Drew (The Cowboys)

by Leigh Greenwood

  “You don’t understand—”

  “No, I don’t,” Cole said, “so let’s not—”

  Cole stopped midsentence, the words choked off in his throat. “Who is that woman?” he asked. He had to be dreaming, sleepwalking, or simply deluded, but unless his eyes betrayed him, Drew Townsend had just entered the room.

  “Who?” his mother asked.

  “That young woman who just entered.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Everybody knows everybody at this sort of function.”

  “I’ve seen the older woman before, but I don’t know anything about her. Doreen,” she said to a matron nearby, “do you know anything about the two women who just entered?”

  Doreen Cutchins was one of the reigning dowagers of Memphis society, one of the hostesses of the party.

  “That’s Dorothea Rutland and her niece. Mrs. Rutland is a wealthy widow who showed up here for the first time last year. She didn’t stay long, but she hired the biggest suite in the hotel. She seems to have an unending supply of money.”

  “I can’t believe you would send her an invitation without knowing more about her.”

  “She presented impeccable letters of introduction. Imagine, she has a letter from a Vanderbilt! Well, how could I refuse her after that, even if I wanted to, which I didn’t. Herbert is taking me to New York this winter. I plan to ask her for a letter of introduction to Mrs. Vanderbilt.”

  “What about the niece?” Cole asked.

  “I don’t know anything about her except that she dresses with a deplorable lack of taste and is very standoffish. She was rude to poor Hunter Ashby last night, flat refused to dance with him, said she wasn’t going to waste her time on a dried-up melon rind that probably hadn’t been any good when it was ripe. Have you ever heard anybody say such a thing?” Doreen asked, her substantial bosom heaving with indignation. “There have been Ashbys in Memphis for more than a hundred years.”

  Despite his surprise, Cole couldn’t help smiling. That sounded exactly like something Drew would say.

  “Molly Franks thinks they’re forcing their way into society in hopes the young one can catch a husband. If she expects to have jewels like the ones Mrs. Rutland wears every time I’ve seen her, she’ll need a very rich husband.”

  “Jewels won’t be the only expense,” Cole’s mother said. “If that dress is any example of the rest of her clothes, it’ll take a fortune to supply her with a wardrobe.”

  Seeing Drew at a society party had stunned Cole. That she should have an aunt of sufficient wealth and social connections to be able to procure an invitation was even more perplexing. Everything was in direct and glaring conflict with what he knew of Drew.

  Or thought he knew. A hideous explanation presented itself almost immediately. Unfortunately, it fit the situation much too well.

  Suppose Drew was behind the robberies, after all. Suppose she was using the money to support herself and her aunt in this extravagant lifestyle. If she was introducing herself to society in various cities—that would account for Mrs. Rutland appearing only now and then and staying at hotels—she was most probably scheming to catch a rich husband.

  Cole didn’t want to consider this new possibility. He’d convinced himself Drew was innocent. He’d even tried to convince his captain. Maybe he was a stupid, infatuated fool who couldn’t believe the evidence right before his eyes. Every time he decided Drew couldn’t be responsible for the robberies, something happened that pointed the finger directly at her once again.

  It was about time he woke up and started doing his job. He hadn’t been able to come up with an explanation for a single one of the facts that pointed to Drew’s involvement. The fact that the leader was a female who was an excellent shot, that she was accompanied by two heavily masked men, that the robberies always took place in or near the towns where the Wild West Show was performing, that he didn’t know Drew’s whereabouts at the times of the robberies. Then there was the fact she studied the workings of every bank she could, that she had all these old people depositing money in bank accounts that she controlled. And now, despite her modest clothes, she was attempting to enter a society well beyond the grasp of even the wealthiest Texas rancher.

  Maybe the captain wasn’t bluffing when he said he had enough circumstantial evidence to convict her.

  “I’ll go over and introduce myself,” Cole said.

  “You can’t talk to her!” his mother said.

