His expression hardened for a moment, but after a moment he rallied with a stiff smile. “I suppose I should thank him, then.”
Her eyes widened. “What, for getting your horse shot?”
“If that hadn’t happened, you wouldn’t have run off to become a hoss doc. Then you wouldn’t have come to my ranch when Misty was foalin’, and we might never have met.”
Her stomach did a pleasant flip. “Well, there was the barn dance. Maybe we’d have met then.”
His chuckle brought a new flush of warmth to her face. “Darlin’, the one and only reason I went to that barn dance was in hopes I’d see you there.”
She laughed. “Really? Me, too. You and Jack, of course.”
They finished their meal with occasional small talk, and Kate was proud of herself for shutting out the scandalized looks from familiar faces in the restaurant. With Tanner’s Grove becoming a mini travel mecca, many faces were not familiar. She was grateful only a few of the other patrons knew she was dining alone with a man who was neither husband nor kin. Of course, there were a few sets of eyes she’d rather not have trained on her, like Elspeth’s mother.
All too soon, William took care of the bill while Kate tried not to crush her little shoulder bouquet with the shawl she pulled on over her shoulders. From the corner of her eye she noted Caleb Tanner rising to leave at the same time, and she stiffened. She expected him to waltz over with his fancy custom spurs jangling, intent on another ugly scene. She breathed a sigh of relief when he ignored her and William, keeping several paces behind as they walked out into early nightfall.
William helped her up into his wagon and climbed in beside her. “Thank you so much for this dinner,” she said. “It was absolutely delicious.”
He tipped the hat he’d retrieved on their way out. “It was my pleasure, even if your pa will have me strung up for it.”
He hitched the reins, and with a soft cluck to Windstorm, the wagon started off. Kate was happy to see the mare’s sore leg was fully recovered, and the animal had no trouble with normal tasks.
William flicked a glance her way a few minutes later, and then frowned. “What happened to your corsage?”
She glanced down. “Oh!” She pulled open her shawl and shook it. “Where’s my little bouquet?”
They looked on the seats and down along the buckboard. The corsage was gone.
“It must have fallen off,” she said, a note of despair in her voice. “I’m so sorry.”
“Nothin’ to be sorry for. It wasn’t your fault.”
“I should have pinned it on better.”
He offered a smile. “There will be more flowers in your future. I promise.”
A thin layer of disappointment lay over the pleasant evening as they rode the rest of the way back to Tyler ranch, and not just because of the loss of her corsage. The date was over. Peaches was corralled at the ranch, waiting to take Kate away from William for who knew how long before she would have a chance to see him again.
William grew quiet when they turned under the iron Tyler Ranch sign, and when he stopped the wagon, he let out a deep breath. “I half expected to see your pa here, waitin’ to whup me good for stealin’ his daughter again.”
“You’re not the one who’d get the whuppin’.”
William eyed her with amused suspicion. “The man doesn’t still lay a hand on you, does he?”
“Not for years.” Except the day he’d found out about her and William. “But I’m always waiting for that day that I’ve misbehaved enough to get the strap. Probably even when I’m fifty.”
“It was switches for me,” William said as he rounded the wagon to help her down. “I had to pick my own.”
“That sounds like a fair deal,” she said, going happily into his arms as he slid her to the ground.
“Don’t you believe it. If my switch wasn’t good enough, Pa would go pick a much worse one than if I’d got a decent one to start with. It was real mind torture, tryin’ to decide which one to get beat with.”
She curled her lip and smoothed her dress. “On second thought, I guess the strap was better torture.”
Jack met them outside as soon as they reached the corral. “Evenin’, Miss Kate, Will. Whatcha talkin’ about?”
The evening air held a damp chill, but Kate couldn’t help but feel a warm rush from head to foot at the sight of Jack. He was dressed in dark brown from vest to shirt to jeans, almost as dark as his heated gaze. It was enough to make her wriggle her toes inside her lace-up boots. “Jack! Mighty glad to see you.”
