by Kim Redford
“The Buick Brigade is out in force today.” He glanced over at Belle. “I bet they have news for us.”
“I hope so.” She gave him an excited smile. “Let’s go see them.”
He quickly rounded the front of his truck, opened the door, and helped Belle down, ever mindful that their deportment was being watched and judged by the discerning ladies. He held out his elbow, and Belle tucked her hand in the crook of his arm.
When they reached the stairs, he saw that the ladies wore their usual colorful sweaters, knee-length skirts, and low-heeled shoes. Today, they’d added luminous white pearl necklaces to accent their clothes.
“We’re so happy you could make it,” Doris said. “Please join us in the parlor for tea.”
Rowdy groaned quietly as he walked up the stairs with Belle because he’d been in that parlor before and there wasn’t hardly room to move for the delicate furniture and gewgaws on every available surface with scarves and tablecloths and such covering about everything. But he said nothing as he followed all of them inside the shadowy hall with dark-wood paneling and into a brighter room with lace curtains over windows with maroon-velvet drapes.
He stood back until the four ladies were seated on delicate Queen Anne love seats made of gilded wood with maroon-velvet upholstery. A small table between the settees held a tray with the same delicate china teapot in a violet-flower pattern and six matching teacups with saucers that Doris had used the last time they were there…plus a plate stacked high with misshapen cowboy cookies.
He figured the two fragile-looking chairs that had been left empty on either end of the tray belonged to Belle and him. Belle sat down in one while he took the other.
“How kind of you to join us today,” Doris said.
“We’re happy to be here,” Belle replied with a smile.
Doris picked up the teapot, poured liquid into all the cups, and handed them around the group.
Rowdy withheld another groan because the cup and saucer in his hands were a disaster waiting to happen, so he sat still and held steady…until he could escape the house.
“We understand you made a little trip to Sure-Shot recently,” Blondel said with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes, we did.” Belle glanced at Rowdy.
“We made an interesting discovery near the town.” He realized Belle wanted him to help out with the story, although he’d have preferred to let her take center stage.
“There’s a one-room schoolhouse in a memorial grove.” Belle took a sip of tea. “But sadly, we could see there had been a fire.”
“And no firefighters to call,” he added.
“Indeed.” Louise sipped tea.
“What do you think of the building?” Blondel asked.
“It’s beautiful,” Belle said. “In fact, it reminds me of your four lovely homes right here in Destiny.”
“And well it should,” Doris said.
He waited for more explanation. When it wasn’t forthcoming, he cleared his throat and hazarded a drink of tea. It was black and bitter, and he wished he’d never touched it.
“Perhaps the same architect?” Belle asked.
“Exactly.” Doris smiled at Belle as if she were an exceptionally good student.
“We found hats, small hats, that had been used to put out the fire,” Belle said.
Doris glanced at her friends and received nods in reply. “It’s an old story.”
“And a sad one,” Blondel added.
“For that reason, our families preferred to let it rest in peace,” Louise said.
“And never speak of it again.” Ada shook her head in dismay.
“Your arrival, Belle Tarleton, brought the past to life,” Doris said.
“Me?” Belle appeared astonished at the news.
“Yes, indeed,” Blondel agreed. “You see, my ancestor was named Belle, too.”
“Really?” Belle smiled at the group.
“And my ancestor was named Bertram.” Doris looked straight at Rowdy.
He went on alert, not knowing where this was headed now.
“How interesting. I just met Bert Holloway at his ranch. His name is Bertram, too, isn’t it?” Belle said.
“Yes, indeed.” Blondel glanced at Rowdy. “And so we knew the time was right…”
“To bring the past into the present…” Louise said.
“And share the knowledge…” Ada said.
“That lights the way,” Doris said.
“That’s all well and good.” Belle looked from one lady to the other. “But it doesn’t explain much.”
Rowdy almost dropped his cup and saucer. Nobody talked to the Buick Brigade straight like that. He stiffened in anticipation of being kicked out the front door.
A peal of laughter erupted from Doris.
Blondel clapped her hands in delight.
Louise gave a little smile.
Ada reached for a cookie.
He couldn’t believe it. Was Belle actually going to get away with challenging the ladies?
“We knew you were a lady after our own hearts,” Blondel said. “And that is why you have received our blessing to…”
“Reopen the one-room schoolhouse.” Doris looked at the group in triumph.
“She doesn’t own it.” Rowdy clamped his mouth shut but too late. His words hung heavy in the room.
“Small matter,” Ada said. “The current owner will make it available for use by deed or rental.”
“I did think it would make a wonderful center for the arts in our community, but there is the expense of making it usable again.” Belle glanced at him because that was exactly what he’d told her earlier.
“Wildcat Bluff County will make it happen,” Blondel said.
He wasn’t so sure of that, but he kept his mouth shut because the ladies usually made stuff work, one way or another.
