by Paige Powers
He handed her a handkerchief from his back pocket.
“Hold this over your mouth.”
Being the gentleman that he was, Bryan held his hand over her to shield her from the dust that swirled in the air. They raced as fast as they could to the house.
Once inside, they both gasped for clean air, coughing and practically choking.
“Mr. Bryan, there you are. You are safe.”
“Maria, thank you. Yes, we are safe. Can you get us both some water?”
“Yes, Señor.”
Maria disappeared to the kitchen and came back with fresh water which they both gulped down. Cassie wanted nothing more than to bathe as she felt like she was buried under layers of dirt.
She excused herself to her room. On the way there, she could hear Bryan asking Maria where he could find Lizbeth. Those words were a pang to her heart. She’d known they would have to return to normal when they’d come back to the house. There was no way that she should expect that simply because of a few stolen kisses in the barn and a stroll together hand in hand, that she would automatically win the affection and the heart of the man she had desired for so long.
Cassie continued to her room. She did not want to experience firsthand hearing the man that she loved look out for the heart of another woman.
She stood by the fact that she felt Lizbeth did not deserve Bryan’s love. Lizbeth did not deserve a man who adored her as Bryan had.
Closing the door, Cassie leaned against it, sliding down the length of it and coming to the floor. She felt lovesick and unable to make sense of what had transpired between her and Bryan.
For years, he had ignored her. She had been nothing more than the lady’s maid, a name she was sure that he barely knew. Her position was in the background of their lives. Living with Lizbeth, it was not often that she was in Bryan’s presence. Besides seeing him at social gatherings at the Wilkes home, she did not have as much opportunity to be in Bryan’s presence as she wanted to have. But when she was, her heart raced and her palms became clammy. She had never been in love and had no clue what it was like.
The only things that she knew about love were what she read in poetry books. Cassie did not have any friends who were in love. Most people married for money or for status. Marrying for love seemed like a luxury. She was in love, she was sure of it. There was no way that what she felt was not love. It had to be. She thought of Bryan all of the time. Even when she was supposed to be focused on other things, she was thinking of him.
When Lizbeth suggested that she come with her to Owen’s Bluff, Cassie jumped at the chance. It was not only the opportunity to live another life, but it was the chance to be much closer to Bryan.
Cassie was not sure what she expected to happen. She had not expected Bryan to fall for her so quickly. She had partly not expected him to acknowledge her at all. But he had and he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
It was an exhilarating feeling to know that her feelings were reciprocated. Now came the difficult part – the transition for Brian from being engaged to Lizbeth to courting Cassie.
Cassie went over and over in her mind the conversations she had been having with Bryan as of late. Nothing that he said to her gave her complete confidence that he would end things with Lizbeth. There was also no mistaking the passion she felt when he kissed her or when he held her hand and when they were together.
So far, love was confusing. How was she supposed to know for sure what he felt? The only two things she knew for sure was that she was in love with Bryan Abbott and that Lizbeth Wilkes did not feel the same about her fiancé as Cassie did about him.
There was no need to continue to mull it over. It would not be changing too quickly so Cassie knew that she would have to be patient a bit longer. Being with Bryan would be well worth it.
She sighed, ready to turn her mind off from all of the pontificating. Falling in love was way too much for her. It was time to focus on something else. Taking a warm bath would help relax her. She could still smell Bryan’s masculine scent on her skin. That, she did not want to wash off.
As she filled her bath basin with water, she anticipated soaking her muscles and quieting her nerves. When she poured the last bucket of warm water in her basin, she settled in to soak away all of the troubles of the day.
* * *
Bryan looked all around the house and could not find his fiancée. Maria said that she had not seen them since the three of them cleaned up after the sandstorm about an hour ago. Bryan was happy to know that Lizbeth had been safe inside the house with Chavez and Maria. With it being their first sandstorm, he knew that it was terrifying and he wanted to be there for Lizbeth during her time of need. He had promised to be her protector.
He could not think of where she would be, especially directly after a storm. He searched all around the house, to no avail. It dawned on him that she could be outside checking on the horses.
Bryan quickly ran outside and back toward the stable where the horses and the wagons were hitched.
He was stunned. There was only his horse and one wagon. Where could she have gone?
He rushed back inside.
“Maria, have you seen Chavez?”
She continued cleaning the tabletop. “No, Señor. He said that he had something to do and that he would be back after he was finished. I am not sure where he went.”
“Thank you, Maria.”
Bryan checked Lizbeth’s room again, and found nothing out of the ordinary. All he wanted to know was that she was alright.
He would just have to wait until she showed up again. He could not imagine where she had gone or how she was getting to her destination. After he waited around thirty minutes and she had not returned, he assumed that maybe she had gone to see Miss Sarah or Lily.
Bryan hitched up the horse and took the ride to his brother’s home. It would give him a chance to check in on his brother and his family after the storm. The dust particles still floated in the air, so he tied a bandanna around his mouth to make it easier to breathe.
