“Come to The Highlands. If Kevin makes you leave, come to me.”
“Ah, sweetheart, it doesn't work that way. Jason would never allow it.”
“What does Jason have to do with us?”
He brushed his lips across her forehead and her mouth in quick succession, then held her tight to his chest. “I've got to go. I'll see you later today before you head home.” He kissed her one more time, then slipped from her arms and out of the room. “Close the window or the room will get chilled.”
She leaned over the desk to watch him leave, but he was already gone.
Chapter 12
Nichole Harris
“Wake up, Miss Nichole. I have clothes for you to look at, and breakfast is ready.” Katy struggled through the door with three dresses in her arms and piled them at the foot of the bed.
Nichole stared at the mound of taffeta and satin. “Those are huge Katy, is there anything less?”
“Less what, Miss Nichole? Mama mended your petticoat. You won't need to borrow one. Your camisole, drawers, corset, and shoes were only dirty and cleaned right up. I'll run and fetch those. Oh, and I'll check for gloves and a parasol. You just choose the dress.” Katy whirled out the door.
Nichole edged out of bed, careful not to spill the dresses onto the floor and looked in horror at her choices. The first one was a deep rose satin with a high collar around the neck that plunged at the bodice. The long sleeves were tight down the arms and buttoned at the wrist. The skirt was layered satin and lace, with a large bun of satin scrunched at the rear.
What the hell?
A large red bow was attached beneath the protruding bump at the rear. The scent of strong perfume and body odor wafted up as she set it aside.
Phew.
The second dress was two shades of lavender silk with gathered material down the front of the overskirt and at the wrists. The bottom of the skirt fell in pleats under a drape of satin. Both the red and the purple outfits were more suited to Renata's dark complexion.
The last dress was cream and brown. It had a square neckline, trimmed with brown satin and short, bunched sleeves that could be worn off the shoulder. The drape was brown satin, with a cream ruffled skirt and a jacket that matched. Below the waist in the back was a small brown satin rump with a large bow under the fake ass. It would have been amusing if she wasn't so horrified. The brown and cream dress didn't smell of body odor. Either the dress was new, or Renata disliked it.
Katy scurried in with undergarments, shoes, a parasol, and gloves. She laid them on the bed next to the clothes. Katy's simple skirt was shorter than Renata's gowns, a hand’s width above her ankle-high buttoned-up boots. She wore a plain blue blouse over a black cotton skirt, with an apron similar to the one her mother wore yesterday. Her curly hair was tied back from her face with a cream-colored ribbon. “Did you decide, Miss Nichole?”
“These are lovely, but I would like something less ... formal. Is there a skirt and blouse in Renata's closet, like what you and your mother wear? Does she have any jeans?”
Katy's eyes grew wide. “But you're a lady, Miss Nichole. Even Renata wouldn't wear servants’ clothes—”
Nichole held up her hand. “Never mind, Katy. I'll wear the brown one, but I want to remove the back part. Can you make that happen?” Nichole pointed to the brown and cream outfit.
“Oh, Miss Nichole, you were teasin' me,” Katy chuckled and relaxed. She picked up the drawers from the pile of undergarments and handed them to Nichole.
Nichole held up the split drawers and shook her head. They were ridiculous, but she sat in the chair and gave herself over to Katy's direction. In less than an hour, Katy dressed her and prepared to start on her hair. Even if she'd been familiar with the clothes, these dresses were a two-person operation. Once she was home and had her own clothes, she was sure it would be much simpler—or there would be changes.
Katy unbraided and brushed her hair, then pulled her tresses up the side of her head to the crown and pinned it, creating a cascade of waves that fell across her back. After that, she pulled a few tendrils of her hair around Nichole's face and arranged it over her forehead to cover her injury.
“You're all done, Miss Nichole.” Katy stepped back and smiled at her work.
Nichole sat straight in the chair; with a corset, there would be no slouching. She looked into the small shaving mirror. Her hair looked like a rippled Mohawk with side bangs.
So be it.