“Thank you,” Belle said. “I love the idea, but I still would like to know what happened after the fire.”
“Did I mention that my lovely Belle was the teacher there?” Blondel asked.
“No.” Belle leaned forward. “Please tell me about the students. Did they survive the fire?”
“Yes, indeed,” Blondel said. “And yet, even after all this time, I am so very sad to tell you that our dear Belle perished in the fire…but not until she saved every single one of her pupils.”
“I’m happy to know about the children.” Belle glanced at Rowdy and shook her head. “But I’m so sorry about your Belle.”
“Why the memorial grove?” He leaned forward with interest.
“That is my story to tell,” Doris said. “Bertram was engaged to Belle. They were to be married on Christmas Day, but the fire occurred on Christmas Eve.”
“Oh, that’s tragic.” Belle put a hand to her heart.
“And so your ancestor built the grove in her honor.” Rowdy glanced at Belle. “I can understand. I’d do it, too.”
“Love is the greatest gift of all,” Doris said. “Bertram never married…and he wore her blackened locket with their photographs in it until his dying day.”
Belle bowed her head and sniffed back tears. “I’m honored you would entrust such a sacred memory to me.”
Rowdy couldn’t help but wonder how they’d kept such a poignant tale secret all these years. Fortunately, they hadn’t mentioned that his name was Bertram, but they’d made it clear, at least to him, that they included him in this story with Belle.
“Christmas is upon us,” Louise said.
“It is time for all to be right in the world,” Blondel said.
“Wildcat Bluff County is ready for what it once lost,” Ada said.
“With the return of our Belle and Bertram,” Doris said.
Rowdy stood up, set down his cup and saucer, and then held out his hand to Belle. He’d better get
them out of there before the ladies accidentally, or on purpose, revealed his true identity before he’d had a chance to tell Belle himself.
She got up, too, looking confused at his abruptness.
“Ladies, it’s been a pleasure, as always,” he said. “I appreciate your story, but I’m not sure it has much to do with me…or Belle.”
All four ladies rose to their feet in unison with sweet smiles on their faces.
“Our story is not really the point,” Blondel said. “We simply shared it—in secret—with the two of you because we have been inspired to heal the past.”
“We want to see the schoolhouse put to good use again,” Doris said. “And we do hope the two of you will spearhead that process.”
“We’re both really busy,” Rowdy said as he held out his elbow to Belle. He needed to get them out of there before they spent the rest of their lives working for the Buick Brigade.
“We understand, dear heart,” Louise said.
“Yes, indeed,” Blondel said.
“Time is on your side,” Ada said.
“Patience is a virtue,” Doris said. “When the time is right, the schoolhouse will once again be of service to our community.”
“Thank you for everything.” Belle tucked her fingers around Rowdy’s arm. “We’ll see what we can do about reopening the schoolhouse.”
“Don’t bother to see us out.” He headed for the door and then looked back. “It would make a fine center for the arts.”
Chapter 33
“I think there must have been a lot of tragedy in the lives of the Buick Brigade’s families over the years.” Belle spoke quietly, breaking the silence as Rowdy drove hard and fast out of Destiny toward Wildcat Bluff, as if he were trying to outdistance a looming personal tragedy.
“At least the kids got out of the schoolhouse alive,” he said.
“The other Belle was heroic, wasn’t she?”
“That’s the thing with firefighters…first responders…folks who put their lives on the line for others.”
“What?”
“They don’t know they’re heroic or brave or any other name you want to put to their actions. They simply do what they do because it’s important for their loved ones, their community…for life itself.”
“Do you think the Buick Brigade is sort of like a group of first responders? They see a need and respond, no matter the personal cost or how others view them?” she asked.
“I’d never thought of them that way before, but I can see it now.”
“Sometimes people who’ve known tragedy become very kind to others…thoughtful, sincere, protective. Don’t you think?”
“Yeah. And if you’re thinking what I’m thinking, their families came west and settled in Destiny after something or someone sent them reeling away from danger, tragedy, loss, or it forced them out…no way to know. And their descendants still watch and protect,” he said.
“It’d explain the ladies, wouldn’t it?”
“In one way, yes, but in other ways…they’re in a world all their own, one they control and manage.”
“I like them.”
“They like you.”
“And you.”
He slowed down as he neared Wildcat Bluff and then glanced over at her. “That stuff about Belle and Bertram…”
“Yes?”
“What do you think?”
“It was a lot to take in. ”
“Do you believe them?”
“What!” She turned to look at him in surprise. “It never entered my mind not to believe them.”
“I know. Still, you might trust too much.”
“Trust?” She swiveled in her seat to focus on him. “I’m a hard-headed businesswoman. I make informed decisions based on the information at hand.”
“What if the information isn’t correct?”
She felt that old uneasiness with him rise up and grab her. She shivered at the feeling. “I go with my gut.”
“What does your gut tell you about the Buick Brigade?”
