by Joyce Armor
“You have done a marvelous job with the ranch,” his mother said at one point, lifting her glass of cabernet.
He raised his mug of coffee to her, looking at her suspiciously, while tamping down the unexpected feeling of pride the comment engendered. He had long ago gotten used to her dressing rather formally for meals at the ranch, and the debutante followed suit, wearing another ruffle-laden ensemble, yellow this time. It reminded him so much of some exotic bird he had seen in a book once he half expected her to chirp. The gown even had a bustle. Another indispensable piece of ranch equipment. Abby wore a simple white blouse and long navy skirt and looked infinitely more beautiful than the dressed up Omaha ladies. Bodie always tried to come to the table relatively clean, but that was the best he could do.
“Thank you,” he said belatedly, remembering his mother’s kind words. He could take a compliment, especially since they were so few and far between from this quarter.
And then, of course, the hammer fell.
“You will make an excellent profit when you sell.”
Before Bodie could even respond, Abby could not withhold her outrage. Instantly, her head was about to detonate. What a bully. And so incredibly selfish, thinking only of what she wants and not of her son’s happiness. “That will never happen. This ranch will be our children’s proud legacy.”
Abby’s eyes were aflame, practically shooting arrows, and Bodie wanted to sweep her into his arms and never let go.
The debutante made a noise that sounded like “hmpph,” and Mrs. Glines was furiously patting her mouth with her napkin, but Bodie could still see her lips curving up in a smile.
“You do not understand these things, my dear,” Aurelia said sweetly, although her gray eyes were solid steel. Abby could see her ample bosom moving rapidly beneath her lavish silver and lace gown. She might sound calm, but she was anything but.
Abby’s eyes looked just as innocent as could be. “Oh, I believe I do, Mother. May I call you Mother?”
Bodie nearly spit out his coffee and did choke a bit, and the housekeeper started coughing furiously.
Abby continued before Aurelia had a chance to rebuff her. “I know you love your son dearly and want the best for him, which is surely for him to follow his own path like the fine, capable man he is. You’ve done a wonderful job in raising him, and now, and for many years actually, he is and has been on his own, an accomplished, intelligent man able to make his own decisions.”
Now the older woman was angry. “Bodie was meant for greater things, not to wallow in the dirt, and I won’t let you stand in his way.”
Wallow in the dirt? Now Bodie saw red. He had set his cup down by now and he suddenly slammed his hand down on the table, causing the dishes to rattle. The debutante jumped, his mother flinched, and Abby and Mrs. Glines looked on in astonishment. “That’s enough! Abby is my fiancée. You will accept that and treat her with respect, or I will be happy to drive you to the train station.”
His mother gasped, the color draining from her face, and for once he did not feel guilty. He had an even better reason now to take a stand, and by God, he would do it. Caroline looked aghast, Mrs. Glines appeared proud, and Abby smiled broadly. He suppressed an urge to roar like a lion, and just having that urge felt good. Before his mother could get her second wind, he stood. “I have work to do.” He looked at Abby. “Will you walk with me to the barn?”
She nodded, getting up a little stiffly due to her healing injuries, and clasped his hand, entwining their fingers. As they walked out of the dining room, he felt a buzzing kind of flash at the contact of their hands, his so callused and rough, hers so soft and smooth. He also suddenly felt a deep dread in the pit of his stomach. What had he done? He had just made the ultimate outcome of this whole fiasco worse. Maybe Abby would agree to go along with the ruse until his mother left. Oh, who was he kidding? He would be lucky if she didn’t clout him a good one, but he had to tell her. He absolutely had to tell her. Soon. Real soon. Okay, all right, now.
Aurelia, flabbergasted, watched the couple walk out, hand in hand. “Well, I never…”
“Maybe you should,” Mrs. Glines interrupted as she stabbed a piece of cod.
* * *
Bodie took a deep breath, looking at Abby’s beautiful auburn hair, which was twisted into a braid, bouncing on the back of her simple yet somehow elegant ensemble. He wanted to remember her just like this—fierce, happy, strong—before he lost her favor forever. He was not one to avoid a situation. He had surprised himself by waiting this long. It was just that the stakes were so high.
“Abby, I have something to say to you,” Bodie said as he closed the door behind him and they headed down the porch steps. He noticed then that the lovely skirt she wore didn’t quite fit, although to him she looked perfect, small in stature but solid, both physically and character-wise. Well, physically, she still had some healing to do.
She waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. They were nearly at the barn when she stopped and turned to him, her beautiful green eyes looking repentant. “I’m truly sorry I was rude to your mother, Bodie. She just made me so mad, belittling your dreams and accomplishments. I…”
He put up a hand, trying to stop her. She continued on, though. “…I am sure she has many fine qualities. I know she could not have raised a finer, more talented or more honorable son.”
Now he really felt guilty. He shook his head and started gently pulling her toward the barn, turning over in his head how he would confess and how he would live with her condemnation.
She limped after him. “Please don’t be angry with me.”
He stopped so suddenly that she ran into his back with an “oof.” He turned and grabbed her uncasted arm. “Abby, I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at myself.”
