Ellie's Legacy (16 page)

Ellie often shared it with him.

The expanse of trees around the yard, now mostly bare of
their leaves, provided shady protection from the summer sun.

The biggest Beech used to be her favorite childhood place to
perch. Those were the days, carefree and without worry about anything more
serious than stepping on a burr if you ran through the yard barefoot. She
warmed as memories overwhelmed her.

All of a sudden, Ellie felt complete. Like whatever had been
missing from her life was now found, although she couldn’t name it. Could it
have been something as simple as a sharing one kiss with Tyler Bishop? If she’d
known it would make such a difference, she would have kissed him a lot sooner.
Thank goodness the dance wasn’t far off. She could barely wait.

Chapter Thirteen

Ellie rolled over and stretched her arms high over her head.
With the realization it was
morning,
a smile blossomed
across her face. Tonight was the Fall Festival, at long last. She clasped her
arms around her body and imagined Ty held her. It wouldn’t be long until he
actually did. Her heart fluttered with excitement.

Scrambling out from under the covers, she straightened them
and plumped the pillows, placing them neatly against the mahogany headboard. If
she had learned anything from Cook during all these years, it was the importance
of making one’s bed upon rising.

Ellie folded the extra quilt, draped it across the foot and
made one last brushing motion to smooth any remaining wrinkles.

Satisfied, she donned her wrapper, scurried to her armoire
and removed her new dress.

She held the garment against her body and stood on her
tiptoes to see as much of herself in the mirror as possible. How nice it would
be if she had Ma’s standing oval mirror, but for sentimental reasons, Pa didn’t
want to disturb anything in the room they had shared.

Ellie’s developing fondness for Ty made Pa’s reasoning a
little clearer.

Not wanting to risk an early reveal, Ellie decided to wait
until later for a full-length look.

The smile reflecting back at her caused a sparkle in her
eyes that matched her emerald-green dress exactly.

She draped the flowing brocade gown across her bed,
spreading out the fullness of the skirt, and stood back to admire her choice.
She’d been lucky to find something so elegant on a ready-made rack.

The lace-trimmed bosom dipped low enough in front to
maintain propriety, but would still reveal enough of her to prove her maturity
to Ty.

She placed her hands on her breasts and wondered what it
would feel like to have Ty caress them.

Ashamed at her thoughts, she dropped her arms to her sides
and released a long breath. She wasn’t at all surprised when she glanced at the
looking glass and noticed red cheeks.

Her gaze moved from her flushed face to her long curls, and
she gasped. Her naughty musings of Ty faded. What would she do with her hair?

She hurriedly pulled a box from the armoire shelf and
searched through the wad of ribbons inside. Her fingers locked on a
perfectly-matching green one, and she struggled to untangle it from the rest.
Realizing there was only one, a frown creased her brow. It would have to do.

From the bottom of the box, beneath the ribbons and other
personal treasures, Ellie withdrew a folded piece of cotton. Years ago she had
tucked her mother’s treasured cameo and chain inside the cloth for safekeeping.

Ellie held it up and admired the small intricate piece that
provided the finishing touch she needed on this special night. She
strategically placed the locket on the bed, right above the dress, next to her
hair ribbon.

The smell of breakfast wafted into the room. Ellie splashed
some water on her face, donned her denims and shirt and pulled on her boots.
Securing her thick hair with a strip of rawhide, she wandered down the hallway.
She glanced inside Pa’s door as she passed. His bed was empty.

In the kitchen, men’s booming voices rang out, among them,
Pa’s. He sat in his usual place at the head of the table and looked fit as a
fiddle. Ellie paused in the hallway for a moment and beamed at the sight of
him, back to normal and obviously enjoying a hearty breakfast. His heaped plate
held bacon, eggs and biscuits and he shoveled in mouthfuls while exchanging
banter with Ty. A few days ago that sight would probably have irked her, but
now it brought her joy.