  “Why not? You wanted me to dance.”

  “I want you to dance with a nice girl.”

  “How do you know she isn’t?”

  “I don’t know anything about her.”

  “I’ll ask,” Cole said, knowing such behavior would horrify his mother. “Anything you particularly want to know?”

  “Cole Benton, if you tell that woman I want to know so much as one thing about her, I’ll refuse to acknowledge you’re my son.”

  “Promise?”

  He knew he shouldn’t tease his mother so, but her snobbery irritated him.

  His mother ignored his remark. “You can’t just walk up to her without a proper introduction.”

  “That’s the advantage men have over women. They don’t have to be so careful of their reputations.”

  But he had to be careful to use his head, he told himself as he started across the room. So far his heart had decided what he’d think, how he’d act. He couldn’t afford to do that anymore. He might feel sure Drew wasn’t responsible for all those robberies, but feelings didn’t count. Facts did, and he had gathered precious few.

  “I do declare, it’s Cole Benton in the flesh.”

  Cole recognized Sibyl Owens’s voice before he turned to see the blond beauty bearing down on him. He recognized her gown as one he’d seen before, made over to appear new. He felt sorry for her. He knew the humiliation a woman suffered when she had to wear an old gown, even one so cleverly disguised, but he wasn’t willing to sacrifice himself to restore her to the style of living into which she’d been born.

  “Your mama didn’t tell me you’d stopped chasing your savages long enough to come for a visit.”

  “I don’t chase Indians or rustlers anymore,” Cole said.

  “How disappointing,” Sibyl said, presenting her cheek for Cole to kiss. “I was dying to hear about some of your adventures.”

  “Mama says my adventures aren’t suitable for feminine ears, especially the ears of refined, unmarried ladies.”

  “Don’t remind me,” Sibyl said, making a face. “I’m so long in the tooth I’ll probably be considered on the shelf before the evening’s out.”

  Cole had to admire Sibyl. She’d marry him for his money in a flash, but she didn’t hide the fact her family had fallen on hard times or that it was her duty to find a husband rich enough, and willing, to pay off the family debts.

  “I think you’ll manage to stay in circulation a bit longer.”

  “You want to walk me around the room and make all the young things so jealous their smiles will crack?”

  “You forget about my unsuitable adventures,” Cole said. “I’m more likely to make them head straight for the protection of their mamas.”

  Sibyl hooked her arm in his. “Don’t pretend to be modest. You know you’re the best-looking man in the room.”

  Cole knew that wasn’t so. No one could pretend he was as handsome as Hunter Ashby, but every female in Memphis knew the Benton family fortune was several times larger than the Ashby fortune. Everyone also knew money improved a man’s looks several times over.

  Sibyl tried to steer Cole in the direction of a group of young couples heading toward the dance floor. “You’ll have to excuse me tonight,” he said. “I’ve got to see that young woman over there.”

  Drew had hung back as her aunt greeted one hostess after another. She kept her head high, but she seemed to see no one in the room. Cole’s heart felt lighter, his mood more buoyant. It was an unlikely attitude for a woman determined to insinuate herself into
society, but it was entirely consistent with the Drew he had come to know.

  “Have you succumbed to the charms of the newest heiress, too?” Sibyl asked, her face tight with her effort to keep desperation at bay.

  “I don’t know. That’s not the role she was playing the last time I saw her.”

  Sibyl’s expression eased; her grip on Cole’s arm didn’t. “Does this have something to do with your mysterious job? I’ve asked your mother to tell me about it, but she refuses.”

  “Mother is ashamed of me.”

  Sibyl took a moment to give Drew a complete going-over. “She doesn’t look like a savage or a criminal.”

  “Looks can be deceiving.”

  “You really have to talk to her?” Everything about her expression and voice said she hoped he would change his mind.

  “Yes. Right away.”

