No Place for a Lady (6 page)

Crystal saw Curly acknowledge them as he spurred his horse
forward, reining in alongside them on the edge of the pasture.
He mopped his freckled face with his bandana, spat a stream of
tobacco, and crossed his wrists over the pommel of the saddle,
grinning at Crystal. "So, what do you think of Aspengold so far,
Miss Clark?"

"I'm impressed, Curly. But please, don't be so formal. You can
call me Miss Crystal." Her voice was cheerful.

"Be my pleasure, ma'am." He tipped his hat, then turned to Luke.
"I've been rounding up strays. They're getting purty fat. Reckon
we'll get a good price for these steers in Denver?"

Crystal saw the admiration in Curly's eyes and how he hung
on to everything Luke said as they talked. It seemed that Luke affected everyone that way. Kate had told her that the cowpunchers
admired and respected him. He had a way of conveying to even
the youngest and most unskilled hands that they were all worth
something to him.

Coming from the other side of the pasture, Kurt waved his hat in greeting at Crystal. Luke's eyes narrowed, and he said, "I
better get you out of their sight, Crystal, or I'll never get a lick of
work out of em"

"See ya at supper, Miss Crystal," Curly said. He doffed his hat
and quickly galloped off, leaving dust in his wake.

Crystal and Luke stopped in an aspen grove and had lunch.
She had never seen so many wildflowers blooming in one spot.
As they munched on thick slices of roast with hearty chunks of
bread, Luke told her the names of the flowers-lupines, mountain
laurels, columbines, and asters. He surprised her at his knowledge.
Crystal was pleased that he would bother to learn them and figured
he must have a tender side. After sweet strawberries for dessert,
Crystal complained of a headache.

`Altitude affects most people that way until their body gets
used to breathing thinner air:' Luke didn't act concerned about
it. "It might take a few weeks for you to adjust"

The way she was feeling, Crystal wasn't sure she ever would.

By late afternoon they were back at the ranch, and Crystal felt
like her head was going to split in half. She was hot, tired, and
thirsty. Luke had to help her down from Bess's back and half carry
her to the porch.

"Miss Crystal! Can't you stand up? I reckon this fine Colorado
air just don't agree with Southern gentility."

The sarcasm in his voice was just enough to set Crystal's teeth on edge. "Go ahead! Just leave me alone to die right here on the
porch" She could still hear him laughing as he left the porch and
led the horses to the barn.

Over his shoulder he yelled, "Carmen will take care of you!"

Carmen scurried out to help Crystal inside to her bedroom,
took off the brogans, and loosened her shirt. "You just lie right
there, and I'll bring you something cool to drink and something
for that headache. Poor thing"

When Crystal didn't appear at supper, Luke and the other hands
were disappointed. Kate explained to all of them that they'd have
to remember that Crystal was not used to the altitude.

"Tenderfoot, all right;' Luke commented. "Just gonna get in
the way here with the trail drive an' all:'

Kate shot him a quizzical look. "Crystal is strong, like my sister
Anne was, in spite of all her fluff and outward appearance, I'll
have you know."

Luke felt a little rebuffed by Kate. It rankled him that it even
mattered to him in the first place, and he tried to put Crystal
out of his mind. He had too many things to think about to let a
female get in his way.

The morning light bathed Crystal's face in warmth, waking her to
the realization that she must have slept through the night. Carmen had left a glass of water next to the bed for her. The headache
was gone, but she was still very thirsty. She stretched and reached
for her wrap, groaning as every muscle protested with soreness.
What must the others be thinking? Lazy Southern belle used to
sleeping late and whiling away the hours. Crystal smiled. Actually,
that wasn't too far from the truth. She washed her face and pinned
her long hair up. She was determined that she would earn their
respect, but how, she wasn't sure.

Life in Georgia had been rather dull, she admitted. There were
the same faces, same humdrum dinner parties with no real direction in her life. Flirting with the most eligible bachelors in Atlanta
had been fun. The men had vied for her attention, but Drew had
all but told her they would have a life together. She cared for Drew,
but there was no real passion, no inner spark that made her look
forward to their next meeting. Maybe those were just dreams of
what love was supposed to be like.

She wanted the same kind of love that her parents had had. Her heart grew heavy when she thought about them, but she
remembered God's promise that she would see them again. She
took great comfort in that, and it gave her peace of mind. Without
it, she knew she had no hope at all.

Crystal donned a full skirt the color of a ripened peach,
trimmed with gray piping, and a pristine white pleated blouse.
She grimaced at her reflection in the mirror. She wished she were
tall like Kate.

The jingling of spurs drew her attention to the front porch, and
she pulled back the curtain just as Kate and Luke walked into the
yard, talking about the trail drive.

"We should plan on movin' em out in the next few weeks,
while the weather is in our favor," Luke told Kate as he rolled his
lariat into a neat spiral.

"Better hire on a few more hands then. I'm going to Steamboat. Why don't you come along and see who you can find?"
Kate turned in time to see Crystal at the window and waved at
her to join them.

Crystal threw her wrap around her shoulders and went outside. Luke turned, shifting his weight to one side with his hand
on his hip. She couldn't see his face and was glad that his hat was
slung low.

"Mornin', glory," Luke said with a lopsided smile. "Did you get
your beauty rest?"

Crystal controlled the urge to snap back at him. "Yes, I did. I
feel refreshed and ready to tackle the day."

"Good." Kate shaded her eyes from the sun with one hand.
"How'bout riding with us to Steamboat for supplies this morning?"

"I'd love to"

Crystal could see Luke's moustache twitching at the corner of
his mouth. She felt sure her answer had surprised him.

"All right then. Better hustle and grab some grub. Rusty's hitching the buckboard" Kate motioned in the direction of the barn.
"We'll be there waiting for you:"

Crystal hurried back inside to eat a biscuit and wash it
down with a quick cup of coffee, then dashed back out to meet
them.

The ride to Steamboat Springs seemed to take much less time
than Crystal's first ride from town. It was a crystal clear morning
with a cloudless sky. Thimbleberry shrubs grew profusely along
the road, their white flowers giving rise to red berries. Indian
paintbrush dotted the summer landscape, and asters prospered.

They bumped and rattled their way up the trail, but Crystal
didn't mind because she was going to town. Since the train depot
was on the edge of Steamboat, Crystal hadn't gotten a good look
at the shops the day she first arrived. She looked over at Luke,
who was riding alongside the wagon on his horse, Buck. Even
in the saddle he was tall. He held the reins in his hand, clicked
through his teeth to Buck, and guided him with gentle pressure
on the reins. She stared at his profile. His thin, pointed nose; his
dark, trimmed moustache; and his worn hat, curled at the sides
with a sloping crease at the crown, created a pleasing image for
Crystal. Today he had chosen a black leather tight-fitting vest,
unbuttoned, and a red chambray shirt that complemented his
dark good looks.

Luke must have felt her eyes boring holes through him because
he turned to look at her. She forced herself to look away.

To Luke's way of thinking, her choice of clothing wasn't practical, with her stiff white blouse and dainty slippers of gray to
match the trim of her dress. In place of her lace parasol, she wore
a hat the size of a boulder with wide peach sashes that dwarfed
her slight frame. A gold locket hanging from her delicate neck
nestled on her ample bosom and winked up at Luke while the
sun's heat beat down. If she thought those things on her feet would
carry her through the muddy streets of Steamboat, she was in
for a surprise.

"I'm glad I'm not a woman trying to impress the opposite sex;'
Luke grunted.

Kate shot him a quizzical look. Luke responded with one of
his incongruous grins.