On the Mountain

by Peggy Ann Craig

  “Hell, I’d forgotten how bossy she can be,” he mumbled, then turned to look down at Anna. He noticed she appeared ashen.

  “No need to look so ill,” he commented, then threw over his shoulder as he left, “If you bleed me, I’ll dock it from your pay.”

  It was way past the dinner hour and she learned that Kathleen had prepared supper for Prescott and her clan. Slipping past the kitchen, she went into her room and slid the card beneath her mattress, then went out the back door to the ice box to fetch a loaf of bread and some cold roast beef. She was in the process of placing his meal on a plate to take out to the dining room, when he entered the kitchen and put the kettle on for coffee. Anna hesitated, then went to move toward the exit to take his dinner out to the dining room.

  “I’ll eat in here.”

  Surprised, but nodding vaguely, she put the plate on the kitchen table, then turned away having to hold off eating her own meal until he was finished. She headed for the cook’s room.

  “Get your supper and join me.” He staggered her by saying, then proceeded to pull two mugs out of a cupboard. “You’re probably as hungry as I am.”

  She nodded, realizing she hadn’t eaten anything since Elizabeth fed her earlier in the day. She couldn’t recall Wade eating at all, but there was probably a good chance he ate at the saloon while she was visiting Prescott’s lady friend. After all, Marion had been expecting him. A sour taste filled her mouth.

  “Now, what’s wrong?”

  Her chin snapped up, not realizing her emotions were clearly reflected on her face. Either Wade had an uncanny ability to read her feelings or she had a horrible ability at hiding them. She shook her head and busied herself making a second plate of food. Her thoughts were far too easily distracted and she didn’t want to think about what happened up on that second floor in the saloon this afternoon. At the time she had been so preoccupied with fear, she had completely forgotten where he was. Now that they were home and her nerves had finally calmed, she was reminded of such hateful thoughts.

  Placing her plate down on the table harder than she meant to, she attempted to make light of it by ignoring it. Wade raised a brow but didn’t comment. Instead, he ate with relish and murmured his delight in the food. It lifted her spirits some knowing he enjoyed her cooking.

  “Have you ever shaved anyone before?”

  The question caught her unaware and she had to bring her wayward thoughts back around. She offered a single nod as he reached over and filled her mug with coffee.

  “Good,” he said. “I could probably do it myself, but I don’t have as steady a hand as Carl. Kathleen wouldn’t be too pleased if I showed up at her fancy party with cuts all over my face.”

  She nodded, starting to worry. In actual fact, she had only shaved a man once. Though she left no cuts, she couldn’t guarantee that for Wade.

  He finished the last of his food and sat back to relax in his chair. Lifting his mug to his lips, he studied Anna from over its rim.

  “You’re going to need a cut soon as well, if you plan on keeping up this charade.”

  Her hand automatically lifted to her hair. She actually hadn’t seen a reflection of herself since that day at the barber shop, but she could feel the hair growing over her ears. Instinctively, she tucked a strand behind one ear.

  “See.” He gestured to the troublesome lock. “Acts like that are very telling. You’ll have to watch yourself. A boy wouldn’t worry about a little strand of hair in his way.”

  She frowned and pushed her food around on her plate, suddenly not very hungry.

  “As a matter-of-fact, I often wonder how I myself had missed signs that now appear so obvious.”

  Her frown deepened and she worried openly what signals she sent that indicated her sex.

  “There,” he said. “That’s another clue.”

  This time she looked across the table at him perplexed, and he suddenly broke out into a smile. “Your eyes are very telling, Anna. If you wanted, you couldn’t keep the truth from being revealed. You wear your feelings openly. A man isn’t as emotional. A boy, perhaps, and my own explanation as to your peculiar personality.”

  She lowered her lids. She didn’t think peculiar was in any shape or form a compliment.

  He got up and put his mug on the counter then came back toward the table. “If you’re just about finished you can follow me.”

