by Sara Orwig
“And how old was she?” Rachel asked with amusement, trying to recall James Hopkinson’s aunt.
“I think she was really old. Twenty-nine or something.”
“Poor old thing.”
“Yeah. Well, I’m glad you’re a spinster and you don’t act like Abby. You’d think she’d realize that she won’t get Will to marry her, acting witless.”
“You don’t think so?”
“No. Not unless he gets as witless as she is.” Josh twisted around to look up at Rachel. “Do you think when Lissa grows up, she’ll act that way?”
“I think someday, you’ll act just as silly as Abby.”
“No, I won’t!”
“’Course if you have all that long hair trailing in the dirt and you’re grouchy, no woman will want to be near you.”
“My hair won’t trail in the dirt, but I don’t see any need to keep it cut off my back. This is trouble.”
“I agree, and if you don’t sit still, you’re going to get stabbed by the shears.”
“If Abby marries Will Murdock, will she move away and leave us?”
Rachel paused a moment, realizing that Josh and Abby were close in age and he was worried about losing his sister. “I don’t know, Josh. They probably would someday. Right now with Will working for Pa, they won’t. I don’t think you need to worry about that yet, because this is Abby’s first beau. They may not ever marry. Besides, someday you’ll grow up and you’ll probably move away.”
“Why would I do that?”
“You’ll have a wife—”
“No, I won’t! I’m not getting married.”
“So you said. There,” she stepped back, brushing off his shoulders. “That wasn’t so bad.”
“Not for you,” he said, jumping up and running off. She smiled, watching him disappear through the trees and then seeing him sprint toward the men who were working. She glanced over her shoulder at the creek, looking back in the direction she had been yesterday with Dan. And would go again tomorrow. Her pulse jumped at the thought. Life was changing. Abby was in the throes of first love, there was no mistaking that.
With a sigh, Rachel picked up the shears and went back to the wagon to get Lissa dressed to go to town. She changed to a blue and yellow calico dress, pinning up her hair and getting a bonnet.
As she climbed into the wagon and settled Lissa on the seat between her and Pa, Abigail climbed inside the wagon. She studied Eb in surprise, because he was dressed in a white linen shirt she hadn’t seen before.
“Pa, you have a new shirt! It looks so nice,” she said, thinking he looked better everyday now. The sun had darkened his skin and bleached his hair. He had lost the haggard look as his muscles hardened.
“You look nice, Pa,” Abigail said.
“Thank you. I’m with my favorite pretty ladies today.”
Rachel stared at him in amazement. The lightheartedness was uncustomary for him. Was Texas changing him so fast? She glanced at Abigail who arched her brows and smiled. Rachel shrugged, thinking it was worth all the struggles they’d had to get here if it was going to help Pa.
They turned, heading east and as the wagon swung around, she glanced toward the men. Stripped to his waist, Dan stood near the stack of lumber. One hand was on his hip as he watched them. She waved, and he returned the wave.
“Pa, is there enough money to buy a few yards of gingham for a dress?” Abigail asked. “I bought some material last time we were in town, but it would be so nice to have one more dress.”
“We’ll see what it costs when we get to the store, but we’re down to our last bit of cash. We’re going to have to get seeds, pick up the new stove, get one more hammer and some more nails.”
“With the two extra hands, I might as well get another sack of flour,” Rachel said, thinking about tomorrow and being alone with Dan.
As they rode along, she and Abigail sang songs with Lissa. When they came into town, Pa turned along an unfamiliar street. “Pa, where are we going? Isn’t the Plaza to the east of us?”
“This is East Street. We’re only blocks from the Military Plaza and the Main Plaza.” All the time he talked, he looked around, finally tugging on the reins and slowing. To Rachel’s surprise, he handed her the reins and climbed down.
“You two go get the supplies. Tell Mr. Metzger I’ll be along soon and pay for everything.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked, mystified.
He glanced over his shoulder. “I’m going to pay a call on Abeyta Galvez while we’re here. You go along, and I’ll see you in about an hour.”