“But why? Are you sorry we’re engaged?”
Say it. Just say it. Instead, he pulled her to him gently and kissed her, and then suddenly it wasn’t so gentle. He was kissing her more passionately than he had ever kissed a woman, even her. And she kissed him back, just as ardently. Reluctantly, he pulled back, stared at her for a long moment and just blurted it out.
“We’re not engaged.”
She looked at him in shock, her beautiful eyes glistening with tears. It must have been a full minute before she spoke. He wanted to dig a hole and pull the dirt in after him.
“You’re…you’re jilting me?”
“No! Well, yes, but…” Lord, give me strength. She isn’t angry; she’s hurt.
He took her hands in his, holding the tips of her fingers on the casted arm. “Abby, I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. I’m not breaking our engagement because we were never engaged. I never saw you before I found you on my property. Can you ever forgive me?”
She stared at him so long his collar started to feel too tight. Then, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief she had pulled from a pocket, and with the saddest look he had ever seen, she spoke one word.
“Why?”
Before he could even answer, she put her hand to stop him. “Your mother,” she said, and he nodded, ashamed. It was so wrong of him to pull her into the complicated, painful relationship he had with his mother. Where he wanted to pull her was into his arms again, to kiss her until they both lost themselves and forgot about this mess. He was contemplating doing just that when he heard a carriage approaching.
He turned to see a large young man stop the carriage in front of the house and jump out, dust flying in all directions. Bodie could see by his dress he was an Eastern dude, and he had a bad feeling everything was about to blow up in his face even worse before he had a chance to fix it. Could this be her real fiancé? Maybe it was her husband. The man had started to step onto the veranda when he turned suddenly and spotted Abby and Bodie. He stopped and stared.
Abby felt a buzzing in her head. She started to sweat, and her breathing became labored. She did not exactly recognize the man, but for some reason she felt terrified. Bodie felt her stiffen and begin to tremble. He pu
lled her close, wrapping his arm around her, their fake engagement forgotten for the moment.
The man turned about and strode toward them. “Jenna! It’s you!” he said. “Thank God!” As he approached his sister, he could see the confused look in her eyes and could not have been happier. She didn’t remember. His luck was holding.
Abby did feel confused. And terrified for some reason. And unable to catch her breath. Bodie saw her sheer terror and tightened his grip on her.
“Take your hands off my sister,” the dude said, and Bodie seriously considered knocking his head off. Perhaps the only reason he didn’t was the relief he felt at finding out the annoying man was her brother, not her husband.
“She’s not having any visitors today. He started to propel Abby…or was it Jenna…toward the house and the angry young man followed.
“Now just a minute there. Who do you think you are?”
“I’m Bodie Farnham.”
“Huh,” the man said, as if he was lying.
Before Bodie had a chance to respond, Abby spoke up.
“He’s my fiancé.”
“What? That’s not possible,” her brother, if that’s who he was, spat out, raising his voice.
“Trouble, boss?”
Jess and Dex approached. They could look menacing when they wanted to. The “brother” wisely took a step back.
“Mister…” he looked at the man questioningly as he opened the door and pushed Abby through.
“Dunne.”
“It is obvious, Mr. Dunne, that my fiancée does not wish to speak to you. So get off my property.”
He looked at Bodie and then at the two cowhands. Bodie didn’t miss the almost evil look he gave as he watched Abby retreat.
“I’ll be back with the sheriff and see you in jail,” he almost shouted as he stormed back to the carriage.
“You do that,” Bodie said quietly, then turned to Dex. “Follow him to the cut-off and make sure he heads toward town. And thanks, boys.”
The men smiled and headed toward the barn.
* * *
“That man.”
They stood in the foyer. Abby was shaking. Bodie gently grabbed her shoulders. “I won’t let him hurt you. Is he really your brother?”
She looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears. “I don’t know, but he frightens me.” She had a flash of a cruel grin and a pistol going off and blinked several times.
“Let’s go up to your room.”
The last people he wanted to see now were his mother and her little friend, so he hastened Abby up the stairs, closing the door as he ushered her inside her bedroom. He guided her to the chair by the fireplace and poured her a glass of water from the pitcher at her bedside. She drank it slowly and seemed to gain strength from it.
“His face. When I looked at him I had a flash of him smiling as I fell off the train.”
“I don’t trust him. If you are his sister, he did not look happy to see you. He wanted to take you away from where you’re safe.”
She smiled. “Well, that’s from your viewpoint.”
He returned the smile, squeezing her hand. Maybe that was a little bit arrogant. “Point taken, my dear fiancée.”
She grinned. “I guess I cannot be angry at you for saying we’re engaged now, can I?”
“I’d say for both our benefits we should stay engaged for the time being. What do you say?”
She held her left hand up, gazing at the beloved ring. “I agree.”
She smiled and his heart melted. Then he knelt beside her, a serious look on his face. “Whether or not he is your brother, he could be the one who shot you. If that is the case, I don’t think he will bring the sheriff back. Even if he does, you do not have to go with him. I have no idea how old you are, and I don’t suppose you do either, but you surely have reached the age of majority and beyond…”
“Did you just call me old?”
