Brazen (27 page)

After soaking in a hot tub, Casey scrubbed herself clean
from head to toe. That done, she dried off and donned
some of her new underthings.

Casey was actually a bit embarrassed as she put the
silken garments on. She'd never worn anything like them
before. She wrapped herself in her robe and sat down at
her dressing table to brush out her hair.

The sound of a carriage approaching drew Casey to the window. She looked out to see Elizabeth and Michael
arriving separately. Michael came in the buckboard and
Elizabeth in her carriage.

Within minutes, Elizabeth was knocking at her bedroom door.

"Hello, Cassandra, dear. How are you today? Are you
all ready for tonight?" she asked as she was admitted to
Casey's room. She was carrying a small valise.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be, I guess," Casey answered,
clutching her robe more tightly around her. She closed
the door once Elizabeth was inside.

"I brought a few things that might work well with your
dress. Let's get started, shall we?"

Casey was a bit nervous. She'd never had to worry about
getting dressed up before. "Where do you want to start?"

"I think with your hair," Elizabeth said thoughtfully, eyeing her damp curls. "Why don't you sit down for me?"

Elizabeth loved a challenge. She was excited about
helping Cassandra get ready today. She knew Michael still
had misgivings about their coming marriage, and she
wanted to show him what a beautiful woman Cassandra
really was.

Elizabeth set to work.

Michael was sitting with Jack in the parlor, making small
talk and waiting for the women to join them. Close to an
hour had passed, and Michael was beginning to wonder
if they were ever going to come out.

Jack noticed he seemed a bit impatient. "These are women we're dealing with here, Michael. They're going
to take a while."

"It would be good to get to town before the dance is
over," Michael remarked dryly.

"You will," he assured him. "Michael?"

Michael glanced up.

"You know this hasn't been easy for my girl, getting
married this way, and that whole scandal with your other
woman-"

"Karen isn't my `other' woman," Michael protested. "I
had been seeing her socially in Philadelphia, but there
were no promises made between us. I don't know where
she got the idea to come to Hard Luck. I hadn't had any
contact with her since I left."

"Be that as it may, everybody in town heard about her,
and Casey was embarrassed by it all."

"Your daughter did make that point to me," Michael
said, remembering all too clearly their encounter the
other morning. "And I took care of it."

"That's good. With only a week left until your wedding,
it's time the two of you got things settled between you."

Michael didn't know what there was to settle.

He and Casey were engaged.

They were going to be married in seven short days.

And tonight they were going to show the whole town
just how devoted they were to each other to silence any
remaining gossip, ignoring completely that the last time
they'd been together, Casey had been shooting at him.

The men finally heard the bedroom door open and
they both looked up as Elizabeth came to join them.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, we are," Jack answered.

"Cassandra," Elizabeth called to her.

The door opened wider and a vision of loveliness came
into the room.

Michael rose to his feet as Casey moved to stand before
them. Never in his wildest dreams had he envisioned her
being this beautiful. Casey was gorgeous. She looked
every bit a lady. Her hair was styled up away from her
face, giving her an elegant look. The gown, though demurely styled, was stunning on her, emphasizing her feminine figure. She wore pearl earrings and a single strand
of pearls at her throat that complemented her creamy
complexion. On her left hand, she wore the ring that
marked her as his.

"Casey you look lovely," Michael told her, unable to
look away.

"Thanks," she replied in her usual casual manner.

"`Thank you,' "Elizabeth cued her.

Casey grinned at her and repeated more demurely,
"Thank you, Michael."

Her father hadn't said anything yet, and Casey looked
at him to see his reaction. Her breath caught in her throat
at the sight of him, standing there looking at her with tears
in his eyes.

"Pa? What's wrong?"

"Oh, darling. I wish your mama could see you now. She
would be so proud of you," he said, going to embrace
her. "You're the image of your mother."

Casey struggled not to cry as she gave him a kiss on
the cheek and whispered, "I love you, Pa."

"I love you, too, darling. I just wish 1 was feeling better
so I could go along with you tonight. But you and Michael
go on into town and have a good time."

"I wish I could go, too, but I need to get back home to
Frank," Elizabeth said, still smiling over Cassandra's transformation. "I would love to be there to watch folks' reaction when they see you."

"Anne's going to be surprised," Casey agreed.

"Pleasantly surprised, I'm sure," Elizabeth replied.

"Are you ready to go?" Michael asked courteously. He
suddenly felt the need to act the gentleman with her, so
he went to offer his arm.

"I think so." She took Michael's arm and let him draw
her toward the door. She would never admit it to anyone,
but she was glad for his help. She was a little unsure of
herself in these fancy clothes.

Together they left the house.

"We're taking the carriage," he informed her.

"Are you sure?" Casey knew it was his mother's.

"I insist," Elizabeth said as she stood with Jack on the
porch.

"Thank you." Now she truly would feel like a lady, riding in the carriage instead of in the buckboard.

Michael helped her into the carriage, then climbed up
beside her and took the reins.

"Have a good time," Jack bade them.

"We will," Michael answered, and he was surprised to
find he meant it.

Jack and Elizabeth watched them drive away.

"They make a very handsome couple," Elizabeth said
with great satisfaction.

"Yes, they do." Jack turned to look at her. "I hope they
find a way to be happy together."

"So do I."

"Is Frank going to be able to attend the wedding?"

