Beautiful Bandit (Lone Star Legends)

by Lough, Loree

  Oh, how she’d miss this dear, sweet woman!

  How she’d miss everyone at the Lazy N, from Josh’s warmhearted, welcoming parents to sweet, funny Sarah, who seemed determined to turn Kate into her living, breathing look-alike, to Susan, who took her jobs as Sam’s wife and Willie’s mother so seriously that she sometimes forgot to smile.

  Then, there were Josh’s cousins, affectionately known as the “Bible Boys,” because, like their fathers before them, each bore a name taken straight from the pages of the Good Book.

  Joshua, the eldest of the foursome, played the big brother role very well, always making himself available to lend an ear or offer advice—or to dole out some good-natured teasing.

  Daniel, just two months younger than Josh, had long ago become the family’s self-appointed comedian, cracking jokes and poking fun at himself every chance he got. He’d shared with Kate his dream of someday becoming a pastor, but, for now, family duty called louder than seminary.

  It hadn’t taken her much time at all to figure out that Micah, lovingly dubbed by the family as the “Quiet One,” was anything but! She almost didn’t mind those nights when sleep eluded her, because, more often than not, he’d join her on the big, covered porch for long conversations. It was easy to tell that this cousin had developed strong views on an extensive collection of topics—and he wasn’t afraid to share them!

  Like his biblical namesake, the youngest male cousin, Paul, loved to write, and he scribbled in his notebook every chance he got. When Kate had asked to read his work, he’d agreed, on the grounds that she promised never to tell anyone what he’d written. She’d thought it a shame that he wanted to keep those skillfully crafted poems all to himself, and so she’d been trying to think of a way to talk him into sharing them. The idea had come to her after dinner one night, when little Willie had sung a Bible verse set to a tune for easier memorization. That same evening, Kate had suggested that Paul set his sonnets to music, and, within the week, almost everyone at the Lazy N had been singing his beautiful words.

  Kate found it hard to believe that she’d been able to develop a deep, powerful bond with each of them in such a short period of time. Even more amazing was that they seemed to feel the same way about her. As she spread a napkin onto the ironing table, she remembered a poem she’d read years ago, in which the author had written about the pain of sacrifices made in love. If she thought for one minute that God would hear her prayers, she’d ask Him to help her learn to live without these good people. Because leaving here was the right thing to do—and also the most heartbreaking thing she could imagine.

  22

  Kate leaned against a porch post and surveyed acre upon acre of gently undulating hills, some peppered with contented cattle, others shimmering with emerald-green stalks of corn. A sense of pride bubbled inside her as she watched the cows lumber lazily in search of sweeter grass. How much more delightful would it feel, she wondered, if she’d earned the right to drink in this beautiful panorama by dint of her own sacrifice and hard work, as the Nevilles had?

  Closing her eyes, she slowly inhaled, drinking in the heady scents that rode the dry, Texas wind, savoring the sensation as each current caressed her cheeks, as every wisp of wind tousled her hair. Learn it by heart, she told herself, because, too soon, all of this will be nothing but a beautiful memory.

  The breeze picked up and set the hems of the tablecloths flapping like red-and-white-checkered flags. Lucinda had told her how Cal, the blacksmith, had fashioned the metal clamps that held them in place, adding that he was a man of many talents. He’d made the two-story arch that welcomed one and all to the Lazy N Ranch from wrought iron. If she needed a new wooden spoon, Joseph, the carpenter, would carve one. And, if the handle of her stew pot ever came loose, George would fix it. Kate realized that everyone associated with the Nevilles had been absorbed into the family, and their pride and love for one another was as obvious as the ache in her heart.

  This was no time to dwell on her disappointments and regrets. Lucinda still had many chores to do, and she needed Kate’s help to complete them all before the guests started arriving.

  She focused on the long makeshift tables separating the back gardens from the nearly parched creek bed and knew they’d soon bow under the weight of platters of fried chicken and bowls mounded high with potatoes and biscuits. For now, only stacks of stoneware plates and baskets of flatware had been neatly positioned at the head and foot of each table. Kate had seen similar displays at town festivals and city fairs, but never so much in one place, all for one family!

