"Abby is just fine the way she is," Brent said with certainty, knowing his wife's barbs had been meant for him because Melinda had once had her eye on him as a potential husband.
Crystal rolled her eyes and looked at Glory. "They want to keep Abby as their baby sister forever."
Grant quietly watched the happy banter among the family, his gaze straying to Abby's face. He had often wished that he could be a part of this family. He had never had much of a family life himself, since his pa had died and his ma left him to be raised by his aunt Dora. Now his aunt was dead, and he didn't know where his ma was. For three years he had severed all ties with Diablo. He watched Abby's face light up with laughter. If she would have him for a husband, he would become a part of this family.
Glory had arranged Abby's hair on the crown of her head and allowed one long curl to hang over her right shoulder. Standing back, she nodded with satisfaction. "You are stunning!"
Abby turned her head from right to left and smiled. "I don't know-it doesn't seem like me."
Crystal lifted the canary-yellow gown off the bed while Glory adjusted Abby's stiff petticoats. "I wish I could be there tonight and see everyone's reaction when you walk into the dance."
Abby turned to face Crystal. "Why aren't you going?"
Her sister-in-law patted her stomach. "I have to be careful from now until the baby is born. Brent says no dancing."
Glory nodded. "A wise decision." Then she looked slightly dreamy-eyed. "I can't wait to have Quince's baby."
Abby was only half listening to Glory and Crystal talk about babies. "I'm grateful that bustles have fallen out of favor. I would never have worn one of those contraptions. As it is, I can hardly breathe with this corset on. Do I have to wear it?"
"Yes," Glory and Crystal said in unison.
Crystal lifted the gown over Abby's head, and it drifted down about her body. Then she fastened the hooks while Glory fluffed it out.
Abby lifted the skirt in front and glared down at the matching slippers in disgust. "I'll probably break my neck in these." She frowned. "But the heels probably aren't much higher than my boots."
The room 'had fallen silent, and Abby became aware that Glory and Crystal were staring at her.
"What?" She turned around and reached toward the mirror, looking at her reflection in stunned surprise. "Can that be me?"
Glory opened the door and called down the hallway, "Quince, Brent, come in here."
Moments later Quince entered the room, looking quizzically at his wife. Then he saw Abby, and his eyes shimmered. "Darlin', you're all grown-up, and so pretty."
Brent stood in the doorway for a long moment, looking for any evidence of his little sister. "You are grown-up. I suspect some man will soon come along and take you away from us." She walked into his outstretched arms. "But not yet, Abby not for a while, I hope."
The road in front of the town hall was choked with the many conveyances that had transported the merrymakers to the celebration.
As Grant helped Abby out of the buggy, she watched fireworks illuminate the night sky, and she heard the music from inside the hall drift out to her.
Grant took her hand warmly in his. "Have I told you how pretty you look tonight?"
She glanced back to see Quince helping Glory out of their buggy, and she waved to her sister-inlaw before she answered. "You have made mention of it at least a dozen times."
He grinned. "Too much, is it?"
"Yes. You are like a brother to me. I don't want you to think you have to flatter me."
Her words cut him deeply. "I'm like a brother to you?"
"Of course. But you already know that."
He was not going to be shy where Abby was concerned. The night was young, and he would do his best to make her see him as a man and not as a brother.
The hall had been decorated with red, white, and blue banners and streamers. There were three fiddles and a flute playing a lively tune. It looked like everyone in the county had turned out for the occasion. Those who weren't already dancing had grouped together to talk with their friends.
Jonah was standing near the door, and he saw Quince and Glory come in, but he hadn't seen Abby. He edged closer to the entrance for a better look and stopped in his tracks. Abby was a breathtaking vision in yellow as she laughed up at Grant. Gone were the trousers and boots, and he stared at the most heartbreaking, enchanting woman he had ever seen.
