by Bobbi Smith
It was that thought that had left Kyle rigid with anger, and it had been that anger that had driven him to write the note in his best imitation of Hilary's handwriting asking Daniel to meet her in the garden tonight. He was going to teach them both a lesson they wouldn't forget.
It was late as Hilary lay in bed, thinking of Daniel and wondering what to do about Kyle and the bet. She knew the time was almost up, but she wasn't sure that she wanted her relationship with Daniel to end. The thought amazed her, for she'd never met a man she wanted to stay with this long before. But Daniel was different.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and when the maid announced that Kyle had arrived and wished to see her, she grew troubled. She dismissed the servant for the night, then quickly freshened up and went down to greet him. When he suggested a walk in the garden, she agreed, but she knew he wanted something and she had to be careful what she said to him.
Kyle's timing was perfect as he walked arm-in-arm with Hilary to the fountain. In just a few moments her Indian lover would show up, engagement ring in hand no doubt.
"You know, Hilary, the time for our wager is almost over. I'm looking forward to having you in my bed very soon," he told her, his meaning clear in his tone as he paused with her before the splashing waters of the fountain.
"Ah, but Kyle, you haven't won yet." She was irritated by his smugness.
"Does that mean you've brought the half-breed to heel, my love?" he taunted.
"Of course. Daniel is mad for me. He'll do anything I ask."
"Then why haven't I gotten to hear his pleas of undying devotion?"
"All in good time, Kyle . . ."
He heard the faint sound of footsteps and knew the moment he'd been waiting for had arrived. "You don't seem to want your prize very badly," he remarked. "Perhaps you're stalling because you really haven't tamed the beast."
"Of course I've tamed Daniel," she insisted. "The man hasn't been born who can resist me when I make up my mind to have him."
"Then prove to me that you have him begging for your attentions, and I'll give you this . . ."
Kyle drew the expensive bracelet out of his pocket and held it up for her to see. The diamonds flashed fire in the moonlight, and in spite of her desire for Daniel, she gasped in delight at the sight of the bauble.
"It's beautiful," she breathed, grasping it. She was very fond of diamonds.
"And it will look lovely on your arm. If you win, that is. . . . If you bring Daniel to heel and I get to witness him groveling before you." Kyle took her in his arms and kissed her, his hand boldly seeking the curve of her bodice.
The hard strength of him against her aroused her, and she arched against him, enjoying the contact. Kyle was no challenge to her. She'd already won the bet, all she had to do was figure out how to collect her prize without losing Daniel in the process. It didn't seem too difficult to her. She'd always controlled Kyle in the past and saw no difficulty in doing it again. Clutching the bracelet tightly, she returned his kiss.
Daniel arrived at Hilary's house, but didn't bother to knock. As was their custom, he went straight to the garden to meet her. His heart was pounding an excited rhythm as he moved down the path toward the center fountain where they had met before. He'd never thought of proposing before, and he was hoping Hilary would say yes. As he neared the fountain, he was surprised to hear voices, and as he moved within view, he saw that she was already there, talking with another man. Daniel stood perfectly still, not wanting to interrupt. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but when he recognized the sound of Kyle Mason's voice, he froze in place.
"Kyle, you haven't won yet."
"Does that mean you've brought the half-breed to heel, my love?"
"Of course. Daniel is mad for me. He'll do anything I ask."
"So when do I get to hear his pleas of undying devotion?"
"All in good time, Kyle . . ."
"You don't seem to want your prize very badly. Perhaps you're stalling because you really haven't tamed the beast. "
"Of course I've tamed Daniel. The man hasn't been born who can resist me when I make up my mind to have him. "
"Then prove to me that you have him begging for your attentions, and I'll give you this . . ."
