For Pearl, there was no joy in the knowledge that, to gain her own freedom, she had been forced to take a man’s life. But one thought kept her from sinking into despair. Her quick thinking had spared Daniel from repeating Cal’s tragedy. The boy would not have to go through life knowing he had killed his own father.
Where had she found such unexpected courage?
A sudden thought came to her. Of course. Hadn’t her father promised that he would always be at her side?
“Thank you, Daddy,” she whispered.
“What did you say, Miss Pearl?” Daniel asked.
“I said...thank heavens for this fine day. How is Blizzard taking the trip?”
The little boy opened his shirt to reveal the round ball of fluff sleeping peacefully against his chest. “He’s just fine.”
Pearl gathered the two boys close and pressed a kiss to their temples. “And so are we. I think, given a little time, we’re all going to be just fine.”
In a tiny town like Hanging Tree, news travels with the speed of a prairie fire. Within hours of their return to the Jewel ranch, wranglers had carried the tale of Pearl’s abduction by Rollie Ingram, and of her courageous handling of Cal McCabe’s wounds. By far the most curious news was that Ingram’s sons had braved a blizzard to find their beloved teacher, and that it was the prim and proper teacher herself who had shot Rollie Ingram to death.
“Lavinia Thurlong and Gladys Witherspoon are having such a fine time with this,” Diamond said with a sigh.
She and her husband, Adam, had returned from Maryland just in time for all the excitement. They sat at the big scarred wooden table in the comfortable kitchen, surrounded by Jade and Ruby and Carmelita.
“It seems like every time we turn around, we set tongues to wagging,” she added in exasperation.
Adam stopped behind her chair and laid a hand on her cheek in a gesture of tenderness. “You said it yourself. You’re the closest thing this town has to royalty. Why not let them enjoy their bit of gossip?”
“Oh, Adam, why must you take every complicated thing and make it so simple?”
He merely laughed and turned to Carmelita. “I hope you’re making those eggs for me.”
“S. But not all of them.” The housekeeper added red and green chilis, then set aside the egg mixture and removed a pan of corn bread from the oven.
At the sound of footsteps, they all turned toward the doorway. Pearl entered. As always, she wore a crisp gown, this one of palest pink, with mother-of-pearl buttons that ran from throat to hem. The flounced skirt was gathered here and there with deeper pink ribbons. Her hair was drawn back with pink combs.
Trailing behind her were Gilbert and Daniel, looking fit and rested They were wearing new clothes, and their hair, freshly cut, was still slicked back from a morning bath.
“My, my!” Carmelita called. “You do look fine. Sit right down, and I will try to make up for the food you’ve been missing.”
“What about Cal?” Pearl asked. “Aren’t we going to wait for him to join us?”
“Oh, Senor Cal left hours ago.” Carmelita moved to the stove, where she picked up the platter of eggs.
“Hours ago?” Pearl blanched. She’d wanted, needed, to see him. Ever since their return from the mountain, they’d been surrounded by people. If it wasn’t her family wanting to hear every little detail of the ordeal, it was the marshal and his deputy demanding a statement.
“Did he say where he was going?”
“To the schoolhouse, to see if there was any damage. And from there to the north range. He thought he would be gone for several weeks.”
“Several...weeks?”
“S.” The housekeeper gave her a gentle smile. “If you ask me, Senor Cal has a need to put all these bad things behind him and get on with his life. And you should do the same, Senorita Pearl. Perhaps you should pay a call to your school later on today and think about teaching class again soon.”
“That’s...that’s a fine idea.” Pearl stood and reached for her parasol. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll have one of the wranglers fetch my rig.”
“But you haven’t eaten your breakfast yet.”
Pearl took no notice of the spicy egg mixture as she rushed to the door. “I’m not hungry. But I’m sure Daniel and Gilbert will enjoy it.”
The others watched in stunned silence as she moved gracefully across the kitchen and shoved open the back door. Once she was outside, her pace picked up a little as she crossed the porch. Then, as she headed toward the barn, she lifted her skirts in a most unladylike manner and began to run as fast as her legs could carry her.
Cal swept up the shards of broken glass and righted overturned desks, grateful for the chance to work. He didn’t want any more time to think. It was all he’d been doing since his return from the mountain. And the only thing he’d thought about was Pearl.
