He sat straighter and folded his arms. “You think that’s her problem? That she doesn’t know them?” He snorted. “Her problem is that she’s too good for them.”
Frankie pursed her lips in a straight line, as if to keep from laughing. Mark guessed that she was trying to help Addie, but at the same time, understood how he felt.
She cleared her throat. “I think this move has been hard on her. I mean, everything is just so different for her. We all have to keep being friendly and. . .and. . .I really think you ought to ask her. Now,” she smiled.
Mark dared a glance in Addie’s direction. Dressed in a dark lavender silk, she was sitting primly on one of the wooden benches, her hands folded neatly on her lap. For once, her beauty did not influence his thoughts.
He folded his arms and looked at his sister-in-law. “Mrs. Hamilton is sitting next to her. Maybe I should ask her to dance, instead. She looks lonely. I don‘t think anyone has danced with her all night.”
Frankie flashed a smile. “I don’t think you’re her type. She wouldn’t enjoy dancing with you.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You seem awfully sweet about her. I thought you didn’t like her much.”
She shook her head and glanced in Mrs. Hamilton‘s direction. “We’ve made our peace. I just haven’t talked about it. I didn’t want to embarrass her. It took me the longest time to forgive her for going through some of my personal things back when I was living with my uncle. I mean, if I‘d spoken to her right away about it, I probably would have just said a lot of things I‘d have to take back.”
Mark nodded. Frankie’s reddish hair was a good indicator of her temper, but she usually kept it under control.
Frankie glanced in the woman’s direction again. “The first time was more than annoying, since she tore my mother‘s magazine that I had saved; but when I finally did talk to her, she confessed that she tore the picture out to have a dress made like it for herself. You see,” she lowered her voice and leaned close to Mark, “she had been writing an older gentleman in Nebraska. They were going to be married.”
He snorted. Only Frankie would fall for a story like that. She was just too trusting. “Somebody was going to marry her? You believe that?” On second thought, if the man was in Nebraska, it was possible. After all, he’d never met the sour old woman.
“Now you stop that,” she scolded. “He wrote and said he found someone else nearer to his home. It about broke her heart. I didn’t want to mention any of the incident to Uncle Wally because I knew she needed the job. She’s just lonesome and needs somebody to care about her, that’s all.” She turned and gave a pointed look to Mark. “And you needn’t worry about her having someone to dance with. I believe she’s taken.“
Mark turned and his jaw dropped. “Is that your uncle asking her to dance?“ It sure looked like Wally Stoner. The man must be more lonely than anyone had guessed.
Frankie grinned. “Yes, it is. And you’ll notice she’s not wearing black anymore. I think Mrs. Hamilton is getting along just fine without you. So why don’t you go on over and ask Addie for the next dance?”
Mark stood and swallowed hard. Women. Why couldn’t they mind their own business?
Halfway across the barn, he watched another man approach Addie. Adam Zimmer. As of last year, he had become the owner of the Silver Ridge Ranch that bordered Fleming’s property. He was someone Mark knew more by reputation than sight, since the man was rarely at home – there had been a lot of talk around town that said that he spent most weekends in San Antonio in the saloons and gambling houses.
Loathe to put much stock in gossip, Mark had ignored most of that speculation until he’d met up with the man one weekend in the city, where evidence that Zimmer had been drinking was as obvious as was the occupation of the woman on his arm.
And now he was asking to dance with Adeline Fleming.
Mark stared. It was hard to admit, but Zimmer was a handsome fellow compared to the plain farmers in Chance. His coal black hair and fancy suits would turn a lot of women’s heads. No doubt, a lot of the young women hoped to dance with him and possibly win his heart. Some females were always so sure they could change a man, even one given to drinking or gambling, he thought, with a shake of his head. They refused to acknowledge that bad habits sometimes ruled a man‘s heart more completely than love.
Mark swallowed hard and kept moving in Addie’s direction. She had spurned at least three offers to dance. Zimmer would be the fourth. He stopped as his heart plunged. Zimmer’s hand was in hers. She was nodding, accepting.