"It's beautiful. "
"And it will look lovely on your arm. If you win that is. . . . If you bring Daniel to heel and I get to witness him groveling before you. "
"Hilary, what the hell is going on!" Daniel couldn't stop himself from confronting them. His gray eyes were steely as he stared at them. Violence gripped his soul. He wanted to tear Hilary from Kyle's arms and shake her and force her to tell him that what he'd just heard wasn't true—that their relationship hadn't been just a game to her.
"Daniel!" she gasped, startled to find him there. Her surprise was immediately replaced by a terrible sinking feeling, for it was obvious from his expression that he'd heard most of what had been said. Her heart cried out "No!", but she knew it was too late. She tried to free herself from Kyle's confining embrace, but to her dismay he only tightened his arms, pinning her against him.
"What is he doing here, Hilary?" Daniel demanded.
"Allow me to explain," Kyle cut in sarcastically, his eyes bright with power as he faced his rival. "I'm here because tonight is special. You see, it's been almost two months to the day since Hilary bet me that she could bring you to heel."
"She what?" Daniel's condemning gaze hardened even more as it rested on her and her alone.
"Of course she wouldn't tell you about our wager . . ." he explained with smug casualness. "But you see, she bet me that she could train you to do anything she wanted, even sit up and beg, and when I heard that you'd bought a ring, well, I just knew I had to be here for the happy moment. My compliments to you, Hilary dear, you did an outstanding job. You have him right where you promised you would all those weeks ago." He laughed cruelly and ignored the painful stabbing of Hilary's nails in his arms. He refused to let her go just yet.
Daniel felt cold inside, his heart turned to stone as he looked at the woman he thought he'd loved being held in the other man's embrace. "Hilary. . . . Tell me he's not serious. Tell me what we had meant something to you . . ."
Hilary finally freed herself from Kyle's hold and took a reconciling step toward him. "Daniel, it wasn't supposed to happen this way."
"It wasn't supposed to happen this way? How was it supposed to happen, Hilary?" he demanded.
"Danny boy, don't be so dramatic." Kyle laughed at his outrage, enjoying every minute of his victory. "Hilary makes a lot of men feel special, if you know what I mean, but when she tires of them, she discards them. You were only different because she'd get a prize if she won your heart." He gestured toward what she was holding in her hand. "Show him your prize, Hilary. Hold it up so he can see."
Hilary didn't have to move for Daniel to see the expensive trinket. The diamonds sparkled like ice in the moonlight—cold, frozen, and hard, just like his heart.
"It's a beautiful bracelet, isn't it? Hilary likes beautiful, expensive things, don't you, Hilary? Tell me, Daniel, did you bring your ring?"
In his pocket the ring he'd selected with such great care felt leaden, as he glanced from the bracelet to Hilary's face, seeing for the first time the truth of her nature. "Everything Ben told me about you was true . . ." Disgust flickered in his eyes, then his expression turned stony.
Hilary wanted to cry out in protest, to tell Daniel that she hadn't known she would feel this way about him when she'd first made the bet, that it had been only a game then. But looking at him now, she knew she would never be able to convince a man like him of the sincerity of her plea. Kyle's conniving little plot had sounded the death knell of what they'd shared. It had been special while they'd shared it, but it was over now whether she was ready for it to end or not.
"You should have listened to your good friend Ben. Here, Hilary, let's put on your bracelet."
Daniel had had all the humiliation he could stand. He grabbed t
he bracelet from Kyle before he could put it on her wrist.
"So this is all you think 'taming' me was worth?" he snarled, the warrior in him alive and proud.
Hilary blinked, staring at him as if seeing him for the first time. He looked wild, almost savage, in moonlight that now seemed harsh and unforgiving. A shiver ran down her spine as she recognized the raw strength and power in him. "Daniel, I . . ."
"No matter what you think, you never 'tamed' me, Hilary," he said, his expression furious. "Did you really enjoy trying, or did you feel you earned the bracelet? Ben said you were a slut, but actually he was wrong . . ." He paused to look down at the bracelet he held. "You're a whore."
"Stop it!" she snapped.
