Ellie's Legacy (17 page)

For an added touch, Cook had used her own ivory combs to
secure the
sides
right above Ellie’s ears, a perfect
accentuation to her mother’s cameo necklace.

Ellie felt like an elegant lady.

She held out the skirt of her dress and waltzed around in a
circle, just as she had earlier in the barn, but this time it was for real. She
looked every part the woman she pretended to be.

In a short while, she’d enjoy the comfort of two strong
arms, and a very handsome face to go with them. She stopped dancing when
someone rapped on her door.

“Ellie, dear, I believe Ty is here for you.” Cook’s voice
sounded.

Ellie opened the door. Cook, who hadn’t seen her fully
dressed, clasped her hands together and beamed. “Oh my goodness, don’t you look
beautiful.”

“Only because you did such a fine job with
my hair.”
Ellie patted one of the elegant combs. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re a natural beauty, my dear, but if I helped, I’m
glad.” Cook held out the rose. “Your beau sent you this.”

Ellie melted. No one had ever given her a flower. She held
to her nose and inhaled deeply of its fragrance. “My beau,” Ellie whispered.
“Doesn’t that sound perfect?”

“You best hurry,” Cook admonished. “Ty just pulled the buggy
up to the back porch and your Pa is sittin’ outside in his rocker. I can’t wait
to see the look on their faces.”

“Me either,” Ellie said, grabbing her ivory-colored woolen
wrap from the bed. She adjusted her petticoats and took one last hitch at the
unfamiliar corset. “Let’s go.”

She followed the woman out of the room, but made a quick stop
at the full-length mirror. Even she had to gasp in surprise at her reflection.
Was that really her? Maybe Pa had a point about being a lady.

Cook walked out onto the porch, but Ellie paused for a
moment in the kitchen to take a deep breath. This was it. She exhaled and
stepped outside, hoping she looked as captivating as she felt.

“Lord a mercy,” Ben exclaimed, slapping his knee. His mouth
gaped then spread into a broad smile.

Ty whistled. “Ellie, you look beautiful.”

She smiled and pivoted around, allowing especially her
father to have a full inspection. “Well, what do you think now, Pa? Can you
tell I’m a female?”

“You look so much like yer ma.” His voice cracked and he
lowered his head. He quickly swiped at his eyes.

Ellie bent and hugged him. “That’s the nicest compliment I
could have wished for.” She brushed aside a tear of her own.

“A rose for a Rose.”
Ty held up a
second slightly wilted offering.

Ellie accepted it with a smile. “It’s lovely, as was the
other. Thank you.”

“We’d better get on the road.” Ty hitched at his collar then
took her hand and led her to the buggy.

“Yeah, you two get going, and have a wonderful time.” Ben
stood and walked to the edge of the porch with Ellie. “But be careful,” he
added.

Ellie turned and handed the other rose to Cook. “Please put
this one in water for me, too. It was given to me by someone very special.” She
whirled and smiled at Ty, and with his help, she stepped up into the carriage.

Trying to squeeze her crinolines into the seat, she grumbled.
“Looking ladylike is a lot more work than you think.”

Ty lowered his head, but his chuckling was clearly audible.

“You should try wearing this outfit,” she snipped, arranging
her petticoats. “I’d like to see how well you move about.”

He looked up with a grin. “Well, I doubt I could fill out
that dress as stunningly as you do, and since you made the effort to look so
darn pretty, can we just go and have a nice time?”

She bit her lip at his flattering response. “Sorry, my
temper gets the best of me sometimes, but then I’m sure you know that, and yes,
I’ve so been looking forward to tonight. She smoothed her skirt then rested her
hands in her lap. “I’m ready, and I promise I’ll be nice.”

“Wait a minute,” Cook called, disappearing back into the
house. In a few moments she reappeared carrying a heavy quilt. “Take this. It’s
going to be a cold ride home.” She handed the cover to Ellie then hugged
herself against the late afternoon chill. “I swear I can smell snow in the
air.”

Ty walked to the other side, climbed aboard and picked up
the reins. He clucked, “Gee up,” at Pa’s dappled mare.

The buggy lurched forward toward the gate. Ellie leaned out
the side and waved back to the two special people on the porch, and then with a
happy sigh, turned back to Ty and smiled.

“I’m so excited.”