He watched her search the crowd, and her search stopped when she saw him. His heart was thumping inside him; he wanted to go to her and push her hand off Grant's arm and place it on his. But he did not have that right. He turned away, no longer able to watch her with the ranger.
Abby noticed that Jonah was surrounded by people who wanted a chance to speak with such an illustrious officer. He stood tall and so handsome in his dress blues, and he seemed somehow out of place among country folk who, though dressed in their best, could not compare with his regalia.
She bristled when Melinda Barton, the town flirt, paraded in front of Jonah twice before she actually got the courage to stop and speak to him. Jonah acknowledged the woman with a mere dip of his head before his gaze returned to Abby.
Abby felt Grant tug on her hand, and she smiled at him as he whirled her into a lively dance. She did not have time to wonder whether she could remember the steps her father had taught her. Grant was such a good dancer, he took her right along with him. By the time the dance ended, she was breathless and laughing.
She was having fun!
She felt Jonah beside her even before he spoke. When he was near, the atmosphere became charged around her. Her gaze went to his.
"I wonder if you might save the next waltz for me, Miss Hunter?"
Why was he being so formal? she wondered.
She had not seen him dance with anyone else. Why did he want to dance with her? Her face flushed at the thought of being held in his arms. "I... yes. If you like."
Being an astute man, Grant noticed Abby's reaction to Major Tremain. She was drawn to him, but he didn't yet know how deeply she was involved with the officer. And he didn't know how Jonah felt about Abby. He did know that Jonah was committed to another woman, and Abby could end up being hurt. He intended to make sure that didn't happen.
Quince took his sister onto the dance floor, and when she looked up at him she found that he was frowning. "What's wrong, Abby?"
"Who said anything's wrong?"
"We spoke about this before, darlin'. Jonah is a good friend of mine, and I know him well enough to warn you that he will always do the right thing."
"I know that."
"He will marry the woman in Philadelphia."
"I don't expect anything from him." She managed a small smile. "And I'm not foolish enough to think he would be interested in me. He would probably be more drawn to Melinda, the flirt, than to me."
Quince guided Abby into a sidestep so he could watch Jonah. His friend was definitely not watching Melinda; he was staring at Abby with a thunderous expression on his face.
`Beware, Abby. Jonah is from a different kind of world from the one you know."
She lifted her chin. "Yes. I realize that."
Quince could see she was close to tears, although she tried to hide it from him. He had said enough on the subject, and would say no more. He wanted her to enjoy this dance. "I wonder if you have noticed that you are the center of attention? Everyone seems to be watching you"
"It must be because I cut my hair."
He grinned at her naivete. "I'm sure you're right that's probably why all the men are watching you so closely."
Abby swallowed hard, thinking everyone must be gossiping about her. "I don't care what they think." She managed a smile. "I like dancing."
Edmund shouldered his way through the crowd to get to the Hunter family. He had come in late and hadn't seen Abby, so when he heard her laughter and turned in her direction, he paled, feeling as though a knife had just stabbed him. It was like Beth had come back from the dead. But it wasn't his bea
utiful Beth, it was her daughter reborn in her mother's image.
"Abby," he said, distracting her from talking to Grant. "I believe this is my dance."
She would have liked to have refused him, but she could not think how to reject him without drawing attention to herself. She nodded and placed her hand on his arm, hoping it would be a short tune.
Edmund was a good dancer, and it was a lively polka. But the touch of his hand on her made Abby wish she had worn gloves, as some of the other ladies had.
"Temptress."
"Please don't say things like that to me. You are Papa's friend, and he wouldn't like it." She would have liked to have added that he was not her friend, but she kept that thought to herself.
"I suppose you think I'm too old for you."
She was in a quandary. Edmund was always saying suggestive things to her and touching her in a way that made her shiver with revulsion. "Why, no, Mr. Montgomery, you are not old -I believe you are my father's age, or perhaps you are a few years older, I'm not quite sure."
