Echoes of the Heart (9 page)

She approached the
wagon holding her trunks and packages, checking to make sure all had been
unloaded.
 
Her gaze moved toward her aunt
and uncle and noticed them checking their list of the goods for the store while
the men loaded wagons.
 
They stood
together talking, Mike’s arm around Diane’s shoulder.
 
Her heart warmed when she saw them together.
 
Touching and smiling at each other, showing
their love in little gestures of affection.

           
Diane
approached with a smile on her lovely face.
 
She still seemed like a young girl in so many ways, her slim figure,
long blonde hair and a pink glow covering her smooth unblemished skin.
 
“The wagons will take some time to load.
 
I’ve arranged for a buggy to take you to the
house so you can freshen up.
 
Which of
your trunks would you like to take with you?
 
I’ll have the men load them.”

           
Raeden
picked the trunks she knew held the items necessary when the buggy pulled up
with men to load.
 
They moved Arte to the
rear of the vehicle and tied him securely.
 
After three days of riding in a livestock car, the opportunity to
stretch his legs would be beneficial, allowing him to work off some of the
unruly behavior.

She would have
preferred to ride Arte but since the traveling suit did not allow for
straddling a horse, she walked to the passenger side of the buggy.
 
Before she could raise her skirt to step up
to the seat, Cash suddenly appeared beside her.

“Allow me ma’am,”
he said in a sarcastic tone while removing his hat and bending slightly at the
waist.
 
“I wouldn’t want you to think our
town had no gentlemen.”
 
His eyes blazed
into hers and she could see a sparkle as he taunted her.
 
           
He
scooped her up by the waist, his strong arms lifting her effortlessly and sat
her on the seat.
 
She wanted to slap him
but glared instead then noticed the hardness of his muscles.
 
Suddenly feeling a little lightheaded, she
breathed in his aroma of soap, tobacco and leather hanging in the air.

           
Goodness,
w
hat is wrong with me?
 
He is
nothing more than a vile, rude creature.
 
She could not help but contemplate why he seemed so attractive, why
the tallness of his frame and handsome face topped with thick dark hair made
her feel flush.
 
A breath escaped her
when she noticed the masculine way he filled out his clothes while he strode to
the rear of the buggy to check Arte’s lead then jumped onto the seat beside
her.

Raeden did not
intend to endure his sarcasm all the way home. “What are you doing?
 
Diane didn’t say you would be driving.
 
Get someone else.”

           
“Well
since you don’t know the way, someone had to do it.
 
I didn’t want to subject anyone else to your
sharp tongue.”
 
He flashed a wicked smile
showing perfect white teeth.
 
Raeden
opened her mouth to give him a terse response but decided it would be better
just to keep quiet.
 
It made no sense to
give him any more reason to insult her.

           
Driving
through town, she glanced in his direction as he deftly handled the team, her
eyes wide as she viewed the homes and businesses stretching out for blocks in
all directions.
 
Expecting a small
country settlement with a store and a few businesses, the thought had not
occurred to her the town would be so extensive.
 
This is going to be just
wonderful.
 
With a sizable population
such as this, she would surely be able to make many garments for the ladies in
town.
 

Both remained
silent as they continued down a rutted road past the edges of town.
 
The view of an enormous beige three-story
house with blue shutters hanging on all the windows made her excitement
mount.
 
A walkway made of stones set in
the earth showed beyond the white fence, with well-tended gardens of quaint
wildflowers and shrubs all around the exterior along with several large shade
trees.

She blurted out,
too late remembering the aggravation she felt for the driver.
 
“Oh, it is beautiful.”
 
Her eyes dropped to her lap in an effort to
hide the blush rising on her cheeks.
 

           
“Yes,
it is one of the nicest places outside of town.
 
They just finished putting up a larger barn.
 
I’m sure your horse will be reasonably
content.
 
By the way, he is sure a fine
animal, looks like some Arabian blood.
 
Seems like a spirited mount.
 
Did
you bring him along for show or can you handle him yourself?”

           
The
devilish grin and twinkle in his darks eyes made her cheeks feel flush.
 
She did not answer, just kept her eyes
straight ahead toward the outbuilding.
 
Did he think her a silly weakling who couldn’t even ride a horse?
 
Her irritation increased while she clenched
her fists, wanting to rid herself of his company as soon as possible.
 
Approaching a gate at the corral, a young man
in his twenties with ash blond hair and deep blue eyes met them dressed in
jeans and worn dusty boots.

“You must be Miss
Newell.
 
I heard you would be staying at
the house with Mr. and Mrs. Adams.
 
I’ll
just take your horse and get him bedded down in the barn.
 
A nice big stall leads into the paddock so he
can stretch his legs.”

After releasing
the lead rope from the wagon, he again turned her direction.
 
“He sure is a beauty, ma’am.
 
He must be pretty hard to handle for a little
lady like yourself.”

           
Oh, this is just great.
 
Do all
the men in this country talk down to women in this fashion?
 
She found this somewhat peculiar since
Uncle Mike had always treated Diane as an equal.
 
“I manage just fine.”
 
She wanted to slap the smirk off Cash’s face,
as he turned from her, his amusement obvious.

           
Cash
leaped from the seat, walking to her side of the buggy in long easy steps.
 
He grasped her waist lowering her
effortlessly to the ground.
 
