No Place for a Lady (18 page)

"You're looking pretty dashing yourself," she said.

"Do you have a wrap, Crystal? It will be a little cooler when
it gets late"

"Oh, could you just step inside the door? My woolen shawl is
hanging on the rack:"

He retrieved her shawl and settled her in the buggy before
taking his seat beside her and clicking to the horses. She waved
to Curly and Jube when they passed the bunkhouse and saw Luke
and Rusty out of the corner of her eye as they walked up from
the barn. They had all cleaned up and were fixing to saddle up to
leave for the party. Curly whistled shrilly, and she turned around
to blow a kiss at him. They guffawed and watched as the buggy
faded over the hill and out of sight.

Dusk came quickly in the mountains and cast shadows against
the backdrop of spruces and firs, adding velvet gentleness to the
evening air. Josh and Crystal fell into an easy conversation on
the ride to Rocking M Ranch. She found that he was easy to talk
with, and she enjoyed his conversation.

"I should have been over sooner, but I wanted to give you some
time to yourself after Kate's death;' he said.

At the mention of Kate's name, Crystal's smile faded. "I miss her
terribly. She was such a good person. More like a second mother
to me. It's hard for me to understand why this had to happen. I
miss her so'

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring this up to make you feel
sad. Let's change the subject. Do you think you'll stay or return
to Georgia?"

"For the moment, I am going to stay, josh. I just need to think
about what I'm going to do. Even if I went back to Georgia, I'm
not certain what I would do or where I could stay."

Crystal saw him swallow hard and his Adam's apple bob when
she used his Christian name. He covered her hand with his and
said, "I'll be right here if you have need of assistance, or if I can
help you with the ranch in any way."

"Thanks so much." The feel of his hand on hers was warm and
reassuring and not unwelcome, and she squeezed back. "Luke
and I should be able to handle the ranch now."

Josh pulled back sharply at the mention of Luke's name. "I
would be delighted to teach you the particulars of ranching"

Crystal smiled. "To tell you the truth, Rusty is going to teach
me what I need to know, but thank you, josh. It's sweet of you
to offer:"

By the time Crystal and josh arrived, the party was already
under way, and strains of a waltz floated on the cool night air.
Crystal stared with incredulity at the enormity of the house at the
Rocking M Ranch. It was a grand, two-story structure of Victorian
architecture with porches delicately trimmed in gingerbread scroll
and painted a bright yellow-at least as near as she could tell by the
burning gaslights on the veranda. The front lawn was filled with
beautiful shrubs and studded with statuary. Amidst the garden were
heavy wrought-iron benches placed here and there, which lent a
tactful balance to the landscaping. Bright lights beckoned from
every window, extending warm greetings to the arriving guests.

"Josh, it's so magnificent! I had no idea your home was so
beautiful;' Crystal exclaimed.

"Thank you. It's large enough to house two families with ease;"
he said with obvious pride in his voice.

When they stopped in the circular drive, a groom took charge
of the buggy while another assisted them down. Josh took Crystal's gloved hand and led her inside. April and her father greeted
newcomers in the foyer, where exquisite imported tile covered
the floor. Ornate mirrors and tall green ferns flanked either side
of the massive doorway.

"Good evening, Miss Clark. I hope the ride wasn't too long
or uncomfortable for you;' Jim McBride said. Crystal eyed him
coolly. After their conversation the day of the funeral, she wasn't
sure what to make of him. She intended to take him one day at
a time.

"It was a very pleasant ride, thank you;' she murmured, allowing
him to take her shawl. April was bedecked in a gown the color of
moonlight. With her silvery blonde hair, the gown made her appear ethereal and angelic, and Crystal reminded herself that this
was just an illusion. She wished her happy birthday and added,
"Your gown is lovely, April:"

"Daddy had it made especially for me the last time he was in
Denver. Wasn't that sweet of him?" she gushed.

McBride puffed out his chest, and the buttons threatened to
pop open his gray silk vest. "Nothing's too good for my baby's
birthday." He beamed at April.

The two of them were making Crystal nauseated.

Josh touched her elbow. "Come along, Crystal. Let's get some
refreshments, and I'll introduce you around." Crystal was glad
for an excuse to escape.

Josh guided her toward a large room where the rugs had been removed to allow for dancing. Sounds of laughter filled the room, and
couples swept across the gleaming hardwood floor to the latest tunes being played by a stringed orchestra. From across the room, Emily
and Beth stood talking with Bill Alden, but when they saw Crystal
and josh enter the room, they hurried over to greet them.

"We've been waiting for you." Beth threw a friendly smile to
Josh and Crystal.

"Did you come together?" Emily asked. She glanced around
the room in obvious anticipation.

"Yes, we did. It's so good to see you both. I've been starved
for some female companionship. Since Carmen left, I've been
stuck way out there on the ranch with no one but cowboys, and
I'm starting to talk to myself out loud." Crystal laughed.

"Well ... some can be quite nice to talk to" Emily replied, a
sharp edge to her voice.

Knowing she'd hit a nerve, Crystal considered Emily's comment. Who was she looking for? The proverbially charming Luke?
Somehow he didn't seem to fit sweet, shy Emily's demeanor. She
followed Emily's eyes to the entrance. Jube, Kurt, and Curly stood
at the edge of the dancing and surveyed the room. Ah ... just as
I thought. It's Jube she's sweet on.

