Silver Springs

by Carolyn Lampman

  “You’d sacrifice it for me?” Alexis asked in astonishment.

  “Without a backward glance. Nothing is more important to me than you,” Brandon said. He pulled Alexis into his arms and kissed her passionately. Then he set her a little away from him, so he could look down into her eyes. “I love you, and I want you with me always. The last four months have been the best of my life.”

  “Mine too,” she whispered, reaching up to stroke the side of his face.

  “Then marry me. Now. Today.”

  “Oh, Brandon, I can’t. “

  He stiffened. “Won’t, you mean. What about our child, Alexis? Will it be born out of wedlock because you’re afraid of your father?”

  “Try to understand—”

  “No, Alexis. I’ve been understanding, and it’s gotten me nowhere. Either you marry me now, or I’m leaving without you.”

  “L...leaving?”

  “That’s why I’m in town. I just got word my mother is very sick, may even be dying. I’m leaving for Ohio tomorrow. I want you to go with me and meet my family. I love you, Alexis; I want you to be my wife, not my mistress. I’m tired of fighting this ridiculous fear of Richard Brady. He couldn’t possibly be as powerful as you think he is.”

  Alexis turned to her sister who was staring at the ceiling.. “Tell him, Angel.”

  “Sorry, Alexis,” Angel said. “I’m afraid I agree with Brandon. You should have told Father to mind his own business years ago.”

  “That’s easy for you to say. He doesn’t intimidate you like he does me.”

  Angel grabbed Alexis’s arm. “Will you excuse us for a minute, Brandon?”

  “I—”

  “It will only take a moment.” Angel smiled at him as she propelled her sister toward the door. “We’ll be right back.”

  “Alexis,” Angel said as soon as they were outside, “forget about Father for a minute. If you could do exactly what you wanted, would you marry Brandon?”

  “In a heartbeat.”

  “Then don’t be such an idiot. I don’t think he’s bluffing. If you let him walk out that door, you’ll lose him.”

  Alexis looked stricken. “Oh, Angel, I couldn’t bear it.”

  “Then what are you waiting for? Get back in there and tell him.”

  Alexis stared uncertainly at her sister for a moment, then broke into a huge smile. “You’re right, as usual,” she said, giving Angel a big hug. “I’ll follow my heart, and the devil take the consequences.”

  “That’s the spirit!”

  Angel waited outside while Alexis made her peace with Brandon. Though she hadn’t seen much of him, she liked the man, and she had a good feeling about this marriage. It was obvious they loved each other, and Brandon wasn’t the type to be bullied by his father-in-law. At least there wouldn’t be a confrontation until Alexis and Brandon returned from Ohio. By then, the marriage would be an established fact and Alexis’s pregnancy well advanced. In the face of those odds, even Richard Brady would have little choice but to capitulate.

  The rest of the day passed in a whirlwind of activity that left Angel breathless and Brandon and Alexis glowing with happiness. They had little difficulty finding a justice of the peace willing to perform a wedding on such short notice, but the rest was more complicated.

  The first step was to sneak home and enlist Martha’s aid. Neither twin would even consider having the wedding without her. She solved their biggest problem right off the bat by producing their mother’s wedding dress from an old trunk in the attic. Until that moment, they hadn’t even known it existed. Her explanation that she’d been waiting for one of them to fall in love both astonished and delighted them.

  In spite of Brandon’s admonishments to keep it simple, Angel and Alexis were determined to do it right. He complained good-naturedly about the way they laughed at all his suggestions and ignored his advice. Since said advice ranged from ridiculous to absurd, Angel and Alexis just rolled their eyes at each other and accepted the reproach in the same teasing manner it was given. Brandon earned Martha’s full approval when he told her he rather enjoyed watching the twins together and confessed he was seeing a delightful side of his ladylove he never knew existed.