And from her expression, she was very pleased. Even from this distance, it was plain that her conversation with him was of an intimate nature, as if they knew each other. But how could she possibly know a man like Zimmer?
In a moment, she was in the rancher’s arms and they were off across the floor as the waltz began. Mark leaned against the nearest barn post and sighed. Her father would not be happy when he realized the kind of man she seemed eager to spend time with, he reflected, even if that man possessed more money than a humble rancher like himself.
He turned and saw Frankie making her way to the refreshment table. She stopped long enough to give him a frown, then shook her head and continued on. Determination welled within his chest. He would be Addie’s next dance partner, even if it took prying her from Zimmer’s embrace.
Chapter 27
Addie pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth to keep her smile from being too exuberant. It seemed too good to be true, Adam being here in Chance. The memory of the evening on the ship was all she ever hoped to have of the dark-haired dancing companion who kissed her long before Mark Murphy had done so.
Maybe that would change now. Now that she was meeting him as a true equal, instead of a third-class passenger shamefully sneaking into an elegant room. Thoughts of a certain rancher’s impulsive nature might be banished altogether by a more promising encounter between herself and Adam.
“It’s good to be back in your arms,” he whispered in her ear as he stepped nearer to her.
He pulled her close, his cheek melding into hers. She shut her eyes. The scent of his aftershave was pleasant after the smell of sweat and manure from so many of the dancers tonight. The odor from the last young man she had danced with had convinced her the fellow had smeared bear grease on his hair.
But Adam was no farm boy. His hand on her back pulled her even closer and sent a shower of warm shivers down her back.
“Yes,” she managed.
“I’ve thought of you often,” he continued, his breath soft and warm in her ear.
“I’m. . .I’m glad to know it.” She could never explain to him how many times aboard the ship she’d held his handkerchief in her hands and lived the memory of the party. The moments spent with him that evening had almost made up for the life she had been forced to give up. And now that he was back, this moment would erase all the heartache and frustration that had been waiting for her onshore in Texas.
***
The long dance between Addie and Zimmer finally ended, along with the growing anger swelled in Mark’s chest the whole time. Zimmer was a rotten excuse for a man. He had no business spending his time with an innocent woman, like Adeline Fleming. And it was obvious that Addie, in her ignorance, was enjoying his company.
She had her arm twined through his as they left the dancing area and headed for the table with punch and sandwiches. Their heads were practically touching as they appeared to share an amusing thought, both laughing.
Mark straightened his shoulders and headed for the table. If nothing else, he could do with something to drink. And it would be a good opportunity to speak with Addie.
He approached from her side and nodded to both of them. “Evening.”
Zimmer nodded and avoided his eyes, turning his attention to accepting a cup of punch. A twinge of disgust pushed through Mark. The man couldn’t even look him in the eye. Was it shame for the encounter in San Antonio? Not that he expected a man like Zimmer to have even notice
d an unimportant neighbor like himself there – or anywhere else, for that matter.
Addie’s hand clutched Zimmer’s arm and she smiled. “Hello, Mark. How are you this evening?”
She looked so pretty. So fine. Like a china doll kept perfect in a store window. Tonight was the first he had seen her in lavender. It suited her. No wonder Zimmer was attracted to her. He swallowed hard. “I’m doing all right. Are you enjoying the dance?”
A rose flush bloomed in her cheeks as she nodded and glanced at Zimmer. “Very much.”
Mark gave a short nod and refused to speak the words that flew to his tongue. There had to be something he could do about the situation. While an appealing option, such as punching Adam Zimmer in the nose, would not accomplish much, it might snuff out the burning anger in his gut. But it would only encourage Addie to have more sympathy for the man.
He cleared his throat. “I see you’ve met Mr. Zimmer.”
An amused expression crossed her face. “As a matter of fact, Adam and I have met before.”
Before? Zimmer was hardly in the same class with Addie. How could she know a man like him?
