by Bobbi Smith
"Absolutely. I've never had any women fighting over me."
"Trust me, it isn't as great as it sounds," Michael assured him. "Let's get to work."
"You know there is a church social this Saturday night," Elizabeth informed Michael and Nick over dinner that evening.
"Do you think Anne from the general store will be there?" Nick asked hopefully.
"Everybody will be there. It's quite the event. You will be taking Casey, won't you?" she asked, looking at her son. "It will give you the perfect opportunity to set things straight with her and show everyone in town that there are no problems in your relationship."
Michael had told her everything that had happened with Karen. Elizabeth was coming to genuinely care for Cassandra, and she wanted to protect her from any ugly gossip.
"I haven't talked to Casey about it."
"Why don't you plan on going?" She said it in a way that would not allow him to refuse.
"What if Casey doesn't want to attend?"
"Cassandra and I have to go into town tomorrow for her final dress fitting with Sissy. I'll speak to her about it then."
Michael could tell he was trapped. "Fine. Make the arrangements with her, and we'll go."
Casey had worked extra hard all day just to keep her mind off Michael. She was furious with herself for the way she'd reacted when John had told her Michael was engaged to another woman.
She'd actually been jealous!
Casey told herself she could not allow herself to care about Michael. He certainly didn't care about her.
It was late when she returned to the house, exhausted and ready for a quiet night.
"One of the boys from the Circle D brought this by for you," Jack said, handing her an envelope when she sat down at the dinner table with him. "He said it was from Elizabeth."
"Oh." Casey opened it and quickly read the note.
"What does she want?"
"I have to meet her in town tomorrow for the final fitting on the wedding dress."
"That's good. The wedding is getting close."
"And she wants me to attend the church social with Michael on Saturday night."
"That's not a bad idea," Jack encouraged, "especially after what you told me about the gossip in town."
Casey hadn't wanted to tell him any of it, but she had explained everything when she'd returned from the Circle D that morning. She'd realized everyone in town knew about Michael's "other" fiancee, so her father would undoubtedly hear about it sooner or later. The news would be better coming straight from her.
"All right. I'll tell her I'll go when I see her tomorrow."
Casey wasn't looking forward to spending time with Michael, but there was no way to avoid it. They were engaged, and soon they would show the whole town just how much "in love" they were. She grimaced inwardly at the thought and hoped the rest of the week went real slow. She was in no hurry to see her "beloved" fiance again.
"There you are!" Sissy greeted Casey the following day. "Elizabeth is already here. Come on in."
They went back to the dressing room where Elizabeth was waiting for her.
"Hello, Cassandra, dear, how are you?" Elizabeth said warmly.
"Fine." She hesitated to say much more, for she didn't know how much Elizabeth knew about Karen Whittington.
"Michael told me about this whole awkward situation with the young lady from Philadelphia. I'm sorry if it upset you. I was just telling Sissy about the misunderstanding."
"It was awkward, but Michael straightened everything out."
"That's good," Sissy said. "You don't need that kind of excitement so close to your wedding day."
"No, we don't," Elizabeth agreed.
Sissy brought out the wedding dress.
Casey quickly shed her clothes.
Both Elizabeth and Sissy noticed she was wearing her old undergarments.
"Why aren't you wearing the pretty new things you got the last time you were here?" Sissy asked.
Casey blushed uneasily at her question. "They were so delicate-looking, I was afraid to wear them on a regular day.,,
"Nonsense, Cassandra. You start wearing them now. That's what we bought them for," Elizabeth said encouragingly.
With the seamstress's help, Casey slipped into the wedding gown.
Sissy arranged the skirts and adjusted the bodice, then stepped back to study her handiwork. Elizabeth stood with Sissy, and they both looked Casey over.
The white satin gown was perfect on her.
"What do you think?" Sissy asked Elizabeth.
"She looks positively radiant. You did a fine job."
"Thank you."
