Texas Blonde

by Victoria Thompson

  Jeremiah looked up in surprise. For a moment Blanche thought he might resent being ordered about, but she quickly realized he was only amazed at being entrusted with such a responsibility.

  "She's right, Mama. You're dead on your feet. You won't be any help to Josh if you get sick, too." Now Candace was equally amazed by her son's concern, although she readily admitted she shouldn't have been. After all, hadn't he saved her life at the risk of his own during the shoot-out at the outlaws' camp? And hadn't he cared for Josh the way a true brother would have? Candace allowed her tall son to lead her from the room.

  Asa turned to his wife. "I'll sit with him while you make the soup, and then you need to get some rest, too." Blanche nodded, remembering her own delicate condition, which she had only recently confided to Asa. "And I still say we should send for Felicity," he added as he moved toward the bedroom door.

  Blanche agreed, of course, but Josh's reasoning was also sound. If they sent for her now, she would rush right back, having only just arrived in Philadelphia. She would be frightened and worried, and the added strain of the round trip might bring about a miscarriage. But as Blanche had pointed out to the men, even if Felicity came straight back, she might not arrive in time. And if Josh pulled through, she would have made the dangerous trip for nothing. No, Josh was right. They should wait and see what happened. And pray. A lot.

  "Mr. Winthrop is here to see you, ma'am," Bellwood announced.

  Felicity looked up from her letter writing and smiled, grateful for the interruption. Now that even Mademoiselle Fabian's creations could no longer conceal her condition, Felicity was confined to the luxurious imprisonment of her grandfather's townhouse. Because of that she found it increasingly difficult to think of anything to write to Blanche, who had so faithfully written to her during the two and a half months she had been in Philadelphia. Richard's visit was a welcome diversion.

  "Tell Mr. Winthrop to come in," she said to Bellwood, pushing aside the letter she had been composing. As she waited for Richard, she absently stroked the enormous mound of her stomach and thought for the thousandth painful time of her child's father. In spite of Joshua's promise to arrive long before the baby was born, only a few short weeks now remained before her due date. Since Joshua was well aware that her first baby had arrived almost a month early, he had already broken his promise.

  She thought back on the few letters she had received from him. For the first month, he had written not a line, and strangely, Blanche had corresponded faithfully, assuring Felicity that she and Asa were fine, and Candace was fine, and all the ranch hands were fine, and Joshua was fine. Then Joshua had finally written himself, but such terse and formal notes that Felicity almost would have preferred not hearing anything at all. All his letters said that he was fine, too, but they said little else. He never even mentioned whether he missed her and when or if he was coming. If he was so damn fine, where was he?

  Unwilling to admit the probable answer to that question, Felicity smiled gratefully as Richard entered the rear parlor, where she now spent most of her days idling away the remainder of her pregnancy. "Richard!" she greeted him, rising and offering her cheek. His kiss was brotherly, as his behavior had been for the past months. Occasionally Felicity caught him looking at her with what could only be called yearning, but he had kept his promise never to mention his love for her again. Consequently, he had won her affection as well as her gratitude. "You're just in time for supper."

  "I know," he replied with a mischievous grin. "Only, when are you going to remember that we call the evening meal 'dinner' here? If you're going to be living in the East, you must learn our customs…"

  Felicity's quick frown surprised him into silence. "What makes you think I'm going to be living here?" she asked defensively, wondering if he knew something about Joshua's failure to arrive that she didn't.

  "I… I'm sorry," Richard stammered, instantly sorry for letting such a remark slip out because he knew how upset she became over any mention of the length of her visit here. He and his uncle had long ago decided that there was something seriously wrong between Felicity and her husband, but they had also decided that the best way to deal with that knowledge was to ignore it until she spoke of it first. "I guess I was just speaking of my own personal wishes."

  "You know I'm only here until the baby comes," she chided him, moving restlessly around the room as her own private doubts tortured her. "Then Joshua will come and take me home…"

  But Richard was beginning to have his own doubts. Perhaps this was the moment for which he had been waiting. "Will he?" Richard challenged.