The rancher gave a short laugh and patted her hand. He glanced at Mark “That’s right. Addie and I sailed together early last spring when she first came to our fair shore.”
Mark’s brow furrowed. Zimmer in third class? That seemed unlikely.
“Aren’t you dancing tonight?” Addie asked him, rather hurriedly, as if she wanted to avoid any more conversation about Zimmer.
She looked a little flustered, so he took a chance. “Are you asking?” Too bold, he knew.
This time Zimmer turned and faced him, lowering his eyelids as their eyes met. A slow smile crossed his thin lips. “Can’t you see she’s taken for the rest of the evening, Murphy?”
“Come on, Adam,” Addie pulled on his arm. “I want you to meet father.”
Mark clamped his jaw down hard. The urge to put his fist through that handsome face was even stronger. But he would resist. Tonight.
“Excuse me,” a voice spoke beside him.
Mark turned to face George Houseman. Surely he wasn’t tired of Daisy already? His eyes scanned the barn. There she was, over near the one of the seating areas, deep in conversation with her younger sister. “Hello, George.”
George’s tanned face darkened with a red hue. “Uh, Mark. . .it’s about Daisy.”
Mark’s optimism fell. The boy was tired of her. And he had had such hopes that the young man was sweet on her.
George cleared his throat. “You see. . .I know you’re supposed to be her escort tonight, but. . .uh. . .well, the truth is that I was going to ask her to the dance and. . .well, you just sort of beat me to it. And. . .I know that’s not an excuse, but. . . .”
Mark smiled as relief washed over him. “I understand. I mean, the truth is, Daisy and I are only friends, George. If the two of you. . .”
George’s blue eyes widened. “You mean that. It’s alright with you if we. . .if I take her home?“
Mark laughed and slapped him on the shoulders. “It’s fine. You two go have a good evening.
He took a sip of his punch. So that settled the Daisy problem. Imagine George being so crazy about her. Well, Aunt Della said there was someone for everyone. Except for him. He sighed. His heart kept insisting that there was someone for him. But it wasn’t so. Because she just walked away on another man’s arm.
His eyes searched the room until he found them. They were standing beside Samson Fleming’s invalid chair. The two men seemed in friendly conversation. Samson, nodded, reached his hand to Zimmer and they shook.
Mark narrowed his eyes as the Fleming’s nurse began to turn the chair, Addie, one hand waving at her father, the other tucked inside of Zimmer’s arm.
Mark stood straighter. Fleming was leaving the dance? Leaving Addie with Zimmer?
Everything inside of him screamed to go stop the elderly father. Tell him the truth about the man he was allowing his daughter to stay with, unchaperoned. But Fleming was a stubborn man. He would only put Mark’s concern down as jealousy, especially after refusing to take money for the riding lessons. And maybe that was part of the truth. But his conscience couldn’t let it go.
Zimmer was no man for a well-brought-up young woman. And just about everybody else in the room guessed that no amount of wealth or land could make up for the man’s character, except for Samuel Fleming, who was probably scarcely aware of Zimmer’s personal life.
No amount of talking would convince Samson Fleming of it now. Mark sighed and set his cup on the table. He would just have to make sure that Zimmer delivered her home safely.
Chapter 28
A shiver of excitement ran though Addie as Adam seated himself so close to her in his buggy. At last she was with someone more her social equal. Maybe that meeting on the ship was meant to be. Adam was not only handsome and well dressed, he also had the cultivated manners that she was so used to from guests at Long Meadows. Not a bit of cowboy in him.
For the first moment since arriving in Texas, she felt a spark of hope for her future. A man like Adam would be nothing like her father the controlling tyrant. Always having his own way in everything, making every decision about her life, as if she were a toddler. And he was nothing like the plain rancher that Mark Murphy was, his hands constantly in the dirt, trying to eke out a living on their land.