"Look at yourself in the mirror, Cassandra," Elizabeth urged.
Casey moved to the full-length mirror and stared at her reflection. "It's lovely."
"No, you're lovely," Elizabeth insisted.
"You are going to be the most beautiful bride Hard Luck has ever seen," Sissy complimented.
"I wouldn't say that." Casey had never been told she was beautiful before.
"We would," Elizabeth said.
"Now let's see how the other gowns I made for you fit. I think you're going to be pleased with them, too."
The first dress Casey tried on was a simple day gown. It required little in the way of alterations, and Sissy promised to have it ready before the wedding.
"This next one is special. It's going to look lovely on you," Sissy told Casey as she left the room for a minute.
Casey was expecting another day gown. She was awed when Sissy returned.
"What do you think?" Sissy asked, smiling in delight at Casey's surprised expression as she held up the lovely confection. "This will be perfect for the social Saturday night."
"Oh, yes, it will," Casey agreed, staring at the dark blue gown. She'd never owned anything as nice as this.
"We thought you might like it," Elizabeth said. "Try it on.,,
With their help, Casey donned the gown and,after Sissy had fastened the back, turned to the mirror. She almost didn't recognize herself. In the wedding gown, she had looked radiant and pretty. In this gown, Casey was shocked to think she almost looked seductive. The color complimented her, the silk clung to her curves, and the bodice, though modestly cut, revealed enough to let the world know she was a woman full-grown.
"I have a pearl necklace and earrings you can wear," Elizabeth said, studying her critically. The transformation was more complete than she'd dreamed possible. She'd always believed Cassandra was pretty, but now she knew her son's fiancee was beautiful. "We'll have to do some thing with your hair. Do you want me to come to your house and help you get ready Saturday afternoon?"
"Would you?" Casey looked at Elizabeth in delight, appreciating the offer of feminine guidance.
"Of course. This will be fun. We'll surprise Michael."
"He'll be surprised, all right," Casey agreed.
"Sissy, you've done a wonderful job. Thank you," Elizabeth told her.
"1 loved every minute of it." Sissy had to admit the change in Casey was the most exciting she'd ever seen. Casey was lucky to be getting a mother-in-law who cared so much about her.
Sissy boxed up the gowns, and Casey put them in the buckboard she'd driven in to town that day. After thanking Elizabeth and saying good-bye, Casey drove to the general store, hoping that Anne might be working.
Ernest was just coming on duty at the hotel when he noticed Casey driving her buckboard down the street. He'd had to clean up the mess Miss Whittington had made when she'd had her showdown with Michael Donovan, and he wondered if she knew what Michael's real fiancee looked like. He went into the hotel and hurried upstairs to knock on the Whittingtons' door.
"Yes, who is it?" Karen called out.
"It's Ernest."
She opened the door to see what the desk clerk wanted. "Yes?"
"I know this ain't none of my affair, but seeing as how you're interested in Donovan and all, I thought you might want to get a look at Casey Turner while you had the chance."
"She's here?" Karen was eager to see the woman who'd stolen Michael from her.
"She's outside, driving by right now if you want to take a look." Karen ran to the window, and her mother joined her there. They were all but hanging out, trying to see the woman outside.
"I don't see her," Karen complained.
"There's only a boy driving by in a buckboard," Dorothea told him.
Ernest snickered. "That's no boy, ladies. That's Casey Turner."
"Are you serious?" Dorothea asked, then turned to look out again at the driver of the passing buckboard.
"That's Casey?" Karen said in a shocked tone. The girl was wearing men's pants.
"That's her," Ernest affirmed.
"Thank you, Ernest," Dorothea said, signaling it was time for him to leave them.
"You're welcome, ladies."
When he'd gone, Karen looked at her mother, feeling quite smug. "I am going to have a wonderful time at the social this weekend. So Michael thinks he wants to marry a woman who looks and dresses like a boy. I'll show him what he's missing."
