She took a deep breath and added, “I’ll keep trying, Papa. I know that’s what you would have done.”
Patience returned from breakfast eager to work. The first thing Ruby demanded was that she try on several of the gowns.
“But why?” Patience asked.
“Because you are working in my shop now. And I can’t have my customers seeing you in that.” Ruby pointed to the shabby gown and worn boots. “What would they think if we were not properly dressed?”
“But I couldn’t afford even one of your gowns,” Patience protested. “Let alone several.”
“You will earn them,” Ruby said, leading her toward the changing room.
They finally settled on two simple muslins, one pale pink, one buttercup yellow, along with a creamy white pinafore to keep them clean.
Studying her reflection in the looking glass, the young woman was stunned. A chance to earn her keep. And two new gowns. All within the space of a day and night.
When Ruby asked for a sample of her sewing, Patience took up needle and thread and made a variety of stitches on a piece of white fabric. Pleased, Ruby said, “A worthy assistant. I believe Sister Dominique would be impressed. But for now, come and I’ll show you what services we offer our customers.”
When that was done, she took up Millie’s lace table cover and began to sew, all the while watching as Patience began to wait on first one customer, then another.
Not one woman, Ruby noted, was from the town. All were from outlying ranches. Which only proved to her that the women of Hanging Tree still thought of her as an outsider. One unworthy of their patronage.
Another reason to resent Quent Regan. But she couldn’t resent him. She was too busy missing him. And hating herself for such foolish feelings.
Chapter Fifteen
As Jade’s white-and-gilt carriage rolled through the dusty street of Hanging Tree, it caused the usual stir. After all, it was far more suited to the streets of San Francisco. As were the women who rode in it.
Jade brought the matched team of whites to a stop in front of Ruby’s shop. Then she and Diamond and Pearl stepped down.
“My, oh, my. Will you look at that.” Patience stared in openmouthed surprise at the three regal beauties heading toward the shop.
Ruby looked up, then set her sewing aside and hurried to hug her sisters.
“Patience,” she said when she’d greeted them, “I’d like you to meet my sisters, Diamond, Pearl and Jade.”
“How do you do?” Patience couldn’t help staring at these exotic women, who all looked so different from each other.
“Patience works for me,” Ruby explained. “As my assistant.”
That caused the three to study this stranger more closely. Pale yellow hair had been carefully washed and combed. And the neat muslin gown fit her perfectly. It was obviously one of Ruby’s creations.
Satisfied, they turned to Ruby.
“We’ve come to fetch you home,” Pearl announced.
“Carmelita’s fit to be tied,” Diamond said. “She hasn’t been able to sleep, just worrying about you here in town.”
“But I still have so much work to do,” Ruby protested. “With the town social ready to begin, there are many ranchers coming into town, bringing me new customers. And I have only two hands.”
“Then you’ll just have to keep those hands busy sewing at the ranch,” Jade said. “And no arguing. You can’t put Carmelita through another night of worry.”
Reluctantly Ruby nodded. “You’re right, of course. It’s been selfish of me not to think about her.”
“Good. You’ll come with us now?” Diamond asked.
Ruby nodded, then had a sudden thought. “Oui. And I’m bringing Patience along, as well.”
When the girl looked as though she’d refuse, Ruby said, “Now that my sisters have places of their own, the ranch house is practically empty. And Carmelita is always complaining about nobody to cook for. I’d like you to come with me. I promise you’ll enjoy it. Besides, I need you to help with the sewing.”
Patience swallowed, then nodded her head.
“Good.” To her sisters Ruby said, “I’ll take my own rig. It’s been at Neville Oakley’s livery since yesterday morning.”
“Come on, then.” Diamond, whose buckskins looked as though they’d burst if they were stretched any tighter, led the way to the carriage. “You can ride with us as far as the livery.”
“I’ll need a few minutes,” Ruby said as she began to gather up the gowns that still needed tailoring. Patience worked alongside her, gathering up Ruby’s sewing supplies.
When everything was in readiness, they climbed in beside Pearl, Jade and Diamond. Jade flicked the reins.
As soon as they rolled up to the livery, Neville Oakley set aside his bellows and hurried to hitch up Ruby’s horse. A few minutes later he led the horse and cart from the stable.
“Thank you, Mr. Oakley,” Ruby called.
As he helped her into the cart, she said, “This is my assistant, Patience Carter.”
“Hello, Mr. Oakley.” Patience placed her hand in his.
For a moment he seemed robbed of speech at the sight of this frail, delicate creature in the simple gown and worn boots. Then, swallowing, he managed “Ma’am.”
Patience was lifted effortlessly to the seat beside Ruby.
At a flick of the reins, the two carriages rolled out of town. And as they ate up the miles to the Jewel ranch, the air was filled with the sound of women’s voices, laughing, chatting, catching up on each other’s busy lives, and making plans for the big event of the year, the town social.
Along a riverbed far from town, Quent knelt beside his horse and drank.
He’d checked at every ranch. Talked with every wrangler. There had been no reports of stolen horses, no sightings of strangers in the area.
He’d studied the trail for any sign of a makeshift camp and found it remarkably clean.