She looked beyond him at the thick adobe wall surrounding a house. Red bougainvillea spilled over the wall and tall palms trailed fronds over the top of it. Through a wrought-iron gate she could see a carved wooden door. From the looks of the place, Abeyta Galvez had been left a prosperous widow.
Rachel realized Pa was waiting, staring at her, wanting her to move on. She flicked the reins, and they rolled down the street.
“Rachel, is Pa going courting?” Abigail asked in a stunned voice.
“I suppose he is,” Rachel said. Shocked by the past few minutes, she turned to look behind her. Pa was no longer in sight.
“What would happen if Pa would marry her?”
“I don’t think that’s likely. We’re way out of town and she’s here. He’s probably just going calling,” she said, her mind beginning to function.
“That was a fancy house. Why would she want to marry Pa?”
“Abby!”
“Oh, I didn’t mean Pa isn’t nice. Pa’s a nice man, but we don’t have anything and he has a big family and he lives out on the frontier where it’s rough and dangerous. If I had a pretty home like that, I wouldn’t want a man to court me who might take me out on the frontier.”
“You wouldn’t?” Rachel asked, amused by Abby’s observations. “What about Will? He’s going to stay out on the frontier.”
“I’m already stuck out there. If I had a house like Mrs. Galvez, then I wouldn’t want to move.”
“She might like Pa’s company enough that it doesn’t matter,” Rachel said quietly, wishing that Dan wanted to settle, knowing he didn’t. The thought of Pa courting was a surprise, but it pleased her.
They turned the corner and in minutes were at the Plaza where she halted the team beneath the shade of a tree. “Come on, Abby, Lissa. We can look around a little.”
“I want to start at the confectionery store,” Abby said.
They spent the next half hour at shops on the Main Plaza, finally heading to Metzger’s General Store. As they stood in front of the dry goods, Abby touched Rachel’s arm.
“Look at Pa, Rachel,” she whispered.
Through the windows at the front of the store, she saw Pa’s tall form and Mrs. Galvez’s dark head beside him. Pa was laughing at something she said, and Rachel felt a swift rush of joy to see him looking happy again.
“Abby, Pa looks better.”
“Pa’s too old to be courting!”
“There’s nothing wrong with Pa going courting,” Rachel said, watching them enter the store, a bell jingling above the door. “I think it’s wonderful, Abby. Pa looks happier than he has since before the war broke out.”
As he turned her way, she waved. He said something to Mrs. Galvez, and they both headed toward the dry goods section.
“Good afternoon,” Abeyta Galvez said and leaned down to Lissa. “I brought you something, Lissa.” She turned to Pa who was carrying something wrapped in red silk. Abeyta handed it to Lissa whose eyes sparkled.
“This is mine?” she asked, looking from Rachel to Pa.
“Yes, it is. Mrs. Galvez wants you to have it,” Pa said.
Lissa unrolled the silk and it fluttered to the floor. In her hands was a doll with china eyes and black hair.
“How beautiful!” Rachel exclaimed, kneeling down beside Lissa who had few toys because of the war; her only doll was a rag one that Lissa’s mother had made long ago.
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��My baby,” Lissa said, squeezing the doll.
“It’s beautiful,” Rachel said, looking up at Abeyta who seemed pleased.
“That was one of my daughter’s dolls. She has others and she is married now, so I thought this doll should have a little girl who will love it.”
“Lissa, what do you say?” Rachel asked. Lissa smoothed the doll’s black hair and looked up at Abeyta.
“Thank you.” She hugged the doll again.
“That is so kind of you,” Rachel said, standing up.
“Eb said he likes it here in Texas. I hope all of you do.”
“We do,” Abby answered quickly. “Now I’m glad we came.”
They stood and talked for a few more minutes, before Pa motioned to Rachel. “I told Abeyta we’d take her home on our way out of town. I’ll talk to Mr. Metzger.”
“Pa—” Abby looked longingly at a bolt of pink silk.
“Don’t buy any material,” Abeyta said. “When you take me home, I want both of you to come inside. My daughter Rianna left behind dresses when she married and maybe there will be one to fit each of you. She doesn’t want them back.”