"Good girl!" her mother exclaimed.
"I was almost dreading the thought of going, but now I'm excited about it."
Karen couldn't wait for Saturday to arrive.
"Why, Casey! What a pleasant surprise," Mrs. Lawson said as Casey entered the general store. She and Anne were working together behind the counter.
"Hello, Mrs. Lawson. I had to come in to town for the final fitting on my wedding dress, so I thought I'd drop by and see you."
"This wedding is so exciting," Mrs. Lawson said.
"Yes, it is exciting," Casey agreed, but for different reasons. "Anne, are you going to the social Saturday night? Elizabeth thinks Michael and I should go together, so we'll be there."
"Oh, yes, we're going," Anne answered. Then she asked, "Casey, is Michael's cousin Nick going to attend?"
"I don't know. Do you want me to ask him to come?"
"I don't want to seem forward, but yes!" Her eyes lit up at the thought of seeing the handsome Easterner again.
"I'll do my best. It'll be a good chance for you to get to know each other better. He's going to be Michael's best man, and you're my maid of honor."
"I can't wait."
"I've never known you to be so interested in a man before."
"Well, Nick is really different. He's a gentleman. I've never met anyone like him before, and I want to get to know him better."
"You have good taste in men, Anne. I like Nick, too."
"He reminds me of a hero out of one of the dime novels I read."
"You are such a romantic."
"I know," she sighed and smiled. "Some day my prince will come."
"Prince Nick?" Casey said thoughtfully.
"Oh, you!" Anne laughed at the thought. "But it would be nice, wouldn't it? To be swept off your feet by a handsome nobleman and live happily ever after."
"Yes," Casey said, hiding the sadness in her heart. "It would."
But it was never going to happen to her.
Saturday came far too quickly for Casey. The thought of seeing Michael again made her decidedly uneasy. Elizabeth had assured her that Michael had taken care of everything with the other woman, but even so, she wasn't sure how thrilled he was going to be to see her again. After all, the last time she'd shot at him.
Casey kept herself busy working around the ranch all morning. She returned to the house for the noon meal and to start getting ready. She knew it was going to take a while to go from being a cowgirl to becoming the lady Elizabeth hoped she could be. She just hoped she could do it.
After soaking in a hot tub, Casey scrubbed herself clean from head to toe. That done, she dried off and donned some of her new underthings.
Casey was actually a bit embarrassed as she put the silken garments on. She'd never worn anything like them before. She wrapped herself in her robe and sat down at her dressing table to brush out her hair.
The sound of a carriage approaching drew Casey to the window. She looked out to see Elizabeth and Michael arriving separately. Michael came in the buckboard and Elizabeth in her carriage.
Within minutes, Elizabeth was knocking at her bedroom door.
"Hello, Cassandra, dear. How are you today? Are you all ready for tonight?" she asked as she was admitted to Casey's room. She was carrying a small valise.
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be, I guess," Casey answered, clutching her robe more tightly around her. She closed the door once Elizabeth was inside.
"I brought a few things that might work well with your dress. Let's get started, shall we?"
Casey was a bit nervous. She'd never had to worry about getting dressed up before. "Where do you want to start?"
"I think with your hair," Elizabeth said thoughtfully, eyeing her damp curls. "Why don't you sit down for me?"
Elizabeth loved a challenge. She was excited about helping Cassandra get ready today. She knew Michael still had misgivings about their coming marriage, and she wanted to show him what a beautiful woman Cassandra really was.
Elizabeth set to work.
Michael was sitting with Jack in the parlor, making small talk and waiting for the women to join them. Close to an hour had passed, and Michael was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to come out.
Jack noticed he seemed a bit impatient. "These are women we're dealing with here, Michael. They're going to take a while."
"It would be good to get to town before the dance is over," Michael remarked dryly.
"You will," he assured him. "Michael?"