  Felicity whirled to face him, her heart pounding in fear. Richard did know something! "Yes, he will," she insisted, as much to convince herself as to convince Richard. "He promised."

  "Then where is he?" Richard asked angrily, unable to hide his emotions any longer. "Felicity, if he was coming, he would have been here by now. I wrote to him myself, almost a month ago, telling him that if he was any kind of a man at all, he'd be here with you, and he still didn't come!"

  "No! I won't listen," Felicity cried, dashing tears from her eyes. Surrendering to the urge to flee from this unbearable discussion, she made a lunge for the door, but Richard caught her.

  "You have to listen, my darling," he urged, holding her in spite of her struggles to get free. "Please, calm down. You mustn't upset yourself."

  That much was true, and with great effort, Felicity managed to regain her control. "You can let me go now, Richard," she said after a moment. Her voice quivered only slightly.

  "Please, sit down," he begged, leading her over to a nearby chair. She obeyed, continuing to fight the battle against tears. "You know I don't want to upset you," he said, and Felicity believed him. He never so much as alluded to her pregnancy, but he was unfailingly solicitous of her comfort. He would do nothing to cause her distress if he could possibly avoid it. So why was he doing so now? "You have to accept the facts, darling," he said, answering her unasked question as he knelt beside her chair. "Your husband has sent you to us, placed you in our care with no intention of claiming you again. You must make some plans."

  Felicity listened in growing horror. Her fears were not just the strange notions that came along with morning sickness and mysterious cravings. They were real, and Richard-and probably her grandfather as well-had them, too. But then she recalled the one thing that had kept her hopes alive until now. "Joshua loves me," she said.

  Richard's expression grew tender. "I don't know how he could help but love you," he assured her, taking her hands in his. "But his actions speak for themselves. If he loved you, he would be here."

  "Then I'll go to him," Felicity cried, brushing Richard's clinging hands aside and rising to her feet. Yes, that's what she would do; she would go to Joshua, just as she had before. Once the child was born, and it would be born; of that she was certain. Dr. Strong had explained to her that there were instruments called forceps which could aid nature in difficult births like hers had been. He had also explained that subsequent births were often not as difficult. When her baby was born, she would take him home. Surely Joshua would want to see his own child…

  "You'd go back to him after he threw you out?" Richard asked, struggling to his feet. "Have you no pride?"

  She did, and it rebelled now. "He did not throw me out!" she informed her cousin.

  But Richard was no longer in a mood to quibble. "He sent you away, Felicity. You can't deny it."

  Felicity opened her mouth to do just that, but the words died in her throat as the truth of his statement hit home. "Oh, Richard," she whispered as the agony of betrayal twisted her heart.

  He was beside her in an instant, his comforting arms embracing her. "You don't need to think about him anymore, my darling," he crooned. "We'll take care of you. I'll take care of you and your baby."

  That fervent promise crushed her fragile control, and she broke down completely, sobbing against his chest. She needed someone to take care of her at that moment, and R
ichard was the kindest man she knew. After a few minutes, she allowed him to lead her over to the settee, where they sat down together, his arms still around her.

  He was murmuring nonsense to soothe her, but after a while his words began to make sense. "There's no reason why you should be expected to bury yourself on a ranch out in the middle of nowhere. You have a great talent, and you should be allowed to develop it. You saw for yourself how well your pictures were received at the Exposition. You could have your own studio, and people would come from all over the country to have their portraits made…"

  Felicity knew he was right. She would never forget the thrill of attending the Centennial Exposition, of seeing all the marvels of the world gathered into one central spot for display. But the marvels that had impressed her the most had been those housed in the Women's Pavilion. Felicity would have found this exhibit honoring the accomplishments of women fascinating even if her pictures had not been included among those accomplishments. The fact that they had been was wondrous, but even more wondrous was the reaction her pictures had caused. Had she not been enceinte, and consequently not receiving visitors, people would have been flocking to her door, just as Richard predicted.