“That’s nice, Mrs. Galvez, but I really don’t need a new dress out where we are now,” Rachel said.
Abeyta studied Rachel, her dark eyes as impassive as Dan’s could often be. “You’ll be my guests soon at one of my parties, so you’ll need a dress.”
They strolled to the door while Pa paid the bill. All of them waited while Pa and Mr. Metzger loaded the new stove into the back of the wagon. Abeyta sat beside Pa as he drove the wagon, and at her house, they all went inside.
The door was opened by a butler, and while Rachel was accustomed to elegant houses from days before the war, she felt a pang as she looked at Abeyta Galvez’s carved furniture and bronze statues and bright oil paintings, because it had been a long time since they had been around anything as fine. She remembered her mother’s beautiful crystal and china, all the elegant things they had lost because of war.
“Eb, you will excuse us and I will take the girls upstairs. Lissa, do you want to come along?”
She shook her head. “No, ma’am,” she answered shyly, smiling at Abeyta. “I’ll stay here with Peach.”
“You’ve named your baby Peach?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lissa said, smiling at the doll and rocking it in her arms.
“All right. Just follow me.” Abeyta led Rachel and Abby up a curving staircase to a large bedroom. The four-poster, made of thick intricately carved mahogany, was a stark contrast to white walls. A cheerful touch was added in the bright red curtains and pillows. Abeyta opened the double doors of a large mahogany armoire.
“Each of you take one dress. I hope you can find something that fits, but if not, I’m sure you can alter it to fit. My daughter, Rianna, is about your size.”
Abby gasped with pleasure, touching a pink silk dress and taking it out of the armoire. “This is so beautiful,” she said, running her fingers over it.
Rachel stared at it in wonder. It had been years since they had worn silk dresses. She touched the material and looked at Abeyta. “We can’t—”
“Oh, yes, you can!” Abeyta laughed. “If you knew how many new dresses Rianna possesses—each of you select a dress.”
Rachel looked at the bright colors in front of her. There were two muslins, a pink and a pale blue. There was a deep green silk and she thought of Dan and wished she could wear it with him. She lifted it down and held it in front of her.
Half an hour later, they each had a dress selected and Abeyta had folded and wrapped them in an old quilt, giving them to a servant to carry to the wagon. As they started downstairs, Abby impulsively hugged her. “Thank you for your generosity to us. And thank Rianna, too!”
“You’re welcome,” Abeyta said. “Abby, tell your father we’ll be down shortly. I would like to talk to Rachel.”
Abby gave Rachel a questioning look as she nodded and left the room. Abeyta closed the door and looked at Rachel.
“We are almost strangers, so I am presumptuous now, but I like your father very much. He is a fine man, so I know he must have fine daughters.”
Rachel waited, wondering what Abeyta wanted to discuss.
“If I did not care for your father, I would keep quiet and mind my own affairs, but I do care for him. And I have lived in these parts a long time. I know Lyman McKissick. If he wanted to call on my daughter, I would not allow it. I had a servant whose family had a small place outside of the city. It was a place Mr. McKissick wanted. When he offered to buy it for nothing, they refused to sell. So he rode in with his men one night. He took the two daughters and burned down everything.”
“What about the law?” Rachel asked stiffly.
“This was during the war years and it was difficult to enforce things and Lyman McKissick is a powerful man with many men working for him. Now he’s more careful because of the Texas Rangers. There have been rumors about Mr. McKissick, and he has acquired much land from people who have fled. But in this one instance, it was not rumor. The wife worked for me, the mother of the two girls. They sold the land to Mr. McKissick to get the girls returned to them. Both girls were pregnant when they were returned. I’m telling you this,” she said, moving closer to Rachel, “because you and your family are at risk from this man. He is a devil. It has been rumored always that he is. I offered to hire some men to work for your father so you would have more men who could fight, but your father is a proud man and he would not agree. You can’t stand up out there against Lyman McKissick.”
