His smile widened as he remembered the fire in those blue eyes when she had sent him packing last night. As frustrating as her refusal had been for him, he could not help admiring her spirit. She was quite a little handful. Desire stirred in him, hot and swift. She might not be willing to go to bed with him again before they were married, but that didn't mean he had to quit pestering her about it. In fact, the thought of pestering her held a lot of appeal. She was awfully cute when she was angry. Even though he didn't think for a minute he could change her mind, the prospect of a little tussle over the matter was appealing. Yes, very appealing, he decided, tossing aside his cigarette.
He had turned to enter the house when Gus called from the yard. "Mr. Logan! We got company!"
Josh looked back, easily spotting the buggy that was rapidly approaching the ranch. Josh swore, briefly and succinctly. "Now what the hell does she want?" he muttered.
Felicity checked her hair one last time and smoothed down the skirt of her blue calico, but she waited in vain for Mr. Logan to come through the front door. He had been standing on the front porch for an awfully long time. Felicity was about to go open the door anyway when she heard a wagon rattling up outside. A female voice called out, "Hello, the house!"
A visitor! A female visitor! Paying a morning call! Suddenly aware of her questionable position in the household, Felicity wondered frantically what on earth she should do. Should she hide or should she welcome the woman as if she were the hostess? Felicity had never entertained company in her whole life and did not have the faintest idea where to begin.
"It's just that Delano woman," Candace sniffed, glancing disdainfully out the front window. Felicity had not even noticed that Candace was in the room.
"What should I do?" Felicity asked, perilously close to panic.
Candace seemed startled by the question, but she took in Felicity's predicament in an instant. "I expect you'd better let her in, for starters. I'll make some tea, and in a few minutes you can come get it. Ask her to set down. Knowing Blanche Delano, you won't have to worry too much about making conversation." With those instructions, Candace slipped quietly away, leaving Felicity with nothing to do but open the front door. She was instantly sorry that she did.
"What's all this I hear about you getting married, Joshua, and to some little girl that you found out on the range during a thunderstorm?" Felicity heard the woman say.
Felicity hardly had a chance to feel insulted, however. She was too shocked by the sight of Blanche Delano. Her visitor was tall, although not nearly as tall as Candace, but she seemed much larger because of the fullness of her figure. A tightly laced corset thrust forward her magnificent bosom to accentuate the slenderness of her waist, which gave way to fashionably full hips made fuller still by an elaborately draped bustle. But what made Felicity's eyes widen was the fact that the whole stunning package was clothed completely in purple. Royal purple, the brightest purple Felicity had ever seen, yards and yards of crisp, crackling purple taffeta. And when the woman lifted her skirt to execute the steps, Felicity saw that her well-turned ankles were encased in purple stockings embroidered with hundreds of bunches of tiny grapes.
Forcing herself to look at Mrs. Delano's face, Felicity found herself even more intimidated. She saw milk-white skin contrasting vividly with gleaming ebony hair piled high in a cascade of curls. On top of the curls sat a ridiculous confection of a hat which exactly matched the gown and sported ostrich plumes so long they swooped down to brush against Mrs. Delano's fantastic breasts. Lively green eyes stared out of her round face, and too red lips formed a winning smile.
Felicity's photographer's eye told her that Blanche Delano was not a beauty, was not even conventionally pretty, but Felicity doubted anyone would ever even notice that deficiency. Most people would have judged her to be gorgeous.
Green eyes took in Felicity from head to toe. "My lands, is this her?" Mrs. Delano asked in patent disbelief. Her radiant smile flickered and died. For a moment the two women simply stared at each other across the threshold.
Never, in all her years of feeling insignificant, had Felicity felt more so. Compared to this woman, she was a mere shadow, a pale imitation of a woman. She wanted nothing more than to run away and hide where no one would ever see her again. Only her fierce pride kept her rooted to the spot, her chin high, her expression unintentionally defiant.
After a long, uncomfortable silence, Blanche Delano turned to Josh, who had accompanied her up to the door.