He laughed as he stood. “Not by a long shot. You, my dear, are young and beautiful.”
She was basking in that compliment when she jerked suddenly.
“What?” he said, concern clearly in his voice.
“I keep getting these flashes of pictures in my head.”
Was her memory coming back? Bodie felt a moment of panic before he felt an even greater moment of guilt. Did he want her to get her memory back, even if it changed everything? He realized he did. He cared about her that much.
“Anything useful yet? Does the name Jenna Dunne sound familiar to you?”
“Yes, it does, but in an off-putting way, as if I know the name but it’s not who I am. I’m also seeing an old man. He is exceptionally well dressed. I think it’s my father. I think we were on a train, in a Pullman car. I saw the sleeping berths.”
“Your memory is coming back in bits and pieces. When it’s all there, I hope you won’t forget me.”
She looked up at him with such a tender look, his knees grew weak. “Not a chance, cowboy.”
A knock on the door broke the spell between them, and Bodie stepped back as Abby called, “Come in.”
Mrs. Glines entered with a fresh pitcher of water and a radiant expression, paying no attention to the fact that the door had been closed and two unmarried young people had been alone. “That was the best midday meal we have ever had here, and I don’t mean the food,” she said. “Abby, you are my hero. You too, Bodie. You make a great couple.” She set down the pitcher on the dressing table.
“She knows, Mrs. Glines.”
The housekeeper glanced at Abby, a look of shock on her face.
Abby smiled. “And we’ve decided to stay engaged for the time being.”
“Excellent. This is shaping up to be a wonderful week.”
Bodie shook his head. “A man was here earlier claiming to be Abby’s brother. We think he may be dangerous, even if they are related, so we need to be careful from here on out. He looked at Abby. “You stay near the house, and don’t go anywhere outside alone.”
She nodded, even though inwardly she bristled a bit. She obviously was not one who immediately buckled under authority. Good to know. She did understand that Bodie had only her best interest at heart.
To Mrs. Glines, he said, “Be on the lookout for anyone who doesn’t belong on the property. I’ll try to stay closer to home for the next few days. He turned back to Abby. “I need to get back to work. Dex should be back by now and working in the barn all day. If you need me, let him know and he’ll know how to reach me.”
And then he was gone. Abby glanced up at Mrs. Glines.
“He’s a good man,” the housekeeper said.
“I know it,” Abby responded. “I don’t believe I ever want to give the ring back.”
The older woman laughed. Who would ever have thought the week Aurelia Farnham visited could be so entertaining and filled with possibilities?
Chapter 10
Abby, who was beginning to believe she was, indeed, Jenna Dunne, sat on the veranda looking out at Bodie’s barn and the rolling hills beyond it. She felt such a peace here, one she suspected she had never known before. It was the morning after the frightening encounter with the man who said he was her brother, and she had continued to get flashes of different scenes: Central Park in New York, a fluffy white puppy, twirling in a gold ball gown, a train berth, the well-dressed old man. The bruises on her face were yellowish-purple now, the swelling almost gone. Her side barely ached when she moved, and the stitches were itchy, which she took as a healing sign.
As she rocked in the wicker chair, she thought about Bodie, how worried and guilty he had looked when he told her they were not engaged. Only an honorable man would have that reaction, but of course she already knew that about him. She could hardly chastise him for inventing the betrothal since she made the same claim of their engagement in a moment of panic. No matter what she was doing or where she was, her thoughts kept returning to the handsome rancher.
She loved so many things about him. His devotion to the land, his work ethic, his kind
heart, his sense of humor. You love just those traits? No, she suddenly realized. She loved him. How could she fall in love with him in so short a time, yet, in a moment of nearly blinding clarity, she realized she did love him. If only they were actually engaged and she were safe and knew who she was and who had tried to harm her. What if the reality was bad? Could she have done something wrong to get herself shot? Was she a bad person? She didn’t feel like a criminal, although she didn’t feel much like anything at this point. Oh, it was all so confusing.
She turned as the front door opened and was not surprised to see Aurelia Farnham. The woman was nothing if not incessant. She wore another attractive gown more fitting for a ballroom than a ranch, this one a deep indigo shade. Abby had to hand it to the woman; the gown did look lovely on her buxom figure. She did not miss the determined look in the older woman’s eyes and tried to steel herself for what was sure to come. Interestingly, it was easier to fight on Bodie’s behalf than it was to defend herself.
“Do you mind if I join you?” Aurelia inquired as she sat herself down in another of the wicker chairs.
“Of course not,” Abby smiled, although it was already a done deed.
“You seem to be recovering well.”
It was almost an accusation.
“Yes, I’m feeling much better.”
“And yet your memory has not returned?”
That sounded like a suspicion, or was she just reading dastardly intentions in every spoken word from Bodie’s mother? Abby brushed a hair off her skirt and looked Aurelia in the eye. “I’m starting to get different pictures in my mind. I think my memory is returning slowly.”