Why, then, did he have this prickly feeling along his scalp? As though he were being watched.
He got to his feet and stood beside his horse. While he pretended to check the saddle, he studied the surrounding hills. Birds wheeled overhead. A herd of deer moved lazily across a dry gulch. There wasn’t a single thing out of place.
He was a man who’d always relied on his instincts. And right now every instinct was warning of danger.
But where? And who?
He’d come out here for one reason. To make himself a target. He figured if Boyd Barlow was still in the area, he wouldn’t be able to resist the chance for revenge. He’d remained in the open, riding across hills and valleys in plain view. And each night he’d made a campfire that could be seen for miles. But though he’d baited the trap, there’d been not a single nibble.
He pulled himself into the saddle. It was obvious that he’d been wrong. He’d been away too long. It was time to head back to town. He’d never have stayed away so long in the first place, except for Ruby. After the way he’d treated her, he had a need to be alone with his thoughts. But his thoughts were proving to be too troubling. What he needed now was to be around people.
In a way, he dreaded the thought of returning. It meant having to look at her, and reading the censure in her eyes. It meant looking, but never touching. He didn’t know whether he could handle the knowledge that she would never again smile at him, speak with him. Touch him and lie with him.
But he’d been running long enough. It was time to go home and try to get on with his life.
Boyd Barlow held the rifle to his shoulder and squinted through the site as the marshal crested a ridge. His finger actually trembled on the trigger as he imagined squeezing it slowly, and watching the lawman tumble from the saddle and fall to the dirt.
It would be so easy.
But it wasn’t good enough. Not after what the marshal had done to his brother.
He’d had plenty of time to think about this. He didn’t just want Quent Regan dead. What he wanted, he thought, lowering the rifl
e, was to be close enough to see Regan’s face when he was mortally wounded. To watch the blood pool around him, as his life slowly slipped away, just as the marshal had watched his brother’s blood ooze and his life end. He wanted Quent Regan to know who’d pulled the trigger. In fact, he wanted everyone to know who had cut down this stinking lawman.
That’s why he’d decided to choose a public place to kill Quent Regan. And it didn’t get any more public than the marshal’s own town. During the town social. When everyone would be there to witness it.
Oh, he knew all about the social. And all about the town. He had his own methods of gleaning information. And when he put his plan into action, he’d be able to walk through the town without anyone recognizing him.
Soon, very soon, everyone would know the name Boyd Barlow. The man who killed Marshal Quent Regan, the fastest gun in Texas.
Carmelita stood on the porch and watched until the two wagons rolled to a stop. Then she hurried down the steps to hug Ruby. “At last, you are home. I was so worried.”
“I’m sorry, Carmelita. I shouldn’t have stayed away so long without sending you word.”
“Sí. I had you dead, wounded, starving, going without sleep.”
“And that was only the first hour,” Diamond said dryly as she awkwardly climbed the stairs.
“And you, Senora Diamond,” Carmelita scolded. “Look at you. You should not be riding around the countryside in your condition. You should be confined to bed until this baby is born.”
“This baby might not come for weeks yet. I’d go crazy lying in bed for that long.” Diamond pressed her hands to the small of her back. “Though I must admit, I don’t think I could take another mile in that carriage.” She glanced around. “Where’s Adam? I told him to meet me here, so he’d have a good supper.”
“He is inside, talking with Cal and Dan and Marshal Regan,” the housekeeper said.
At that, Ruby’s heart stuttered, then began racing.
Quent Regan here?
Before she could smooth down her skirts, or touch a hand to her tousled hair, the door opened and Adam, Cal and Dan emerged from the house, followed by Quent.
While Diamond, Pearl and Jade smiled their pleasure at the sight of their husbands, and greeted them affectionately, Ruby and Quent merely stared at one another.
He looked as he had the last time he’d returned from the wilderness. His hair long enough to curl over the collar of his shirt, the shirt she’d made for him. His cheeks and chin covered by a dark, shaggy growth of beard. His eyes seemed even more penetrating than she’d remembered. As though they could see clear through to her soul. He was a handsome, commanding presence, as wild, as primitive as this place he called home. And she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed him until now, when he was standing here before her.
She felt her heart lurch.
When she finally managed to find her voice she said, “What are you doing here, Marshal?”
“I had some business in the area. Thought I’d pay a neighborly visit.”
“I invited him to stay for supper,” Carmelita said. “But he refuses.”
“I need to get back to town. I’m sure by now Arlo has my paperwork in a shambles.”
Carmelita stared at the stranger still seated in Ruby’s rig. “And who is this?”
“I’m sorry.” With much effort, Ruby pulled her scrambled thoughts together. “This is Patience Carter. My new assistant. Patience, our housekeeper, Carmelita Alvarez, and the marshal of Hanging Tree, Quent Regan.”
“Marshal?”
Quent noticed the way the young woman avoided his eyes before turning to the housekeeper. “I hope you don’t mind an extra mouth to feed. But Ruby insisted.”
“Of course she did. The house has become too empty. All my birds have flown away.”
“Well, this chicken has come home to roost,” Adam said after giving his wife a long, loving look. “At least for the night.”