"Well, she's a beauty, Joshua. I'll have to give you credit for good taste. But can she talk?"
Long accustomed to Blanche's outspoken behavior, Josh calmly introduced them. "Felicity, this is our neighbor, Mrs. Blanche Delano. Blanche, this is Miss Felicity Storm."
"How do you do?" Felicity heard herself mumble, convinced that this whole episode must be some sort of a dream. Not only was this the most magnificent woman Felicity had ever met, but she had just said that Felicity was a beauty. None of this could possibly be real.
Mrs. Delano's smile glittered to life again. "Why, I'm fit as a fiddle, although you look as if you could use a little more meat on your bones. Hasn't Joshua been feeding you?"
Felicity could think of no response to such an outrageous question, so she simply said, "Won't you come in?" Since Mrs. Delano was already in, having surged by while Felicity was gathering her voice, she added, "And please sit down."
Felicity watched in amazement as Mrs. Delano made a little ceremony out of seating herself on the settee and artfully arranging her quantities of skirt. By the time she had settled herself enough to have removed her orchid-colored gloves, Felicity was itching to go for her camera. The woman was posed perfectly!
"Gome sit here, honey," she commanded Felicity, patting the space beside her with one perfectly kept hand. "I want to look at you."
I want to look at you, too, Felicity thought, but of course she didn't say it out loud. She took the offered seat instead.
Candace had been right, Felicity realized. Mrs. Delano was going to take care of the conversation.
"I could hardly believe my ears," she was saying. "I was no sooner off the stage than folks started telling me all about how Josh Logan had found himself a girl at last and was going to marry her on Saturday. I declare, Joshua, I can't hardly leave you alone for a minute! That'll teach me to go running off to Dallas." She paused as if expecting Josh to make some comment, but he only glared at her from the wingbacked chair where he had seated himself.
Undaunted, Blanche turned back to Felicity. "Where on earth did you come from, Miss Storm?"
Uncertain exactly how to answer such a question, Felicity hesitated a moment. "Everywhere, I guess you could say," she began, prepared to stop in case Mrs. Delano launched into another subject, but surprisingly, the woman simply waited, listening intently.
"My father was a traveling photographer, you see, and we moved around a lot. He… he passed away a few weeks ago, leaving me alone and lost. I wandered onto Mr. Logan's property and he found me." Felicity amazed herself with the way she had mentioned her father's death with no unseemly display of emotion.
Once again Mrs. Delano surprised her by not replying for several seconds. She sat very still, watching Felicity, studying the girl's expression as if listening to the words she had not spoken and reading from her face all the tragic details of her story. At last she nodded slowly, as if she had reached some sort of decision about Felicity. "And what's all this about a thunderstorm?"
Felicity opened her mouth to reply, but Josh interrupted her. "It started raining while we were bringing her back to the ranch. That's all there was to it," he said brusquely, effectively blocking any mention of the flash flood or his heroism. Felicity would have liked to tell Mrs. Delano the story. Perhaps she would at some other time.
Mrs. Delano smiled slyly, as if she knew a private joke. "How delightfully romantic," she remarked to no one in particular. "Practically love at first sight. I never would have guessed you could be so impulsive
, Joshua." She ignored his scowl. "And is the wedding really going to be on Saturday?"
Felicity sat silent in an agony of embarrassment over Mrs. Delano's mention of the word "love." Mr. Logan had made it perfectly clear he did not love her, and she had the oddest feeling that Mrs. Delano knew it, too, regardless of what she said. After a long, awkward moment, Felicity realized no one had responded to Mrs. Delano's question. "Yes, the wedding is Saturday," she said quickly. "We'd be honored if you and Mr. Delano would attend."
Mrs. Delano's eyebrows rose. "Oh, my Sam would love to come. He always enjoyed a good wedding. Unfortunately, he's dead and gone these three years and more."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Felicity said hastily, suddenly realizing this was the "widow woman" Mr. Logan had spoken of. Now that she thought of it, she even recalled the name, although it had meant nothing to her at the time. For a second she reflected on how differently things might have turned out if Mrs. Delano had been at home last week to take her in.
