Tracie Peterson - [Desert Roses 01] (9 page)

“Time to mount up,” Luke called.

Valerie walked toward the group with Joel on her heel. “We haven’t concluded our discussion on this matter,” he whispered. “We’ll talk about this more tonight.”

“I have plans tonight,” Valerie said with a candied sweetness she didn’t feel. “They don’t include you.”

She hurried away from him without giving him so much as a backward glance. Once she was ready to tell Joel everything she knew about him and put her cards on the table, so to speak, he’d back away quick enough. There was no way he’d want to marry a woman who could put him in prison. Or worse yet, see him get the electric chair.

Luke finished caring for the mules and yawned. He was glad they’d made it to the canyon floor without any mishaps. Given Miss Winthrop’s interest in him, Luke had feared she might well endanger them both. She insisted on being next to him whenever possible, boring him with her tales of New York or other big cities. She clearly had designs on him, but for what purpose, Luke wasn’t entirely sure. He’d thought midway through the day that her actions were nothing more than a scheme to make Harper jealous, but that didn’t appear to be the case.

The crisp chill of the night air revived Luke momentarily, but it only served to remind him of his dilemma. He loved his life in the canyon, but he longed for something more—to make a life with Alex, to own his own land, and support his family working for himself. Luke looked upward to the heavens. The sky seemed a million miles away down here.

Lord, I don’t know what to do with my life. I want to be a credit to you, but there are a lot of things that I don’t understand
. He thought of Alex and her mother. He wouldn’t mind having Mrs. Keegan move in with him after he and Alex married. She was a good woman—kind, considerate,
even tempered. Still, it wasn’t the most perfect way to think of starting married life.

If taking Mrs. Keegan into his home was the price for getting Alex as a wife, Luke knew he’d gladly pay it. The only problem was convincing Alex they were right for each other.

Deciding to call it a night, Luke headed back to the cabin he’d share with Clancy. It was smaller and less fashionable than the tourist cabins, but it was a roof over their heads. What he really wanted was a hot bath, but he figured that would have to wait until he was back on the rim.

Phantom Ranch had been designed by Mary Colter at the request of the Harvey Company. The company had been bringing tourists to the canyon floor for years, but they needed proper accommodations for overnight stays. Miss Colter had seen to that. Luke had honestly never met a feistier woman than Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter. The woman had more energy than six grown men and worked with details like an artist might when creating a painting. And in some ways, that’s exactly what she’d done. She’d created an artist’s rendering of a canyon ranch, with a large native-stone building and smaller cabins. There was a wonderful dining hall where folks could share a meal and their tales of the trail. There was even a recreational hall for those who still had energy to spend after the ride down. The cabins were designed with two beds, a desk and chair, and a fireplace. The finishing touch on the cabin was a large Indian rug on the floor in front of the fireplace. It was simple, yet stately, in a rustic fashion.

Mary Colter had been very particular about her design, as she was with anything she put her hand to. Luke had to admire that. He admired even more that she’d made the journey down on mule back for the opening celebration the previous year. At the age of fifty-three, Miss Colter had maintained a grace and dignity that many women half her age failed to show. Nevertheless, if she found any flaw with her creation, she was scathing and ruthless until the matter was resolved to the satisfaction of her perfectionist nature.

Yawning again, Luke opened the door to his cabin and found that someone, probably Clancy, had started a fire. The days could feel like a furnace on the floor of the canyon, but nights were chilly, often cold. Flames danced on the logs in the fireplace, warming the room and bathing it in a cheery glow. Luke fully expected to see Clancy sound asleep in his bed, but he wasn’t there. In fact, the bed hadn’t been touched.

Tossing his hat onto the peg behind the door, Luke stretched and went to where a pitcher of water and a bowl awaited him on a small stand. He took up a washcloth, poured a bit of water into the bowl, and began to strip away the dust of the day. Bending over the bowl, he poured more water atop his head and scrubbed momentarily to free his hair of the dust and sweat. He finished washing, stripping off his shirt and neckerchief. He rinsed out the neckerchief, but merely shook out the shirt and hung it over the back of the chair. The Harvey Company expected their employees to be well groomed, no matter the setting.

Sitting on his bed, Luke pulled off his boots and stretched his toes. He couldn’t decide whether to wash out his socks in the already dirty water or just let them go. It wasn’t like anyone was going to see them.

“It’ll keep,” he told the room and reached down to move his boots to the end of the bed. Standing, Luke had just started to unbuckle his belt when he froze in motion at the sound of a woman’s scream.

The first scream sounded like a cross between laughter and hysteria. The second scream, however, flooded his cabin as a scantily gowned Valerie Winthrop burst into his room as if the devil himself were after her.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Alex knew a deep sense of satisfaction at the end of her workday. With Joel Harper and Valerie Winthrop off on an expedition to the bottom of the canyon, she had been reprieved from dealing with the party. Her father had taken the remains of their group, including the senator, into Williams for a night of entertainment. Whatever that meant. Alex found herself simply thankful to have them gone from the canyon.

Relieved of her Winthrop duties, Alex was able to work the dining room and spend more time with Michaela. Throughout the evening, they crossed paths, making comments and laughing at situations that seemed comical. Table five had a psychic who, by tasting everyone’s food, could tell them in turn whether there was good fortune or bad in their future. It also saved the psychic from having to buy a meal. Table three had a honeymooning couple who seemed to hardly notice the food on their plates. Alex found it very amusing when she asked the husband if he’d like dessert and he made eyes at his wife and said he already had the sweetest confection in the world.

