Silver Springs

by Carolyn Lampman

  “Apparently you don’t agree with her.”

  “You’ll find Angel and I frequently don’t agree, Mr. Treenery.”

  “I thought we had progressed beyond Mr. Treenery and Mrs. Smythe yesterday.”

  She shrugged. “Mule is such a peculiar name. Couldn’t I just call you James?”

  “My grandfather’s name is James. I prefer not to use it. And my name is Ox, not Mule,” he said with a touch of irritation.

  “Oh yes, of course, how silly of me. Ah, here’s my brother with the horse now.” She smiled as a boy led a pretty dappled gray mare around the corner of the house. “Thank you, Jared. Did you have any trouble getting her saddled?”

  The boy looked surprised. “But you—” A look from his sister stopped him mid-sentence. He gave Ox a guilty glance and began again. “No trouble at all, Alexis.”

  “Good. Mr. Treenery, I’d like you to meet my half-brother, Jared. Jared, this is Mr. Treenery.”

  “Ox,” he corrected, reaching out to shake the young man’s hand. “I’m a friend of your sister Angel.”

  Jared’s eyes widened. “A...Angel?”

  “He knew her in South Pass City,” Angel put in. “Are you and Shannon ready to go?”

  “Mama said we couldn’t. I think she would have made Betsy stay home too, if the little brat hadn’t thrown such a fit. Mama doesn’t think you need company.”

  For a moment Alexis look very annoyed, but the look was gone in a flash. “Never mind. I’ll be fine.”

  The boy looked worried. “You’re sure?”

  “Positive.” She patted his shoulder, then turned to Ox. “Shall we collect Betsy and be on our way, Mr. Treenery? I hope you don’t mind, but she insists on riding with you.”

  As the morning progressed, it became obvious to Ox that Alexis was avoiding him. By continually riding out ahead, she managed to stay far enough away that he couldn’t talk to her. It was beginning to look like Alexis didn’t want this arranged marriage any more than he did. Good!

  Ox tested his theory the first chance he got. “Alexis,” he called as she came within hailing distance, “Betsy and I need your help.”

  “With what?” Angel asked as she turned and rode back to them.

  Ox held up the two halves of Betsy’s pinafore sash. “This...thing on her dress came undone.”

  “Oh, for goodness sake, all you have to do is tie it.”

  Ox looked slightly perplexed for a moment, then shrugged and tied the sash in the same knot he used to tie down the canvas covers on his freight wagons. Alexis watched him closely. “What in the world is that?” she asked.

  “A clove hitch. I figure if it can hold a tarp on a load, it ought to keep a dress on a little girl,” Ox said, looking at her over the top of Betsy’s head. As their gazes met, something sweet and warm uncurled in the pit of his stomach. For a split second, he saw a reflection of that warmth in her eyes before she turned her horse away with a jerk.

  “I think I’ll ride to the top of that hill,” she said over her shoulder. “I’ll bet the view is spectacular.” And she was off in a flash of hooves, racing across the prairie, the absurd feather bobbing in the wind.

  It was the last time she let him get close. Every time he came within speaking distance, she was off again to take a closer look at this or that, and Ox’s amusement grew. He was beginning to think he was going to have to put off his proposal until another day when Betsy provided him with the opportunity he’d been waiting for.

  Unable to answer the call of nature by herself, Betsy called for her sister’s help. By the time they emerged from the bushes, Ox had dismounted and was leaning against a tree. Alexis’s eyes narrowed as she took in the sight of the horses grazing contentedly on the prairie behind him.

  “Why did you hobble the horses?” she asked suspiciously.

  “This is such a pretty place. I thought you and Betsy might want to rest a while before we start back.”

  “We’re just fine.”

  “What do you think, Betsy?” Ox said, hunkering down to the little girl’s level. “Shall we head right back, or do you want to play for a while?”

  “Play,” she answered promptly.

  “That’s what I figured,” he said with a smile. “Why don’t you go pick some of those flowers to take home while your sister and I talk?”

