by Reina Torres
When the messenger had arrived, wearing a fine suit of clothes and his saddle marked with the Three Rivers brand, her father had certainly been pleased. There was a mix of emotions for Tillie. She had been hoping to see Wyeth stop by to ask her to the social, but the Express rider had not been to see her in over a week.
She had met Anna Hawkins and Luke at the General Store when she had gone to look through the catalogs of house goods. She couldn’t ask about Wyeth directly, but the two had been as pleasant as they were vague when she had asked after their friends.
And so, when she wrote her answer to the Captain, she gave him her answer.
Captain Merrick –
I thank you kindly for remembering our conversation, and I would be most grateful to have you escort me to the social. If you would like to avoid the distinct likelihood that I will trod upon your toes, you should consider bringing your chess board, and we could use the time playing a game or two if the noise and general revelry allow.
My thanks,
Ottille
When Mr. Poston finally trod the hallway, grumbling under his breath at the ruckus outside, Tillie knew that the Captain had arrived. Walking to the wide window at the front of the room, she drew back the curtain and looked outside. Nearly two score men rode along behind the Captain. He rode a fine stallion with a glossy coat that looked like satin in the late afternoon night. And as he called a halt to the procession his men let out a cheer.
Her father roused himself to come out of the dining room where he was enjoying his repast to greet the Captain at the door and kiss his daughter on the cheek.
Once away from her father’s triumphant smile, she let out a little sigh. “I hope you won’t come to regret your generous offer.”
“Generous?” His laughter was infectious. “I want to be very clear, Miss Weston. I find your company a genuine pleasure. I anticipate that this will be just the push that your young man needs to see where he’s gone awry.”
She shook her head. “That remains to be seen. I wonder if he’ll even be there, but when I accepted your invitation, I accepted your invitation.”
Captain Merrick smiled at her and offered his arm. She easily slipped her hand into the crook of his arm. “And I will be glad to dance with you as much as I am allowed.” She opened her mouth to argue, but he used his eyes to ask for a moment. “Besides my own men from the ranch, there are other smaller ranches in the area. Then,” he smiled as they walked slowly toward the Crystal Dawn, “there are the miners who have been looking forward to this social for months. While you won’t be required to accept any invitation to dance, I dare say you will be quite popular this evening. You are a pretty, unmarried woman, and that will draw the men like honey. I fear,” he leaned in and gave her a good-natured wink, “I may have to fight them off before the evening is over.”
“I would like to dance,” she confessed, “I rarely have the opportunity besides lessons with Mademoiselle.”
The Captain led her up the stairs toward the front door and paused just outside the door as a couple walked in. “Your experience in dancing has been with your companion?”
Tillie looked up at him. “Yes?”
The Captain leaned his head back and laughed.
She joined in on the laughter.
“So as long as I can count and not trod on your feet-”
“Then you, sir,” she giggled, “shall be my dream partner.”
Wyeth nearly tripped over his feet. Walking up to the doorway of the Crystal Dawn Saloon he overheard Captain Merrick laughing with Tillie. His Tillie.
And then she laughed back. Her ‘dream partner.’
That hurt.
A sucker punch under his ribs.
Straight to his heart.
But he shook himself from his thoughts. He gestured for Anna to precede him into the room. It was safe enough for the moment. Luke and Stone had entered in before them and would provide a good wall to protect Anna from any jostling by the men.
The youngest Hawkins tugged on his sleeve. “Wyeth? Isn’t that-”
“Let’s get inside and see what they have to eat.”
“Eat?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Do you boys always think with your stomachs first?”
Luke swung around, his face full of confusion at the question. “Absolutely. Is there anything else we should be concerning ourselves with?”
“Men!” Anna waved her free hand in the air. “This is a social. It means music, dancing, and fun!”
“It means… food.” Luke rose up on the toes of his boots. “And I think I found it against the side wall there.” He dragged Stone off through the crowd.
Anna shook her head at their backs. “I can’t believe the likes of you boys! How can you focus on food at a time like this? Really, you should learn to keep your minds on things that are really important and-” She tilted her head to the side and pointed at the other wall. “What’s that?”
Wyeth tried not to laugh at her sudden shift of attention. He turned to follow her gaze and felt his throat tighten dangerously. “That’s a painting.”
Narrowing her eyes at the object she shook her head. “That,” she countered, “is a sheet.”
Suddenly regretting his willingness to chaperone the young woman, he struggled to explain. “There’s a painting under the sheet.”
Anna looked about. “There are sheets over all of the paintings,” she exclaimed, “why?”
Wyeth caught sight of Luke on the other side of the room. “Food!” He gave her a gentle nudge in that direction. “Let’s see what they have to eat.”
The evening passed quickly for most people in the room. For Tillie, things whirled around and around in the room. The Captain had proved to be an enjoyable partner on the dance floor. What he lacked in skill, he made up for in good humor, and humor was what they had most. Several of his men had asked for a dance and been granted the favor. Some were happy to bring her desserts or drinks from the table along the back wall.
And yet, she found herself watching the room for Wyeth.
He was there. She had heard his voice.