Surprisingly energized and happy when her shift was over, Alex made her way to her room and peeled the hot uniform from her body. She chose a simple day dress of light blue cotton for the uniform’s replacement. The dress was well-worn, although not embarrassingly so. Alex was reluctant to spend money on clothes. “I live most of my day in uniform anyway,” she told her reflection as she studied the dress for any unacceptable signs of wear.

The outfit passed scrutiny, although Alex noticed that the white piping around the neckline and elbow-length sleeves had dulled considerably over the years. She wondered if she might be able to take a toothbrush and bluing to the material and lighten it.

Forgetting about her clothing for the time, Alex changed shoes and stockings and decided an evening stroll was in order. The evening was settling into a pleasantly cool temperature with barely a glow of sun still available to see by. She liked this time of night and wished Luke might be around to walk with her to discuss the events of the day and share thoughts on the days to come. The days when Luke led the two-day, overnight tours down to Phantom Ranch were her loneliest. Of course, now that Michaela was back things wouldn’t seem quite so lonely.

Alex moved through the lobby, smiling at the visitors, eavesdropping on their comments. So many people marveled at the canyon’s beauty. The very wealthy always seemed to come in two brands—those who had started with nothing and those who were born with everything. Those who had made their own way to financial security often seemed to care more about the things around them. They seemed to remember their origins and respected life. Those born to wealth often didn’t appreciate what they had or the beauty around them. Of course, there were exceptions in each group.

People from both walks often told her that coming here had made them feel closer to God. Alex knew what they meant. She had fallen in love with the place from the first moment she’d set her gaze upon the multicolored landscape. But she’d also found a deeper commune with God as she spent days walking alone, along well-defined paths. She thought of verses in the Bible where it was noted that Jesus withdrew to lonely places. And even with its throngs of visitors, the canyon bore a certain loneliness to it.

Taking the short hike to Mary Colter’s Lookout, Alex was relieved to see the place void of visitors. Most everyone had gone back to El Tovar to prepare for the next day.

With its rustic fireplace alcove and art room, the Lookout was a popular gathering place. The place had been designed to provide the viewer a good place to take photographs or make sketches of the canyon below. There were several levels
for viewing, giving the visitor the best vantage for sight-seeing. There were even high-powered telescopes atop this scenic overlook that allowed the visitor to look out in more detail across the wide expanse. Alex had tried the telescopes a few times but didn’t like the view as much as watching the scene with the naked eye. She could take in more sights and enjoy the play of the light and shadows—something that seemed greatly inhibited by the telescope.

Heading down the path to the lower viewing station, Alex relished the quiet and took advantage of the moment to pray.
I don’t know what the answers are for the future, Lord. Sometimes the answers seem almost clear—as if I can make out the truth through a veil. But the meaning is just shrouded enough that I can neither move forward nor back. What am I to do?

The wind picked up, moaning slightly through the trees and rock. Alex thought of Luke. He’d once taken her, along with several other Harvey Girls and employees, to the canyon floor on a mule ride. They’d had enormous amounts of fun, but Alex had enjoyed the walk she and Luke had taken that evening even more than the adventurous ride to Phantom Ranch.

As they wandered ancient paths, Luke had told her of Indian legends and folklore. How the Havasupai Indians believed the center of the world was the San Francisco Peaks, just north of Flagstaff. They believed the first people lived near a pool of water under the ground. They also had a flood story, not unlike the Bible’s account of Noah and the ark.

Alex found the stories fascinating. She found Luke even more intriguing. She’d never had a male friend before. Men were liabilities in her life, and she’d never sought after their affections. Luke just seemed to sort of appear in her life and remain.

Funny
, she thought,
I don’t think there’s anything in his nature that puts me ill at ease. If I were to seek a husband, I would want him to be just like Luke Toland
. The thought
startled her. What was this nonsense about a husband? She wasn’t usually given to such whimsy—why now?

“Yoo-hoo! Alex!”

Alex looked back up the rocky path. There was hardly any light to see by, save a bit of a glow from the interior of the Lookout, but Alex recognized Bernice’s voice as she called, “May I join you?”

Alex smiled. “Sure, come ahead.”

Bernice still wore her Harvey uniform, the white apron bearing telltale signs of dinner. “I saw you head this way and . . . well. . . .”

“Is there a problem?” Alex questioned.

“No, not really. Well, maybe. Your father is looking for you. I thought maybe I’d better warn you.”

Alex felt her entire body tense. So much for a restful night. “I thought he was spending the night in Williams. Did he say what he wanted?”

Bernice came down the trail, her red hair bobbing in the breeze. “No, he didn’t say anything much at all. Just wanted to know where you were and demanded that we find you and tell you that he wanted to speak with you. Said he’d be on the north porch for an hour or so.”

“Too bad,” Alex muttered. “He can be there all night for all I care.”

“I didn’t mean to cause you pain,” Bernice replied. “I only hoped to help you avoid confrontation. I thought if you knew where he was, you could keep away from that place.”

Alex had lost all joy in the evening. To the west, storm clouds flickered with hints of lightning. She wondered if it would rain or simply be a dry thunderstorm. Sighing, she shook her head. “I’ll not walk on eggshells just because of my father.”

The wind picked up, moaning again through the rock and trees. Bernice startled at the sound. “Isn’t that just awful?”

Alex lifted her head to catch the sound. “I kind of like it myself. Luke says that on the canyon floor the wind and
the river make music almost like a calliope. I’ve never really heard it myself, but I don’t travel to the bottom all the time like he does.”

Bernice nodded and eyed the western skies. “Looks like we’re in for a rain.”

“This is our wettest month. This and August. Keeps the cycle of life going, I’m sure. I suppose we’d better head back. This thing could roll in rather quickly and we’d be drenched.”