  “All right,” she said, and was off before Alexis had a chance to stop her.

  “I don’t know what we’ll find to talk about,” Alexis said uneasily as Ox straightened and moved toward her.

  “On the contrary, we have a great deal to discuss.”

  “I can’t imagine what.” She took three steps backward. “We hardly know each other.”

  “Perhaps not, but I think we have a common goal.” His voice was soft and deep as he closed the distance between them. “In fact, I have a proposition I suspect you’ll find hard to resist.”

  “You’ve obviously misunderstood me, Mr. Treenery,” She kept backing up until she suddenly found a tree at her back. “I have no intention of—”

  “Ah, but you haven’t heard my proposition,” he interrupted, bracing his hand above her head on the tree and looming over her.

  She closed her eyes. “N...no. You don’t understand—”

  “I understand perfectly. That’s why I need to ask you an important question,” he whispered. The soft silkiness of his voice against her ear was as devastating as an intimate caress.

  “I don’t want—”

  “Alexis,” he interrupted, his voice a soft, sexy rumble, “Will you stop running away if I promise I won’t ask you to marry me?”

  Chapter 8

  “What?” Angel’s eyes flew open in shock.

  Ox raised his brows slightly. “That’s what’s going on, isn’t it? You’re afraid I’m going to propose, so you’re making darn sure I don’t get the chance. I just wanted to relieve your mind so you could stop all this shillyshallying.”

  As Angel looked up into his eyes and saw the familiar twinkle in the green depths, she realized he was teasing her. “Talk about shillyshallying! Why didn’t you tell me that in the first place, instead of all this elaborate folderol?” She reached up to cuff his shoulder. “Stop breathing down my neck before I box your ears.”

  The moment she saw the startled look on his face, Angel realized her mistake. It was the way she always reacted to his foolishness. From his expression, it was clear he was dangerously close to seeing through their masquerade. She had no choice but to brazen it out. “What’s the matter; didn’t my sister ever put you in your place?”

  “All the time, it’s just that…my God, you sounded so much like her just now.”

  Angel shrugged. “We react the same under pressure. If you ever meet Martha, you’ll understand why,” she said, slipping out from under his arm and walking away.

  “Martha?”

  “She was my mother’s maid until Mama died and has been with my sister and me ever since. Martha is the kind that berates you for not washing behind your ears while she’s helping you put your life back together.”

  Ox smiled. “A little on the abrasive side, is she?”

  “You might say that. It’s her way of showing us she loves us.”

  “Sounds a lot like Angel. She uses cynicism to hide her feelings.”

  Angel blinked in surprise. He was more perceptive than she’d ever imagined. The persona she used in South Pass had come mostly from Martha’s personality. Ox was more perceptive and far more dangerous. “You didn’t bring me out here to talk about Angel.”

  “No.” He leaned against the tree and crossed his arms. “After our conversation yesterday, it occurred to me that you aren’t any more anxious for this arranged marriage than I am.”

  “You don’t want to marry a rich widow and settle down to a life of indolence?”

  “Not particularly, though it has nothing to do with you.” He grinned. “In fact, as rich widows go, you’re a cut above the rest.”

  She raised an eyebrow
. “You have a great deal of experience with them, then?”

  “Nope, you’re the first. But I don’t think many as young and pretty as you stay single for long.”

  “Thank you...I think.”

  “It was meant as a compliment,” he assured her, then his smile faded. “I know it’s rather forward of me to ask, but am I right in assuming you’re being forced into this by your father?”

  “Yes, though I never had any intention of bowing to his wishes.” She cocked her head. “Your grandfather is doing the same to you?”

  “He’s trying to.”

  “How? I can’t see him being very successful by threatening to cut off your allowance.”

  Ox’s expression hardened. “Not mine, my mother’s. About the time my parents were married, my grandfather built a huge mansion with the thought in mind that it could house several generations of Treenerys.” Ox made a face. “I think he wanted to make sure he’d always have his heir close at hand and under his thumb.”