"He seems to be a little better, and he has been using
the wheelchair. I'm hoping he'll be strong enough by next
weekend to make the trip into town."

"I guess we could always ask Reverend Harris to hold
the ceremony at your place."

"And I'm sure the reverend would do it, but I'd like the
wedding to take place at church if at all possible. I'll let
you know mid-week how Frank is doing."

"Will you be all right on the ride back in the buckboard?"

"It's still light out, so I'll be fine. You take care of yourself."

«>I m trying."

Jack helped Elizabeth into the buckboard, and she
drove home, quite satisfied with the way things had
turned out. She couldn't wait to tell Frank all about it.

Michael and Casey rode in silence for a few miles before
she finally spoke up.

"I meant to tell you-I like your clothes," she said with
a grin, looking him over.

He slanted her a quick glance and saw her devilish smile. "Lady "He was about to warn her that she was
playing with fire.

"Lady?" Casey repeated, stunned. "You just called me
lady"

"That's right. Tonight you look like a lady, so try your
best to act like one."

"Are you sure you want me to?"

"I'm sure."

"Well, I was trying to compliment you on your suit."

"Fine, just don't try to run away with it tonight," he
chuckled.

"I don't quite think I'll get a chance at the church social."

"I hope not."

They both found themselves laughing at the outrageous
picture that brought to mind.

At that moment as he laughed easily by her side, Casey
looked up at Michael and realized all too painfully that
she had come to care for him.

She hadn't meant to.

She'd fought her feelings for him every step of the way,
but the sound of his laughter had touched her heart and
melted the last of her resistance to the truth.

She loved him.

Yet she could never let him know, for he didn't want
her love.

He only wanted her land.

Still, Casey knew that that very night she was living a
fairy tale just like Anne had talked about. She was the
princess who was going to the ball with the handsome prince, and she intended to allow herself to enjoy every
moment of their time together. Reality would return far
too soon. She wanted to pretend, for just a little while, that
this upcoming marriage of theirs was truly a love match.

John McQueen was in a good mood as he and some of
his men rode into Hard Luck to attend the social. Tonight
was the night he'd been waiting for. He hadn't been back
into town since the night he had gone to see Casey. He
was anxious to learn the outcome of his visit with her. He
was certain Casey had broken off her engagement, and
that made this the perfect night for him to make his move
on her.

Tonight he would court Casey and woo her, and set
the stage for making her and the Bar T his.

It was going to be a glorious evening.

Nick rode into town with the men from the ranch. He was
looking forward to seeing Anne again and had even worn
one of his suits to impress her. The other men had let him
know what they thought of his getup, but he'd decided it was worth suffering their taunts to get Anne's attention.

"I wonder how Michael is doing with Casey," Harry remarked as they reached the edge of town. They all knew
he'd ridden out early to pick her up at the Bar T.

"We'll be finding out real soon," Nick replied. "What
time does the dance start?"

"Not until seven," Harry answered. "Do you want to
stop at the Sundown for a drink since we're early?"

"Sounds good to me," Nick agreed.

"What do you boys think? Will they let Nick into the
Sundown dressed this way?" Harry asked.

"They'll serve him," Tom replied. "Rosalie don't care
how you're dressed. She just cares about the color of your
money. If our dandy here is flashing his cash, he'll get
waited on real fast."

"It's good to know I won't get run out of town because
I'm dressed like a gentleman." Nick was smiling. He'd
grown used to their ribbing and had proven to them that
he could take it as well as dish it out.

"Of course, that don't mean any of us will be standing
at the bar with you," Harry countered.

They were all laughing as they reined in before the
Sundown. The men of the Circle D went inside to relax
and have a drink.

Rosalie was already downstairs working the room.

"Good evening, boys. It's good to see you," she welcomed them. "You in town for the big dance tonight?"

"We sure are, Rosalie," Harry told her, "but we decided
to pay you a visit first."

"Well, I appreciate your business," she said, then looked at Nick. She remembered him from when he'd
come in with Michael to offer the reward for information
on Frank Donovan's shooting. "Did you ever get any response to the reward you and Michael offered?"

"Nothing ever came of it."

"That's too bad," she sympathized. "Frank used to
come in here pretty regular. He's a good man."

"Yes, he is."

The men stayed at the saloon until it was time to head
over to the hall for the dance.

Rosalie watched them go, and she actually felt a twinge
of anger and jealousy. No doubt John would be at the
dance tonight, but she was not accepted at such social
functions. Of course, she was certain that once he finally
got around to marrying her, all that would change. Once
she was the wife of one of the most successful ranchers
in the area, she would be accepted everywhere. She just
wished he'd hurry up and propose.

"Are you ready to go?" Karen asked as she finished primping before the mirror over the dressing table and turned
to look at her mother.

"Yes. Let's go see what this miserable excuse for a town
considers a big social occasion."

"Well, how do I look?" Karen stood up and posed before her mother.

"Absolutely beautiful." Dorothea's gaze went over her
daughter critically, taking in the rose-colored gown and
the way she'd pinned her hair up in a complicated style.
"I've always loved that color on you. Once Michael gets a look at you tonight, he won't give that boyish fiancee
of his another thought."

"Good. That's my plan. By the time this evening is over,
I intend to have him back in my arms."

"And then, thank heaven, we can start making plans to
go home."

Anne was standing with her parents, watching the couples on the dance floor.

"I wonder when Casey is going to get here," Marjorie
Lawson asked her daughter.