William came up beside her. “Kate and I were just discussin’ gettin’ spanked.”
Sexy brown eyes widened. “That so? Thought this datin’ thing was supposed to be respectable.”
“As young ’uns,” William said.
Jack took her hands in his, and her heart began a wild dance. “I’ve sore missed you, lady. Been far too long.”
“And I wish I had longer to stay, so we could catch up. We missed you at dinner.”
“I’ll bet we did,” he said, giving her hands a squeeze and shooting a humorous glance at William. “How was the meal?”
“Fine as dandy,” William said. “Only I found out that our wily Kate here is on the lam. Gave her pa the slip. He has no idea she came out with me tonight.”
Jack dropped her hands and gave her a teasing look. “Well, looks to me like you might need that spankin’ after all.”
The seductive tone in his deep voice sent a quiver down her spine. “You best just keep your hands civil, Mr. Stone.” Still, she couldn’t help but giggle.
The three of them set about un-harnessing Windstorm—or rather, Kate tried to help and the men insisted she stand by to watch. That brought a memory of the night they’d gone to tame the mustangs. William especially had tried to keep her out of the action then, too. Where that night ultimately led only fueled the heat in her cheeks.
Crickets admonished her wanton thoughts, but the stars winked in approval while she followed men and mare into William’s barn. Jack was right. Seemed like ages since she’d last been here, and she realized how much she missed the place. Raven was in his stall, stamping and nodding in agreement that she’d been away too long. She stopped for a quick chat and stroke of his muzzle, and then hurried over to the large stall in the rear.
“My!” she said. “They’ve grown so big!”
She stared with a delighted grin at the twins standing quietly with their mother, as if they were in a trance. Misty nickered faintly to Kate, as if trying not to disturb her foals.
William came over and stood beside her. “I’m gonna corral them overnights soon. I have to wean ’em away from Misty afore the new owner comes to collect ’em.”
“They look just like their ma and pa.”
Jack spoke up from behind her. “Act like ’em, too.” He pointed at the reddish filly. “Starshine is as gentle and easy to lead as her mama.” He clucked and shook his head. “But Stormcloud’s as stubborn and proud as Raven.”
The black colt lifted its head to regard Jack, like he was considering whether to challenge that claim. Misty turned her head around to nuzzle the foal.
“I’m just so pleased they’re thriving,” Kate said.
William turned his smile on Kate. “All thanks to you.”
“Hardly. I haven’t been here for near two months. You and Jack have done the work of caring for them.”
Jack grunted. “Misty had a hoof in that, too. But there wouldn’t be no foals to care for if yeh hadn’t helped birth ’em.”
She shrugged. “It’s my job.”
He crooked a finger under her chin. “One yeh do very well.” He shot her a devilish grin. “For a woman.”
“Oh, bosh.” She slapped at his arm. “You’re as bad as the rest.”
“I’m just jokin’.” His eyes lit up with something mysterious. “Come on to the house for a minute.”
“I should get going.”
William laced his fingers through hers. “
Afore you leave, there’s somethin’ I want to show you.”
She shot him a suspicious look, but followed him to the house. He gestured her in ahead of him. This was her first time inside without her pa lying sick in the guest quarters, and she felt her stomach twist with a mixture of unease and excitement to be in the place alone with both men.
William ran off to get something, and after Jack shot her a heart-stopping grin and wink, he followed the other man down the hall. Her eyes took in the parlor and the entryway they’d just come through while she stood there alone. She did truly love the place. The furnishings here were stained in a rich, comforting mahogany, not like the simple sanded pine in Pa’s farm house. The flooring was lacquered and dark, too. There was more furniture at the ranch than she’d seen anywhere in her life, more than she could imagine any one household needing.