Her mind immediately began to whir, and she found herself
lost in a mental rehearsal of dance steps to avoid tangling her feet in her
dress hem or even worse, stepping on his polished toes.

Chapter Fourteen

The buggy ride along Bon Air trail was much rougher than
Ellie recalled. Every rut and bump in the road tightened another corset stay.
She much preferred the soft camisole she wore everyday to being trussed up like
a Thanksgiving turkey.

“Danged female trappings,” she mumbled, giving a subtle yank
at the binding garment.

“Did you say something?” Ty asked, tilting his head and
glancing over at her.

“No, at least nothing that bears repeating. I’m so anxious
to get to the dance. Wasn’t the last one at Bon Air Springs in April? Isn’t
that a wondrous hotel? I can’t believe how many guests come to spend the summer
there.” Without giving him a chance to answer, she rambled on. “And it seems
like it’s been ages since I’ve seen any of my friends.”

“And here I thought you were excited about being in my
company,” Ty teased.

She rested her hand on his arm. “Being with you is the best
part, but you can’t fault me for wanting to show you off to the other girls.”

Her compliment appeared to have left him speechless. It
almost looked like his face had turned a little bit red. The silence became
awkward and she searched her mind for something to say.

“I especially can’t wait to see the look on Clare Smith’s
face. She believes she’s the answer to every man’s prayer. Of course, maybe
it’s because she has so many of them chasing after her.”

Ty took his eyes from the road long enough to glance over at
Ellie. “I highly doubt Clare Smith is gonna hold a candle to Miz Roselle
Fountain tonight.”

Ellie’s heart skipped a beat and a smile blossomed on her lips.
She edged closer to him, daring to be bold. He turned again and smiled, and
suddenly even the discomfort from the corset paled in comparison to the
euphoric feeling of Ty’s evident adoration. Surely they would be the best
looking couple at the dance.

A sudden cold breeze whipped through the buggy. Ellie
shivered, unfolded her wrap, and pulled it around her shoulders. Drawn by the
lingering aroma of Ty’s soapy-clean scent, she snuggled up to him. The sun had
dropped below the trees lining the trail, and a sudden chill iced the air.

She watched the familiar landscape and knew within a short
time they would be in Sparta. With a glance at the quilt on the seat next to
her, she whispered a silent “thank you” to Cook. The ride home would indeed be
a frosty one.
All the more reason to cozy up to Ty.

He reined the mare to a stop in front of the town hall. The
street was already full of other horse-drawn buggies and saddled steeds. The
sounds of guitars and fiddles created festive music easily heard from inside.
Ellie wanted to leap out of the buggy and dash in, but for propriety’s sake,
she sat and waited for Ty to secure the mare to the hitching rail and come to
help her down.

Recalling how difficult it was to get into the buggy, she
appreciated the assistance to keep from falling flat on her face…or on her
backside.

Ty offered his hand, and Ellie leaned forward and into his
waiting arms. He held her for a little longer than necessary, but she didn’t
mind. Her pulse quickened as she slid down the length of him, reveling in the
feel of his warm breath washing over her face and his eyes connecting with
hers. Her feet touched the ground, but her heart soared.

Ty backed away, crooked his elbow and offered his arm. “We
best get inside and enjoy the fun.”

Ellie locked her arm through his and they strolled inside.

The warm air within the hall felt good, especially on her
freezing cheeks. She loosened her wrap, as her eyes scanned the room. Along the
front wall, long tables filled with a myriad of good home cooking beckoned to
the hungry. Festive pumpkins and gourds decorated the tops where pies, cakes,
cookies, rolls, smoked hams and poke salads, all looking and smelling
wonderful, were tastefully displayed.

Ellie’s desire for socializing was stronger than her
appetite, and she searched for familiar faces, preferring a good chat over a
piece of cake. Far across the room and barely visible above a crowd of people,
her good friend, Betty Jo Warner, waved to her.

“Oh look,” Ellie cooed, pointing to the corner. “There’s
Betty Jo, and oh,” her voice turned icy cold, “and Clare Smith.” Within a split
second, Ellie’s mood lightened again. Her distaste quickly forgotten, she
clapped her hands. “Isn’t this a great turn out?”