"Stop it?" Daniel repeated with a cruel laugh as he took a step nearer. He took her chin in his hand, lifting her face so she was looking at him squarely, and his fingers bruised her pale skin as he glared down at her. "I thought you were special, Hilary. Did you enjoy playing me for the fool?"
Hilary stared up at him. The revelation that he was not and never had been an animal she could train shocked her. He was a fierce, proud warrior, and he looked very angry and very deadly. "It was only a game. I didn't know I was . . ."
"Shut up, Hilary. You've said enough." His civilized veneer fell back into place then, and his voice turned flat and emotionless. He let his hand drop away from her as if touching her was suddenly a vile thing. He dropped the bracelet at her feet, then walked away.
Hilary watched him go, her heart beating a painful rhythm in her breast.
Kyle saw how tense she'd become and laughed. "Honestly, Hilary, you're much better off without him. He's little better than an animal. Be glad he's gone!"
At his taunt, Daniel stopped, all the rage and pain he'd carried for the last four years surging forth within him. He turned and hit Kyle with all his might. Kyle was caught unawares, and the powerful blow knocked him flat on his back, unconscious.
Daniel stood there for a minute, staring down at him. He had finally defeated Kyle, but the victory felt hollow. He glanced at Hilary, who was watching. A short time before he'd thought himself in love with her, and now . . .
He walked away.
Hilary looked from Kyle's prostrate form to Daniel's back, then slowly bent down to pick up the bracelet. After all, she had won the bet. But even as she fastened it on her arm herself, the ache in her heart didn't ease, and she wondered if it ever would.
Five
1872
Pen in hand, Cari sat at the desk in her room, gazing out the bedroom window, a distant, dreamy look in her eyes.
"Cari? Are you getting dressed yet? It's almost time . . ." Elizabeth called from downstairs.
Her mother's call interrupted her reverie and forced Cari to push all fanciful thoughts of her father, the ranch, Barnie, and Silver Wolf from her mind. Her mother was right, there really wasn't much time left. She dropped her gaze to the letter she'd begun over an hour ago and stared in dismay at her progress:
Dear Silver Wolf,
I'm writing this one last time to let you know I'm finally coming home. It's been so long since I've heard from you that I'm not even sure you care any more, but I wanted to tell you. My father says you've been back in Cheyenne for over a year now, working for the Indian Bureau. I guess I'll get to see you when I get there.
Cari
She'd signed her given name, though she'd been tempted at first to sign Little Snow. The impulse seemed foolish now, for their wasn't much of Little Snow left in her. Her mother had made sure of that with her multitudes of lessons and years of endless study. But as of tonight that would all be officially over, and Cari was excited. Tonight was her graduation. At last, she would be free of the classrooms and lectures that had nearly bored her to tears. At last, she could begin her life.
After writing out the envelope and addressing it to Silver Wolf at the address her father had given her on his last visit to Philadelphia, she sealed it, rose from the desk, and called for Prudy, the maid. She told her to see the letter posted and then come back and help her get ready for the ceremony. The maid returned a few minutes later and began to help Cari style her hair and slip into the beautiful pastel gown she'd chosen.
Half an hour later, Cari stood before the full-length mirror in her bedroom. She wanted to look pretty tonight, not just because it was graduation, but because Elliot Lowell was going to be there. Her expression was pleased as she studied her reflection.
"Cari, dear . . ." Elizabeth knocked briefly at her door and then walked in. Her eyes widened as she gazed upon her daughter for the first time that evening. "You are breathtaking," she said.
"Do you really think so?"
"Absolutely. You're going to be the most beautiful girl there." Elizabeth hugged her, then kissed her cheek. "Your father would be so proud. I'm just sorry he couldn't be here tonight."
"I'm sorry, too." Cari's smile faltered. Her father had visited them only a few months before and had stayed for four weeks, but this was the busy time of the year on the ranch, and he couldn't get away for her graduation. She understood, but, love him as she did, she still wanted him there to see her triumph.
