Denver

by Sara Orwig

  She laughed and picked up her milk to clink her glass against his, wondering if he realized he had left both Louisa and Silas out of the toast.

  He finished breakfast and stood up as she removed the dishes. “Thanks, Mary, for listening. You’re a friend as much as Silas.”

  “I’m glad, and I’m happy for you.” He placed his hand behind her neck, stroking her lightly. “He’ll come home to you before you know it,” Dan said gently. “And you’ll forget all about the years when he was gone.”

  She nodded, intensely aware of his fingers moving on her neck. He seemed so filled with vitality and exuberance that she didn’t want him to leave. She had to admit she enjoyed his friendship and understood why Silas liked him.

  He winked and left, shrugging into his coat, mounting his horse, and riding away while she stood on the porch and watched him. Her neck still tingled from his touch, and she realized she was beginning to watch for his arrival every afternoon, cooking special dishes because she knew he would be there at night. She leaned her head against the doorjamb and thought about Dan’s sparkling blue eyes and his bubbling happiness. She felt a pang of loneliness, an empty ache. Straightening her shoulders, she went back to work, pausing once to stop in the parlor and look at the new woodwork Dan had done.

  Promptly at four, Dan was at Edward Ringwood’s office. He listened carefully as Ringwood described what he liked and wanted, and Dan made notes.

  “You seem to have a penchant for Victorian,” Ringwood said. “I particularly like Victorian Gothic.”

  Dan nodded. “It’s a beautiful style and I can build you a house you would be proud of for years to come.”

  “I want six bedrooms upstairs, one bedroom downstairs.”

  Dan nodded. Eagerness flooded him at the size of the house Ringwood was describing. Half an hour later he was riding to the O’Malleys’. Ringwood had paid him a fee and Dan had promised to draw up plans.

  He ate dinner after Mary’s customers had finished, sitting across from her and talking to her about his plans. Suddenly he realized how he had monopolized her time. “I’ve talked all through dinner. What a good listener you are!”

  “It’s interesting and exciting. If I could do something like building houses, I’d be very excited to have Mr. Ringwood hire me. I like hearing about it, Dan.”

  He didn’t remember when she had switched from calling him Mr. Castle to Dan, but it had been sometime since the dance. “What kind of house would you like, Mary?”

  She smiled at him. “That’s another one of those things that belongs to tomorrows, and I never think about it.”

  “Surely you have a preference.”

  “No. This is what I have,” she said, looking at the dining room, “and I don’t look beyond that.”

  “Have you ever seen a house you thought was special?”

  “Yes. The nicest place was the house we had when we lived back in Tennessee. It was long, with a wide center hall, a sloping roof over the porch, big rooms, wide windows, and high ceilings. Breezes blew through it and sunlight came in and I thought it was grand.”

  “There aren’t any houses around here like that,” he said, hoping Silas came home with his million. “Maybe I can build one for you and Silas someday.”

  Her dreamy-eyed look vanished, and he mentally swore at himself. He vowed he would try harder to remember to avoid mentioning Silas. “I don’t know about that. Right now, I’m grateful beyond measure you’ve put a roof back over our heads,” she said abruptly, and stood up to clear the table. He rose and caught her arm, and she looked up sharply, drawing her breath.

  “He’ll come home, and I think he’ll bring his million.”

  “I’m not so sure I’ll feel the same, years from now.”

  “The impatience of youth,” he said softly, half-teasing her.

  Her features softened as the anger left her eyes. “It’s difficult to imagine you angry with anyone, until I remember our first two times together.”

  He tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. “Do you ever let your hair down?” he asked casually.

  “I did when I was ten years old,” she answered, and he gave her a startled look.

  For an instant he believed her, until she saw the mischievous look in her eyes. “Of course I take it down,” she said, and carried the dishes to the kitchen.

  He laughed and went to work, hammering diligently, putting finishing touches on the inside molding. She came to inspect his work and stayed to talk to him. Paddy also joined them after a time, to sit and whittle while he talked.