Her skin
felt feverish under his touch and breaths came rapid.

Men had touched
her before, men not as despicable as this Cash fellow and she had never
experienced such a sensation.
 
He held
his hands too long on her waist and his gaze seemed to brand her, making her
feel a bit light in the head.
 
Catching
her breath, she yanked his hands from her waist and gave him a hostile glare
before turning toward the house.

           
“I’ll
bring your trunks right over, ma’am,” Cash called after her.
 
He allowed his eyes take in the full backside
of her body and the sassy walk as she moved away.
 
He observed the perfect curves and her shiny
chestnut hair as it glistened in the afternoon sunlight.
 
What a
stunning girl.
 
He quickly led his
thoughts away from her, having no desire to get involved with an impudent
virgin or Diane’s niece.
 
She and Mike
had been friends for years and he did not want to do anything to cause trouble
in their relationship.

           
Nick
led her horse away and disappeared into the barn while Cash carried Raeden’s
trunks into the house and Sadie met him in the hall with a pleasant smile.
 
An abrupt unexpected feeling of
disappointment at not seeing Raeden entered his mind when he glanced around the
house from the foyer before the thought disappeared just as quickly.

“Hello, Cash.
 
It sure is nice to see you again.
 
Will you be here for dinner tonight?”

           
“Mike
invited me.
 
I wouldn’t miss it for
anything.”
 
He looked forward to an
evening with Miss Raeden.
 
It would
surely prove quite amusing.
 
“Is Miss
Newell okay?
 
Does she need anything?”

           
“Oh,
she’s just fine.
 
She is upstairs getting
ready to take a nice hot bath.
 
What a
lovely girl she is, don’t you think?”

           
“She
is quite lovely, as long as she keeps her mouth closed.”
 
He strode out the door with a picture of her
naked in the tub on his mind while he jumped into the buggy and headed back to
town.

Eight

           
Tossing
her traveling attire in a heap by the roomy four-poster bed, Raeden fumed as
she undressed.
 
Unable to believe she actually
found such a contemptible man attractive made her temper flare.
 
Just
who does he think he is, speaking to me in such way?
 
In
addition, those lecherous stares!
 
With
any luck, their contact in town would be minimal.
 
Glancing around the bedroom suite, she
unpinned heavy curls to brush out the dust from the trip.

A cherry wood
vanity sat along the wall from her bed.
 
It sported small drawers down each side.
 
A three-section mirror curved across the back and a small padded vanity
seat with ornately scrolled wrought iron for the legs and back, sat along the
wall across from her bed.
 

Footsteps on the
stairs drew her attention to the young man she met earlier, standing at her
door with two huge buckets of steaming water for the long awaited bath.
 
“Come right in, I truly appreciate your
help.
 
By the way, I didn’t get your
name.”

“My name is Nick,
ma’am.”
 
His face blushed slightly when
she flashed him a smile.
 
Nick poured the
hot water into the roomy etched copper tub standing near the fireplace concealed
by an ornate foldable screen painted in Oriental design.
 
“I‘ll be right back with more water.”
 

While arranging
toilet articles on the marble-topped vanity, Sadie entered with thick fluffy
white towels followed by Nick with more water.
 
“I’ll press all your garments.
 
Just let me know what you want to wear and I will see to it while you
bathe.”

           
Unlike
the reprehensible marshal, Raeden had received a warm welcome from Sadie whose
plump figure and rosy cheeks gave her a jovial appearance along with her
flawless smile.

She opened a case
and chose a yellow evening dress embroidered with petite pink roses around the
neckline and held it out for Sadie.

           
“It’s
quite a lovely dress.
 
Is it imported?”

           
“No
Sadie, I made it myself.”
 
She always
felt tremendous pride when someone compared her work to imported fashions.

“Well I must say,
you appear very handy with a needle and thread.”

After thanking
Sadie, she closed the door and made ready for her bath.
 
The sweet aroma from the glycerin and
rosewater she had sprinkled liberally in the hot water caressed the air as it
ascended in the steam, inviting her into the water.

With a sigh, she
submerged her entire body including her hair in the spacious tub and relaxed
while thoughts of the tall, virulent man occupied her mind.
 
His teasing had angered her, but his rugged
confidence and attractive masculine demeanor made her speculate how it might
feel to be possessed by such a man.

           
She
cleared her thoughts and after scrubbing herself thoroughly she rinsed her hair
with the water left next to the tub then stepped out to dry, wrapping her
tresses in one of the generous soft towels.

She slipped into
pale yellow silk undergarments, covered herself in a dark blue silk dressing
gown then proceeded to unpack clothing, choosing shoes then a yellow ribbon
choker adorned with small cameo that would rest in the hollow of her neck.

Sun streamed
through the enormous window across the opposite wall spreading over an
overstuffed chair, the perfect place to let her hair dry.
 
Loosening the towel, long damp strands
cascaded around her shoulders falling down to her waist.

When dry, she
brushed the generous curls, bringing out the vivid crimson highlights streaked
through her hair.
 

The sound of
voices emanating from the stairway brought Raeden to her feet.
 
Opening her bedroom door, she called
downstairs.
 
“Aunt Diane, is it you?”

           
Diane
answered as she climbed the staircase, Raeden’s dress in hand.
 
“I’m ready for a nice long bath.
 
I see you already had yours.”
 
Diane handed Raeden her garment.