"I'll get us some punch;' Josh said as he moved toward the huge
silver bowl. "I'm a little thirsty after that ride."

"Such a large party. There must be close to a hundred people
here," Crystal commented to no one in particular.

Emily nodded, her brown curls bobbing. "When McBride
throws a party, he spares no expense"

"Especially when it comes to his precious April;' Beth said after
Josh was out of earshot.

"I thought y'all were good friends:" Crystal arched one eyebrow
in doubt.

"If you want to call it that. April won't let anyone get too close,"
Beth confided. "She likes to boss everyone around, including
Luke"

"Shh ... here comes josh with our punch," Emily warned.

Soon Crystal was pulled onto the crowded dance floor and
once again felt light on her feet. How she loved to dance. It made
her forget all her troubles, and she was caught up in the thrill of
the flirting, the music, and the laughter. This was like a dose of
medicine for her spirit.

In one dance, every few minutes the music would stop, someone would call out "Change partners;' and there would be a
mad rush to grab a new partner. She met a rugged-looking
sheepherder, a Colorado senator, and a wealthy miner up from
Leadville. Each of them in turn reveled at her charm and friendliness. It wasn't long before she found herself in Bill Alden's
arms. His angular body felt bony against her as he tried to
hold her close.

"You look wonderful tonight, Miss Crystal:" Bill's eyes swept
over Crystal with obvious approval. But Crystal kept a space between them and was glad when the song ended.

"Excuse me, please;' she said, extricating her hand from his. She
headed to where Mary Franklin and Sara Johnson were sitting.

"Are you having a good time?" Mary asked.

"Oh, wonderful!" Crystal's eyes swept the dance floor until
she saw Luke with April. She stiffened while she watched the
two of them dancing. His head was bent down toward hers,
almost reaching his shoulder. They made a fine-looking couple. Hot jealousy flashed through her. She sat like a lump of cornmeal through two slow waltzes, refusing offers to dance and
pretending that the two of them did not exist. When she could
no longer sit and watch the way Luke held April, she decided to
seek out Jim McBride. She found him talking with the senator
and John Franklin.

"Pardon me for intruding, but could I speak with you privately,
Mr. McBride?" she said. Her heart pounded.

He cleared his throat. "Certainly. Shall we go into the library?"
He turned to the two men and said, "I won't be but a moment."

She followed him past the dining room and down a hall to an
impressive room lined with books and paintings. He pointed to
a stuffed chair and bade her to have a seat. He sat on the corner
of his desk and, after a pregnant silence, said, "Well? You wish to
discuss something?"

"Mr. McBride, I wasn't aware until today how much my aunt
had borrowed from you. I found the note in her desk. Now I
understand why you wanted to buy me out." She swallowed hard.
Her mouth always turned dry when she became nervous. After
all, what did she know about running a cattle ranch?

"Yes, sad to say, the blizzard of '87 was hard on us all. Many of
the smaller ranchers went under. But since my property joined
Kate's, I felt an obligation to at least help her out. I tried to buy
Aspengold, but she adamantly refused and said shed get the money
somewhere. I loaned her the money with a promise that it would
be paid off in December of this year. I was very generous, giving
her five years to come up with the money."

Crystal wasn't taken in by his bragging tone. "I think you knew
she wouldn't be able to come up with the money, and now you want the property that meant so much to my aunt and uncle,
particularly since it adjoins yours near the Blue River:'

"What do you propose to do with the debt that you've now
inherited, Miss Clark?" He looked at her with his brown eyes
glinting-or were they mocking? An extension of a loan couldn't
make that much difference to one so wealthy, could it?

Crystal finally found her voice. "I need more time. I am going to
see that the cattle get to market. I'll pay you back with interest:'

"You seem mighty sure of yourself for someone who doesn't
know one end of a steer from the other;' he said.

"I'm a fast learner, Mr. McBride. Just sit back and watch me"
She stood up to leave.

"Good luck. Just remember, end of December, Aspengold will
belong to me if you don't play your cards right. I know josh is
already sweet on you, but that won't hold water with me. That
you can count on!" He showed her the door. Her face flamed
hotly under his gaze.

"I would never use josh to keep Aspengold"

"Yes, he's kindhearted to a fault." Crystal could see the small
muscle in his jaw flinch, indicating that he found this whole conversation irritating. She stormed down the hall, so angry that she
ran straight into Rusty.

"Whoa there! Where you rushing to?" He steadied her arm.

"Rusty, walk with me outside a moment please." She looked
around for the nearest door.

Rusty led the way to a bench away from the house. She told
him of the loan and conversation that had just taken place with
McBride.

"I don't trust him. I never have;' Rusty said. "He has always wanted Kate's land. Some people just never have enough money
and wealth" His weathered eyes looked back at hers with concern.
"We'll make it. This year will be a good one for us. Next week I'm
gonna give you some quick training about all there is to know
about ranching, little missy." He clasped her hand with his rough,
callused one, and Crystal could feel his strength.

"I don't know what I'd do without you or Luke. I may have bit
off more than I can chew this time:" She sighed.

"Now don't you go worrying your pretty little head. Things will
work themselves out. We should have a decent roundup this fall,
and we'll wait until just the right time to get the cattle to market.
Fatten those dogies up, and if we're lucky the price of beef will go
up too:" He sounded so convincing that Crystal could only hope
he would be right.