Lariats, Letters, and Lace

by Agnes Alexander

  The enormity of providing for a family was starting to pull Harmony’s shoulders up around his ears.

  Pa had made his way out west from Chicago after the war, traveling with a theatrical troupe. He was known as the Heartthrob of the Midwest because the ladies were all in a twitter over him. Winslow Buchanan was also known for his deep, rich voice, with which he could as easily belt out a song as recite a Shakespearean sonnet. They still had a stack of old playbills from various venues featuring Father, which Harmony and Melody liked to look through on a dull day.

  When the troupe got to Texas, an outbreak of influenza hit, putting the troupe’s piano player flat on his back in bed. Harmony’s future mother, Eliza Cassidy, had been enlisted to save the show and stop a possible riot from angry ticket holders.

  When Winslow saw the diminutive strawberry-blonde with her hands flying over the keys, it was love at first sight. Eliza held out a little longer. She wouldn’t entertain the notion of romance with an actor, especially one with a reputation as a “ladies’ man.”

  But when Winslow himself fell victim to influenza, and then a case of pneumonia, the show had to move on without him. He was supposed to meet up with them in Arizona. He never made that stagecoach.

  Eliza insisted on taking him home to her father’s ranch while he recovered. From there, love blossomed. By the time Winslow was recovered, the couple had an understanding.

  Grandfather was, of course, against it—no profession being more disreputable than the theater, except maybe that of the snake-oil salesman.

  But Eliza made him understand she meant to be with the actor, and her father could sanction the union and let them stay in Texas with him, or she was going to follow the troupe around. Her father was a widower and Eliza was his only child. He decided it was best to have the newlyweds under his roof—visions of his beloved daughter being abandoned out in the territories on his mind.

  Only Harmony’s father wasn’t cut out for the life of a rancher. When Grandpa was alive, he had muddled along, enduring teasing about his greenhorn ways and even going on one disastrous cattle drive where he caused a stampede. After that, Grandpa put his son-in-law to work indoors doing the accounts and other desk work. The work too often went undone while Pa was gathering wool, because it bored him to the point where his mind wandered.

  When Grandpa died, his father decided he couldn’t manage the ranch. Father and Mother decided to sell off the cattle, and then all the land except for the five acres their house stood on. If there was any discussion about how this would affect their children’s future, Harmony never heard it.

  His parents went on, living comfortably and pursuing their love of music. Sometimes, Harmony thought the older he got, the younger his parents seemed to become. When he was little, Harmony only thought of his father as just that—his father. But when he got older, he came to realize that the others in town saw Pa as somewhat of an oddity. Lucky for him, Pa was long on charm and had won over most of the populace, and so carved out his own place in the community.

  From the time he was a child, Harmony had loved ranch life. Selling off the cattle broke his heart. But now, the full impact of that decision on his parents’ part settled down on him. Harmony suddenly saw himself as a man with little prospects. He had become a hired ranch hand, working on somebody else’s ranch.

  Along with declaring his love, he was going to have to present Alice with something more than his good intentions. He had a lot of thinking to do.

  His rubbed his eyes. A noise startled him, and when he looked up, Melody stood in front of him holding up some other attic find.

  “Ah, naw, naw, naw! You go put that right back where you found it. I ain’t wearing that.”

  “Yes, you will. Trust me,” said Melody.

  ****

  The directive exploded in his ear like cymbals clanging together. Harmony’s eyes shot open. The smell of hot metal wafted under his nose, and then was gone in an instant.

  He tried to jump out of bed, but then realized how sore he was. He’d spent the day with a pitchfork depositing hay for the cattle around the Clemson’s ranch where he worked. The job required a different set of muscles than usually was required of him riding, roping, mending fences.

  He put his feet on the floor and winced at the cold. But still, an excitement was building in his mind. He stood up and stopped his ascent just short of banging his head on the ceiling, for which he congratulated himself. After he dressed he bounded down the stairs, falling heavily against a wall when he staggered like a drunk trying to put on his boots. His grandfather’s old walking cane clattered to the floor from its perch on the hat stand.

  “Are you trying to knock down a wall? I think you’re getting too big for this house.” His father stepped into the front hall, amusement written on his broad face, his hands resting on his large belly.

  He was wearing a suit like he did every day. His father was always the smartest dressed man he knew who didn’t work in an office.

  “You might be right there, Pa.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I have an errand to run. I’m in an awful hurry,” Harmony said, slipping into his coat, smashing his Stetson down on his head and running out the door with a wave back at his father.

  Chapter 5

  If things went his way tonight his life would be changed forever. But if things didn’t go his way, his heart would be the thing forever changed.

  Harmony fit the narrow black satin tie around his neck and straightened the ready-made bow. Looking in the mirror, he felt silly in the long, black frock coat and waistcoat his father had worn on stage. The brocade waistcoat was red, of all colors, and had a design of black scrolls and flowers. I’m likely to get myself beaten up tonight.

  The suit fit him beautifully. It had been custom-made for his father in a time before a life of inactivity had thickened his body. Harmony saw how much he and his father were built alike and vowed to never let his middle get out of hand the way his father had. The pants of black wool with silver pinstripes hit Harmony in exactly the right part of his legs—a way his old brown suit hadn’t in quite a while. Maybe his sister had been right.