He gripped her hand so hard she bit her lip to keep from crying out. When she tried to jerk away from him, his grip only tightened more.
"Stop it-you are hurting me."
"Abby," he said, his voice thick with passion, "I know your family is in financial trouble, but I can help if you'll let me."
"We- don't need your help, Mr. Montgomery." She glanced in the direction of her brother, wishing she could catch his attention, but Quince was dancing with Glory on the other side of the room.
"Sweet Abby, if you'll be nice to me, I'll tear up the notes I hold on the Half-Moon."
His hot breath against her neck made her feel nauseated. She took a determined stance, choosing to misunderstand his intent. "I have always been polite to you, Mr. Montgomery. As for the note, Papa signed it in good faith, and we'll pay it off in the same way."
His handy slid up her arm. "You are such an innocent. I can only imagine the delight your surrender would be for a man."
She stared at him in disbelief, stopping in midstep. "Mr. Montgomery, I don't know what gave you the notion that you could insult me this way." Anger pushed her further. "If you ever say anything like this to me again, I'll tell my brothers."
His eyes became so cold she shivered when she looked into them, and he forced her into step with him. "I will have you, Abby, one way or another, and I don't care much if you come to me willingly or I take you against your will. And when I do, neither your brothers nor that fancy officer will get in my way."
He had threatened her with the deadliness of a rattlesnake ready to strike. "You are a monster, and the last man I would ever let touch me!"
"You may feel that way now, but I can change your mind, if you will only let me."
"Never!"
"I have a way of getting what I want and I want you. You will come to me one day because you'll have no choice."
She tried again to pull away from him, but his hand at her waist anchored her tighter to him.
"Don't make a fuss, Abby. Do you want everyone to see your distress? They already gossip about your family. Do you want to give them more to talk about? Imagine how they would react if I told them you offered yourself to me if I would tear up your father's bank debts. Who would they believe, Abby-me or you?"
"My brothers wi11 ..."
The hard expression on his face dared her to say more; his eyes were like dark, bottomless pits of unspeakable evil.
"If you get your brothers involved in this, one or both of them will end up dead, and that's the truth."
The music had stopped, and she was stunned as he led her off the floor. She blinked her eyes when he raised her hand and kissed it.
"Don't touch me!"
He smiled and bowed slightly. "I will touch every place on your body before I'm finished with you, Abby."
She stood paralyzed by fright as he walked away, and tears gathered in her eyes despite her effort not to cry. She had been touched by something vile and evil. Mr. Montgomery not only wanted to hurt her, he said he would kill her brothers if she told them what he had said to her-and she believed him.
What should she do?
She hurried in the opposite direction from Quince so he wouldn't see how distressed she was and ask questions she could not answer. As she stepped outside, the sky was glowing with silvery bursts of fireworks. She stared upward, wishing she knew what to do.
"Abby?"
She turned her head and tried to smile at Grant.
"What are you doing out here alone?" he asked, placing his hand on her arm.
"I the sky is so beautiful. This is the first time I have attended this celebration."
He saw the shimmer of tears in her eyes, and he knew Edmund was responsible. "You can't fool me. I was watching you dance with the banker. He upset you, didn't he?"
She wanted to tell Grant about the foul, disgusting things Edmund had said to her, but she didn't dare. He would probably tell Brent and Quince, or face Edmund himself, and she didn't want him hurt either.
"I just don't like him very well."
His fingers lingered on her arm, conveying his feelings for her. "I have broad shoulders for you to lean on. You can trust me. Tell me what's bothering you."
Abby had so many things bothering her, she didn't know where to start. She knew only that she couldn't tell anyone about Edmund. She would have to deal with him on her own. "How long will you be staying in Diablo?"
"I see. You are telling me to mind my own business. We aren't going to talk about anything serious tonight, are we?"
"I'd rather not."