  “Mary showed me all your carvings,” Dan said, smoothing a board. “I talked to Lyle Workman, and he said he could carry them in his store.”

  “You mean sell them?” Paddy asked with a quizzical smile.

  “Yes, if you’d like.”

  “I don’t think people would pay for these,” he said, holding up a wooden cat. “They just help me while the time away when I’m not working on one of my inventions.”

  “Why don’t you let me take some to him and see if they sell?”

  “Sure, Dan. Help yourself.”

  “You pick them out. I might get a favorite.”

  “Mary can help you.” He stood up. “I told the men I’d come down to the Lazy Dog for a little while. Don’t work too hard, my boy.”

  “I won’t,” Dan answered.

  In minutes Mary knelt beside him, her plain brown calico skirt spread on the floor. “I can do that if all you’re trying to do is smooth the surface.”

  “Fine,” he said, giving the task to her and moving to work on the windows. Once he glanced over at her, seeing her head bent over her work, auburn hair shining in the light while she worked diligently. He smiled at her. Silas was very lucky.

  He went over to pull her up and take the tools from her hands. “You’ve worked enough for one day. Let’s pick out some of Paddy’s carvings.”

  “Do you really think people would want them badly enough to pay for them?”

  “Yes. They’re good, Mary. You’re accustomed to them and probably barely notice them.”

  They walked down the hall and she was aware of Dan, of his height and his nearness. They made selections and put them in a box. When Dan returned to work, Mary did too.

  He put down his hammer. “Mary, stop working. You and Brian work every minute you’re awake,” he said, taking her by the shoulders. “Sit here and talk to me.”

  “If I work, this will be done sooner and you’ll be free to spend your evenings the way you want.”

  “I’ll get it done in due time. It bothers me to watch you work constantly.”

  “Said by a man who works nights for no pay! That’s ridiculous, Dan.” She laughed.

  He grinned while he worked. He had rolled his sleeves high, and muscles in his arms bulged as he planed a board.

  “You haven’t known Louisa Shumacher very long. You must make up your mind very quickly.”

  “I’m not one to sit long weighing matters in my mind.”

  “Maybe you should, when it comes to marriage. That’s a lifetime promise.”

  “I know what I want. How long did—” He broke off. “How long did you live in Tennessee?”

  “I was seven when we moved from there. We moved to several places before we came here. That wasn’t what you started to say. You can talk to me about Silas.”

  He paused to study her. “I forget. I know it makes you sad.”

  “I’m accustomed to his absence. I knew him for six months.”

  “That’s not so long either.”

  “Oh, yes it is, compared to you and Louisa!” she said, laughing, and he shrugged.

  “I’m impulsive.”

  “You’re patient too. That’s a contradiction.”

  “We’re all full of contradictions, Mary. Look at you.”

  “How am I contradictory?”

  “You can be so sweet and so much fun,” he said, bending down to squint at the bottom side of a windowsill.

&n
bsp; “And,” she prompted.

  “And so fiery-tempered,” he said, straightening up to face her with amusement twinkling in his eyes.

  “Is that so?”

  “Admit it,” he threatened playfully. He enjoyed her laughter, and thought she did far too little of it.

  “I’m just plain—what was it you said, sweet and fun. I haven’t been fiery at all tonight.”

  He was on his knees, and he put down the plane and leaned forward to catch her by the shoulders and look her squarely in the eye. “Remember our first meeting? And our second?”

  All her playfulness evaporated as she looked into his blue eyes, only inches from her face. “Yes, I remember,” she said quietly.

  “And what do you call those times?” he persisted playfully.

  “I guess I was…defensive.”

  “Defensive, my foot! C’mon, Mary, admit it.”

  “Maybe I was fiery,” she said quietly, her attention drawn to his mouth. His full wide lips were masculine and appealing, and Mary wondered how they would feel to touch.

  “Mary, I didn’t really make you angry, did I?” he asked, suddenly solemn.