  Flowers were easily obtained from the garden Angel had judiciously tended all summer and fashioned into a bouquet suitable for the occasion. There was no time for nerves as the foursome crossed town to the justice of the peace. Angel thought she had never seen her sister so beautiful.

  It wasn’t until she and Martha were standing side-by-side waving good-bye that Angel realized her own problem was fully as complicated as before. To keep Alexis’s secret until the proper moment, she was going to have to maintain the masquerade.

  “That takes care of her,” Martha said, wiping her eyes one last time. “Now, what about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “Doesn’t look like Alexis is going to be much help with young Treenery. What are you going to do now?”

  “I’ll think of something. I’ve kept him at arm’s length before.”

  “Maybe so. Trouble is, now you don’t want to.”

  “I most certainly do!”

  Martha gave her a knowing look. “You can story me all you want, but you can’t fool yourself. Can’t help thinking about him, can you?”

  Martha was right, as usual. The feel of the strong warm back beneath her hands and his lips tracing erotic patterns on her body were memories that haunted Angel day and night, memories she couldn’t have banished even if she had wanted to. The mere thought of that night made her pulses pound.

  “I can handle James Oxford Bruton Treenery the Third. It’s a simple matter of keeping my distance, that’s all.”

  “What if he has other ideas?”

  “Ox is a gentleman. He’ll follow my lead.” And that, Angel admitted to herself, was what worried her.

  Chapter 25

  “I hope Angel talks to him today,” Jared said, watching Ox walk up the path toward the house. “I can’t figure out why she keeps telling him she’s sick.”

  “That’s because you’re a boy,” Shannon said scornfully. “If you had eyes in your head, you’d realize she’s in love with him.”

  Jared blinked in surprise. “She told you that?”

  “Don’t be stupid. I’m just her little sister.” Shannon gave him a superior look. “I watched her yesterday after she got back from wherever she went.”

  “So did I, and I didn’t see anything unusual. In fact, when we told her Ox had been teaching us to drive, she said not to pester him, then changed the subject.”

  “But did you notice how many times she looked at her roses? At least a hundred.”

  “Big deal.”

  “Angel thought they were. I even saw her touch them. She had tears in her eyes.”

  Jared looked confused. “If she’s in love with him, why won’t she talk to him?”

  “Maybe they had a fight, and that’s why he sent her all those flowers. Father always gives Mama presents when she’s mad at him.”

  “Does that mean Ox loves Angel too?”

  “Sure. Why do you think he asked us all those questions?”

  Jared frowned. “You mean that’s why he’s spent so much time with us the last few days?”

  “Why else? It certainly wasn’t to enjoy our company.”

  “I never saw anything as brave as when he saved Betsy.” Jared sighed. “If we hadn’t been so rotten to him, he might have wanted to be our brother-in-law.”

  “He’d be a lot more fun than Duncan.”

  Jared nodded wistfully. “I bet Ox would even teach me how to drive the stage someday. Do you think Angel will marry him anyway?”

  “They probably don’t even realize they’re in love.” Shannon scuffed her shoe in the dirt gloomily. “Too bad we can’t do something.”

  Jared looked up in surprise. Their gazes locked for a long moment, then they began to grin.

  “If we get caught, it’ll mean another prison term in the nur
sery,” Shannon warned.

  Jared’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “But if we’re careful, they’ll never know.”

  They both turned to gaze at the house where their unsuspecting prey had disappeared.

  Once again, Ox stood in front of the fireplace waiting for Martha to come back with Alexis’s refusal to see him. He wondered why he even bothered. The routine was becoming too frustrating.

  “Thank you for the flowers and the hat,” said a familiar voice behind him.

  Ox spun around. “Alexis!”

  “Martha says you’ve been here every day.”

  “I was worried about you.”

  Angel smiled as she sat down and gestured for him to follow suit. “I appreciate your concern, but as you can see, I’m fit as a fiddle. Would you care for some refreshments?”

  “You can stop the lady of the manor act, Alexis,” Ox said, remaining where he was.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “We both know your refusal to see me had nothing to do with any illness. I hope your recovery means you’re ready to discuss our...unfinished business.”