A pang of guilt shot through her side as she remembered Mark hinting for a dance. He had looked handsome tonight. And he’d somehow managed to lose Daisy Wright. It had been mean of her to force the situation on him, but he deserved it – and it had placed another helpful barrier between them, too. She smiled to herself, remembering the bewildered expression on his face that afternoon in the store as she made it impossible for him to refuse.
Still, he had been nice to her, however irritating she found his country ways and boyish manners. Maybe she should have danced with him at least once. But she knew no good could come of encouraging his attentions. She had to stop thinking about him and remember that Mark Murphy was nothing to her.
Nevertheless, maybe she should find a way apologize for ruining his evening. After all, he may have been planning to ask someone else. A brief shiver came with the thought that his original choice might have been herself, if things had ended differently by the pond.
“Are you too cold?” Adam asked, reaching for the wool blanket arranged on the back of the seat.
She nodded, pulling her thoughts from Mark. “The night air is a little nippy,” She answered, glancing at the semi-darkness behind them. She blinked as further back a shadow of white showed itself, then disappeared . Her breath caught, as if she’d seen a ghost in the fog. Turning back, she scooted a bit closer to Adam, safe in his warmth. She knew instinctively that he would protect her from anything lurking in the black of the night.
A few moments later, the clouds began to move and the moon peeked from its hiding place, lighting the night like early day. Adam gave a sideways glance to Addie and grinned, his white teeth flashed in the radiant light. Her heart began a slight flutter in her chest as her eyes met his.
The lantern secured on the buggy jostled and Adam slowed the horses and extinguished the oil light. “No need for that when nature is lighting the way.” He applied the reins hard to the horses back and they took off at a fast pace.
She relaxed against the seat and breathed in the night air. She enjoyed the jostling of the ride and the occasional soft neigh of the horses. She could get used to spending time with this attractive man.
Drawn from her thoughts by his voice, she realized he was speaking to her.
“After that, I moved on to New Orleans. A beautiful city. Have you ever been?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’ve only been in Texas since March.”
“Well, it’s one place you should see, Miss Fleming. Maybe someday I could show it to you.” He leaned his face close to hers and his eyes rested on her face.
She felt the rush of heat
to her cheeks. Was he being too forward? The smile on his face seemed so sincere, innocent, even. “Maybe,” she agreed, pushing away the warning alarm from her conscience that told her such impulses as the one on the boat do not reoccur innocently between the same parties. He was merely being nice. Polite. And he was still talking, after all.
“And then the crazy horse sent me sprawling across the lawn, like I was a sack of flour,” he continued his story. “I felt like all of the city had turned out to see me in my disgrace.”
Her concern was for nothing. Addie laughed and pulled the blanket closer around her shoulders. It seemed a long time since she had been so amused. And being with him gave her a warm, comforting feeling. As if she‘d known him for a long time. Not only handsome and charming, Adam was also witty. No doubt her father was going to be pleased that she was in the company of such a well-to-do rancher.
***
“So you like Adam Zimmer?”
Addie squirmed as his dark eyes studied her, calculating each word before he spoke. She took a sip from her tea cup and nodded. “Yes. And he’s a complete gentleman, Father.”
Samson Fleming shook his head. “I don’t know much about the man, except matters of local business, course. But there are rumors, I‘ve heard. . .” He leaned back in the wheelchair and folded his arms across his blanketed chest. “Maybe I should invite him to dinner one night. Get to know him a little better. See what I think.”
A tingle of excitement ran through her and she set the cup back in the saucer, lest she drop the delicate item. It might be tentative, but her father approved. “Yes. Yes I think that would be nice.” The thought of seeing Adam again so soon was more than she had hoped for.
Chapter 29
“Be still for a moment, Miss,” the seamstress pleaded.
Addie glanced down at the blond head of Ada Johnson’s helper. The girl seemed rather slow at her job. But then, the whole week seemed slow. Just two nights from now, Adam Zimmer was coming to the evening meal.
Chance Creek Brides (Volumes 1-3 & the Stagecoach Bride) Page 31