  She quickly corrected herself, for the feast wasn’t just for the Nevilles. The ranch hands, their families, and most of the neighbors would attend, as well. She’d met a few of them, but most were total strangers. She didn’t need to shake their hands and exchange friendly greetings to know they’d do everything in their power to make her feel part of the community.

  She was counting along as the big clock in the hall gonged eleven times when a heart-stirring, baritone voice interrupted her thoughts. “You look mighty pretty today.”

  She turned slightly to face him and willed herself not to react to Josh’s handsome smile or the warm light emanating from those oh-so-blue eyes. Under other circumstances, Kate might have returned the compliment, for he looked regal in his bright-white shirt and the dark-blue string tie, which matched his trousers. He’d slicked back his shoulder-length, golden curls, and she resisted the urge to tuck a wayward lock of hair behind his ear. “Thanks,” she said, one hand fluttering at the collar of her blouse—one he’d bought her while they had been on the trail. Why, oh why, she wondered, facing the fields again, did she feel as though she might cry?

  He leaned closer. “Will you come inside with me?” His breath tickled her ear when he added, “I’d like you to meet my grandmother.”

  She had just returned from her sister’s house in Amarillo. Forcing a smile, Kate met his gaze. “So, I take it she’s recuperated from her long trip?”

  “I reckon. But even if she hasn’t, I’ve never known her to miss a party.” He took her elbow and led her into the house. “She’s in the parlor, sipping lemonade. Ma made it special for her, since it’s her favorite drink.”

  “Goodness, she must feel like a queen, with lemons being so hard to come by—”

  “Trust me,” he said, quirking one brow, “my grandmother is one woman who doesn’t need lemonade to feel like a queen!”

  “Well, I suppose that’s her right, considering all she did to help turn this ranch into a successful operation.”

  Josh stopped dead in his tracks and blocked her path. “I don’t think anyone has ever acknowledged that before. At least, not out loud.” One corner of his mouth lifted in a grin. “You’re something else, Dinah Theodore. Mee-Maw is going to love you.”

  He started for the foyer, but she grabbed his wrist and stopped him. She had to stall him so that she could gather her wits, plan a few good answers to the woman’s inquiries. “Before we go in,” Kate whispered, “do you mind answering a few questions?”

  Josh glanced at the fingers she’d wrapped around his wrist, then fixed his azure gaze upon her face. “Such as?”

  She couldn’t very well admit that the prospect of meeting the family matriarch terrified her, now, could she? But it had been her experience that older people had a knack for spotting phonies—and a tendency to say exactly what was on their minds. What if Josh’s grandmother gave her a thorough interrogation, took her measure, and…. The thought was too unnerving to complete!

  “Why do you call her Mee-Maw, instead of something more dignified?”

  Josh chuckled. “It’s no big mystery,” he began, taking her hands in his own. “When the lot of us were knee-high to boll weevils, ‘Mee-Maw’ was easier to say than ‘Grandma.’” He shrugged a shoulder and arched one eyebrow. “It won’t take a minute for you to figure out that she wouldn’t feel the least bit comfortable with something more…‘dignified.’”

  Kate exhale
d a shuddering breath.

  “Oh, don’t tell me you’re afraid to meet a kindly old woman—”

  “Of course not.” But even before uttering the final word of her sentence, she felt the heat of a blush creep into her cheeks. “It isn’t that I’m afraid, exactly. It’s just—well, I want to make a good impression, that’s all.” She swallowed. “How much…. What have you told her about me?”

  His eyes narrowed slightly, his smile became a wily smirk. He studied her face in silence for a moment before saying, “That you’re on the run from the Texas Rangers, who hope to hang you for murder and bank robbery.”

  Kate snatched back her hands, wondering as she shoved them into her apron pockets if it was possible for a human heart to thump so hard it could leap clean out of a person’s chest. Her skin grew clammy as a chill snaked up her spine, just as it had that night in the shack. Waves of wooziness fogged her brain, and her mouth went as dry as fresh-picked cotton. She pressed her back against the cool, plaster wall, shut her eyes tight, and slid slowly to the floor.