  “There’s nothing unfinished about it.”

  “The hell there isn’t! I had no idea you were a virgin.”

  Angel cringed a little at his blunt words. “I’m not anymore.”

  “That’s beside the point.”

  “No, it isn’t. Being a virgin at my age is more of an embarrassment than anything else, especially after being married as long as I was.”

  “It doesn’t matter how old you are, damn it. I took your innocence!”

  “I’d rather not talk about it,” Alexis said. “I think the whole thing is best put behind us.”

  “Is that right? I don’t happen to agree. It seems to me a marriage proposal is in order.”

  “That’s not necessary,” she said softly. “I...I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

  “No?”

  She bit her lip. “Oh dear, I don’t quite know how to say this.”

  “How about just coming out with it?”

  “You’re right, of course.” She began nervously pleating the skirt of her dress. “What happened that night in the cabin was a mistake.”

  “I don’t know as I’d call it a mistake, exactly. Neither of us expected anything like that to occur, but—”

  “No, Ox, you don’t understand. There’s someone else.”

  She knows how I feel about Angel, he thought in panic. A moment later, he realized it had been a statement of fact, not a question. “What do you mean, someone else?”

  “I have a fiancé.”

  “A fiancé?” Ox stared at her in stunned disbelief. “You mean, like a man you’re going to marry?”

  The shadow of a smile crossed her face. “Is there another kind?”

  “I don’t know, you tell me. It all seems kind of sudden.”

  “Only because I didn’t tell you about it. Brandon and I have been seeing each other since shortly after my husband died. Since I never thought of us as anything but business partners, it never occurred to me to tell you about him.”

  “Do you love him?”

  “That’s a pretty strange question.”

  “Is it? I find it hard to believe you’d react to me the way you did the other night if you were in love with someone else.”

  Angel blushed. “I don’t handle strong spirits well.”

  “That’s the lamest damn excuse I ever heard. You expect me to believe a pilfered bottle of cognac was responsible for your behavior?” Ox crossed his arms and leaned against the fireplace. “Sorry, Alexis, I don’t buy it. Why did you beg me to make love to you if you’re in love with someone else?”

  “Haven’t you ever done something that made perfect sense when you were intoxicated, but seemed silly in the light of day?”

  “I’ve never been so drunk I forgot I had a fiancée.”

  “I don’t deny I feel a certain...attraction for you,” Angel continued, “but our relationship is based on business, not love.”

  “Business! You think what happened between us that night was part of our business relationship?”

  “More or less.” Angel looked down at her hands. “We got caught up in the mood of celebration.”

  “There’s a hell of a lot more to it than that,” Ox insisted. “We made love to each other, for God’s sake!”

  “We had sex together,” Angel corrected. “There is a vast difference.”

  “And you don’t think love is possible between us?” He knew it was a stupid question since Alexis obviously wanted no part of him, but he couldn’t resist asking anyway. Ox didn’t believe for a minute she had a fiancé, but he really couldn’t blame her for inventing one. She belonged to the society he’d given up, along with the Treenery empire. To marry him, she’d have to take a large step down the social ladder. Putting it bluntly, he wasn’t good enough for her.

  “Did you ever stop to wonder why I was so adamantly against our betrothal before we even met?” Angel asked.

  “You can’t stand to be manipulated by your father.”

  “That’s part of it, but I hate conflict even more. My father is a master at causing conflict if things don’t go his way. Only desperation could force me to go against him the way I did when I first met you.” Angel sighed. “I was in love with Brandon before I ever set eyes on you.”

  “I’ve never found you to be particularly chicken-hearted,” Ox said. “You’re more likely to spit in your father’s eye than to back down from him.”

  “I think you’re confusing me with Angel.”

