by Caroline Lee
He liked how she was practical, and level-headed. It meant she’d be a real help in the future; running a ranch wasn’t easy. She was strong too, and capable. What she didn’t know she asked about, and listened, and learned. In the short time he’d known her, Cam knew that Tess would be an asset to the Open Skye.
And, since he was busy complimenting his good sense, he admitted that she would be a fine asset to him, as well. He’d thought that this spark between them was just because he wanted her, wanted to bed her. He figured once he’d had her, his body’s reaction to her would calm down a bit. It hadn’t. Tasting her had made the craving even worse. Now he knew what it was like to hold her, to be inside her, and he wanted it—needed it—even worse. Evening couldn’t come fast enough, when he could make love to her again.
Yeah, she was on his mind all right. So much so that Perkins and Smitty had started ribbing him about his distraction. He didn’t mind, though, ‘cause he figured he was justified. It’s not every day a man got to marry a woman as intoxicating as Tess, and he was allowed to daydream about making love to her. Of course, it made for an uncomfortable afternoon, but that was his own damned fault.
On Saturday, after noon, he hitched up the wagon and drove the three of them into Cheyenne. It took a while—even longer by wagon than by horse—but it was worth it, to be able to spend so much time with Tess and Jacob. The boy immediately climbed up in his lap, and insisted on helping him drive the horses. He bounced around on Cam’s knees, flicking the reins, and yelling “Yah! Yah ho-sies!” and making them laugh.
After about an hour, Tess pulled her son off, saying “Give Daddy a break, and come have a rest.” She told him a tale of a spooky romance between a man named Chan and a girl named Willow, spread out over several lifetimes. Cam had never heard it before, and was as interested as Jacob. Afterwards, she propped the little boy up on her arm, and sang to him until his eyes closed. The song was a familiar lullaby, and Tess couldn’t carry a tune with a bucket. But her husky voice was soothing, and Cam felt at peace listening to her. He found himself watching Jacob’s long lashes against chubby cheeks, and the way her lithe fingers—fingers he knew were gentle and confident—stroke through the sweet curls. He felt a longing he couldn’t describe, watching her loving her son.
He waited until Jacob was asleep before saying quietly, “You mean that? About me being Jake’s Daddy?”
She kept her gaze fixed on the little boy. “If you want to be. Jacob will never know a father besides you, and I think you’d be a fine Daddy.” Cam had to swallow past the lump in his throat. “I know that it’s hard for a man to care for a kid that’s not his own, but if you’re willing to pretend…”
“I’ll love him like my own.”
She looked at him, then, face blank. “Really?” She didn’t believe him, so he nodded.
“Really. Family ain’t always about blood, Tessa. It’d be impossible not to love the little guy. He’s already taught me more about being a father than I would have guessed.”
He glanced at her, and watched her expression soften. He loved the way her brows showed her mood; up high for surprise and happiness, pulled in tightly to meet over her nose when she was concerned. Now, they slowly drooped at the outer corners, and he saw something in her eyes he’d never seen before. She looked away before he could guess what it was.
But her free hand found his forearm, and he shifted the reins to be able to twine his fingers through hers. He squeezed, and felt her squeeze back, and knew that she understood him. This woman and this child were now his life, and he couldn’t be happier.
Cheyenne was huge. Tess hadn’t seen anything like it since San Francisco, and even then the two cities couldn’t really compare. Cheyenne, Wyoming had been built practically overnight, going from nothingness to a real city in less than a year when the railroad came through. Now it had tall buildings, elegant hotels, streets and streets of stores and amenities, and wires criss-crossing the streets, bringing light and telephone service to the wealthiest families. And the people! There were women dressed in fashions Tess had never seen, and she had to assume it was because she’d been so far from civilization for so long. Of course, even if she had been back in San Francisco, she couldn’t have afforded to dress in such gorgeous gowns. She found herself turning on the wagon’s seat to follow a woman whose rear end seemed three times bigger than it ought to be. She’d known bustles were all the rage, but she hadn’t realized they were getting so big.