  “Good gravy!” Josh said, crouching beside her. “What in tarnation…?” She opened her eyes, and he lifted her chin on a bent forefinger and studied her face. “I was only—”

  “Joshing?”

  Her feeble attempt to lighten the mood fell on deaf ears—that much was evident by the stern set to his manly jaw. “I know you believe you’ve been helpful, spending all that time on your feet to help Lucinda, but I think you’re in more pain than you’ll admit. And I think you’ve been skipping meals, too.”

  Kate blotted her forehead with the hem of her apron.

  “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  “Am I right?

  “I suppose I have missed a few breakfasts and suppers.”

  He pursed his lips.

  “Really, it doesn’t hurt all that much.”

  “But you wouldn’t tell me if it did, would you?”

  No, Kate thought, I would not.

  “I didn’t think so.” He stood up, then helped her to her feet. “Think you can stand on your own without toppling over like a tower of Willie’s building blocks?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “So you say.”

  “If I say I’m fine, then I’m fine!”

  “And if I say I don’t believe a word of it….” Josh guided her farther into the foyer, and stopped short of the parlor door. “Why, you’re hardly limping at all. That’s pretty amazing, considering….”

  Considering? Did it mean he was surprised at how quickly she’d healed? Or that he thought she’d faked the twisted ankle so he’d take pity on her and bring her home? Probably the latter, if his stern expression was any indication. Kate mustered all the boldness she could and lifted her skirt a tad, exposing the injured foot. “It is amazing, isn’t it, that something so trifling could be the answer to Lucinda’s prayers.” Dropping the skirt, she added, “You needn’t worry, Josh. Any day now, I’ll be out of your hair.”

  He faced her head-on, both brows low in the center of his forehead. “That isn’t what I meant. Surely, you don’t think I’d say anything so heartless and—”

  “Who’s that babbling in the hall?”

  Josh gave a sideways nod of his head. “Mee-Maw,” he whispered. “Sweet old gal doesn’t miss a trick.”

  Thinking he’d finished talking, Kate made a move to enter the parlor. He stopped her with a powerful hand wrapped around her arm. His lips grazed her ear as he said, “Mark my words, we will finish this conversation later.” Then, with one hand on her elbow, he led her into the room and snapped off a smart salute to the elderly woman in the big chair in which Kate usually sat with her mending. “Hey there, beautiful,” he said, bending to press a kiss to her forehead. “How’s my favorite girl feeling today?”

  “If I said, ‘Never better,’ I’d be lying,” she said with a hearty chuckle. “But I reckon I’m not doing too badly—for a ‘sweet old gal.’”

  Josh rolled his eyes and looked at Kate. “What did I tell you? She doesn’t miss a trick.”

  Kate stood in the middle of the room, clasping and unclasping her hands and grinning like a fool.

  Josh pressed a palm to her lower back, gently urging her nearer the chair where his grandmother sat. “This is Dinah Theodore,” he said, “the young woman who—”

  “I know good’n’well who she is.” To Kate, she said, “Step up here, dearie, so I can get a better look at you. My old eyes don’t see quite as well as they used to.”

  Kate inched forward, stopping just short of the ottoman. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Nev—”

  “Name’s Esther, and I can’t tell you what a pleasure it’ll be having someone call me by my Christian name for a change.” She grabbed Kate’s hand and gave a tight squeeze. “Good to meet you, girl, good to meet you.” She aimed an arthritic finger at the sofa. “Take a load off, and talk with me until the partygoers arrive. Josh, be a good grandson and fetch another tumbler so I can share my lemonade with this beautiful young woman.”

  “Please don’t think me ungrateful, Mrs. Neville, but I couldn’t possibly—”

  “And why ever not?”

  “Well, lemons are so hard to come by, especially at this time of year. And expensive. I surely don’t need—”

  “I don’t need it, either. The good Lord hasn’t yet created the body who needs the stuff, but He sure as shootin’ made a few who need to share it!” This time, the crooked finger was aimed at Kate. “Don’t make me say it again, girlie,” she said with a wink. “The name is Esther.”