  Angel. The mention of her name gave Ox a curious twist in his middle and brought his conversation with Alexis into sharp focus. At least it put an end to his indecision. He no longer had to worry about choosing between them. Of course, Angel had made it clear she didn’t want him either.

  “Can’t we just put this behind us and forget it ever happened?”

  He crooked one finger under her chin and lifted it, so he could look down into her eyes. “Is that really what you want?”

  “I...yes, it is. Please try to understand.”

  “Unfortunately, I do. I don’t particularly like it, but I do understand.” He sighed deeply. “So where do we go from here?”

  “Business as usual?” she asked hopefully.

  “Business as usual.” He shook his head in disbelief. “All right then. We’re all set to open another line north of Silver Springs Gulch.”

  “You found another stagecoach?”

  “Four of them, in fact.”

  “Four! At the price we could afford, I don’t suppose they’re Concord coaches.”

  “One. The other three are Troys.”

  “What’s a Troy?” Angel asked. “I hope it’s not a large wooden horse of some sort.”

  Ox smiled. “Hardly. It’s another brand of coach built along the same principle as a Concord. These are older than our other coaches and aren’t in as good shape, but I got them for two hundred fifty dollars apiece. With a few repairs and a coat of paint, they’ll suit our purpose admirably.”

  “They’re still better than anything The Flying T has?”

  “They’re not even in the same class.”

  “Good. Our plan depends on passengers preferring us to them.” Angel studied his profile. “There’s something more you aren’t telling me, isn’t there?”

  “Nothing for you to worry about.”

  Angel bristled. “Look, Bruford, I’m a full partner in this venture. Everything about it is my business, and I resent you keeping anything from me.”

  Ox grinned. “You know, you sound just like Angel. She always calls me Bruford in exactly that tone when she’s irritated with me.”

  “Don’t try to change the subject, Treenery.”

  He laughed outright at that. “I wasn’t. Actually, I am a little concerned, but it really is nothing for you to worry yourself about. Your fortune is safe.”

  “Meaning?”

  “The thousand
dollars I paid for the coaches cut way into our reserves. If things don’t go exactly as planned, you might find yourself short of cash until the next quarter begins, but that’s all.” He grimaced. “I, on the other hand, sank every penny I had into this venture. I could lose everything.”

  “Then we had better not fail,” Angel said matter-of-factly. Though he didn’t realize it, she had far more to lose than he did. If the venture failed, she would be destitute. A woman’s employment opportunities were limited anyway. Without money, they were downright grim. In spite of her experience in the world of business, without investment capital, Angel would never be able to start another business and support herself. The image of Mother Featherlegs popped into her head, and she shivered.

  Chapter 26

  “You’ve got company,” Martha stated flatly. “I told him you were busy, but he insisted on coming in anyway.”

  Angel looked up from the ledger she was working on. Something in Martha’s expression prompted her to close the book and push it under a stack of papers. A moment later, the elder James Treenery stormed into the study.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Treenery,” she said calmly. “What a nice surprise.”

  “Where’s my grandson? His landlady said he headed over here an hour ago.”

  “I haven’t seen him.”

  “Could be he’s with the children,” Martha said from the doorway. “He’s been teaching them to drive that infernal pony cart all week.”

  Angel rose. “Ah, that’s probably where he is then.”

  “I suppose you’ll want me to send someone to the stable and fetch him,” Martha said with an indignant sniff.

  “If you wouldn’t mind.”

  “Wouldn’t matter much if I did,” Martha mumbled, turning away from the door. “You’d think I didn’t have anything better to do. Probably want refreshments for the old scoundrel next.”

  “As a matter of fact, refreshments would be very nice,” Angel said. “We’ll have them in the parlor, I think. Thank you for suggesting it.”

  Treenery stiffened. “Did you hear what she called me?”

  “Called you?” Mentally cursing Martha’s unruly tongue, Angel gave him a bewildered look. “I only heard her ask if we wanted refreshments. Shall we go to the parlor?” she asked, walking past him out the door. “We’ll be more comfortable there.”