She had seen Anna pull him onto the floor, but rarely did Wyeth finish the dance with the other express riders cutting in. They certainly didn’t let any men from the mines near the young woman.
Tillie had to admit that she admired the riders for the care they took of Anna. Being an only child and missing her mother, the idea of siblings was fascinating. And Anna had almost a half a dozen brothers who had chosen her.
She was very jealous of the younger woman. Oh, she would never begrudge her any of the affection from them, but she only wished for a small measure of it herself.
“Pardon me.” Tillie turned and saw Luke standing before her, his hand placed melodramatically on his heart. “I find myself without a dance partner at the moment. May I trouble you to take a turn on the dance floor,” he held out his hand, “Miss Weston?”
She took his hand and they found a place on the floor.
Within the first half hour after they arrived at the social, Stone had found Wyeth and Anna at the side of the room and the two took turns staring down and discouraging men that weren’t fit to dance with their young charge, that equated to nearly the entire population of miners. The ranch hands from the Three Rivers Ranch were deemed decent enough, but if they ventured close enough to ask after the younger woman, they would receive warning looks from both of them. It did a good job of weeding out the weak-minded or less courageous of the attendees.
Still, Wyeth felt his good humor dwindling the longer he was in the room. Tillie was a popular partner, taking turns around the floor with a number of good-looking men who could hold their own in a dance. He wanted to ask her to dance, but he knew if he allowed himself to ask once, he’d only ask again and again and make it impossible for him to keep to the promise he’d made to himself.
The one light in the dark-turn of his humor, was the fact that they’d stationed themselves beside the refreshments.
A
nd perhaps it was because his eyes and attention were divided between watching Anna and struggling not to watch Tillie as she enjoyed herself over and over again, he didn’t have the ability to question the way his cup seemed to remain full, no matter how much he drank.
And the room, continued to get hotter around him, the air drawing closer and tighter against his skin, until he’d tugged his tie loose and pulled his collar away from his throat.
He looked over at Stone and saw his concerned expression. “How much longer?”
“You don’t look good.”
“That’s not the question I asked.” Wyeth felt the words growl from his throat. “When can we leave?”
Stone’s eyes narrowed on his face. “You should take a walk outside. I’ll stay with Anna.”
Anna gave Stone a playful shove. “You can both go outside, I’m fine.”
“No.” The answer came from both riders, and she rolled her eyes.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I wish I was with my parents.”
Wyeth felt his anger turn inward. He was ruining Anna’s night. “I’m sorry, Anna.” He lifted his hand to tug on her braid before he remembered that there was nothing to tug on. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”
She sighed. “You need to have fun, Wyeth. Ask her to dance.”
He felt a muscle tick in his jaw and the realization shook him. He wasn’t feeling well. “Maybe you’re right,” he turned to Stone, “a walk outside may just be the thing to snap me out of my ill-humor.”
Picking up his cup, he drained it dry and set it back on the table, shaking his head to rid himself of the odd sensation in his middle. “If you’ll both excuse me.”
He stepped out and around Anna only to stumble a bit. A dancing couple came to halt before him and he managed to right himself with an effort.
Swallowing, he lifted his head and felt the heavy fog shift and then settle. “My apologies.”
“Wyeth?”
His eyes snapped up to look toward the voice, and he regretted it. Not only did his head swim with sensation, he felt a deep ache in his chest. “Tillie?”
Luke stepped up close and leaned in. “What’s wrong with you?” He recoiled before he got an answer. “You should go back to the bunkhouse and get some sleep.”
“Where have you been?” Tillie’s voice was quiet, pained. “I thought I would see you earlier.”
“You don’t want to see me.” He mumbled the words and couldn’t seem to stop himself from talking. “And I didn’t want to see you.”
He saw her shock as it widened her eyes, parted her lips on a gasp.
And then he saw the tears.
He wanted to hurt. Wanted Luke to knock him to the ground with his fist, but he knew it wouldn’t happen.
Knew it because Luke didn’t want to lose his job. But, Wyeth wanted the pain visited on himself a thousand-fold because he’d seen his words hit a target that should have remained untouched.
“Miss Weston?”
Wyeth lifted his head to see where the new voice was coming from and regretted it. It wasn’t just that his middle twisted into a knot, and the punch that he’d drunk copious amounts of was trying to climb its way out of his stomach, but it was the cold and furious look in the eyes of Captain Anselm Merrick.
His eyes mellowing with concern, the captain turned to Tillie. “What happened?”
She turned to look at him, but couldn’t meet his eyes. “Perhaps, I could sit down?”
The captain nodded and instead of giving her his arm, he took hold of her hand and set his free arm around her back to guide her to the front door.
The crowd parted as they walked through. No matter where Captain Merrick was in town, people looked, and they gave him a wide berth. It was a deference that Wyeth had admired before but had never wanted for his own.
Until now.
If he was a man like Captain Merrick, he might have been worthy of Tillie.
The thought rode him hard and spurred him toward the door after them.
Luke grabbed his arm to hold him back. “What is wrong with you?”
Wyeth shrugged him off. “Leave me be. I want to leave.”