“Truth. If their story hadn’t fit with what we’d observed at the schoolhouse, then my reaction would have been very different. Wouldn’t yours?”
“Yeah. I agree. If it’d gone down any other way, I’d have been out of there in a flash. But their reputation also precedes them. That influenced me, too.”
“You’ve never known them to lie, is that it?”
“Right,” he said. “Sometimes people lie for good reasons.”
“Social lies?”
“Yes. And lies that protect others.”
She took a deep breath. Here it came, finally. He’d been lying to her. Would the truth hurt as badly as she thought it might? They didn’t have to go there, not yet, not after such an emotional visit in Destiny.
“Belle, I—”
“What do you think about taking on the schoolhouse and turning it into an arts center?”
He gave a deep sigh, glanced at her and then looked back at the road. “You don’t have to go there…we don’t have to do it. Craig owns the property. You can do whatever you want to do on Lulabelle & You Ranch. Maybe that’s where you should concentrate your time, energy, and money.”
“That makes practical sense, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Sometimes life just requires you to take a chance. Maybe you get lucky, maybe you don’t.”
“Don’t count on good luck with me.”
She felt her heart go out to him at his words. “I’ve had enough of your bad luck. I agree with the Buick Brigade. By the time we’re said and done, you’re going to be the luckiest cowboy in the county.”
He laughed out loud, glancing over at her. “If I’ve got you and the ladies of Destiny in my corner, how can I be anything except lucky?”
“Exactly.” And she joined his laughter.
“Seriously, though,” he said. “The one-room schoolhouse should be a community project. It’d bring folks together, from youngsters to oldsters and everybody in between.”
“I agree.”
“I just don’t want you to think you need to take on this project alone…if it’s even possible.”
“I won’t.”
“And Christmas comes first.”
“Right.”
“We’re almost back to your ranch. It’s been a long day.”
“True.”
“Why don’t I drop you off, get out of your hair, and let us both take care of some business?”
“Sounds good, as long as you come back later.”
“How could I stay away?”
Rowdy turned off Wildcat Road and drove over the cattle guard and up to the front of the house. A black pickup was parked on the circle drive, so he nosed in behind it and turned off his engine.
“Who’s that?” he asked.
“Looks like Kemp’s truck.” She unhooked her seat belt. “Let’s find out if he has news about Daisy Sue.”
She grabbed her purse, got out of the truck, and hurried up to the porch. No Kemp in sight. She looked over her shoulder. Rowdy was glancing around the area, too. They looked at each other and shrugged, so she just unlocked the front door, set her purse on the entry table, and walked back to him.
“Hey, folks!” Kemp called as he rounded the side of the house. “Patio looks good. I could use one at my place.”
“Thanks,” Rowdy said.
“You taking orders for more patios?”
“No,” Rowdy said. “That’s my limit.”
Kemp chuckled as he walked over to them.
“Well?” She put her hands on her hips in frustration. Why was he talking about patios when he knew they were anxious for news?
Kemp nodded, shrugging. “Daisy Sue, huh?”
“Yes.” She leaned toward him. “And what about your cou
sin?”
Kemp shook his head. “Lester’s back home, but he’s one unhappy cowboy. I don’t know how long Aunt Dotty can keep him pinned down on the ranch, but I’m out of that mess for good.”
“And you’re back to work?” Belle asked.
“Absolutely.”
“With news about Daisy Sue?”
“Yep. Here’s my best guess.”
“Guess?” she asked.
“I talked with the other cowboys here on the ranch.”
“And?” She moved closer to him.
“We discussed the Daisy Sue situation up one side and down the other.”
“Your conclusion?”
“She must be at your family’s ranch in East Texas.”
“What?” Belle fell back a step. “That’s too simple. And how could she possibly have ended up there?”
“It was before your time here. A load of cattle from your ranch went to that ranch.”
“Okay.” She nodded, quickly thinking that it’d make sense for her brothers to move cattle between two ranches. “But what would that have to do with Daisy Sue?”
“Far as we can figure, those cowboys must’ve picked her up at the same time as the other cows, loaded her up, and hauled her away.”
“Did you contact them yet?” Rowdy asked.
“No.” Kemp tipped his cowboy hat back on his head, rubbed his forehead, and tugged the hat down again.
“That’s not Kemp’s job. I’ll do it.” She caught an odd look on Rowdy’s face but dismissed it in the heat of the moment.
“Hate to say it, but Daisy Sue might’ve been sold by your family,” Kemp said. “Good breeding stock like her—”
“Don’t even go there.” She shuddered at the idea.
“You could still track her,” Rowdy said. “She’s registered, so she can’t completely disappear.”
“She has so far.” Belle looked at the ground, the sky, the house, trying to think how she’d gotten into this mess. Of course, if she’d stayed in Dallas, nothing of this would have happened to her. She glanced at Rowdy, realizing that if she hadn’t come here she’d never have met her own personal cowboy.