Just beyond the hat stand in the entry hall, a pair of chests stood across from one another. What did they need with two sets of drawers right inside the front door? The parlor where she stood could easily entertain ten people, and of the few rooms she’d seen here she loved this one the most. The settees and chairs were thick and plush, covered in a rich tapestry that showed some age, but had many years of wear left. A fresh bouquet of red and yellow roses sat on a round side table, a sign that William’s housekeeper had been here in the last day or two. The rug was an eye-catcher, too. It wasn’t braided from old rags and cloth like the ones her ma had taught her to make, but a smooth red wool affair decorated with intricate floral and vine patterns. William said his uncle had it shipped over from the Orient, and Kate always hated to step on it. The rug seemed like it should be hung from the walls like the rest of the artwork here, not laid on the wood floor to be trampled on.
She wandered over to her favorite painting, one of Will running in a sunny field when he was a boy. His hair was towhead blond back then, and he wore coveralls rolled up over tanned bare feet. A dog ran happily behind the boy Will. The backdrop was done in greens and yellows and blues. Overall, the painting was carefree and simple, yet said much. His uncle may have been a rancher, but he’d had a talent for capturing the emotion of a moment.
Kate was bending over to inhale the lovely scent from the cut roses when she heard William’s boot steps returning. He was by himself. “Where’s Jack gone off to?” she asked.
William hesitated. “I asked him for a minute alone with you.”
“Oh? Hardly seems fair when you had all evening alone with me,” she teased.
She saw the tin photograph in his hand just as he raised it. “Here,” he said.
“What’s this?” She reached for the tintype, a formal portrait of a man and woman. The man sat in a straight-backed chair, wearing a stiff black long coat suit and a bushy dark mustache. The woman stood just off to the side behind him, her hand resting on the chair back with fingertips brushing his shoulder. She wore a fabulous white wedding gown and veil. As was typical of such portraiture, neither of them was smiling. Kate found herself wondering whether the couple had a happy marriage.
She looked up with a questioning gaze. “Who are they?”
“My parents,” William said. “This was taken the day of their wedding in 1860.”
“They look quite handsome together,” she said, glancing again at the picture. “You look a lot like your mother.”
“I stopped in to visit them when I was up at auction. I told them all about you.”
Kate felt her cheeks redden. “You did?” He nodded. “Hopefully not all about me?”
He laughed. “Why? You don’t think I said anythin’ scandalous?”
“Pretty much anything you could say about me is a scandal. Folks say I strike a rather odd picture, what with the trousers and hoss doctoring and all.”
“My mother was quite impressed with that, actually.” He held his hand out and she returned the photo. He held it up. “This came by post this mornin’. I suspect she’s tryin’ in her not-too-subtle way to give me a hint.”
Her heart skipped a beat, but she said nothing. Apparently, the woman had been away from her son too long. No manner of hinting—or threatening, as her pa had tried to do—could change this man’s mind about the subject of betrothal. Still, she couldn’t help but smirk at the thought of his mother trying to poke him with a cattle prod. Mrs. Tyler approved of her, at least from a distance. That knowledge meant a great deal more than she would have guessed.
“I invited the folks for a visit,” he went on, Kate barely listening as she stared at the picture in his hand. “I wasn’t ready for them to see the ranch before this, so I’d been puttin’ ’em off.” He glanced around and sighed. “But now things are startin’ to go right side up. And besides, they want to meet you.”
That got her attention, and her eyes snapped away from the tin portrait. “They do?”
He chuckled. “Of course.”
“Why?”
He laid the tintype gently on a side table. When he took her by the hand, his warm palm was damp and his eyes focused on her with an intensity that cut butterflies loose in her stomach. “Things aren’t movin’ near as fast in my life as I’d like,” he said. “I hope you won’t give up on me. I’m still not ready to make any definite plans.”
He paused, and she wondered why he was bringing up the one sore topic that was sure to ruin an otherwise perfect evening. “Will, we don’t need to talk about that right now.”
“Yes, we do.” Her hands began to shake, and he stroked the back of the one he held with his thumb before continuing. “I guess what I’m sayin’ is, I want you to know I’m serious about you, and I’m workin’ my hardest for the day I can rightly ask you to be mine.”
Before she could manage a reply, he dropped her hands and headed for the parlor doorway. “Ma sent me somethin’ else I wanted you to see.”