“Sure is,” Ty replied, hanging his hat and coat with all the
others on the wall, while ogling the food. The look on his face displayed a
longing to partake, but Ellie dragged him across the hall to where her friends
gathered. It took a lot of polite pushing, nudging and elbowing to get through
the throng of people.

“Hey everyone,” Ellie called out, as she gave Betty Jo a
quick hug, and then turned her attention to the others. “You all remember, Ty
Bishop, our ranch foreman and my escort for the evening. Ty this is Betty Jo,
Celia, Sassy, and of course, Clare.”

Ellie drew a tighter grasp on his arm and beamed as she
noticed the surprised look on Clare Smith’s snippy face. Sparta’s belle of the
ball appeared stunned. Even in her perfect ivory gown, most likely specially
made to fit her body like a glove, Ellie had bested her.

Clare’s pasty-faced companion for the evening was no match
for Ty. Ellie felt proud to be on the arm of one of the most handsome men in
the place, and he was all hers. She found it hard to mask her gloating grin.

Betty Jo fingered the material of Ellie’s skirt. “Your dress
is beautiful, and your hair is divine.”

“Thank you,” Ellie said, spinning around to showcase her
prized find. “I planned on making a dress, but ran out of time. I found this at
the mercantile. Can you believe it?”

She surveyed Betty Jo’s pale yellow gown trimmed with
eyelet. It accented a trim waist and full bosom. “You look wonderful, too,”
Ellie commented, and gave appreciative nods to Celia and Sassy, as well.

Betty Jo’s shoulder-length blonde hair shone like spun gold
and her brown eyes sparkled with excitement. If not for her noticeable
overbite, she would be very attractive. Unfortunately she was quite aware of
the flaw and constantly held a hand to hide it.

Nonetheless, it appeared that one of Sparta’s young men
didn’t mind at all and had taken a fancy to her. He didn’t seem to want to
wander too far away. Ellie was about to ask his name when Ty cleared his
throat.

He tugged uncomfortably at his collar and fidgeted. Ellie
locked her arm back through his, hoping to make him feel more comfortable. She
was just starting to speak when Clare interrupted.

“How on earth did you snag such a handsome fellow, Ellie?”

She felt the back of her neck bristle. She forced a smile
and said nothing, refusing to react to Clare’s subtle insult.

Ellie’s smile faded as she flashed back to the moment when
she found out Pa had put him up to it. Clare certainly didn’t need to know
that. Ty really did want to be here with her, didn’t he?

“It is quite a surprise to see you here with Mr. Bishop,”
Clare interjected. “I thought you might be coming with…oh what’s his name…that
red-headed fellow at the mercantile?”

Ellie’s jaw tightened. “I–”

“How about a dance, Ellie?”
Ty
pulled her toward the crowded dance floor and out of hearing range of the
others. “I sensed another little flare of red-headed temper building. I thought
this might be the perfect time to waltz.”

Ellie giggled. “You know me too well. That—that floozy makes
me so mad. She thinks she’s…”

All thoughts of Clare vanished the moment Ty’s arm snaked
around Ellie’s waist and reeled her in. Somehow Clare wasn’t important at the
moment. Ellie placed one hand on Ty’s shoulder and clasped his waiting one with
her other, wanting to melt against him like she did when they kissed.

Instead, she assumed a stance that maintained a proper space
between them, easily following his steps to the melodic tune. She was very
aware of his arms around her, of his freshly laundered shirt, and that same
fresh smell of soap on his face she had noticed in the buggy. Her mind drifted
to their shared kiss and her hope for a repeat performance

Lordy, the room was hot. Everything feminine in her cried
out to be caressed. Forgetting propriety, she inched nearer, feeling his arm
tighten around her waist. As they waltzed past Clare, Ellie cast a smug smile,
and then boldly rested her cheek on Ty’s broad shoulder. Let them talk. She
planned to enjoy herself.

“May I cut in?” A deep voice asked.

Ty halted mid-step. Ellie raised her head to see Jeb Bryant.

“No, you may not,” Ty responded brusquely as he continued
the dance.

“Is big bad Tyler Bishop afraid I might steal his lady?” Jeb
taunted.

Ellie quickly pulled away from Ty, and glared up at Jeb.
“No, his lady would rather two-step with a polecat than dance with you. Now if
you don’t mind…”

She repositioned herself in Ty’s arms and they waltzed away,
leaving Jeb with his mouth agape.