  Richard gently wiped the last of her tears away with his snowy-white handkerchief, thankful beyond words that she was calm again. "So you see, you don't need your husband," Richard explained. Behind them he heard the parlor door slide open. Bellwood would be summoning them to dinner in a moment, so he spoke quickly, urgently. "You can have a wonderful life here. You'll have the work you love to keep you busy and make you famous, and you'll have people to love you and take care of you. I love you, Felicity. Let me take care of you."

  "A very generous offer, Winthrop," a sarcastic voice decreed from the doorway.

  Felicity broke from Richard's embrace and turned toward the tall figure standing silhouetted by the gaslight in the hallway. Her heart seemed to have lodged in her throat at the same time it was pounding a tattoo against her ribs. Slowly, carefully she rose from the settee as she stared at the apparition, unable to quite allow herself to believe her eyes. After what seemed an eternity of uncertainty, she managed to whisper, "Joshua?"

  "I'm here, Lissy," he said simply.

  Heedless of how ungainly she would look, Felicity picked up her skirts and ran to him. He met her halfway, enfolding her in his arms. Felicity clung with all her strength, inhaling his blessedly familiar scent mingled with the lingering odors of train soot and fresh evening air. But what was so familiar was also slightly different, and after another moment, she realized why. Where before his beloved body had been generously padded with muscle, now she felt only the sharp angle of bones. He was much thinner. Too thin.

  She pulled away, her joy suddenly turning to alarm when she took a closer look at his face. Still handsome, his features were now sharpened by the pale gauntness of a long illness. "Dear heaven, what happened?" she demanded.

  But Josh did not hear her question. He was glaring over her head at Richard Winthrop. "That was an interesting proposition you were making my wife when I came in," he said, his voice hard with suppressed fury. "Would you like to repeat it now?"

  Felicity turned in Joshua's arms to see Richard's reaction. His elegant face was beet-red, as if he were strangling. "Where in the hell have you been?" he demanded, giving Felicity some indication of how upset he was. He had never before used profanity in her presence. "You should have been here a month ago."

  "So you said in your letter," Josh replied. Felicity could feel the tension vibrating through his too thin body.

  "Joshua, please," she tried, but again he did not seem to hear.

  "Do you make a habit of professing your love to married women, or is my wife a special case?" Josh inquired menacingly.

  "Your wife is a very special case, as you well know," Richard grated, his slender hands forming into fists.

  "Stop it, both of you!" Felicity shouted, giving Joshua a shake to get his attention. "You're acting like two dogs fighting over the same bone, and the bone doesn't like it one bit!"

  Josh lowered his gaze to her upturned face, and for an instant his expression softened as he took in her beauty, the glittering gold of her hair, the glimmering azure of her eyes. Even her body, so distorted by his child, was beautiful to him. But then he pictured her in Richard's embrace, as she had been a few seconds ago, and his hands came up and clutched at her shoulders possessively. "Has he been making love to you ever since you've been here?"

  "No!" she replied, outraged that he thought she would allow such a thing. "I wouldn't have let him in the same room with me if he had even tried."

  "But he was making love to you when I came in," Josh pointed out, his grip tightening until she winced.

  "He was comforting me because I was crying."

  "And what did he say to make you cry?" Josh challenged.

  Felicity did not even consider sparing him. "He said that if you loved me, you wouldn't have sent me away," she reported, and ignoring his profane reaction, she went on relentlessly. "He also said that if you were half a man, you would have been here with me. And he was right and that's why I cried, but you were sick, weren't you Joshua?" she demanded, giving him another shake.

  "Not sick exactly," he said, lifting his steel-gray gaze to Richard again. "We had a little trouble with Ortega again, and I… I caught a bullet," he admitted reluctantly.

  "Oh, Joshua!" Felicity cried. "Where were you hit?" She stepped back, examining him from head to toe as if she could see the wound right through his clothes.