  She blushed, hoping he would never guess what had run through her mind. “I might just show you fiery, mister!” She laughed at him, and to her relief, he grinned and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Someday, I may just take those long braids down and see what you look like!”

  “I’d look just the same, only with long braids down over my back.”

  He bent back to work, locks of golden hair tumbling over his forehead, and she wondered how it would feel to run her fingers through them. “How old were you when you lived on the sheep ranch?”

  “Young. It seems like a long time ago. Now I don’t miss it so much, but I like the mountains. Ever ride out to the mountains, Mary?”

  “No. The boys have, and of course Paddy has, but I’ve always been right here or back east of here. They look beautiful, and I used to think I’d get on Blackie and ride up in the mountains all by myself.”

  “Sometime I’ll take you. We can take Brian and Paddy and Louisa.”

  She laughed. “Louisa might not approve of this family you’ve adopted.”

  “Yes, she will. She’ll like what I like.”

  “How on earth do you know? You barely know her.”

  “She likes what I like now. She will, you’ll see.”

  “I’ll bet the ladies always like what you like!”

  He grinned at her. “All except one little lady, who tosses skillets at me!”

  “There should be at least one in your life, Dan, who doesn’t succumb to your charm,” she remarked, wondering if she hadn’t already succumbed.

  “I’ve had more than one, I’ll assure you of that,” he said, driving a nail into place. For a moment they were quiet while he pounded. He stood up, holding a board to nail it in place, stretching his long arms.

  “Here, I can hold that,” she said, standing on tiptoe and holding the board. “Now you can nail.”

  He worked quickly and she went back to sit down. “Did you build when you were growing up?”

  “Sometimes Pa showed me how to do something. I helped around the place. Sometimes I built little things off by myself. When you grow up alone out on a ranch, you have time to do things.”

  “I thought you had a brother.”

  He looked up and she saw the startled expression in his features, and realized something was amiss. “I’m sorry, Dan. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “You can ask, Mary. I don’t tell people about my life much,” he said.

  “Neither did Silas. He didn’t like to talk about his past. I didn’t mean to bring up something bad.”

  “It wasn’t bad. My brother didn’t grow up with me. We were separated. He was in a wagon-train ambush. We got together after we were grown, but I don’t usually tell people all that.”

  “I won’t either, then,” she said, gazing into his solemn blue eyes.

  “I’m quitting for tonight,” he said, and stood up.

  “I’ll go cut a piece of cherry pie if you’d like.”

  “I’d like that very much. I’ll wash my hands.”

  They sat in the kitchen and talked until after midnight, when he stretched and stood up to go, pulling on his coat and jamming a broad-brimmed black hat on his head. She walked toward the door with him, and Dan draped his arm casually across her shoulders. “Thanks for the food.”

  “Thanks for the house,” she said, acutely conscious of his arm. “I know why Silas trusted you with his money. He wouldn’t have trusted most people.”

  Dan laughed and turned to face her, his hand sliding to her shoulder. “Trustworthy, impulsive—maybe the good outweighs the bad.”

  “If sweet outweighs fiery!”

  “Indeed it does. And the best cook this side of the Atlantic Ocean.” He patted his flat stomach. “My, you can cook!”

  She laughed at him, standing in the dim light. “Why don’t you come for breakfast.”

  “I thought you’d never ask!” He bent and brushed her cheek with a kiss. “Good night, Mary.”

  He strode out the door and she followed, watching him mount up to ride away.

  At four the following afternoon, as he strode up the walk to the Shumacher front door, his nerves were stretched raw. He wore his best black suit and his best linen shirt. His hair was neatly parted and combed down and he tried to rehearse what he would say to Charles Shumacher.

  10

  Louisa let the lace curtain fall back in place as she watched Dan stride up their walk. It had taken hours of pleading and tears to get her parents to listen to her arguments, but they had relented. She smiled, thinking she had what she wanted for the time being.