Michael glanced up.
"You know this hasn't been easy for my girl, getting married this way, and that whole scandal with your other woman-"
"Karen isn't my `other' woman," Michael protested. "I had been seeing her socially in Philadelphia, but there were no promises made between us. I don't know where she got the idea to come to Hard Luck. I hadn't had any contact with her since I left."
"Be that as it may, everybody in town heard about her, and Casey was embarrassed by it all."
"Your daughter did make that point to me," Michael said, remembering all too clearly their encounter the other morning. "And I took care of it."
"That's good. With only a week left until your wedding, it's time the two of you got things settled between you."
Michael didn't know what there was to settle.
He and Casey were engaged.
They were going to be married in seven short days.
And tonight they were going to show the whole town just how devoted they were to each other to silence any remaining gossip, ignoring completely that the last time they'd been together, Casey had been shooting at him.
The men finally heard the bedroom door open and they both looked up as Elizabeth came to join them.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes, we are," Jack answered.
"Cassandra," Elizabeth called to her.
The door opened wider and a vision of loveliness came into the room.
Michael rose to his feet as Casey moved to stand before them. Never in his wildest dreams had he envisioned her being this beautiful. Casey was gorgeous. She looked every bit a lady. Her hair was styled up away from her face, giving her an elegant look. The gown, though demurely styled, was stunning on her, emphasizing her feminine figure. She wore pearl earrings and a single strand of pearls at her throat that complemented her creamy complexion. On her left hand, she wore the ring that marked her as his.
"Casey you look lovely," Michael told her, unable to look away.
"Thanks," she replied in her usual casual manner.
"`Thank you,' "Elizabeth cued her.
Casey grinned at her and repeated more demurely, "Thank you, Michael."
Her father hadn't said anything yet, and Casey looked at him to see his reaction. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him, standing there looking at her with tears in his eyes.
"Pa? What's wrong?"
"Oh, darling. I wish your m
ama could see you now. She would be so proud of you," he said, going to embrace her. "You're the image of your mother."
Casey struggled not to cry as she gave him a kiss on the cheek and whispered, "I love you, Pa."
"I love you, too, darling. I just wish 1 was feeling better so I could go along with you tonight. But you and Michael go on into town and have a good time."
"I wish I could go, too, but I need to get back home to Frank," Elizabeth said, still smiling over Cassandra's transformation. "I would love to be there to watch folks' reaction when they see you."
"Anne's going to be surprised," Casey agreed.
"Pleasantly surprised, I'm sure," Elizabeth replied.
"Are you ready to go?" Michael asked courteously. He suddenly felt the need to act the gentleman with her, so he went to offer his arm.
"I think so." She took Michael's arm and let him draw her toward the door. She would never admit it to anyone, but she was glad for his help. She was a little unsure of herself in these fancy clothes.
Together they left the house.
"We're taking the carriage," he informed her.
"Are you sure?" Casey knew it was his mother's.
"I insist," Elizabeth said as she stood with Jack on the porch.
"Thank you." Now she truly would feel like a lady, riding in the carriage instead of in the buckboard.
Michael helped her into the carriage, then climbed up beside her and took the reins.
"Have a good time," Jack bade them.
"We will," Michael answered, and he was surprised to find he meant it.
Jack and Elizabeth watched them drive away.
"They make a very handsome couple," Elizabeth said with great satisfaction.
"Yes, they do." Jack turned to look at her. "I hope they find a way to be happy together."
"So do I."
"Is Frank going to be able to attend the wedding?"
"He seems to be a little better, and he has been using the wheelchair. I'm hoping he'll be strong enough by next weekend to make the trip into town."
"I guess we could always ask Reverend Harris to hold the ceremony at your place."
"And I'm sure the reverend would do it, but I'd like the wedding to take place at church if at all possible. I'll let you know mid-week how Frank is doing."
"Will you be all right on the ride back in the buckboard?"