She lingered long enough to admire the handsome man who’d be
her escort to the dance. Ty chewed and nodded while seeming totally engrossed
in whatever Pa talked about, and she couldn’t help but notice the way his
tanned face highlighted the blueness of his eyes. For once, she could admire
his dark wavy hair without that infernal hat he always wore. Of course she
loved the rakish tilt to his Stetson, but it was nice to see all of his face
for a change.

What she wouldn’t give to push back that one stray curl
dangling on his forehead right now. She chuckled, when, as if reading her mind,
he put down his coffee cup and ran his fingers through his hair, combing the
errant strand back into place.

“Good morning, everyone,” she announced as she entered.

“Mornin’, Miz Ellie,” was the rumbled choir response.

She paused at the stove and poured a cup of coffee, bussed
Cook’s cheek with a kiss then went to the table. Ty leapt to his feet and
pulled her chair out for her.

“Thank you, sir,” she purred as she sat, batting her lashes
a few extra times, then feeling a tad ridiculous for doing it.

“My pleasure, ma’am.”
The timbre of
his voice brought back her earlier pondering about his hands on her body. Did
he have to mention pleasure?

She purposely diverted her eyes from him and turned her
attention to her father. Hopefully, she’d quell another blush. “I’m happy to
see you up and around this morning, Pa.”

“I told you the thought of seeing you actually dress up and
go to a social function would cure me.” His hearty laughter proved his renewed
strength.

Ellie’s jaw tensed as she filled her breakfast plate. She
wondered why Pa took such delight in revealing so much to the hired help,
especially when it concerned her.

* * * * *

“God, could time pass any slower.” Ellie grumbled to Chessie
as she hung the feedbag on the animal’s head for a second time. Her boots
crunched in the spilled oats on the barn floor. She found nervous fingers hard
to work.

Thoughts of the dance dimmed all the unpleasant events of
late and were the only thing on Ellie’s mind. The morning had dragged on
endlessly as she went about her chores.

She’d dusted the parlor, hung four lines of laundry out to
dry, mucked three stalls, and finished feeding the stock in the barn. Ty was
out on the south forty checking for problems, so his absence made the
anticipation of tonight even more special.

Ellie left Chessie to her meal and waltzed across the barn,
holding out an invisible skirt and bowing low to a shovel she pretended was Ty.

She had mentally planned her entrance a thousand times,
wanting to leave both him and Pa speechless. Her mind replayed the latest
version but a muffled whinny interrupted her thoughts and let her know Chessie
was done. Ellie removed the feedbag and stroked the mare’s nose. With one more
chore completed, the time for the dance drew closer and Ellie’s glee grew.

She’d killed all the time she could. Now was the perfect
time to go inside, take a bath and start getting ready.

The dance started at sundown and the trip into town would
take a little longer by buggy, but she still had plenty of time to devote to
her appearance.

Ellie two-stepped across the compound and into the house,
her heart providing the rhythm.

She walked straight through the kitchen, where dinner
simmered on the stove, to the end of the hallway and knocked on Cook’s door.
“It’s me, Ellie.”

“Come in, child.” The woman looked up from the worn Bible
resting on her lap and smiled. “So, tonight’s the big night.”

“Yes, and I’m so nervous. I feel like a calf about to be
branded.”

Cook laughed and set her chair to rocking. “I’m so ancient I
can barely remember what it feels like to be courted for the first time. It’s
been a lot of years since my mister has even been alive.” A mist of tears
clouded the older woman’s eyes, and her voice cracked ever so slightly. “Hold
these times dear to your heart, Ellie. The good Lord brings them into your life
to warm your heart as you grow old. Good memories are treasures to cherish.”

Cook’s display of rich emotion numbered few in all the years
Ellie’d known her. The woman had a compassionate side, but never shared much
about her personal life.

Ellie grimaced. Here before her sat a good woman, reading
the Bible, and praising the Lord for her memories, and all day Ellie’s thoughts
had been lustful and anything but religious. She should hang her head, but
strangely, she wasn’t ashamed. Rather than consider herself ill-behaved, she
found solace in her belief that God knew the difference between immoral
thoughts and those based on love. If she was wrong, she was certain to be
hell-bound.