  She would decide soon whether she really wanted Dan or Reuben. At the moment she wanted Dan. When she thought of his kisses, of being in his arms, she forgot all other considerations. He set her afire in a way no man had. On the other hand, she thought of Reuben’s wealth and the power she would have as his wife, whereas Dan Castle was merely getting started and his future was far more uncertain. Her father said he was a wealthy man and was beginning to get contracts for homes. His own home was beautiful, so she knew that he could provide for her sufficiently and allow her to be the belle of society. Her parents worried about his past, but Louisa didn’t give it a thought. The past was over; what she wanted to consider was her future.

  She moved to the mirror to study her image, thinking what a marvelous pair they would be with her dark hair and his golden hair. They would turn heads everywhere they went. She smoothed the tendrils of hair already pinned neatly to her head. Tingling with anticipation, she thought about telling Reuben. He would fly into a rage, perhaps fight over her with Dan Castle. She wanted to be talked about, to have men fight over her. She looked at her image and smiled, turning her head to find the best view. Reuben’s jealousy would stir him to kiss her, kisses she had enjoyed until she met Dan Castle. She slipped out of her room and moved soundlessly down the stairs to pause outside the parlor door. She shouldn’t listen, but if she were careful, no one would know.

  Inside the parlor, Dan shifted impatiently. “Sir, I understand that you know little about me, but I have a good start here. I’ve built a comfortable home. I love Louisa and will provide for her. To wait three months to get to know each other better seems unnecessary.”

  “This engagement might not work out, Mr. Castle. You’re a stranger in our midst, and I cannot in good conscience promise her hand to someone I don’t know. Get to know each other better. If all is satisfactory three months from now, in June, we’ll announce Louisa’s engagement to you.”

  “And when can we set a wedding date?”

  “It’ll take Louisa and her mother months to get the dresses and the plans ready. Mother and Louisa think a fall wedding would be nice.”

  “Next fall?”

  Shumacher’s voice was deprecatory and amused. “It sounds like a long time to someone so young, ye
t it’s nothing. And you’ll have to wait if you want Louisa’s hand.”

  Dan hated the proposition put to him by Shumacher, yet he had no alternative. He thought about Louisa stretched on his settee, her clothes peeled away, and he drew a sharp breath. “Very well, sir. I don’t have any choice except to agree.”

  “I might as well warn you, Reuben Knelville will be unhappy over this. Reuben hasn’t talked to me, but his father has told me that he expects Reuben to ask for Louisa’s hand.”

  “I’m not concerned with Reuben Knelville,” Dan said.

  “Perhaps you should be. You want to succeed in Denver. To do so, you’ll have to have the acceptance of the Knelvilles, father and son.”

  “I’ll manage without Reuben Knelville’s help.”

  “Let me give you a word of advice. Louisa doesn’t like scandal, nor do we. Reuben has less to lose if there is a fight over Louisa than you do.”

  “I’m aware of that, sir.”

  “So far your altercations have been kept to yourselves. You should see that they continue so. Better yet, you should try to placate Reuben Knelville.”

  Dan was impatient to see Louisa, and Charles Shumacher was beginning to grate on his nerves. “Sir, fall is a long time to wait. A lot can happen in that time.”

  “True, but by then you should know each other better.”

  “Yes, sir,” Dan said. He intended to know Louisa better long before a month was up. “May I see Louisa now, sir?”

  “Oh, of course. I’ll call her.” He stepped to the door, “Lou…Oh, there you are. Mr. Castle is here. Would you come in. Mother.”

  All the Shumachers filed into the room. Louisa’s eyes sparkled and her cheeks flushed. As soon as the ladies were seated, Dan sat back down. Charles Shumacher stood in front of the fire, his hands clasped behind him. “Mother, you know the decisions we reached. Louisa, Mr. Castle has asked for your hand, and you’ve indicated this is your choice in the matter. Since you have barely met, your mother and I have discussed this. You’re to get to know each other better, and if you feel the same three months from now, we’ll announce the engagement.”