"We'd better go now. George and Elliot are waiting for us."
"They're already here?" She'd been so busy getting ready that she hadn't known they'd arrived.
"Yes, and Elliot's eager to see you."
They hurried downstairs to find the two men waiting for them in the parlor, twenty-one-year-old Elliot Lowell and his widowed, forty-three-year-old father, George.
Elliot was a dark-haired, dark-eyed, slim, yet muscular young man who stood a little under six feet tall. Heir apparent to his father's fortunes, he'd already taken over the day-to-day management of the very lucrative Lowell Warehouses. But it was not money that had attracted Cari to Elliot. She enjoyed being with him and found him to be a true gentleman in every sense of the word. She was looking forward to their evening together, though it was probably the last time they would have for a long while. In less than a week, she and her mother would be returning to Wyoming.
Elizabeth was glad the Lowells were there, too. Graying, dark-eyed George was a longtime friend. They'd met years ago, before she'd married James, and he'd renewed their acquaintance when she'd returned from the ranch to live in Philadelphia. They'd been close friends ever since and were happy that their children had taken a liking to each other.
"Good evening, Mr. Lowell, Elliot," Cari greeted them as she entered the room.
Both men turned her way and smiled when they saw her.
"Cari, you look lovely tonight," George complimented her.
"Thank you." She blushed prettily.
"You're stunning," Elliot told her as he went to take her hands.
Elizabeth sensed an intensity in Elliot that she hadn't seen before, and she cast George a questioning look. He merely smiled benignly.
"Shall we go? Our carriage is waiting," George said.
The two men helped the women with their wraps and then assisted them into the vehicle. When they reached the academy, Cari left them to join her classmates.
The ceremony passed quickly, ending with a blessing upon the graduates and their futures. Cari's spirits were high, and excitement filled her as she waited to join the procession.
"Cari's almost as lovely as you are," George told Elizabeth in a low voice as they watched her move past them up the aisle.
"George, you really shouldn't say such things." Though his compliments made her feel young and attractive, she couldn't allow him to talk to her in such a familiar manner. She was, after all, a married woman.
"Why not? I'm a firm believer in telling the truth," he persisted.
"You flatter me."
"Hardly." George gave her a look that spoke volumes. A widower since Elliot was five, he'd been lonely and miserable until he'd seen Elizabeth again. When he'd discovered that her husband, James, was living out West while she resided here, he couldn't believe it. If Elizabeth had been his wife, he wou
ld never have let her out of his sight. "I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world."
His words were so earnest and so sincere that high color stained her cheeks. She was grateful for the darkness of the auditorium.
Thoughts of James besieged her as she sat beside George. Soon she would be returning to the ranch, leaving behind Philadelphia, the life she so loved, and George. She had never allowed him to be more than a good friend to her, for, even as different as she and James were, James was still the one and only man she loved. Finally, knowing she had to say something to George, she simply thanked him for his compliment.
The ceremony over, the four of them celebrated at one of the best restaurants in town. Elizabeth found herself thinking again of her husband. Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she realized that her time in the East was almost over.
As they left the restaurant, Elizabeth took one last look around at the glittering dining room, the expensively gowned women and handsome, sophisticated men, and realized she was losing this life forever. James had made it clear on his last visit home that he intended for them to stay in Wyoming.
She sighed as they made their way back home. If only there was some way to make James understand, to convince him that. . . . She stopped herself. Night after night, she'd lain awake trying to think of a way to persuade James to stay in Philadelphia, but she knew nothing would change his mind. Once he set a goal for himself, he always achieved it. He planned to make the Circle M the biggest and the best ranch in the territory, so if she wanted to be with him, she would have to go to him. It was as simple as that.
And want him Elizabeth did. As much as she liked George, James was the love of her life. She adored him and had missed him dreadfully.
Her thoughts were still on her future when they reached the house. She and George settled in the parlor, while Elliot and Cari went out on the veranda to spend some time alone.