body. His light brown hair was always combed into place with a layer of tonic, and he sported long sideburns with a bushy mustache. Hannah realized after watching the way Julia beamed up at her intended that it didn’t matter what she thought of the man. He was kind and good to her best friend.

  Gratefully, she accepted the cup of punch Chase had retrieved off one of four long tables that stretched end to end along the back wall of the barn. She hadn’t realized how thirsty one could become after a turn around the dance floor.

  “Shall we?”

  She looked up in surprise as Chase caught her elbow in the palm of his hand and gently guided her through the double barn doors.

  Several lanterns hung from the sides of the barn spilling their light into the McClearys’ yard. “I hope you don’t mind coming outside, but I need some fresh air.”

  “It’s a lovely evening for a walk.”

  They strolled along the well-trodden pathway that led away from the party. Her blue skirt brushed along the haphazard rows of flowers that spilled over onto the path. In the dim moonlight she made out the delicate white petals of the daisies and the lacy cream-colored heads of the Queen Anne’s lace, so aptly named. If she were inclined to be more of a romantic, she’d say that this evening was filled with magic. The warm summer breeze carried the sounds of peepers mixed with the soft strains of the fiddler’s music.

  Within minutes they had come to the end of the path. If they’d taken several more steps, they would have ended up in the stream that gurgled over slippery rocks into the night. She left Chase’s side and strolled across the grassy knoll to sit on the wooden bench that sat nestled under the arms of the weeping willow tree. Even though he hadn’t spoken she knew he’d followed her away from the stream. His presence filled the night.

  “Do you mind if I smoke?”

  Hannah shook her head. She sat on the bench arranging her skirts around her ankles as Chase reached inside his jacket and took out a long, thin tapered cigar.

  She watched mesmerized by the flame of the match. For a moment his features were clearly outlined by the light. The set of his jaw reminded her of how angry he’d become when he discovered she’d tried to talk Sallie McCleary into going against him and Tyler Mining.