"I'm sorry, too," Mrs. Delano was saying. "I still miss him. Of course, I hope to be lucky enough to marry again." She east Mr. Logan a meaningful look. "Or at least, I thought I would. But now…"
Felicity easily caught her meaning. The woman had intended to marry Mr. Logan! Felicity hazarded a glance at him. Plainly, he understood her meaning, too. He was furious, although Felicity did not want to guess why he was so angry. Perhaps this was the first he knew of her willingness. Perhaps now that he had seen the two women together, he regretted his choice. Felicity could not imagine why any man would want her if he could have a woman like Mrs. Delano.
Pain clenched at her heart, a pain she recognized as jealousy even though she had never experienced the emotion before. She knew a second urge to flee from this woman, and this time she thought of a legitimate reason to leave. "Would you like some tea?" she asked, recalling that Candace was already making it.
"I'd love some," Mrs. Delano replied cheerfully.
With all the dignity she could muster, Felicity rose and left the room. She was barely out of sight when she heard Mrs. Delano addressing Mr. Logan.
"You know, Joshua, I always wondered why you never tried to bed me."
"Blanche!" Mr. Logan's voice sounded outraged. Felicity froze in stunned surprise, knowing she should not eavesdrop, but unable to resist the temptation to hear the rest of this astounding conversation.
"Don't sound so shocked," Mrs. Delano chided him. "You knew I'd say yes, too, but you never asked. I've always wondered why, and now that I've seen your intended bride, I know. I'm too much woman for you, aren't I?"
Mr. Logan said something Felicity did not catch, and Mrs. Delano laughed delightedly. "Oh, I don't mean physically. That way I think we'd be a perfect match. I mean I'm too independent for you. You've been waiting for a woman you thought you could control, a meek little thing you could keep under your thumb, haven't you? Don't bother to deny it," she added when he started to reply.
Stung by this description of her, Felicity turned instinctively to face her adversary and was startled to find that adversary looking right at her. From where she sat, Mrs. Delano could still see her plainly. The woman had been well aware that Felicity was overhearing this conversation. In fact, Felicity instantly realized, Mrs. Delano had staged it for her benefit. Green eyes twinkled wickedly at her for a second before turning back to Mr. Logan, who was sitting out of Felicity's range of vision.
"Hasn't anybody ever told you to mind your own business?" Mr. Logan inquired sarcastically.
"Yes, but I never paid them any mind," Mrs. Delano countered. "I just think it's funny how you took one look at little Miss Storm and judged her that way. I think you may have a few surprises coming."
Felicity stared at her. Now, how could she know a thing like that about someone she'd met less than five minutes ago?
Felicity wondered. Before she could come up with a satisfactory answer, she heard Mrs. Delano say, "I think I'll go help Miss Storm with the tea."
Not wanting Mr. Logan to get up and see her still standing there, listening, Felicity hurried off toward the kitchen, knowing Mrs. Delano would be right behind her.
Candace glanced up from putting the finishing touches on the tea tray when Felicity came through the kitchen door. Candace's normally placid expression changed quickly to astonishment when she saw the expression on Felicity's face. "What's wrong?" When Felicity did not reply immediately, Candace's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What's that woman been saying to you?"
Before Felicity could warn her, "that woman" appeared in the doorway.
"Well, Candace, you won," Mrs. Delano said quite blandly, gliding grandly into the kitchen like a clipper ship at full sail.
"Won?" Candace repeated, immediately assuming the attitude of puzzled but respectful servant.
"Yes, you won," Mrs. Delano said, giving her a disapproving look, "and don't give me that 'dumb darky' act." She turned to where Felicity stood watching the exchange. "When my husband died, everybody-including me-thought that Joshua and I would someday get together. It makes sense," she explained with an elegant gesture of her white hand. "We're about the same age, our ranches are close together, I'm a handsome woman, or at least some folks think I am." She shrugged modestly. "But Candace didn't like me. All this time I thought that's why he never came around."
"I couldn't of stopped him if he'd wanted to, Mrs. Delano," Candace said in her normally dignified tone.