Once he arrived at Brent’s he tethered the horse and knocked on the door. Lily answered immediately.
“Oh my goodness, Bryan, get in here.”
She practically pulled him inside.
“So you had your first sandstorm,” Brent commented as he appeared in the front room.
“Quite interesting. Much different than what you described.”
Brent’s laugh was hearty. “Well, it looks like you survived. How is Lizbeth? I bet that weather gave her quite a fright.”
A look of confusion came across Bryan’s face. “I thought that she was here, maybe.”
Lily and Brent looked at one another. “No, Lizbeth is not here. Why would you think that?”
Bryan shrugged. “I got caught in the sandstorm in the barn. I waited it out pretty good and when I got to the house, she was not there. The maid said that she was there during the storm, but that she had left and she did not know where Lizbeth had gone.”
“Where is her lady’s maid? She should know where she went.” When Lily said the words lady’s maid she said it with a drip of sarcasm.
It was a reasonable enough question, but he could not say that he was caught in the barn, enraptured in embrace with Cassie.
“She was out on her own, but made it back in one piece. Cassie had not seen her either.”
“If she comes by, we’ll let her know that you were looking for her,” Lily offered as she hoisted the baby further up on her hip.
Bryan bid them good day and went to fetch his horse.
Where could Lizbeth have gone? Once he got home, he would check again but he had a sneaking suspicion where she could be.
Chapter 8
Bryan was slightly disturbed by the fact that he was relieved that Lizbeth may have gone back to South Carolina. He knew in his heart that she had gone. Especially after the sandstorm, it was a pretty good bet that she had convinced Chavez to escort her back to South Carolina.
He watched a
s people all around town started coming out of their homes to clean up. The pulse of the town was amazing. Everyone working together and helping one another was a sight to see. He loved the fact that the townspeople of Owen’s Bluff were family oriented, simple people who loved life and Nature. Being here just felt right for him and he was not considering a move otherwise.
Although he had a lot of family at home in South Carolina, he knew in his heart that making this move was best for him. Here in Owen’s Bluff, no one looked at him with pity because of his limp. No one focused on the fact that he was a war hero and held him to such unbelievable standards because of his prisoner of war status that he could not live up to their thoughts and dreams.
Here in Owen’s Bluff he found the quiet and contentment he had been searching for. There was comfort in having family around all of the time, but there was peace in finding one’s own way.
Cassie was standing at the door when he arrived. She was waving a white piece of paper in her hand.
“What is that?”
“Lizbeth left a note.”
He hopped off the horse and ran to the porch.
Dear Bryan,
I tried to make this work and I think it best that we part ways. That is unless you find yourself back in South Carolina. After that dust storm, I am unable to spend one more minute in this dust bowl. It is just not how I envisioned my life.
I wish you well.
-Lizbeth
He stared at the paper as if continuing to look at it would change the words written there.
“Do you realize what this means?” Cassie was beaming with excitement.
“When did you find this?” Bryan held the paper up in the air so that she had a clear view of it.
“After I got out of the bath, I went back to her room and looked around for clues as to where she could have gone. I opened her armoire and her clothes and belongings were gone. It was completely empty except for this note.”
Bryan shook his head. He could not believe that she had just left without discussing it with him. She just summed up their entire relationship with a few words in a note. It amazed him that she had not wanted to look him face to face and tell him that she was that unhappy.
“Bryan, don’t you understand what this means? We can finally be together.” Cassie was practically gushing.
On one hand, he was not happy about the fact. On the other, he felt like life would be much more to his liking.
He did not want to hurt Cassie’s feelings, but he needed a moment to process all that had happened.
“Can you just give me a moment? Just one moment, Cassie.”
He hated the expression of disappointment and hurt on Cassie’s face as she watched him walk away. He just needed a few seconds to understand what happened in such a short span of time.
In his soul, he had been asking for so long for the answer to whether or not he should move forward in a life with Lizbeth. All signs pointed to the fact that they need not be together, but he had not known how to go back on his word.
He knew straightaway when he moved to Owen’s Bluff that it would be the death of their relationship. There was just a small piece of him that hoped that Lizbeth would for once see things his way. That for once, she would stop being her selfish, self- centered self and do something for someone else.
Of course it was way too much to ask for someone like Lizbeth to put someone else’s needs first. She had been spoiled her entire life by people who did her bidding. Day after day, they responded to whatever she wanted in the affirmative. He was a fool to believe that all of a sudden she would simply agree to move in with him and live there happily ever after.
And then there was Cassie. She was beautiful – a caring and thoughtful soul. She was everything that he had wished for in a mate. And she was sitting there right in front of him although she had not come to him in the conventional sense of things.
Bryan made his way back to the porch to find Cassie still standing there.
“Life can be funny sometimes. You ask for what you want and you get it. Sometimes it comes before you think you are ready, but it comes to you nonetheless. So you have to be ready for it when it does.”
“What does that mean, Bryan?” She rocked back and forth on her heels.