  Not being fool enough to push when she knew it was useless, Sibyl released her hold on Cole’s arm. “Then I won’t detain you any longer. But you must promise to hurry back and tell me every delicious detail.”

  “You know I can’t do that.”

  Sibyl pulled a face. “Nobody here ever has anything interesting to say.” She flashed him a brilliant smile. “I was depending on you to rescue me from a very dull evening.”

  “How can it be dull when you’re the most beautiful woman here?”

  “Very easily when you’re also one of the poorest. Go chase after your mystery woman. Maybe she’s got a gun hidden in her purse.” She giggled. “Maybe she’ll shoot you. That ought to liven up the evening.”

  “Nothing nearly so interesting.”

  Cole hurried across the room before anyone else could waylay him. He came up to Drew while she was being introduced to a matron and daughter who obviously felt Drew was several notches below them on the social scale. He waited until the women had left, then tapped Drew on the shoulder. She swung around to face him.

  “I never expected to find you in a place like this,” Cole said.

  “Cole!” Drew exclaimed.

  Cole saw excitement in her eyes and pleasure in her expression, heard welcome in her voice.

  At that moment, he was lost.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “I never expected to see you at a society party,” Drew said. “How in the world did you manage to wangle an invitation?”

  “I could ask you the same thing.”

  “My aunt dragged me here.”

  “I thought your family was in Texas.”

  “This is my real aunt, my mother’s sister. Every time I visit, Aunt Dorothea does her best to drag me off to some affair like this. Thank goodness you’re here. It’s a relief to have someone to talk to besides people who obviously think they’re better than I am. We can be outsiders together.”

  “Why would your aunt bring you here?” He hoped she’d deny the rumors, the gossip that had caused suspicion to spring up in his heart yet again.

  “She’s convinced if I meet some nice young man, I’ll give up my crazy idea of owning my own ranch. She can’t understand why anyone would want to live in Texas.”

  “I didn’t realize you were part of society. What do they think about your being in the Wild West Show?”

  “They don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. I’m not part of society and don’t want to be. Besides, I’ll probably never see any of these people again.”

  “But if—”

  “My aunt lives in New York, but she follows me around the country trying to convince me to give up my foolish ways.”

  “You’ve got me confused. I thought your family was killed, and you were adopted.”

  “They were, and I was, but my aunt found me a year later. She wanted me to live with her, but I wanted to stay with Jake and Isabelle. Now she follows me everywhere. I see her practically every month. Please don’t say a word about New Orleans. Jake and Isabelle are coming with some friends of theirs, George and Rose Randolph, and I want to spend my time with them.”

  “You didn’t tell me your aunt was rich.”

  Drew seemed to stiffen. “What difference does that make?”

  “If your pearls are real, that necklace alone could buy a dozen ranches. Why are you working in a traveling show?”

  “I intend to pay for my own ranch,” Drew said, a sharp edge to her voice. “I wore these pearls to keep my aunt from breaking into tears and ruining her makeup. She tried to give them to me, but I wouldn’t take them. Jake and Isabelle wanted to give me a ranch, but I wouldn’t take that, either. I mean to be entirely independent.”

  “Is your independence that important?”

  “More important than anything else. My parents were so determined to be independent they ran away, even though it cost them their lives. I guess it’s in my blood.”

  Cole could feel a ball of tension in his stomach unravel. Drew didn’t sound at all like a young woman stealing money to have the means to thrust herself into society so she could find a rich husband. On the contrary, she seemed determined to turn her back on a life of wealth and privilege.

  “My aunt’s coming back,” Drew said. “Pretend you’ve come to ask me to dance.”

  “But I don’t want to dance.”

  “I don’t either. But if I don’t dance with you, she’ll drive me crazy until I dance with one of the stupid young men she picks out. Last night it was a fool by the name of Ashby. I forget his first name.”

  “Hunter.”

  “That sounds right. I really don’t care what his name is. Oh God, he’s here tonight. I don’t want him to see me.”