"Very well, we will talk of piddling things and not what's bothering you. I have been assigned to help Major Tremain, and I will be staying in Diablo for as long as he needs me here."
"I wonder why he came to the dance tonight?"
"I can tell you only that he's here because he needs to ask the right people the right questions without seeming obvious." He grinned down at her. "While I am here to dance with a pretty gal."
She frowned. "I didn't realize that you were working with Jonah."
"I can't really go into any of that, but yeah, I am. We are working toward the same end."
She glanced upward just as a glittering starburst spread across the sky, and the echo of it thundered into the night. "What do you know about Major Tremain?"
Grant removed his hand from her arm and stood stiffly beside her, an ache inside him. He had noticed the way Abby had tried not to look in the major's direction tonight. He also noticed that Jonah couldn't take his eyes off Abby. He hoped she wasn't falling in love with the officer.
"I know he comes from money and breeding; the men under his command respect him. He is honorable. Come on, Abby"-he lifted her chin and smiled down at her-"no long faces tonight. I hear music, and I want the prettiest gal in town to dance with me."
His laughter was infectious and almost made her forget about Edmund. They went back inside and danced around the room, and she was laughing when the music ended. If it hadn't been for Edmund's threats, the night would have been perfect.
The fiddles started to play a waltz, and Jonah appeared at her side.
"I believe this is my dance."
Abby drifted into Jonah's arms as if she had no will of her own. One of his hands went to her waist, and he clasped hers with the other. Her heart was hammering to the sound of the music, and she could hardly breathe.
Jonah took in every detail of Abby's transformation. He could feel the wires of her corset, and, knowing her, he imagined what it had taken to get her to wear one. "I like the way your hair looks tonight."
"Thank you."
He smiled slightly. "But as I told you before, I'll miss that braid bouncing around when you walk."
"I have wished it back a hundred times tonight."
Her skin had a golden glow, enhanced by the offthe-shoulder gown she wore. Her neck was long and graceful. The rosiness of her cheeks owed nothing to rouge, and her full lips were soft and tant
alizing.
He touched his cheek to hers and inhaled the sweet scent of honey. "Abby, Abby, what am I going to do about you?"
She raised her head and looked into his compelling eyes, feeling as if her heart had just been clamped by an iron band. "I don't know-what?"
He laughed and whirled her around; their bodies were as one, their steps matching and harmonious. Abby thought she could go on dancing with him all night, or for the rest of her life. His chin was near her lips, and she knew all she had to do was move the merest bit to touch it with her mouth.
"I start training the mare Monday."
He was quiet so long, she thought he wasn't going to answer. "Will it take long?"
It shouldn't take more than two or three days. I have already used the lead rope and gentled her down. Now I have only to introduce her to the sidesaddle."
He closed his eyes, concentrating on the sensation of her in his arms. If he had never met her, something would be missing from his life. But since he could never have her, he would spend the rest of his life without joy in his heart. He would do the right thing and marry Patricia, and she would never guess that he didn't love her.
The music stopped, and still Jonah held Abby in his arms, because this would probably be the last time he could hold her. People were beginning to stare, and he took her hand, leading her back to her brother.
While Abby talked with Glory, Grant pulled Jonah off to the side.
"Major, something's come up, and I have to leave for a few days. I was wondering if you'd escort Abby home for me?"
Jonah was quiet for a moment. "Perhaps she would rather have Quince take her home."
"I thought of that, but since you're going to the ranch anyway, it seemed the sensible solution."
"Yes. I could do that." He didn't know whether to be glad or sorry. He shook Grant's hand. "I'll see you when you get back."
The maj or was unaware that Grant had manipulated the situation so Abby and Jonah would be thrown together. He didn't really have to leave town. If nothing happened between the two of them, Grant would feel free to do his own courting.
The moon was like a giant golden ball suspended in the sky when Quince lifted Abby into the carriage while Jonah tied his horse behind. "How did you enjoy the dance, darlin'?"
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