A glance over Wyeth’s shoulder made Luke’s eyes widen. “Missus Hawkins is walking away. She’s likely going after Levi. You need to stay and explain yourself.”
Wyeth’s gaze turned toward the front door, and he saw Tillie lean her head against the Captain’s shoulder. He felt anger stab through his middle, and again his stomach threatened to drive him to his knees. “I need some air.”
Luke dropped his hand away. “Get yourself together, man. You’re going to have to answer for your behavior tonight. Don’t make it worse.”
“What difference does it make?” Wyeth put his hand to his middle and staggered toward the door. He wasn’t proud of his behavior, but what made it all worse was that he’d intended to stay away from Tillie. He’d wanted to preserve any gentle feelings she’d had for him, any sweet memories that she would like to keep of their time together.
But in one ill-timed moment, he’d likely ruined any chance of that.
When the cool slap of the night air pushed at him, Wyeth stumbled to the edge of the porch and grabbed a hold of the post. His eyes struggled to focus on the steps before him, the dark night surrounding the saloon making his eyes work even harder.
Just as he ventured to move his foot from the stable floor beneath him, he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder. “You owe the lady an apology.”
Wyeth turned to look backward, and his standing foot slipped off of the porch, stumbling down to the ground. He looked back up to the porch and saw one of the lanterns cast an oily yellow light on the face of the Captain. “She deserves better.”
Captain Merrick nodded in agreement. “Yes, she does. And you will explain yourself, Bowles.”
So many words jumbled up inside of him. Pretty words of admiration. Gentle entreaties for her affections. His heart was pounding in his chest as his mind was filled with thoughts.
When he opened his mouth, the only thing that made its way past the thick lethargy of his tongue was his frustration.
“She’s with you.” His shoulders sagged and his knees buckled a little. “That’s all there is-”
He hadn’t finished his thought before the Captain was standing before him, hands fisted in his shirtfront, almost lifting him off of his feet. “Why are you doing this?” The man’s words were harsh but soft as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear them. “Pull yourself together, man.”
Wyeth tilted his head back to look at the other man and felt his head fall back as if it was suddenly disconnected from his throat. “Why should I?” He watched the Captain’s nose curl in distaste. “There’s nothing I can do,” he told him, “I’m not enough.”
There was an unspoken question in the other man’s eyes, but before he could ask, Wyeth found himself surrounded by familiar if not friendly faces. Levi’s eyes were clouded by disappointment, and yet, Wyeth saw concern at the heart of it.
“You’re coming with us, Wyeth.”
Stone nodded his agreement. “You’ll get your rest,” his tone was flat, but Wyeth felt the grip of the other man’s hand on his arm.
Levi sighed. “And then we’re going to have a long talk.”
Wyeth hung his head and followed his friends away from the saloon.
Chapter 9
Wyeth awoke with a resounding groan, throwing his hand over his eyes to block out the blinding sun. “Go away.”
A wet cloth landed on his face, launching Wyeth to his feet sputtering. ‘Who the he-” He stopped short when he saw the riders assembled in the room. There wasn’t even a hint of humor in their faces, and that was fine with him. His head was about to explode.
“You’ve got to get dressed.”
Picking the cloth up from where it came to rest on his shoulder, Wyeth grimaced at the heat of it against his skin. “Time for me to face the music, hmm?”
Ransom sighed an
d drew Wyeth’s curious gaze. “If you take that attitude, you won’t give Levi a choice. Get dressed,” he tipped his head back over his shoulder, “drink the coffee, eat the toast, and come to the house.”
Wyeth sighed and picked up the fresh set of clothes that someone had set on the table. He blinked into the morning light when Ransom opened the door. “Hey, Ransom?”
Turning back to look over his shoulder, Ransom answered, “Yeah?”
“What are you doing here?”
“Dell and I came in for a visit. This isn’t the kind of reunion I was hoping for.”
Wyeth nodded, his chin falling lower and lower. “Yeah, me neither. Give Delia my best, hmm?”
Ransom shook his head. “You’ll get a chance to see her before we leave, but right now you need to get your head together. I’ll see you in a bit.”
When the door closed Wyeth groaned and dropped his face into the cloth that was rapidly losing its heat.
Ransom pulled the door open and smiled at the pleasant picture before him. Olivia Hawkins sat beside his wife on the sofa. The two women were conversing quietly. He hated to intrude on their time. Delia had few opportunities to visit with womenfolk.
Olivia noticed him standing just inside the door.
“I’m fairly certain that handsome smile isn’t for me,” she teased.
“I’m happy to see the two of you enjoying a visit.”
Olivia kept her bright smile as Ransom crossed the room to stand beside Delia and set his hand gently on her shoulder. The young woman leaned her cheek against his warm fingers and sighed. “It is a rare occasion for us.”
Ransom met Olivia’s curious gaze. “Wyeth’s up and suffering. He’ll come up to the house when he’s presentable.” He gave the ladies an encouraging smile. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate the coffee and toast.”
Delia’s smile only faltered for a moment. “I used to make it for my father on the mornings after he would… enjoy himself.”