He came closer to her. “It means that I have been waiting and ready for you, even before I knew I was. Things happened so quickly and they were so out of the blue, that I had no idea what to do with it when it hit me.”
He took her in his arms, and with a kiss, sealed the deal. “I want you to be mine, Cassie. But I want to make sure that we do this right.”
“What does that mean?” She was practically breathless as her hands rested on Bryan’s chest.
“It means that we will be together. You and I.”
The look of contentment that spread across her face was priceless.
“You just made me the happiest girl in the world.”
* * *
Maria had been watching Bryan for far too long. Sitting back on the sidelines did not suit her. She had first seen him when his brother Brent brought him into the hotel to meet Mr. and Mrs. Bates, the proprietors of the hotel. He was a calm soul and a hard-working man. Her mother told her that she had prayed and was told that on that day, a man of that nature would be given unto her.
When he walked into the hotel, she was immediately struck by his blue eyes and his crooked smile. He was exactly the man for her. And he had easily walked into her life. Then she found out that he was looking for a housemaid and she offered her services. And just that easily, he hired her.
So that quickly, she was in his home, in close proximity to the man she knew was supposed to be with Bryan. The key was getting him to realize that he was supposed to be with her. That was where the obstacle came in.
Besides the fact that he was engaged to an obstinate and selfish woman, there was another issue. Maria watched as Cassie, the lady’s maid, set her sights on him. Maria asked her mother if her prophesy said that she would have to work so hard to win the heart of the man she loved and that was supposed to love her. Her mother responded that anything worth having was worth working hard for.
Maria was not so sure she should be working so hard for a man to love her. She thought that love was supposed to find her, not the other way around.
It was heartbreaking sitting around that house, waiting for Bryan to see her. She felt invisible being there with Lizbeth and Cassie. The love triangle was bizarre, but Maria knew that Lizbeth was not the biggest problem for her.
Her biggest problem was Cassie. Lizbeth would eventually leave. Maria heard her constant complaints and whining about how much she hated Owen’s Bluff. Even though she tried to hide her true feelings from Bryan, it was apparent that he knew how she felt about being there.
Then there was Cassie, sitting by the sidelines, starry-eyed and in love. She was just waiting for her moment to weasel in to becoming Bryan’s belle. She was the wild card. The unexpected one. At first, she could tell that Bryan was not even aware of Cassie’s feelings, and then things changed.
All of a sudden, there were stolen moments and passionate looks between Cassie and Bryan, sometimes right beneath Lizbeth’s nose. Maria wondered at that point if Lizbeth even cared at all. It did not seem that she did.
And Maria knew about the private walks and the kisses that Cassie shared with Bryan. She knew that in an instant, Cassie had made her presence known and Bryan fell for her. And in that instant, Lizbeth left with Chavez and made her way back to her hometown. That fact was one that Maria helped with.
She convinced Bryan to hire her brother as a driver for Lizbeth. It was a hard sell, but he did it out of obligation for his fiancée. Chavez was happy for the work and willing to do whatever he needed to keep his job. So when Lizbeth began to throw herself at Chavez instead of throwing herself at her fiancé, it was perfect. Chavez threw on a bit of charm and even offered to escort Lizbeth home whenever she wanted. Maria did not think that she would take him
up on the offer and it seemed that things were on hold for a moment.
But then the sandstorm happened and the timing could not have been better. Lizbeth had her clothing packed already. It was a fact that Maria was sure Bryan did not know. Another fact that Bryan did not know was that Lizbeth had seen him and Cassie sneaking around and that she had known for weeks that Bryan had feelings for Cassie.
So the sandstorm was only the straw that broke the camel’s back. It was the thing that propelled her out the door. Good riddance! The woman did not fit in with life here in Owen’s Bluff and she was much better off back in South Carolina. It was all that she talked about anyway.
Now that all Bryan could think about was Cassie. Maria knew that she had one more thing to do so that she could have the perfect life, just the way her mother had envisioned it to be.
She just hoped Cassie would bow out gracefully.
* * *
Watching Cassie prance around as if she was the woman of the house was testing Maria’s patience. Cassie wore a smile from ear to ear and she could not keep her hands off of Bryan. They could not keep their hands off of one another as a matter of fact.
Bryan kissed Cassie, touched her, and caressed her. They were so carefree and Maria could not stand watching it play out. They acted as if she was not there. Just the other day, Cassie had been so nice to her and so helpful to her. And just that quickly, she had forgotten that she had been the help as well.
Maria continued on with her daily chores as if nothing had changed. She had an idea that had to work. Cassie trusted her and she would have to tap into that trust in order to get what it was that she wanted in the end. And she wanted Bryan desperately. It was more than that. The universe said that she and Bryan were supposed to be together and who was Cassie or Bryan to stand in the way of that?
Cassie and Bryan went off to themselves for the day, spending the rest of it in bed. Maria was fuming at first, but then calmed herself knowing that she would soon get what she wanted. She prepared dinner and served the couple as they dined by candlelight.