Whispers of Moonlight (6 page)

"I can't believe the wildflowers here," Rebecca said for the second time. "I've never seen anything like them. What is this, Travis?" She was pointing to a tall-stemmed flower with a bright purple bloom.

"I don't know," he had to admit. "I haven't lived in Colorado Territory that long."

Rebecca looked surprised. "I thought you'd lived here for years, like my father. Where did you come from?"

"I've lived most of my life in Texas, but I was born in North Carolina."

"North Carolina? Why, we were practically neighbors!"

Travis smiled. "I never dreamed I'd be on a walk with the girl next door."

Rebecca's face grew suddenly serious. "Is that what we're doing, Travis, walking?"

It was exactly what they were doing, but he understood the deeper question. He stopped now and stared at her. He'd never seen such huge brown eyes, and her skin made his hands ache to touch her.

"When a man like me meets a girl like you, Rebecca, he asks himself what he has to offer. The answer I had to give myself was not very encouraging."

Rebecca stared back at him. She wanted to say that it didn't matter. She longed to tell him that she'd live anywhere but felt she'd already been bold enough.

"What part of Texas?"

"Amarillo," Travis told her with a certain measure of regret. He too wanted to discuss the other subject, but what more was there to say?

"I've never been to Texas. What did you do there?"

"I worked as a hand, much like I do now." He answered her calmly enough, but the mask that suddenly dropped over his face told her to let the matter rest. If Aunt Hannah had witnessed her conversation with one of the ranch hands, it would have given the woman vapors, but Rebecca was only more fascinated and attracted than ever with the good-looking and mysterious Travis Buchanan. None of the men Rebecca had known in
the past had even remotely measured up.

She had never felt this way, so delighted and miserable at the same time. Suddenly she remembered that Travis had been at the Double Star only a short time and asked herself if he might just be passing through. It wasn't that she wanted to leave her father, but she knew how torn she would be if Travis were to leave the ranch.

I'll go with him,
she spoke rashly to herself.
I'll go and be by his side. I'll keep his house, cook for him, and
—Rebecca's resolve came to a firm halt. Her aunt had pampered her something terrible.

You're going to have all the things I never had, Rebecca,
she would say, and Rebecca, lonely for her father and living in her dream world, would smile and feel content. But now, now that she wanted to be with Travis and take care of him, she wished she'd overridden her aunt's protests and learned to work around the house. She couldn't even cook or bake. Lavena had shown her how to dust her bedroom upstairs, but Rebecca had seen that she was slowing the busy housekeeper down.

"I guess we'd better get back," Travis broke into her thoughts. Rebecca turned without comment and walked by his side. Travis could tell that she was deep in thought, but he had his own musings to deal with.

They were back at the house in less time than cither of them expected, and Travis removed his hat to say good night. They stood in the dim
entryway and looked at each other for a long time. Both felt that things were unresolved, but neither knew how to fix them. However, one thing was very clear: They both still cared, and emotions were riding them hard. Travis let his eyes roam her face until his gaze centered on her lips. Rebecca's mouth parted in anticipation, and indeed, Travis would have kissed her had they not heard a noise from behind the study door.

"Good night. Miss Rebecca," Travis said abruptly, turning away.

"Good night, Travis," she answered him, and watched as he turned. Not until he had knocked on the door and disappeared inside did she remember her fears. She went into her room, but didn't ready for bed. She paced until she heard her father's steps in the hall.

"Sit down, Travis," Andrew bade him warmly. Guilt washed over the younger man.
I'd have taken advantage of your daughter tonight if I'd been given half a chance, yet you trust me to keep company with her.
It felt odd to Travis to be contemplating kissing a girl one minute and then sitting calmly with her father the next.

"Did you see the rider who came in this afternoon, Travis?" Andrew asked without preamble.

"Yes, I did. Is there trouble?"

"It's Grady. He's laid up in Denver. He wasn't foolish enough to send money with the man, but I'm starling to worry about both Grady and the money. He didn't take any of the regular hands with him, and anything could have happened. I haven't seen a one of them, and Grady's not a kid anymore."

"What can I do?"

The question was just enough to tip the scales in Travis' favor.

"I want you to ride to Denver. I realize you may get snowed out, but I need you to see after Grady
and
my gold. I don't relish the idea of acting as my own foreman, but I don't trust any of the other hands to go to Denver or act in your stead here."

Travis nodded. He'd rather not leave Rebecca right now, but maybe some time away from her was just what he needed.