“What do you mean?” Diamond demanded.
“I mean that you can’t hide your discomfort anymore. I think we should move back here, where Carmelita can keep an eye on you.”
“Now you are being sensible.” A wide smile split Carmelita’s lips.
Pearl nodded. “I think you should listen, Di. I’m really afraid you’ll end up having that baby all alone while Adam’s miles from home.”
Seeing that Diamond was about to argue, Carmelita caught her hand. “You will go inside and sit,” she ordered. “And I will fix you tea.”
“Coffee,” Diamond called to her retreating back. “Hot and black.”
“Sí. Tea.” The housekeeper hurried away. “And while I am gone, the rest of you will talk some sense into Senora Diamond.”
The others merely grinned. Carmelita Alvarez was the only person who could bully Diamond into taking care of herself. Whether she liked it or not.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Diamond demanded. “Let’s go inside.”
As the others followed her indoors, Quent started down the steps.
“Can’t we persuade you to stay for supper?” Adam called.
“Another time.” As he passed Ruby, Quent inhaled the sweet, dark fragrance of roses.
The pain was so sharp and swift, it felt like a knife in his heart. He’d known it would be painful to see her again. But he hadn’t been prepared for this.
Mustering all his willpower, he pulled himself into the saddle and took off without a backward glance.
As he rode away, Ruby stood alone, watching until he disappeared from view.
From inside she could hear the voices and laughter of her family. For some strange reason, they only added to her misery.
She had never felt so alone, or so wretched, in her life.
Ruby carefully folded the length of lace and wrapped it in brown paper, then placed the bundle in a basket, which she carried over her arm. As she drew near the boardinghouse, she saw the wagons and carts of several boarders, in town for the social. Only the most prosperous ranchers would pay to put their families up at Millie Potter’s. The rest would sleep in their wagons, or under the stars.
All around town could be seen the glow of campfires. The air was sharp with the tang of roasting meat. But the sweetest smells of all came from Millie’s kitchen. As Birdie Bidwell opened the front door to admit Ruby, the fragrance of Millie’s pot roast and freshly baked bread wafted on the air.
Birdie’s freckled face bore a dusting of flour. A smear of chocolate ran from the corner of her mouth to her chin.
“I see you’ve been busy, Birdie.”
“Yes’m. Been baking and cooking for hours and it’s only midday.”
“Well, your customers will be glad of all your hard work.”
“Yes’m. Table’s going to be crowded.” She glanced at the basket on Ruby’s arm. “That the tablecloth we’ve been hearing about?”
“This is it.” Ruby started toward the dining room. “Would you like to give me a hand with it?”
“Yes’m. But Mrs. Potter said I was to call her as soon as you arrived.”
Birdie’s shout brought Millie out of the kitchen. Wiping her hands on her apron, Millie watched as Ruby and Birdie cleared the big, scarred wooden table of the few things clustered in the center. A chipped sugar bowl and dainty cream pitcher. A vase of wildflowers. A sturdy water pitcher. All were set on a sideboard. Then Ruby unfolded the cloth.
“Oh, my” was all Birdie could manage.
Ruby gave the cloth a slight shake. It drifted across the table and began to settle.
“Oh, Ruby.” Millie clapped her hands to her cheeks in a gesture of delight as Ruby and Birdie took either end and straightened it out. “Just look at it. It’s like something the angels might have spun.”
“It is that,” Birdie said with a trace of awe. “Like the dew that covers the ground early in the morning. Or the snowflakes up on Widow’s Peak.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” came a voice from the doorway.
&
nbsp; Ruby glanced over to see Quent leaning casually against the wall.
Her heart did a series of flips and she knew her face was suffused with color. She wanted to turn away, to hide the blush. But she couldn’t help drinking in the sight of him. His commanding presence seemed to fill the room.
“You’re early, Quent,” Millie said. “Most of my boarders are still upstairs, washing up from their travels. Supper won’t be served until we get this table set and the last of the meat cut. Which reminds me...” She started back to the kitchen. “I’ll see to the food, Birdie. You set this table.”
“Yes’m.”
“I can help,” Ruby volunteered. Anything would be better than having to stand here, feeling Quent’s dark gaze boring into her. He hadn’t even spoken to her. And she had the feeling, from the way his eyes narrowed on her, that he would prefer not to.
“No, you won’t help in here,” Millie said firmly. “You’ve done enough. You and Quent go along to the parlor. Birdie will bring some lemonade and biscuits.”
“Is lemonade the best you can do?” Quent’s tone held a note of disapproval.
Millie glanced at him in surprise. “Quent Regan, you’ve been grouchy as a bear since you got back to town. If you want something stronger, I suggest you see Buck over at the saloon.”
“Guess I’ll make do with lemonade,” he muttered as he held the door for Ruby.
She had no choice but to lead the way to the parlor. Once there, instead of taking a seat, she walked to the mantel, to avoid facing Quent. Spotting a tintype of a very young Millie Potter and a handsome young man, she picked it up to examine it more closely.
“It doesn’t do them justice.” At the sound of Quent’s voice, Ruby steeled herself. He was standing directly behind her, peering at the picture over her shoulder.