  “I’ve never seen you afraid of a man before.”

  “He’s not a man. If he were, I could shoot him.”

  “Is that the only way you know to handle men—to shoot them?”

  “It works.”

  “If you want to drive them off.”

  “What else would I want to do? Now stop arguing and let me introduce you to my aunt. And no matter what you do, don’t mention that we work in the show together.”

  Cole found it surprising, but amusing and comforting as well, that there was someone in the world Drew couldn’t run over without a backward glance.

  “I see you’ve managed to capture the most attractive man in the room already,” Dorothea Rutland said when she approached. “I told you you’d find a nice man.”

  “He’s an outsider like me,” Drew said. “That’s the only reason I’m talking to him. He used to work in Texas. You can’t imagine how happy I was to find him here.”

  Cole told himself not to attach too much importance to Drew’s words. Or her smiling welcome. She didn’t see him as a lover, only a kindred soul in the foreign world of high society.

  Dorothea looked Cole over from head to foot. “He doesn’t look like a cowboy to me.”

  “I’m not,” Cole said. “I worked with the Rangers.”

  Dorothea looked horrified. “That’s worse than being a cowboy.”

  “I quit,” Cole said.

  “What do you do now?” Dorothea asked, still withholding her approval.

  “I’ve just quit my old job. I haven’t begun anything new yet.” It was close to the truth. He had quit trying to prove Drew was a thief and was about to start trying to prove she was innocent.

  “What is your name?”

  “Cole Benton,” Cole replied.

  “And we’re about to dance,” Drew said before her aunt could ask another question. “You can interrogate him later.” She practically dragged him out on the floor.

  “I told you I don’t like to dance.”

  “Hunter Ashby is coming our way. Unless you want me to create a scene, you’ll dance with me.”

  For a moment, Cole was tempted to see what would happen. The thought of what his mother and her friends would do caused him to chuckle, but he chose the safe way out. His mother would never forgive him if he was involved in a scandal.

  “You dance very well,” Cole said after a few moments.

  “You sound surprised.”


  “Since you despise everything most women enjoy, I thought dancing would be included.”

  “I had ten brothers. Isabelle insisted they all learn to dance. I was the only sister, so they danced with me.”

  “You dance like you had a professional dance master.”

  “Isabelle was brought up in society. She had the dance master.”

  “I’m glad to know she put her knowledge to good use.”

  “The boys didn’t think so. You should have heard the complaining. But that stopped when Jake told them there weren’t many chances for a man to hold a pretty woman real close without some male relative putting a gun to his head and asking his intentions.”

  Not being one to miss an opening, Cole held Drew a little closer. “Your Jake sounds like a very practical fella. Intelligent, too.”

  “Jake is just about the smartest man in the world.”

  Drew didn’t seem to mind his holding her close. He figured if he could keep her talking, she might even rest her head on his shoulder.

  “Smarter than me?” Cole asked.

  “Lots smarter,” Drew responded without hesitation. “A bunch of low-down farmers just about cleaned him out while he was away at the war. He not only outsmarted them, he now owns more than a hundred thousand acres. Jake says you can’t afford to squat on land anymore. If you don’t own it, somebody will steal it out from under you.”

  Cole found it difficult to concentrate on Jake or be interested in his economic policies. He’d managed to hold Drew so close her breasts rubbed against his chest. The contact was slight and fleeting, but the results were significant and lasting. He hadn’t forgotten the feel of her body against his own that night down by the river. Nor had he forgotten the taste of her kisses. He wanted to crush her in his embrace and smother her with kisses. He wouldn’t have cared if all the self-important guests had been outraged, but he knew Drew would be mortified. He had all evening. He would find some way to steal a few moments alone with her.

  The music came to an end. Cole had some idea of dancing with Drew again—in fact, he wanted to monopolize her entire evening—but his mother had other plans. She sent Sibyl to intercept him almost before he left the dance floor.