Katy helped her rise and picked up her gloves and parasol.
“Lead the way, Katy. I'm not sure where we're going.” She waited until Katy was in the hall to look back at Merril's room. She glanced at the window and felt a blush rise on her face. Then she followed Katy out the door.
Nichole gripped the rail and made a careful descent behind Katy. As she descended the stairs, the front entrance and the wall pegs near the door came into view.
Katy set the parasol and gloves on the table and smiled at Nichole. “I'll leave these here.”
Nichole walked with Katy past a library and into a large open room. Out the window, the day was bright, and the mountains—distant mounds of blue—trailed away in the distance. There was only one occupant seated at the head of the table.
Jason placed his teacup on the saucer and stood as Nichole and Katy entered.
Katy waved as she skipped through an open doorway.
“Good morning.” Jason pulled out a chair beside his. “You appear much improved from yesterday.”
“Thanks. I feel better.” Nichole's movements were awkward in the unfamiliar clothing. She arranged the skirt in front of the chair then perched on the edge, aware of the corset.
“Did you sleep well?” Jason poured her a cup of tea from the tea service, then reseated himself. “Have any memories returned?”
“I did sleep well. Henny put salve on the stitches, and it put me right out. And no, except for flashes of things that have no context, my memory has not returned. It's a start, though.” She found the ceramic honeypot and allowed the dabber to drizzle the sticky sweetness into her tea. “Are we the first ones up this morning?”
Jason watched her add honey to the tea. “No. Kevin rode in a while ago and went upstairs to change clothes. I'm surprised he didn't wake you. He said Cecil Cobb was on his way. Since when do you put honey in your tea?”
Nichole paused, prepared to taste her tea. “I don't use honey?”
“No. Just a dash of cream. How does it taste?”
Nichole sipped and sat the cup down. “Delicious. Have you seen Merril?” Her face became hot when she said his name. Her emotions about him were strong and confused, complicated by the touch of his hand and his lips on hers.
Jason gazed at her for a few seconds before he responded. “He's been in and out, no pun intended. He'll be back before Cecil gets here. Quite the scandal in my opinion. Reading a man's will before he's properly buried.” Jason shrugged. “Perhaps they do things different in Colorado. I don't know.”
Nichole ignored Jason's joke and helped herself to a biscuit, then added a dab of honey. She nibbled on it and sipped her tea. “What?” His continued stare was irksome.
“You seem ... different.” Jason took another sip of his tea.
“How so?”
Jason shook his head. “I'm not sure. Perhaps I've never watched you eat a biscuit with your face as red as a tomato.”
Nichole dropped the biscuit on her plate in annoyance then licked the stickiness from her fingertips.
“You lick your fingers now, too?” Jason chided, and handed her a cloth napkin.
She glared at her cousin and took the napkin.
“Now, there's a look I'm familiar with.” Jason smiled and took a sip of his tea.
“She's up.” Kevin strode into the room, rounded the table, and took the seat across from Nichole. “Cecil's coming up the south ridge and will be here in no time.” His hands shook as he pulled off his leather gloves. “Isn't there any coffee?” He ignored the slam of the front doo
r as he looked Nichole over with a grin. “Have you remembered anything? You look bright as a rainbow.”
The chair beside Nichole scraped back, and Merril sat down. “Good morning, Nicki.”
“Good morning, Merril.” She kept her gaze on Kevin by sheer force of will. “No, I haven't. Every so often, I'll get a flash of something—a fragment of memory—but they're not making much sense, yet.”
“It will come back,” Jason commented.
“Maybe you should... I don't know—try harder.” Kevin's anxious gaze darted between Merril and Nichole.
Merril leaned forward, elbows on the table, his broad shoulders almost touching Nichole's. “You want her to try harder?” His voice grew louder by slow degrees. “How about she doesn't try at all? Doc said it could come back a piece at a time. Oh, that's right, you don't listen to a thing Doc Johnson says.”
Nichole felt Merril's breath on her hair as he whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Don't listen to Kevin, Nicki. He had a rough night.”