She stood frozen while he disappeared into the hallway. She heard a soft rustling for a moment, and when he returned, her eyes flew wide. The gown was the most beautiful thing she’d ever laid eyes on, save the one in the photo she’d just seen moments ago. It was the exact same dress.
Kate sucked in a soft breath. “Oh, Will, your mother’s wedding dress. It’s so lovely.”
With slow steps, she came forward, as if the lacy fabric would disintegrate if she moved too fast. She reached out and stroked the delicate material. The dress had a high neck with pearl buttons on the front. Every inch of the bodice and skirt was covered in a dreamy layer of lace. The veil was lace as well, with a scalloped edge that had framed his mother’s dainty features to perfection.
She felt William’s careful scrutiny, and her cheeks warmed. With a smile, she stepped back. “Thank you for showing this to me.”
His return smile held a curious edge to it. “It’s not just a keepsake sent to put ideas in my head, Kate.” She saw him glance down at the garment. “If you already had somethin’ in mind for when the time came, she’d take no offense. But if not, she—we, I mean—hope you’d consider wearin’ this.”
A prickle of tears punctuated his sentence when she realized what he was saying. “Your mother wants me to wear her dress if we were ever to marry?”
“When we marry,” he said with a decisive tone that sent a shiver through her. “But only if you want to. Maybe you have your own mother’s dress or somethin’ else you’d rather wear.”
Kate shook her head, her heart pattering like a drum. “Ma had no fancy wedding. She married Pa in her Sunday frock.”
“Then it’s settled. I got no ring for you yet, but we got the dress.”
The tears rose higher until the intricate lace pattern of the gown became a gauzy white blur. She realized her breath had quickened until she could barely catch it.
William’s voice was tender as he spoke. “Kate? Have I upset you?”
She shook her head vehemently. “I just can’t believe she’d offer me to wear such a valuable keepsake.”
“Why not? You’ll be her daughter someday.”
Her stomach flipped at t
he sound of that. No one could replace her own ma, of course, even through faint recollections of her smooth butterscotch hair, determined eyes, and soft, yet capable hands that had once deftly worked her Katie Rose’s untamed locks into shiny braids. And lavender. Any time she caught the scent of lavender, it brought back strong memories of her mother. Still, the idea of having a mother again, even as a grown woman, held a certain magic. It was a bonus she’d never considered when she’d thought of marrying someday.
He lifted her chin so their eyes met. “That is, if you’ll be ready and willin’ to say yes when I’ve scraped my life together enough to carry you over my threshold.”
Her head felt slightly dizzy. “And what about Jack?”
“We talked about it. Marry me, Kate, but love us both forever. If that’s what you want.”
“Yes, William. Yes.”
She reached on tiptoe to press her lips to his, and the contact sent a jolt like lightning all along her spine. His hands were still clutching his mother’s wedding gown, but after a moment or two of Kate pressing kisses to every inch of his mouth, he moaned and gently tossed the garment over a nearby chair. His arms almost crushed her to his chest, and the hat he hadn’t bothered to take off was knocked to the floor.
Her hands threaded into his soft, sweat-dampened hair. Their kiss deepened, and William’s tongue thrust hungrily into her mouth to send a whole new shiver of delight through her. When his arms loosened their hold, he moved his hands down her upper arms to allow his thumbs to brush the outer swells of her breasts. Her breathing sped up until she felt dizzy. She felt her nipples harden into tingling peaks, which sent a little moan of pleasure from her throat. She should stop this, she knew. Pull away now before things got too heated. Yet the feel of his mouth and powerful body had already rubberized her legs and brought a moist throbbing between her thighs. Between that and the light-headedness from her shallow breaths, his effect on her was fast robbing her ability to think. All she wanted to do right now was feel the slight sandpapery sensation of his jaw while he kissed her, and the jabs of erotic pleasure shooting through her pelvis with every thrust of his warm tongue.
To Tame a Wild Mustang Page 16