  He had polished his black dress boots until they shined. These boots with the top-stitching and cut-out designs had been his first purchase made with the money he earned as an adult. White vines made their way up from the pointed toes and circled two red hearts showing through the cut-outs at each side. He was proud of his boots with the heels which added almost two inches to his six-foot-two-inch frame.

  Now if only he could get his hair under control, he might be presentable. Soft, inky curls toppled in every direction and kept falling over his forehead despite the many times he pushed it back. Harmony grabbed his comb and the bottle of Macassar oil, ready to train his locks into submission.

  “Stop!”

  “Dang! Melody you almost made me drop this bottle.”

  “Do not touch your hair!”

  “I have to do something with it. I look like a—”

  “A prince in a renaissance painting. You look very handsome…and romantic,” she said.

  He winced when he saw she was hiding something behind her back. ”What now? Have you found something else to make me look more ridiculous?”

  She still held her hand behind her back. “Close your eyes.”

  “Aw, now…”

  “Trust me.”

  Harmony closed his eyes and felt her sliding his tie off and replacing it with something else. He heard her gasp in delight.

  “Open your eyes.”

  “Now, this is too much! I look like a dandy,” he said, attempting to pull off the blue silk cravat, but Melody swatted his hand away.

  “Stop fussing. See how it brings out the blue in your eyes? Alice won’t be able to resist you.”

  “If she doesn’t die laughing first,” he said, but he could see his sister was right.

  His eyes, under the black fringe of curls falling around his face, did look startl
ingly blue.

  Melody smiled at his reflection in the mirror. “One more thing,” she said in a voice that made him wary.

  She pulled a small object out of her pocket and then opened her fist.

  “What is that?”

  “A stick pin for your cravat.”

  She pushed the pin end through the fabric at his collar. It was a design of two hearts entwined.

  “I hope you’ve exhausted the contents of that trunk by now.”

  “I did, but this isn’t from the trunk. Pa gave it to me to give to you. He said it always brought him luck. He thought you could use a little of that.”

  Harmony now noticed his little sister was not looking so childish. In fact, she was looking pretty. “You look nice. Who’s the lucky boy you’ve set your sights on?”

  Melody beamed and twirled in her pink dress. Her black dress boots tapped, and her hair fell in a cascade of spirals made by the use of a curling iron. ”I haven’t decided yet. There are a few candidates. I’ll make that decision tonight.”

  ****

  It was a chilly evening, but the air in the hall was close and warm with so much body heat and excitement contained within four walls. Harmony was, as he predicted, the subject of ridicule from the other boys, some of whom hadn’t made much of an effort beyond cleaning their faces. In a flash he saw himself not only wearing his father’s clothes, but being like his father—apart from the others, an oddity. He and Johnny Harper were the most dressed up men at the dance, only Harmony wasn’t sure if his outfit was more “dress-up” than dressed up.

  Johnny was wearing what appeared to be the latest in men’s fashion. He wore a suit of matching pants and jacket with brown and gray stripes. His jacket was of a different cut entirely than Harmony’s, with a shorter jacket that cut away in the front. He was surrounded by his usual entourage. Johnny said something, his lips curled in distaste, and the group looked in Harmony’s direction, snickering. Harmony slunk off to one corner, his arms crossed over his chest, wishing he hadn’t let Melody talk him into the get-up.

  His sister was the center of attention amid a group of boys about her age. She was glowing like he’d never seen her. She cast an anxious eye at him for an instant. He winked at her, not wanting to ruin her evening as well as his.

  There was no sight of Alice yet, and it occurred to him she might not show up. Maybe she didn’t care for the attention of a secret admirer—or worse, she guessed he was the author, and didn’t want any part of him.

  “Hey, Harmony, don’t you look a picture?”

  He looked over to see Sally looking at him under lowered eyelashes. At first, he thought she was teasing him, because she didn’t say what kind of picture he looked like. But when he met her eyes, the look she was giving him made his heart skip a beat. She smiled suggestively at him and batted her eyelashes. Then, she moved closer to whisper in his ear. Her breast brushed against his arm and her perfume tickled his nostrils.

  “This is the time a gentleman tells a lady how nice she looks.”

  The last thing he wanted was to get in an entanglement with another girl. Where was Alice?

  “You look good, Sally,” he said, moving to create a distance between them.

  Then, two other girls he knew made their way to his corner—one nervous, the other bold. All eyes fixed on him like he had a blue ribbon around his neck, which in fact he did—thanks to Melody. Across the room, some of the other boys were looking daggers at him. Maybe Melody had been right, after all. Harmony felt like the girls were in a competition to push their branding irons at his flank.

  It wouldn’t do to have Alice walk in and see this. She’d think he was frivolous in his affections. The bold one, fittingly wearing a bright red dress, edged Sally out of the way. He could smell musk rising from her flushed skin.

  “Do you like to dance, Harmony? I bet you do, the way you twirl your rope.”