She turned at the sound of his voice and found herself nose to nose with Merril. His startled expression echoed hers for a moment, then he smiled as he looked over her face and into her eyes. His delight was evident and set her heart racing. There were chips of gold in his green eyes, and his grin was irresistible. His lips—
Kevin slapped his hand down on the table with such force the cups and saucers rattled, and he came to his feet. “That's enough, Merril.”
Startled, Nichole looked from Kevin's dark, furious face to Jason.
Jason shook his head at her and took another sip of tea.
“Ease up, big brother,” Merril snapped. “There's no need for that.”
“I won't have you show that kind of disrespect in my home,” Kevin provoked.
Merril rose from his seat, glaring at his brother. Anger etched in every line of his body. “It's not yours yet, Kevin. You should show some respect for our guests.”
Jason sat his cup back onto the saucer and smiled at Nichole.
“Excuse me,” Merril said to Jason and Nichole. “I have a few things I have to tend to before Cecil arrives.” Merril stalked from the room.
Kevin resumed his seat as Merril's boots sounded on the stairs and a door slammed upstairs. “I know I should apologize, but damn him. He has a way of getting under my skin.”
“That's perfectly all right,” Jason replied. “I understand how you feel.”
“Merril didn't do anything wrong.” Nichole bristled. “I think he's nice.”
“You never used to, that's for damned sure,” Kevin shot back, then appeared to bite down on his words.
“What does that mean?” Nichole scowled at Kevin.
“He's right, you know,” Jason added. “You haven't spoken to Merril in quite some time.”
“All right. I've had enough of this. Please, excuse me.” She stood and glared at both men. “I need some fresh air.” When she turned away from the table, a chair scraped across the floor. She continued down the hall and opened the front door, aware she was being followed.
The bright sunlight blinded her. She shaded her eyes and blinked as she looked across the yard. Hard-packed ground extended to a corral about thirty feet from the porch, a part of the dirt road that ran between the house and a long outbuilding to her left. To the right of the corral stood a long, low-roofed structure where several men had gathered.
“I didn't mean to upset you.” Kevin stopped beside her.
She pointed at the cowboys across from the split rail pen. “Who are those men?” Some of them ate from tin plates, while others watched her and Kevin on the porch.
“They're our wranglers. Their cookhouse is on the other side of the bunk.” He pointed toward the horizon. “Beyond the ridge is our branding site. It's not far, but you can't see it from here.”
She followed the porch around the house where she discovered another group of structures centered around a small yard with a hand pump and trough. Further on was another corral adjacent to a large barn. “This is a big place.”
“Mid-sized,” Kevin replied right behind her. “Both our fathers hoped to combine the ranches by marriage one day.”
“Kevin, I'm sure they had great intentions...” Nichole turned to face him and was shocked when he gripped both her shoulders hard in his big hands.
“You loved me before the accident. I know you did. You could love me again, just give me a chance. Say you'll marry me, and I'll prove it to you.”
His fingers bruised her shoulders through her jacket, and his intensity alarmed her. She pushed against his chest with her hands. “Kevin, let me go.”
He ignored her demand and pulled her closer. She turned her head away to avoid his kiss. Several cowboys became animated, rose to their feet and nudged each other.
“Cecil's here.” Merril's voice was calm as his hand clamped down on his brother's shoulder.
Kevin released Nichole and spun around. He grabbed Merril by the front of his shirt and hissed into his face, “Don't ever come up on me like that again, do you hear?”
Nichole stumbled against the house, numb with shock as the brothers stood nose to nose. The cowboys shouted encouragement, urging them to fight. She couldn't see Kevin's face, but Merril's eyes glittered with rage. A stillness about him radiated both patience and deadly intent.
They stared at each other for several seconds, then Kevin dropped Merril's shirt and looked away. “Damn it, Merril, you know better than to grab a man from behind like that. What's inside that head of yours anyway? Straw?” He shoved past Merril and stomped around the front of the porch.