  Josh shrugged helplessly and strode from the room as Kate eased onto the thick sofa cushions.

  “Dinah Theodore,” Esther echoed. “A good, strong name.” She sat back, nodding. “Theodore, Theodore—what is that? English? Welch?”

  Kate hadn’t thought about the origins of her borrowed name. “I hate to admit it,” was her candid reply, “but I have no idea.”

  “Well, don’t you worry your pretty head about it. Things like that might matter in Boston or Baltimore, but here in West Texas, nobody pays much mind to bloodlines. Unless, of course, you’re a stud bull or a quarter horse.” Laughing, she dabbed tears of mirth from her eyes. “Don’t mind me,” she said. “But if I don’t laugh at my own pitiful jokes, who will?”

  Suddenly, Kate didn’t feel the least bit intimidated by this powerful, formidable woman. And the credit for that, she knew, went to Esther.

  “Lucinda tells me you’ve been a huge help to her in the time you’ve been here. Haven’t waited to be asked how you might lend a hand. Just jumped in and did what you thought needed doing.” She winked. “I thank you for that, Dinah. That poor woman works her fingers to the bone without making so much as a sigh of complaint. She’s not getting any younger, either. If you weren’t in such an all-fired hurry to leave here, I’d ask you to stay on as Lucinda’s assistant.”

  How would Josh’s grandmother know she planned to leave in a day or two, when she’d made the decision only that morning?

  “My eyes may not be what they once were,” Esther said, “but the Almighty hasn’t seen fit to dim my hearing.” She chuckled. “Yet.”

  Kate swallowed hard, wondering what, exactly, Josh’s grandmother had overheard.

  “Why the long face?” Josh asked as he reentered the room and placed a silver tray, laden with biscuits, ham, and two tumblers of lemonade, on the ottoman.

  She was about to ask what he meant when he said, “Ah, I guess Mee-Maw has figured it out, too.”

  Kate gulped. “I—I—”

  “That you plan to leave us soon.”

  She’d been careful to keep her plans and concerns to herself, and she racked her brain, searching for a thought or worry she might have uttered aloud.

  Josh pointed at the tray. “By the way,” he said to his grandmother, “Lucinda said to tell you to eat this, or else.”

  Esther helped herself to a slice of meat. “Or else what?” she asked around the first bite
.

  “Or else your medicina will make your stomach enfermo,” the housekeeper said, breezing into the room.

  Esther snorted playfully. “Sick, my foot.” Patting her stomach, she added, “Cast iron, I tell you. Why, I could eat shoe leather and carpenter’s nails and not pay a price.”

  “All the same,” Lucinda said, “is better to be safe than—”

  “Enfermo,” the women said in unison.

  Lighthearted and touching as the familial interplay was, Kate didn’t have much interest in the ongoing interchange between Esther and Lucinda. She much preferred to watch Josh, whose dark-lashed gaze brimmed with tenderness for these two very significant women in his life.

  If only he could look at her that way someday. Immediately, she sniffed and shook her shoulders at the absurd thought. It brought to mind what he’d said in the hall earlier, when she’d asked what he’d told his grandmother about her. Had there been a rationale for his brusque yet accurate remark? She didn’t see how. Besides, Josh didn’t seem the good-guesser type.

  Yet the possibility that he had an inkling about her true identity further justified her plans to leave this place as soon as she could. Another day or two—three, at most—and her ankle would be almost as good as new, leaving her no rational excuse to stay. After the party, once things quieted down, she’d find a way to get Josh alone, ask him to help her map out a route to Mexico, and assure him that she’d repay every penny.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” Esther said, startling Kate. When had Josh and Lucinda left the room? But before she could ask, the old woman said, “Lucinda has a cake in the oven, and my grandson is checking on Callie.”

  Callie? Why would he visit his horse, of all things, so soon before a huge gala?

  “He says she’s been acting fussy these last few days. He thinks she got into some loco weed.” Esther winked and chuckled impishly. “I say different. In fact, if I was a bettin’ woman, I’d bet if that horse isn’t carrying a foal, he has to eat his hat.”

  Kate returned the woman’s smile. “Good thing you’re not a betting woman, then.”