Mrs. Delano shrugged again. "I guess I always knew that, but a woman likes to think she's irresistible."
"Mrs. Delano…" Felicity began, not certain what to say but knowing she needed to stop this conversation.
"Call me Blanche, honey," Blanche said with a friendly smile. "And don't be embarrassed. I figured you'd hear a lot of talk about Josh and me, sooner or later. Just wanted you to know that it's only talk." She grinned wickedly. "Unfortunately!"
"He's not the right man for you," Candace said by way of comfort. "You two would've drove each other crazy in a week."
Blanche gave Felicity a conspiratorial wink. "She's probably right," she confided. "But Candace, if you ever find a man who is right for me, let me know."
"Yes, ma'am," Candace replied with mock subservience, making Mrs. Delano laugh again.
"The tea is ready," Felicity pointed out, more than a little overwhelmed by these two strong-willed women and eager to move the conversation back onto a more acceptable topic.
"Let's just sit right down here and drink it, then," Blanche said, pulling out a chair from the kitchen table. "I sent Joshua off so we could have a private little chat. There's a few things you need to know that I doubt even Candace had the nerve to tell you."
Felicity felt her face heating up as she poured tea from the painted china pot which looked so out of place in the huge, rough kitchen… Would Mrs. Delano presume to give her instructions about the intimate aspects of marriage? she wondered, handing the widow a delicate china cupful of tea. Or could she tell that Felicity no longer needed such instructions?
"Have you heard the story about Joshua's mother?" Blanche inquired, noting the color in the girl's cheeks but unable to guess at the reason for it.
"No," Felicity replied, glancing at Candace, who was frowning in disapproval.
"It's Mr. Josh's place to tell her about it," Candace said.
"Nonsense," Blanche contradicted cheerfully. "He never speaks of his mother at all. If we wait on him to do it, this poor girl will go to her grave curious."
Torn between her loyalty to Candace and her desire to know more about her future husband, Felicity hesitated a moment, but only a moment. "I would like to hear the story," she said, taking a seat opposite Mrs. Delano.
"Well, Candace probably knows a whole lot more about this than I do, so you can get the details from her later. By the time I got here, the fascinating Mrs. Gideon Logan was long gone, but I've heard the story often enough. Seems she and Gideon Logan were acquainted back in Virginia, where both their families had plantations. He was a bit ol
der than she was, but he convinced her to marry him and run off to Texas, where he was going to make his fortune. He was the second son and not likely to inherit much of anything from the family fortune. She lasted here for a while, long enough to have Joshua at least, but she just couldn't stand life on the frontier. Things were a lot more primitive back then, what with the Indians on the rampage half the time and all that."
"One day she up and left and never came back. About broke Mr. Gideon's heart from what I heard tell, and ruined Joshua for good. He don't trust women. Never has, and who can blame him? I only figured it out today, but the reason he's never married was because he never met a woman he was sure he could keep. And then he found you." Blanche considered Felicity thoughtfully.
"Mrs. Delano, I don't think we should be discussing Mr. Logan like this," Felicity said, too confused at the moment to judge whether these theories about her future husband were true or not, and increasingly uncomfortable under the other woman's scrutiny.
"I told you, call me Blanche," Blanche replied, undaunted.
"Blanche," Felicity corrected coldly, "we should not be discussing Mr. Logan this way."
Blanche grinned in approval. "Like I said, Joshua's in for some surprises. Don't you think so, Candace?" she inquired, her green eyes twinkling.
"He'll have his hands full, all right," Candace agreed.
Felicity rose defensively, not certain whether the two women were making sport of her or not. "Really, Mrs. Delano," she began.
"Oh, I'm sorry I offended you, honey," Blanche said, reaching across the table to catch Felicity's hand. "My manners aren't what they should be, I'm afraid. I don't spend much time with ladies, so I get a little rough around the edges. I didn't mean to offend you." She smiled apologetically.
Although Felicity was still not certain whether she could trust this woman, she accepted the apology and sat back down.
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