  Puzzled, she looked up into his face.

  He rubbed his beard and reminded Anna of her task. Her insides felt horrible at the prospect. If she had her voice, she would object. As it was, he was already leaving the kitchen and expecting her to follow. Putting her empty plate into the large kitchen sink, she hurried after him and found him headed upstairs toward the room that contained the bath. Her footsteps faltered, but she tried to be brave. It wasn’t like she was expected to take a bath, and she certainly didn’t need that contraption he called a shower to run while she shaved him.

  Inside the room he had already placed a chair next to the single table. Sitting on the table was a shaving kit in a wooden box beside a bowl of warm water and two crisp white towels. Lying next to them, folded within itself and disguising a very sharp blade was a long black razor.

  Anna swallowed the growing lump in her throat as she watched Wade get comfortable in the chair. She wanted to please him so greatly, but at the same time she feared what her inexperienced hand and the razor-sharp weapon could do. Knowing he had the ability to read her eyes, she kept her face downcast and tried to remember the procedure the barber took when shaving her hairless skin.

  Taking out the shaving brush and shaving cream she turned to look down at Wade’s upturned face. He closed his eyes and rested the back of his head on the chair. With as much feigned confidence as she could muster, she applied the cream abundantly over his beard. Her fingers brushed his skin several times, causing her to flinch. It was the first time she had ever gotten this close to actually intimately touch him. It almost felt as if she was caressing his face and blushed from the thought. The tips of her fingers tingled and she would have given anything to allow them to accidentally slip lower and run between the strands of his thick hair.

  With the task of applying the cream completed, she turned to the razor and hesitated before picking it up. Her brows puckered as she tried to figure out how to open the contraption without taking a finger off. She must have taken too long for Wade opened his eyes and removed the blade from her hands and gave it a snap. The flat, but shiny blade popped out. It looked virtually unused and, Anna feared, would therefore be extra sharper.

  He handed it back to her and she couldn’t stop her hand from shaking as she poised it unsure over his face. She tried to tell herself to calm down, but it didn’t help. Her hand shook worse the nearer she got to his beard.

  She nearly jumped out of her boots when he suddenly snatched her wrist in his hand. “I thought you said you shaved before?”

  He wasn’t pleased with her and Anna felt dejected. She wanted so desperately to do this for him, but it was clear she had failed.

  He sighed and used his other hand to remove the blade from her then placed it safely on the table. She wanted to move away, feeling far too close, but he had yet to release her wrist. Reaching for a towel, he swiped it across his chin, removing the cream she had just applied. When he finished, he slowly turned his head and studied her while she half stood, half sat uncomfortably next to him.

  “I don’t know whether it’s in your nature to want to please or you feel being submissive will keep you from being sent away.” He wasn’t smiling or showing any sign of emotion as he talked, and Anna worried silently that she was about to get a horrible verbal lashing.

  Instead, he quietly said, “That’s not going to happen.”

  She met his gaze and was surprised by the sudden warmth lurking from within. It was barely noticeable and if Anna hadn’t been observant, she probably would have missed it, but it was there and she felt something wonderful stir within.

  He moa
ned under his breath and reached out to run the back of his finger along her soft cheek. Anna was completely stunned. It was the first time he had ever touched her in an affectionate way.

  “How the hell did I mistake you for a boy?”

  Her heart leaped and joy filled her completely.

  “I have no idea what you’re hiding from, but I know you still fear something out there.” His hand reached out and tucked the telling strand of long hair behind her ear. “I may not agree with this charade of yours, but you can trust me. Your secret is safe with me.”

  Her happiness came plummeting back down. Why, she wasn’t sure, after all it was her decision to remain disguised as a boy. Fact of the matter was, even if she were to go around as her true self, it would make no difference in her relationship with Wade. Because the sad truth was, there was no relationship.