“I don’t intend to allow him to come courting. Pa won’t allow it either. Right now, Mr. McKissick is biding his time because I told him my husband Elias Johnson might appear.”
“Rachel,” Abeyta said in a gentle voice, “your father has told me there is no Elias Johnson. He has told me everything.”
Stunned, Rachel stared at Abeyta who gave a soft laugh and reached out to take Rachel’s hand.
“I know you have cared for your father and he has placed much responsibility on you, but he is beginning to take back some of that responsibility, is he not?”
“Yes, he is.”
“I can be trusted.”
“I didn’t think you couldn’t be! I’m just surprised.”
“Your father and I feel a great closeness and this is good.”
“It is good,” Rachel said, wondering how many changes in Pa Abeyta was responsible for even though it had been such a short time they had known each other.
Abeyta’s smile vanished and she gazed solemnly at Rachel. “It is only a matter of time until Señor McKissick gives you an ultimatum. And then he will cause trouble. I told your father to let you and Abigail and Lissa stay here with me until he gets more men. Josh should stay here too.”
“We can’t leave Pa, but thank you.”
Abeyta’s dark eyes studied Rachel. “If you insist on staying, then try to persuade him to let me send some men to help. Keep him from turning them back.”
“Thank you!” As impulsively as Abby, Rachel stepped forward to hug Abeyta lightly. “You’re good to us,” she said.
“You have a wonderful father.”
“I think so,” Rachel said, smiling. Holding her arm, they went downstairs.
A servant served pastry and steaming black coffee, a cup of apple juice for Lissa. It was late in the day when they left. As she sat on the wagon seat, waiting while Pa talked to Abeyta, she saw him bend down to kiss her cheek lightly.
When the wagon rolled down the street, Eb leaned around to wave at Abeyta. During the long ride home, Eb joined in the singing. Rachel kept the rifle across her knees, constantly watching, knowing they would be vulnerable if they were attacked, happy for Pa that he had found Abeyta.
The next morning she saw Dan briefly while she cooked breakfast for everyone. As he handed her his empty plate, he winked at her. “After dinner—remember?”
“I remember,” she said softly, hoping all the eagerness she felt wasn’t re
vealed in her voice. She watched him stride away, the bandanna around his forehead, his revolver buckled on his hip. She knew he would shed his shirt when he went to work and after days in the sun, his chest, back, and arms were the color of teak.
Wearing a green muslin dress, she decided to unbraid her hair and went to find Abby to comb and put it up.
“Look at you in a dress with your hair down!” Abby said, cutting corn off the cob into a large pan.
“When you finish, can you put my hair up for me?”
“Yes,” Abby said, wiping her hands on an apron. “I have time now.” She placed a lid on the pan and dropped the ear of corn back into another pan to cover it.
They sat in the shade of the wagon while Abby brushed Rachel’s hair and looped the sides up on top of her head.
“Rachel, Will Murdock is talking about building a house near ours. He’s never settled before.”
“So what brings this on?”
Abby sighed wistfully. “I don’t know for certain. I wish he wanted to marry me.”
Rachel turned to look up at her sister. “Do you like him that much?”
“Yes, I do. Will’s the nicest man I’ve ever known. I like being with him.”
“Abby, you haven’t known many men.”
“You know when something seems right.”
Rachel was silent, agreeing with Abby, because so many things seemed right when she was with Dan.
“Pa can’t pay Will and Oscar much now. He provides food and lodging and they get a share of the profits of the herd when they sell it. And they get some of the calves next spring. Will thinks that he can get a good start and keep his herd with Pa’s and they’ll both benefit.”
“I hope so, Abby. Does he have any relatives?”
“If he does, he hasn’t seen them in years. He said he had a brother who was killed in the war. There.” She stepped around in front of Rachel. “Don’t you look pretty! You better get your sunbonnet. That sun is fierce today and you’ve been wearing long-sleeved shirts to cover your arms.”
“A bonnet won’t protect my arms. I may go back to my shirts tomorrow, but for one day I want to wear a dress.”
“You look pretty, Rachel. I wish you could find someone like Will. I wish you and Dan would marry.”