  “He sounds a lot like my father.” Angel shrugged. “He had the same plan, but I will be very surprised if Jared stays once he’s grown.”

  Ox grinned. “No, probably not. Your brother is too much like Angel for that.” His smile faded. “ It worked while my father was alive. My parents had their own suite of rooms, and since my grandmother was long gone, my mother was in charge of the entire household from the beginning. When my father died, it seemed natural for her to stay in her home and continue running things for my grandfather. Over the years, he’s lavished her with luxuries and set her up in fine style, all the time telling her it came from me.”

  “And now he’s threatening to take it all away if you don’t cooperate!” Angel guessed.

  “Yes, and tell her it was him all along.” Ox shook his head. “He sets his trap well. My mother winds up homeless, and I come out looking like a liar.”

  “The man is diabolical!” she exclaimed.

  “I can think of a few other choice descriptions myself.” A muscle in his jaw flexed. “I’ve spent most of my adult life being a thorn in his side, irritating him at every opportunity, thwarting every plan he comes up with.”

  “That’s why you go by Ox Bruford,” Angel said with a flash of insight.

  “Exactly, it infuriates him. He calls it a bastardization of an old and noble name.” Ox snorted. “It’s neither old nor noble. He’s the first one to carry it, and I intend to be the last.”

  “I’d say he has a rather formidable adversary in his grandson.”

  “Perhaps, but he is clever, I’ll give him that. Until yesterday, I really wasn’t sure how I was going to get out of this one.”

  “But now you know?”

  The smile Ox gave her did not bode well for his enemies. “With your help, I plan to teach my grandfather and your father a lesson they’ll never forget.”

  “I like it already, and I haven’t even heard your idea. What are we going to do?”

  He grinned. “Everything we possibly can to make The Flying T lose money. I can’t think of anything that will get our point across better.”

  “Neither can I. We’ll be hitting them where it hurts the most, in the bank roll. What did you have in mind?”

  “I came up with a few ideas last night, but the possibilities are endless. To start with, my grandfather put me in charge of buying stock and keeping the stations in supplies. He’s such a miser; he’ll be pleased when I buy from second-rate suppliers. Just think of all the complaints we’ll get about weevily flour and tainted meat. If well-fed passengers are happy passengers, I suspect the reverse is true as well.”

  “Not bad,” Angel said.

  “As for the horses, a few showy looking animals with no stamina scattered all along the route will cause endless problems. On top of that, we can arrange all kinds of minor delays to throw the schedule off. We could even hire people to pretend to attack the stage and scare the passengers. If the line gets a bad reputation, nobody will want to ride it, even if it is the only transportation to Silver Springs Gulch.”

  “The only transportation to Silver Springs Gulch,” she repeated thoughtfully. “You know, if we work it right, we could do more than make The Flying T lose money.”

  “What are you thinking?”

  Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “What if we started our own stage company, one that’s superior to The Flying T?”

  “You mean go into competition with them?”

  “Exactly!”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “We could put them out of business.”

  “Yes!”

  They looked at each other and grinned.

  “Wait until you hear my news!” Angel cried, bursting through the door of the cabin an hour later. “Alexis?”

  Alexis rolled over on the bed and blinked up at her sister. “Angel, what are you doing here at this time of day?”

  “I didn’t want to wait.” Angel sat on the edge of the bed. “What’s the matter, love, aren’t you feeling well?”

  “I’m fine. Just a little tired, that’s all.”

  Angel frowned as she reached over and felt her sister’s forehead. “Since when do you take naps in the middle of the day?”

  “Since I started staying up late every night to wait for you.” She stretched and sat up. “Now what’s this news?”

  “Ox and I have come up with a way to break Father’s hold on you once and for all.”

  “I don’t think anything short of murder will do that.”

  Angel’s eyes sparkled. “By the time we get done with him, you’ll be lucky if he ever speaks to you again.”