  * * *

  Wade thought he better watch himself. The girl was so vulnerable and she wore her feelings far too openly. It was one thing to grow attached to the boy, it was entirely different for a girl. In particular, one that was twenty years his junior. Though at twenty-four she was far older than he would have guessed. Besides her physical features, it was also in her mannerism and slightly odd behavior that made her appear far younger.

  She had to merely look up at him with those puppy brown eyes and he would find himself responding in a manner he normally wouldn’t with any other person. Male or female. Her naiveté had her careless with her emotions. In the hands of another, it could land her in a whole lot of trouble. For her sake, it was lucky she landed on Wade’s ranch. Another man might not be so understanding. He supposed he could thank his mother for that, she had raised him as a gentleman.

  Ironic, considering it was the one trait his mother instilled in him from her own culture and upbringing, which over the years had been the biggest conflict in Wade’s life. He shunned all aspects of a gentleman’s life and what high society deemed proper was all a huge sham in Wade’s opinion, far worse than any Anna lived behind.

  As he headed down to the bunkhouse to give the cowboys their Christmas coins and relieve them until after the holiday, he thought of her trying desperately to do what was considered right and proper, something he was certain one could never really master. For Kathleen, he attempted to steer her in the general direction, but even that seemed fruitless as it seemed his sister had other ideas of her own. She seemed bound and determined to save Anna. Trouble was, Wade contemplated as a dark thought crossed his mind, he wasn’t entirely sure what evil was out there to save her from.

  * * *

  The following day was Christmas Eve and the night of Kathleen’s Christmas ball. The house was a flutter of activity as people came and went setting up and delivering items for the party. Anna had been kept busy all day. She became the appointed unofficial nanny for the children. Wade seemed to make himself scarce whenever possible. This did not detour Kathleen, however, and would uncover him from whatever room he had vanished last.

  By evening, the house was fully adorned with festive decorations. Anna had been given a proper servant’s attire to wear and felt more unladylike than ever before. Due to her small frame, Kathleen was unable to find trousers to fit so Anna was left with no choice but to wear form-fitting breeches paired along with a stiff white shirt and tailcoat. The shoes on her feet were rigid and awkward to walk in, leaving Anna the overall conclusion that her evening’s attire was uncomfortable and unwelcome. For that reason alone, she wished the night already over.

  As she stepped out into the great room she was, however, impressed with the Christmas festoons. In particular the towering spruce tree brought in earlier that day. It was full of shiny ornaments and sparkling beads laced throughout its branches. She had never seen a more beautiful tree.

  “Ah, let me take a look at you.” Kathleen’s voice came from down the hall from the bedrooms.

  Anna turned around and was immediately struck by Wade’s sister’s beauty. She knew the woman was very handsome, however tonight in particular she looked extraordinary. She wore a magnificent red satin gown adorned with silk ivory bows in the skirt and a stream of colorful blossoms flowing over her shoulders. Her long and slender arms were left naked along with a deep cleavage in the front of her gown. The dark locks whose coloring she shared with her siblings, was upswept in a fantastically elegant fashion and crowned with the same matching blossoms as on her dress.

  She took Anna’s arms in her hands and stood back to get a better look at her. Anna felt utterly pitiful and would have liked nothing more than to cover herself. Kathleen gave her a sympathetic smile. “I would have so loved to dress you in one of my gowns.”

  Anna quenched her self-pity and wouldn’t allow herself to think along those lines. She could never be a lady like Kathleen.

  “However, I’m sure you’re far too tiny.” She beamed. “We had enough trouble finding you pants for tonight.”

  Anna forced a smile in return.

  “Your guests are arriving shortly, my dear.” John, her husband, said from behind them.

  Kathleen turned, and Anna saw the man standing in the entrance to the room along with a much taller gentleman whose handsome features struck Anna before his identity did. His perfectly sculptured face was freshly shaved and his long shaggy hair was cut short and combed close to his head. He wore a black and white tuxedo that emphasized his masculine form and towering height. However, those magnificent eyes remained unchanged.