"When would you like me to leave?"

"I know tomorrow is Sunday, but I think you'd better hit the trail. I suspect it's going to be a cold ride."

"All right." Travis stood. "If that's all, I'd better get some rest."

Andrew stood as well. "I'm not going to ask you if you'll be back, because I know that that little girl upstairs is worth far more than any gold Grady has for me."

Travis' hat was headed to the top of his head, and its movement slowed only a mite. He carefully put the hat in place and then turned to look his employer in the eye.

"I was hoping to talk to you about that."

"All right."

Travis cleared his throat. He'd been given an opening but didn't know where to begin. He coughed again and stared at
the toe of his boot. Rebecca's face swam into view, and Travis found the courage to say, "I don't have anything to offer her."

"That's the least of my worries," Andrew told him. "As much as I worried about my sister spoiling her, she doesn't seem overly concerned with jewels and finery."

Travis still shook his head. "I don't even have a place to live, and my family—"

Travis stopped when Andrew's hand went in the air.

"You're worrying about things that don't exist," Andrew said cryptically. "Go and see to Grady and know that your job is waiting when you return."

Travis stared at the older man for a moment but could read only honest straightforwardness in his eyes. He was forced to take him at his word.

"Good night, sir."

"Good night, Travis," Andrew spoke, and after picking up the lantern, followed him out. He was almost to his bedroom door when he heard Rebecca's voice.

"Papa?"

"I thought you'd be in bed," he spoke softly as he walked to her door. The lantern showed that she was still dressed and worried to boot.

"Is everything all right. Papa?"

"Everything is fine, Reba. I'm sending Travis away, but only for a time."

Rebecca had a sudden fear. "But what if he doesn't return? What if he never comes back?"

Andrew laid a hand on her cheek. "Now there you are, just like Travis, worrying over things
that haven't happened."

"Oh, Papa," Rebecca didn't understand what he could be talking about.

"Go to bed, Reba. Your father's not going to do anything to hurt you. Just go to bed, and trust me when I tell you that Travis will be back just as soon as he can,"

Travis turned the collar of his coat up a little bit higher, pushed his hat down a little lower, and asked himself how he'd managed to get into this adventure. His whole plan had been to hunker in somewhere for the winter, yet here he was on the trail. There was no snow, but the temperature made the heat of summer seem like a long-ago dream. And all the time, Rebecca's sweet smile and dark eyes lingered in his mind.

Andrew had been in the stable the next morning, giving him money for the road and all the information Grady had sent him, but he saw no sign of Rebecca. He had no idea which bedroom was hers, but his eyes lingered on every window as he rode from the house. He saw no movement, and it wasn't many yards later
that he'd forced himself to look at the road ahead.

Now he was dropping into a small settlement that appeared to have only four businesses and half as many houses. He wasn't even certain he could find a room for the night. He was aching for cleanliness and solitude, things a man usually had to pay dearly for, but tonight he hoped only for a hot plate of food and a place out of the cold. He'd been on the road for only two days, but it was beginning to feel like years.

Rebecca wandered around the room, not really seeing the solid wood furniture or the painting of the Rocky Mountains that hung above the huge stone fireplace. The living room was one of her favorite places in the whole house, but today she couldn't
see a thing. The rug beneath her feet had been sent from back East and nearly covered the huge floor. The pattern was intricate, the color a mixture of rich blues and greens, but Rebecca didn't notice. Travis had been gone a month, and Rebecca was convinced that he was never coming back. It hadn't snowed yet, but the air was cold and she just knew that he was frozen somewhere. Rebecca was miserable and had convinced herself that the only thing that could comfort her would be to see Travis.

"Rebecca." Lavena had come to the edge of the room. "Did you want to help me with these cookies?"

Rebecca moved slowly away from the window. "All right, Lavena. I'll help."

The housekeeper rolled her eyes but didn't comment.
You'd think she's gonna die, the way she carries on,
she thought ungraciously, but she wasn't really angry. She led the way into the kitchen and pushed a large bowl across the table.

"Now, just a spoonful at a time, you hear?"

"All right, Lavena."

The live-in cook watched Rebecca load dough onto the pan and then turned away. The week before she'd forgotten Rebecca couldn't cook and left her on
her own. The cookies had been the size of horses' hooves and raw in the middle. Not even Biscuit had wanted them, and in
Lavena's opinion that man had no taste at all.

"Where's Papa?" Rebecca suddenly asked.