  “Good heavens! What are you planning?”

  “It’s quite simple. You and Ox are going to start your own stage company and put The Flying T out of business.”

  “We’re what?”

  Angel launched into a detailed explanation of the plan, her enthusiasm obvious as she paced around the room. In her excitement, she didn’t even notice Alexis’s horrified expression. “And best of all, you can go back to being yourself because Ox has no intention of marrying you,” she finished with a pleased smile.

  “You’re crazy!”

  Angel blinked in surprise. “What?”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’m not you, that’s why!” Alexis jumped to her feet. “I don’t know the first thing about running a business, let alone bringing one down. All I would accomplish is convincing Father I can’t be trusted to handle my own affairs.”

  “That’s the beauty of it.” Angel flopped down in the overstuffed chair. “Father won’t even know you’re involved until it’s all over.”

  “He’s not going to know because I’m not going to do it.”

  “But you have to.”

  Alexis shook her head. “No, I don’t. You said yourself Ox doesn’t want to marry me. In case you’ve forgotten, that’s what this was all about. Not even Father can force me to marry a man who doesn’t want me.”

  “What’s going to stop him from finding you another unwanted husband?”

  Alexis shrugged. “Maybe he’ll give up after he realizes he’s failed.”

  “That’ll be the day,” Angel said, rolling her eyes. “Even with Ox out of the picture, there will be someone else soon enough. I wouldn’t put it past Father to decide you should marry Ox’s grandfather.”

  Alexis was aghast. “He wouldn’t!”

  “You want to bet? He’s decided his wealthy, eligible daughter is the way to get more solid control of that stage line, and it’s going to take some pretty powerful convincing to change his mind.”

  “I don’t see how my marrying the elder Mr. Treenery would gain Father anything.”

  “Not now it wouldn’t, except that family ties are harder to sever than business connections. You have to remember: James Treenery is an old man with no heirs except a grandson who wants nothing to do with him. When Treenery dies, Father would have the whole stage line, not to mention all tha
t lovely money. I can just see Father licking his chops over the fortune that would come to you in a few years.”

  “That’s what he was thinking when he made me marry Duncan, but he never saw a penny of that money,” Alexis pointed out.

  “Don’t fool yourself. Father won’t be tricked the same way twice. He’d make damn sure he was the executor of Treenery’s will. I wouldn’t put it past him to figure out a way to get hold of Duncan’s fortune, too.”

  Alexis gave her a bleak look. “He would, wouldn’t he?”

  “I’d put money on it.”

  “I can’t do what you’re asking me to, Angel,” Alexis said in a defeated whisper. “I don’t know the first thing about stage lines.”

  “Ox does. That’s why his grandfather wanted to put him in charge. He knew Ox would do a good job of running it.”

  Alexis closed her eyes. “And figured I’d be useless so Ox wouldn’t have any interference.”

  “He made a serious error of judgment. And that’s exactly what’s going to defeat both Father and him. You and Ox will bring them to their knees.”

  “I think you overestimate my abilities.”

  “And I think you grossly underestimate them. You’ll never know what you’re capable of if you never try.” Angel stood up. “Once we go talk to Ox tomorrow, you’ll feel more confident.”

  “We’re going to talk to him? Oh, Angel, what are you thinking? He’ll be so angry we lied to him.”

  “Probably, but if we don’t tell him, he’ll figure it out on his own. The only reason we’ve been able to fool him at all is that he’s never met you.”

  “I don’t know about this.”

  “Don’t worry, Alexis. Ox is my best friend. I know you’ll like him.”

  “Won’t this take a long time?”

  “We’re figuring six months at the very least and probably closer to a year. That’s why I think we should trade back. We never intended for me to take your place for an extended period.”

  “And where will you be while all this is going on?”

  Angel grinned. “Right here. You don’t think I’d miss the chance to participate in Father’s downfall, do you?”

  “You’re really excited about this, aren’t you?”