Cam chuckled at her, and she smiled in return, admitting that she was gawking as badly as her son. Jacob was perched on his new father’s knees again, chattering non-stop about this amazing new place.
They turned off the main street onto an avenue lined with beautiful homes, some of them still being constructed. As they passed one almost-complete house, Cam pointed to it and explained that his business partner was having it built. In the meantime, the Carderocks were still living with Serena’s aunts, which was where Cam was taking his new family this afternoon.
Tess had heard about Serena Selkirk Carderock. It was hard not to, since the woman had owned the Open Skye back when it was the Double-S. Even Ian had compared Tess to Serena, saying that they were the same size. This Serena must be tiny as well, then.
But Tess had played enough poker to understand tells, and Cam’s worried her. There was something he wasn’t telling her about this Serena Selkirk, something they had shared in the past. It wasn’t obvious, but once or twice, in talking about her, Cam had gotten uncomfortable. Tess wondered what had passed between the two of them before Serena had married Cam’s partner. And it worried her that she was concerned about Cam’s past. What did it matter? It wasn’t like she had a claim to him then. Goodness, she didn’t even have a claim to him now. No matter how much she enjoyed being married to him, it wasn’t like she was in love with the man, or he with her. What did it matter if he’d once had feelings for his partner’s wife?
Tess shifted uncomfortably on her seat as she realized that somehow, it did matter. She didn’t like these childish feelings of jealousy. She was a grown woman, and should be able to handle this marriage—and the feelings it evoked—in a rational manner. She’d married Cam because he offered her safety and stability; Cam’s feelings for another woman, or Tess’s surprisingly possessive feelings about him, shouldn’t matter at all. Right? She squeezed her eyes shut and stifled her sigh. In spite of all her attempts to convince herself to be logical, the jealousy still bubbled in the pit of her stomach. Meeting Serena wasn’t going to be easy.
He pulled to a stop in front of a house that was even more impressive than the ranch house Tess now lived in. She’d known the Selkirks were rich, but to see this home just made it more obvious. She self-consciously smoothed down her skirt—still dirty, despite her best efforts to clean up her only clothes—and wondered how Cam could help but compare her to Serena. Tess knew the other woman was beautiful, and now to find out that she was rich… well, her self-esteem could only take so much.
She knew her feet were dragging when Cam led her to the porch.
“Do they know we’re coming?” She tried to run her fingers through Jacob’s curls, and wipe the dirt off of his cheeks, but the boy squirmed out of her reach. Cam had him up on his shoulder, and Jacob loved being so high up, knowing she couldn’t reach him easily.
“Nope, but it’ll be okay.” Cam glanced at her, and her worry must have shown, because he bent down to kiss her. As always, his kiss left her feeling a little dizzy and in need of support when he pulled away, so she was sure she had a stupid bemused expression on her face when the door finally opened.
“Brixley! How’ve you been?”
The older black gentleman at the door cracked a smile at her husband’s exuberant greeting, and Tess liked him for it.
“Doing fine, sir, doing fine. The ladies are in the parlor.” He stepped back to let them in, and Cam introduced her as they passed.
“Brix, this is my wife, Tess MacLeod, and my new son, Jacob.” She
could hear the pride in his voice.
She didn’t give the old man time to react to that bit of news before she put out her hand to greet him. “How do you do, Mr. Brixley?”
He looked shocked, but she didn’t know why. Maybe she’d broken some rule of etiquette by offering to shake his hand, but she didn’t care. He slowly shook it, peering at her. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. MacLeod.” Then, to Cam, “Lord, Mr. MacLeod, you sure can pick ‘em.”
“I know, right?”
She waited until Brixley had moved down the foyer before pinching Cam. “What was that about?” she whispered.
Her husband smiled that crooked little grin she liked so much, but she didn’t let herself be distracted. “You surprised him. He’s saying you’re as pretty as Serena.”
She didn’t know how to respond to that, so she didn’t. And then, moments later, after she’d actually been introduced to Serena, Tess decided that both men were absolutely wrong.