  "In the chest," he explained with equal reluctance.

  With an anguished cry, she drew him to her again, as if she could somehow shield him from any further pain, and she felt a tremor go through his body. Whether it was caused by fatigue or fury, she could not tell, but she decided he had been standing long enough in any case. "Come in and sit down by the fire. You must be frozen after that ride from the station," she said, releasing him and leading him over to the settee where she and Richard had been sitting.

  Richard stepped away as they approached. His face was still red, but now he looked more embarrassed than angry. Josh sat down with carefully concealed relief. Felicity saw it, but she knew Joshua would rather die than betray any weakness before Richard. She realized that she needed to be alone with her husband as soon as possible. "Richard, thank you for coming by to see me today. I'm so sorry you won't be able to join us for supper," she added, purposely using the wrong word because she knew the interpretation he would place on it.

  Richard needed no subtle hints, however. "It has been my pleasure to care for you, but now I see that you no longer need that care, Cousin Felicity," he said stiffly. "I… I'm very happy for you," he added graciously, although his brown eyes were full of pain over his loss.

  "Thank you," she replied, and those two words held a wealth of meaning. She gave him her hand. He carried it to his lips briefly, but before Josh could even react, Richard dropped her fingers, turned on his heel, and was gone.

  Even before the door slid shut behind him, Felicity turned back to her husband, appalled at his appearance. But before she could speak, he said, "How are you?" He gestured toward her stomach.

  "Oh, Joshua," she cried in frustration. "I'm perfectly fine. You're the one we have to worry about!" She took the seat beside him and reached out to stroke the beloved angles of his face. "What happened? Tell me everything."

  He captured her hands and kissed each one fervently, not at all the way Richard had kissed her earlier. "Joshua," she whispered lovingly. "I don't think you kissed me hello."

  For one second his gray eyes grew dark, and then his mouth came down on hers, scattering the last of her doubts.

  Joshua loved her and he had come for her. Everything was going to be all right.

  His kiss was long and sweet, a reconfirmation of the vows they had made to each other. When at last he pulled away, she murmured, "I love you," and he echoed her tender pledge.

  "Now tell me ev
erything," she insisted, taking his hands.

  He frowned, obviously loath to do so, but after another moment of hesitation, he began. "The day I got back from taking you to the train, Ortega and his gang raided the ranch and kidnapped Candace…"

  "Oh, dear heaven!"

  "She's fine," Josh assured her. "They didn't hurt her. It was… it was you they really wanted."

  "Me?"

  Josh nodded grimly. "Of course. Ortega had decided that was the only way to really get revenge. But when you weren't there-and they tore the house apart looking for you-they deckled taking Candace was better than nothing. What they hadn't planned on was Jeremiah."

  Felicity's eyes grew wide. "Jeremiah! He wasn't in on the kidnapping, was he?" she asked, unwilling to believe he could have agreed to such a thing after the way he had saved Joshua's life.

  "No, he tried to warn us, but his horse went lame, and he couldn't get to the ranch in time. But he did help us find the place where they were holding Candace. He and I had this wonderful plan. We sneaked up into the camp. It was hidden way up in some rocks. I stayed in the shadows to cover him and Jeremiah walked right in. He was going to talk the rest of them into letting Candace go. What we hadn't figured on was what he would do if Ortega refused. Lucky for us, Grady got to thinking."

  "We'd ordered him and the other men to stay down below and capture anybody who got away from us. After we left,. Grady realized that if the plan didn't work, Ortega would probably kill Candace and Jeremiah and me, so what good would it do if Grady and the others managed to get the rest of the gang? He and the other men followed me and Jeremiah up into the the hideout. I reckon it was the first time Grady ever disobeyed orders, but it's a good thing he did. Ortega wasn't about to listen to reason, so I had to shoot him before he killed Jeremiah and Candace. Unfortunately, he got me, too."

  Felicity made a small, anguished sound and laid her palm reverently on her husband's chest. "Where?" she asked as tears threatened to fog her vision.