Ellie quickly changed the subject. “Cook, I wonder if you
might help me do something special with my hair tonight. I want everything to
be perfect and I’m afraid I only know two ways to manage this mane, pulled back
like this or hanging down.” Ellie held out a thick swatch of curls and let them
fall back on her shoulders.

“I’d be delighted.” Cook agreed. “You have such beautiful
locks. Supper’s almost done, so give a holler when you’re ready. The men can
wait for once. You’re much more important.” She chuckled and went back to
reading.

Ellie went into the “toilette” room, as Pa called it. It was
something he designed to make bathing in style a comfort for the women in his
life. Ellie occasionally used the big claw-footed tub housed in a small closet
between her room and Pa’s, but since water still had to be drawn from the pump,
toted in and heated on the stove, it was quite often more work than it was
worth. Tonight was a special occasion, and Ellie planned to languish in a bath
of hot water and lather herself with the special honeysuckle soap that once
belonged to her mother. Ellie had found it in the cedar chest along with the
deed.

As she went to fetch the first bucket, she pondered the
strange piece of paper she’d discovered. What exactly did Pa own? She couldn’t
wait to find out…well maybe she could. Thoughts of the dance filled her mind
and she didn’t have time to dwell on it.

* * * * *

Ty stood in sock-clad feet and clean long johns and labored
in front of a shard of mirrored glass hanging on the bunkhouse wall.

His lathered cheek protruded from the force of his tongue
against the inside of his mouth, making his straight-razor strokes smooth and
nick free. His store-bought suit
lay
spread across his
bunk, complete with white shirt and bolo tie.

Rusty, one of the ranch hands, sat on his own bed and worked
to bring a shine to Ty’s cowboy boots.

“Make sure you can see yourself in the toes of those.
Tonight has to be perfect.”

“You sure got it bad for Mr. Fountain’s daughter, don’t ya?”
Rusty chided.

“I’m just the lucky one who gets to take her to the dance.
I’m pretty sure any one of you fellas would love to be in my boots…especially
when you get done with them.”

Ty wiped the remaining soap from his face and examined his
reflection. “Guess I didn’t do too
bad
. I still have
my nose.” He laughed.

“Here ya go, Ty.” Rusty held up the boots for inspection.

“They look pretty good. Thanks. Now I only need one more
thing from you.”

“What’s that, boss?”

“Could you hitch up the buggy for me? I’m running a little
behind and I don’t want to disappoint the lady.”

With a nod, Rusty headed for the barn.

Ty dried his face and hands then finished dressing. As he
buttoned his shirt and tucked it into his pants, his thoughts turned to Ellie.
He’d waited for tonight for a long time, and he wanted to make it special in
every way possible.

It appeared as though Ellie had turned into a full-grown
woman overnight, kind of like the newborn foals in the spring. One minute they
were awkward and gangly and the next they had filled out and turned into
something spirited and beautiful.

Oh, Ellie wasn’t a horse, but she did have spirit, and she
certainly was a beauty. The thought of all those curves in the right places and
the memory of her luscious lips awakened a distinct part of his body. He tugged
at the crotch of his trousers and moved back to the mirror to put on his tie.

If luck was on his side, in a few hours he’d be holding her
in his arms, and maybe on the way home, he’d steal another kiss or two.

With that in mind, Ty went outside, stopping at the
flowerbed next to the porch. It was only fitting he give his lady something
special, but only a few late bloomers remained. Luckily one stood out among the
wilted. Carefully, Ty plucked a pale pink rose to give to Ellie in celebration
of the occasion.

* * * * *

It was still too early to make her grand entrance, so Ellie
lingered in her room, pacing and anxiously wringing her hands. She wondered how
long it took a body to get used to wearing a corset.

Cook had pulled the laces so tight, Ellie could barely
breathe…and all these petticoats. She paused in front of the small wall mirror
and took another glimpse at her reflection, marveling at Cook’s work. She’d
brushed Ellie’s hair back and secured it with the green ribbon, leaving wispy
ringlets framing her face and larger ones hanging down to the collar of her
dress.