There was no way she was anywhere near as pretty as Serena Selkirk Carderock. The woman was… stunning. Pristine. She looked like a porcelain doll that had come to life. She had the palest skin Tess had ever seen, with hair so light it looked silver, and eyes a soft shade of lavender. Tess actually backed up when the woman came over to embrace her, afraid that she’d somehow break or dirty this perfect creature. She recovered in time that she didn’t think she caused any rudeness, and allowed herself to be hugged tightly. After, though, she used Jacob as an excuse to move away from Serena, determined not to stand next to her, and remind Cam how much uglier she was.
Her husband, for his part, had embraced Serena like an old friend, and Tess hadn’t seen any wistfulness there from either party. Still, she could shake her vague unease at seeing them together.
Serena wasn’t just gorgeous, but open and friendly too. She insisted they join her and her aunts—the two identical older women chatting happily with Cam—for dinner and overnight. Cam immediately took her up on the offer, but explained he had to take care of some ‘business’ first.
“Where’s Sebastian?”
“Still at school, but should be home soon.”
“He’s still walking there and back?” At Serena’s nod, Cam shoved his hat back on his head. “Good, I’ll go pick him up. Think I’ll need his help with this.” Before Tess could react to the news that he was leaving her here with these strangers, he’d kissed her goodbye, admonished Jacob to “mind his mother”, and was out the door.
And Tess was left alone with what surely must be the most beautiful woman in the world. It was impossible not to compare herself to Serena, especially after everything she’d heard about the other woman. She felt her fists clenching, just imagining Cam with this vision. After knowing Serena, how could he possibly have found Tess lovely? How could he have called her beautiful?
It would have been easy to hate Serena, but she made it impossible. Just a few minutes with her showed Tess that she was a kind, outgoing, and thoughtful young lady. Her twin aunts, Agnes and Agatha, were just as sweet, and had an adorable habit of finishing each other’s sentences. Tess still felt dowdy next to such refinement, but the three women did their best to make her comfortable.
Jacob, thank goodness, was on his best behavior, and seemed to relish the attention the Agnes and Agatha gave him. He overcame his shyness, and was entertaining without being obnoxious or troublesome. The best any mother of a two-year-old could hope for, truly.
Brixley brought them all tea and cookies—for which Jacob’s polite “bank you!” sent the older ladies into spasms of “awww!”—and Serena kept up a running conversation. Tess soon found out that the younger woman had been married a little over a year to a man who must surely be a paragon, judging from his description. In a few short minutes, his wife called him “divinely handsome”, “the most intelligent man”, and “so very noble.” Add into that his obvious wealth and caring—he was a math teacher at the large public school in the city—and Sebastian Carderock must be a very special person. Tess mentioned that when Serena paused, and the younger woman sighed dreamily.
“Oh! Oh, he is! Just wait until you meet him, Tess!” A teasing look came to those lavender eyes. “Of course, don’t look too hard, he’s mine. Not that you’d want to, with Cam nearby. He’s quite the handsome man himself, isn’t he?” Tess had been scoffing at her earlier worry over Cam and Serena together, because the younger woman was obviously head-over-heels in love with her husband, but now she hesitated.
Serena smiled. “Come now, admit it! Cameron MacLeod is surely the second-most-handsome man in Cheyenne.”
Alarmed by the feelings of jealousy this perfectly kind lady was causing, Tess tried her best to smile convincingly. “Well, I’ve never met your husband, so I can’t say…”
Serena laughed. “Okay, then I suppose he’s the most handsome man you’ve ever seen!”
Tess laughed weakly, and allowed that Cam was an attractive man. Jacob came over at that point, and one of the two aunts—Tess would never be able to tell them apart—spoke up. “I heard Cam introduce the boy as his son.”
Tess felt her brows draw in defensively. “It was Cam’s idea. I—we—think it best that Jacob grow up knowing a father.”
The older woman tsked, and her sister cut in. “Don’t be silly, girl, of course it’s a good idea. We think it’s admirable. It takes a rare man to love a child not his own seed.”