  Anna gasped and she literally raised her hand to cover her heart. All three turned to look at her.

  “Are you all right?” Kathleen inquired, concern in her eyes.

  She nodded and tried to draw her eyes away from Wade, but they refused to budge. She had guessed he would probably be an attractive man beneath that beard, but she obviously had no idea just how handsome. He was remarkable looking, far beyond her imagination. She had thought he would look similar to Prescott as their family resemblance was strong. With their beards, the brothers did look very much alike, however once shaved they couldn’t look more different.

  Kathleen noticed where her attention was drawn and smiled. “Wade was very lucky. My stylist was quite efficient with the razor. Do you approve?”

  Anna didn’t even realize she nodded.

  “See Wade,” Kathleen said over to her brother. “You look far more handsome without that grizzly beard.”

  He rolled his eyes and ran a hand over the missing facial feature. “I’m glad to have your blessing.”

  “And Anna’s.” She grinned, then excused herself as the first of the guests arrived.

  Wade approached her and Anna shriveled away, feeling worthless in comparison. It was the first time she ever considered him a gentleman, and the first time ever that she believed they were on two separate plateaus. She had always felt herself beneath Wade, however at that moment she felt he belonged in an entirely different world. One in which she did not belong.

  “My beardless face meets with your approval?” He smiled as he spoke, but Anna refused to look and tried instead to concentrate on his low baritone and familiar voice. His face was that of a stranger. With a start, she shook her head and quickly hurried out of the room.

  * * *

  Wade’s first thought was, that made two of them. His second was to wonder if he ought to be insulted. Did she find him so unattractive that she would prefer his face covered? Admittedly, he was surprised. Generally, he was considered a good-looking man. Popular with the female population for years.

  He rubbed his chin and wondered for the umpteenth time that afternoon, why he agreed to have the thing shaved. Kathleen’s nagging had certainly begun to get under his skin, but he usually didn’t allow it to influence him. He thought of Anna and frowned. What, exactly, did she find so offensive about his face?

  He didn’t have long to contemplate this thought as Kathleen’s guests were arriving and, as unofficial host he knew he was expected to fulfill certain duties. He spent most of the night going from one guest
to the next attempting small talk, but refrained from finding anyone of them entertaining. Josephine Wilkins had arrived with her family and had thrown herself at Wade at every possible opportunity. Since it was considered impolite to tell a lady to go and jump off a bridge, he forced himself to listen to her mindless chatter and obnoxious giggling.

  Kathleen had passed them several times and only offered him a secret smile before nodding toward a sprig of mistletoe nearby. Wade, however, was already on his guard and would be damned before he got caught under one of those with that disagreeable woman. Or any woman.

  She was making herself far too noticeable that evening, perhaps she was getting desperate and hoping to finally lure him into marriage. He would be standing at one end of the room and he could hear her bellow with laughter from the other side. Far too many times, she would snap at Anna for bringing her the wrong drink or complain to her for what she believed was foul cheese served from one of Anna’s trays. Wade had to grit and hold his temper.

  He had been watching Anna all night and was impressed with her ability to go unnoticed, with the exception of Josephine, as she made her way around the room serving drinks and food. She looked ridiculous in her outfit, but he couldn't help but notice how nicely the breeches showed off her slender legs. The entire costume clung and molded to her petite frame, causing Wade to admire how remarkably flawless her female features truly were. He caught his wayward thoughts before they drifted into dangerous territory.

  Having spent most of the night playing dutiful host and offering polite conversation to his guests, he was ready to call it a night so safely found his way back to Prescott who was keeping Elizabeth company.

  “Evening Elizabeth.” He nodded to her in greeting.

  “It’s a lovely party,” she said. “Thank you for inviting me.”

  “You’re welcome,” he smiled and glanced at Prescott. “I’m certain Prescott wouldn’t have it any other way.”