  “I’m not much of a one for dancing, no. If you ladies will excuse me, I think my sister needs my assistance,” he said, sidestepping the rustle of silk skirts that was trying to corral him into a corner.

  The music had started up playing a polka. On the small stage, his mother was at the piano, accompanied by a fiddler and his father playing a guitar. Couples began spinning and leaping around the room. He strode purposely toward Melody, practicing his shoulder move. He was glad Melody had thought of that because he had to cut through the crowd, which, otherwise, would have been hard to do gracefully. Unattached girls were looking at him expectantly, but he refused to meet their eyes.

  Melody saw him coming her way. A frown appeared between her brows like she didn’t exactly welcome his presence just this minute. A ginger-haired boy was offering her his hand. Harmony was going to break for another corner when his sister suddenly raised her eyebrows at him and gave her head a quick shake. He followed the direction she indicated. There was his Alice.

  Chapter 6

  Harmony’s heart pounded like a drum. He suddenly felt feverish with hot blood coursing through his body, burning his cheeks. Momentarily, he rested the back of his hand on his forehead to confirm the rise in temperature. Despite the heat, a rivulet of ice cold sweat ran down his back. He realized he’d been holding his breath when he started to feel light-headed.

  Alice was standing inside the door between her aunt and uncle. She was dressed like he’d never seen her before. Dressed like a lady, not a girl. Her dress was a color that was pink, or light purple. He wasn’t sure what you’d call that color, but it set off her hair to advantage. Below her waist, the top skirt was gathered in soft folds like an apron and then gathered behind her to form a bustle. And her waist…so small under a wide, black belt. He bet he could put both of his hands around her waist and they’d meet in the back. There was cream-colored lace at the ends of her sleeves, and framing her neckline, which exposed just enough of her skin over the soft mounds of her breasts to cause his crotch to tighten.

  The activity that girl inspired below his belt was something he couldn’t tell Melody about. It wasn’t only the urge to kiss Alice that caused such confusion in his brain.

  Alice’s gaze darted around the room, and her cheeks were pink with excitement. Harmony composed himself, forcing his features to assume “the serious look.” He stared at her, willing her to look in his direction.

  Only, her quick glance washed over him like he wasn’t standing there. In fact, he felt she was deliberately not seeing him. Her look slid back and forth over him like a pat of butter over a hot skillet.

  The dancers spun past, blocking her for an instant. When they parted again, he was horrified to see Johnny offering her his hand. She thrust her chin forward in that familiar way.

  Johnny was all decked out in his new suit with his perfect hair combed back off his high forehead. When he took Alice’s hand and led her out to the dance floor, Harmony felt like his heart was squeezed by a fist.

  He watched the couple gracefully sweeping around in a waltz. They were talking to one another. They made a nice-looking couple, he had to concede; but to him, who knew her so well, there was a vulnerability in her wide eyes. She looked like a defenseless baby rabbit. And Johnny was licking his lips like an old tomcat ready to pounce.

  Harmony glanced away long enough to see Melody trying to catch his eye. She looked alarmed and was making a gesture which he interpreted to mean he was supposed to cut in. He shook his head “no” and went back to watching another man steal his girl.

  Alice was facing him now, and he could see her mouthing the words to Johnny, “I got your letter.” Harmony, having grown up in a house full of loud music was good at lip-reading.

  They spun around so Johnny was facing him now. He had a look of confusion on his face, which pleased Harmony. But then to Harmony’s horror, a knowing look came into the other man’s eyes, and he nodded yes. This was too much! He was going to step in and take credit for his letter.

  Alice looked up at Johnny, but they spun away again before Harmony could get a read on her. H
e could see she was talking fast by the rise and fall of her shoulders and the way her head was moving. All the while, Johnny was watching her with amusement. Then, he started talking to her. They spun around again, so Harmony could see her face. She had a smile on her face. But the more Johnny talked, the more her smile dissolved into a frown.

  Before the dance even ended, Alice let go of Johnny, nodded and walked away. It wasn’t a leave-taking like they’d had a disagreement, but more like she simply absentmindedly wandered away. Johnny stood there dumb-founded, his arms dangling at his sides as the other couples moved around him.

  Alice’s friend, Amelia, hooked her arm through Alice’s elbow and led her off to the side where they engaged in girl-talk. Harmony put on his serious face again and tried to get her attention…to no avail.

  Amelia whispered something to her and began sidestepping with her toward the refreshment table laden with cakes, cookies, and other sweet treats the ladies had brought. When they were next to shy Will Granger, both ladies stopped. Amelia was giving Alice’s arm a little tug, her head inclined toward Will who was looking like he wanted to fade into the wall. Instead, he busied himself by grabbing a cookie off the table. The ladies switched places, and it looked like Alice was clearing her throat. Will looked at her sideways. Alice’s chin shot out. “I got your letter,” he saw her mouth the words.

  Will just stood there turning red as a beet and looking at his shoes. Alice tried again, slipping her hand into the folds of her dress and pulling the corner of the card out. Understanding dawned on Will’s face. He brushed crumbs off his face and shook his head no and began apologizing for causing anyone any discomfort.