Merril cast a cold glance toward the men at the bunkhouse. Their jeers and excitement evaporated, and they disappeared like magic to return to work. Merril turned his attention to Nichole. “Are you all right?”
Nichole remained pressed against the side of the house. She nodded and stretched out her hand to him. He took it and steadied her as she came off her heels. “Holy shit, Merril,” she whispered and saw his grin tick up.
He wrapped her hand around his forearm and escorted her around the house. “Kevin's not himself. I've never seen him act like that. Keep your distance from him after I've gone,”
A buckboard waited in the yard with a boy tending to the horse.
“Don't go.” She stopped at the door and looked up at him. “You don't have to leave. You have choices.”
He patted her hand and forced a smile. “Cecil's here. They're waiting for us.” He opened the door and rested his hand on the small of her back as she stepped inside.
* * *
Jason Harris
Jason watched Kevin follow Nichole out the front door and shook his head. Stubbornness was not the way to win his cousin's heart. It was more apt to piss her off. He learned that first hand. From the corner of his eye, he saw Renata slip into Kevin's vacant chair.
“What do you think?” She took a biscuit and broke it in half.
“Memory or not, her attraction to Merril runs true. It's quite obvious. Your boy, Kevin, doesn't stand a chance.”
“I need you to see that he does. In fact, it is imperative for you that she and Kevin wed.”
Jason turned to look at Renata. “I care that Nicki gets well. I don't care who she marries. Your blackmail didn't work, Renata.”
“Then let me motivate you a bit more, my love.” She tilted her head and grinned at him. “You have been in contact with a senior partner in an investment firm, a Mr. Otis Pierce. Mr. Pierce loaned you several thousand dollars which you have failed to repay, yes?”
“How do you know this?” Jason's face flushed, and the teacup rattled as he set it on its plate.
Renata shrugged. “I know you send him information. I know this information is about the Harris and Shilo ranches and is taken as partial payment on interest for the debt you owe him. Tell me if I am wrong.” She tore a small piece from her biscuit and dabbed it with honey. “First, you are an embezzler and an adulterer.” She waved the dabber at Jason. “No
w, you are a spy. Who knew?” She smiled and popped the honey coated biscuit into her mouth.
“Renata, I offered financial advice on ranching. The information I sent does not harm anyone. These ranches are privately owned, there is no investment loss or gain.”
“I agree. It is of no consequence. However, it does prove that I have access to all you send; letters, requests, orders, and that you are something of a shit. Did I say that right?”
“Make your point.” His patience was gone.
“You sent a packet of letters to Denver not long ago. Do you recall? A letter for sweet Amy and a report to Mr. Pierce. I gave you a letter to send to my friend. Do you remember it?” She licked her finger.
“I remember. You sent another letter yesterday.”
“The first letter to my friend was signed by you. In it, ordered a quantity of arsenic, enough for your needs. The letter was quite specific.”
“What arsenic?” Jason's voice dropped to a whisper. “What are you saying?”
“I'm saying that if a competent doctor were to examine Philip Shilo, his death might not be considered a natural one, and it might not go so well for you.”
“You poisoned Philip?” Jason's voice was hushed in disbelief. “Why would you... why would you kill him?”
She laughed and ran her tongue over her teeth. “You should see your face. This is priceless.” She paused again, then leaned closer. “Nichole's engagement needs to be announced at your barbeque. It would go better for your cousin if she is agreeable. That is your part. Talk to her, convince her it would be for the best.”
“I didn't poison Philip. I wasn't here, and I have no motive to want him dead. An investigation would show this for what it is, an attempted blackmail by a murderous bitch.”
“You think so? I think your motive is quite clear.” Renata popped another piece of biscuit in her mouth. “Once the ranches combine, Kevin will need help from his cousin by marriage. We already know what you do with other people's money. So, you seduced me with that pretty face of yours and had me poison my lover.” She waved her hand in the air. “Besides, I would be gone. I have friends elsewhere, but you—a scandal like this would ruin your life and your family.”
Passage (Soul of the Witch Book 1) Page 10