Tess hugged Jacob. Cam was a rare man. And Serena was right; he was the most handsome man Tess had ever met. So what did a man so noble, so handsome, want with her?
“If you don’t mind us asking, dear—”
Her twin interrupted, “How did you two meet?”
And Tess found herself telling the entire story. The three of them sighed dreamily when she got to the part about Cam rescuing them, and then again when he proposed. She couldn’t help but smile at their enthusiasm for her marriage, and took turns exclaiming at length about how perfect she was for Cam. She was feeling much more comfortable with the three of them when Brixley stepped in to hand Serena a note that had just been delivered. Apparently Sebastian and Cam’s business would take them longer than expected, and they wanted the ladies to go on and have supper without them.
The meal was surprisingly informal, what with the older ladies telling stories that had them all dissolving into peals of laughter, and Jacob trying his best to charm everyone with his songs. But he didn’t throw anything, and Brixley had some cookies waiting when the boy finished his meal, so the ladies could linger over their supper. Tess learned all about Serena and Sebastian’s courtship, and how successful Sebastian had become in the past year. Serena taught literature at the school with her husband two days a week, but Sebastian was one of the top teachers there. He not only taught and tutored math, but gave music lessons and coached the ball team as well. Tess could tell that the two of them were dedicated to making the students’ lives as fulfilling and rewarding as possible, and she admired them both for it.
“And do you want to know the best part about Sebastian’s work?” Serena leaned in, as if imparting a secret. “We now have three deaf students at the school!”
Tess had never heard of anything like that. Students who couldn’t hear, learning alongside… normal students? Her polite disbelief must have shown, because Serena nodded. “One of my friends—the younger sister of my best friend, Wendy—became deaf when she was a young girl. She learned to use her hands to communicate, but could read lips. Her sister Molly—have you met Molly and Ash yet? No? Oh, you have to get Cam to take you out to their spread! They’re your neighbors, you know. Anyhow, Molly convinced the Superintendent to hire a teacher who had experience with deaf students, and that’s how Sebastian found his way out here! He’s a first-rate oralist, and is using the techniques to teach Annie… and now two other students from the Territory have moved to Cheyenne to join her!”
“Goodness!” Tess hadn’t realized that such a thing was even possible, and had so many questions. “That’s… that’s wonder
ful! Does she like it? Can I meet her?”
Serena laughed, and Tess found herself smiling too. “She loves it! She’s home now, but will be back as soon as the autumn half starts again. She stays here with us. Or at least,” she shot her aunts a look, “Until Sebastian and I move out. Then she’ll probably come stay with us.”
“We’re leaning her ‘sign language’ as fast as we can, young lady—”
“—So that she can stay here with us instead. We want to keep her!”
They all laughed again, even Jacob, and by the time they were ready to retire, Tess was utterly comfortable with Serena and her aunts. She still thought Serena to be the most beautiful woman she’d ever met, but also knew the younger lady had much more important traits. She found herself hoping that they could remain friends. When was the last time she’d had a real friend…? Tess honestly couldn’t remember ever having one. There had been her mother, and then Joshua. But Tess had always had to keep her own counsel, and make her own decisions. It felt wonderful to be able to relax with other women.
Serena showed her to a small room. “I know you’ll be cramped, but I don’t think any of our beds would be big enough for Cam. I don’t know how he manages it out at the Double—sorry, the Open Skye.”
“He sleeps diagonally across the bed.”
Serena blinked, and then laughed. “Oh! I guess it works because you’re so tiny!” Tess laughed too, and she continued, “This is Annie’s room usually. She’s sprouted in the last year, and is now taller than me! I’m sorry to cram you all in here.”
The room was small, but elegant, and Tess smiled warmly. “Thank you so much for your hospitality. I know we showed up last-minute—”
“I would have never forgiven Cam if he hadn’t brought you here as soon as humanly possible.” Serena surprised her with a hug, and Tess surprised herself by hugging the other woman back. “I just know we’re going to be the best of friends,” Serena whispered in her ear.