He loved her. As he’d never loved anyone, anything, in his whole life. But he was convinced that love wasn’t enough. No matter how hard he analyzed his feelings for Pearl, he always came to the same conclusion. They were definitely unsuited to one another. Despite her heroic efforts during their emergency, she was a lady. A lady who would soon tire of the hardships of this life and return to a civilized place like Boston, a city with a dressmaker and a milliner, and a bakery shop on every corner. And, despite all the love he felt for her, he could never follow her there. He would wither and die if he ever had to leave this place.
At the sound of an approaching carriage, he set aside the broom and walked to the door. When he saw Pearl alight from the carnage, his frown deepened. He’d hoped to have several weeks on the range before having to face her.
He took a deep breath. It was just as well. He would make the break clean. And final. He’d have the rest of his life to nurse his broken heart.
“Carmelita said I might find you out here.” Her voice had that breathless quality that always stirred his senses.
He avoided looking at her. “I thought I’d set things right before I head for the north range. That way, you can get back to teaching. That is, if you intend to stay around for the rest of the school year.”
“And why wouldn’t I?” She deposited an armload of wildflowers on her desk and began to set them in a bucket of water. “Unless, of course, you’ve decided that you were right all along, and you insist that the school be removed from Jewel land.”
“Now why would I do a thing like that?”
“Because, if you recall, you exacted a promise from me. If the schoolhouse ever brought trouble to the Jewel ranch, I would close it.”
“Pearl,” he said, as gently as he could manage, “it wasn’t your school that brought Rollie Ingram and his problems to our doorstep. He was trouble long before you came to Texas. And everyone knew that one day he’d meet his Maker at the end of a bullet. I’m just sorry that you ever had to be involved in that ugly scene.”
Before she could open her mouth to protest, he added, “But I have no doubt that it was your influence that gave Rollie’s sons the courage to redeem themselves. Without your lecture about honor, who knows what they might have done?”
He turned away, to avoid looking at her beauty It was too painful. “I’ve been thinking, with all you’ve been forced to go through, you might be in a hurry to get back to civilization.”
“But I am back to civilization. Oh!” She clapped a hand to her mouth as the realization dawned. “You mean, back to Boston?”
He righted another desk and replaced the fallen slate on top. “I figure by now it must be looking pretty good to you.”
“When you nearly lose your life, a lot of things look good, Cal.” Seeing that he had no intention of stopping his work or meeting her eyes, she crossed the room and placed a hand on his arm. “A lot of things that may have passed by, unnoticed, suddenly become very important.” Her voice lowered. “For instance, a certain cowboy, who used to make me angry, now makes my heart beat faster.”
“Now you listen to me, Pearl. What we
had up on that mountain...” His voice nearly broke, but he forced himself to go on. “Well, that was just about the most special thing I’ve ever known. But I’m not fool enough to think I can have that forever.”
“And why not?” she demanded.
“Because,” he said, as simply as he could, “You’re a lady, born and bred. And any way you cut it, I’m a raw cowboy who killed a man before I was a man myself. You deserve only the finest things in your life. And I—I can’t give you anything except hard work that’ll leave you old before your time. Any man who would ask a lady like you to share such a life is lower than a snake. So that’s why—”
She silenced him by placing her hand over his mouth. At the first touch of that delicate palm against his lips, he felt the sexual jolt clear to his toes. He had all he could do to keep from dragging her against him and declaring his love like a damned fool.
“All right, Cal. You’ve had your say,” she whispered “Now it’s my turn.” She looked up at him with those big, trusting eyes, and he felt his heart turn over. “When I was a little girl, my father used to talk about his home in Texas. Oh, the things he described to me. They used to leave me wide-eyed with wonder. And I thought his adventurous life was like no other. And then I came here to experience, firsthand, his life. But unlike my father, who was so bold and brave, I found myself timid, frightened, helpless. Until you.”
“I don’t under—”
She smiled and pressed a finger gently to his lips. “Don’t you see, Cal? In your arms, I became someone new. I was no longer that helpless, useless female I’d always been. In your arms, in your eyes, I was a woman who could do anything. Climb mountains. Overpower enemies. Survive in a wilderness by my wiles alone.”
He went still. It was true. She had become someone different during their ordeal. “But none of that was because of me, Pearl. You found that strength within yourself.”
“Maybe. But don’t you see, Cal? With you, I found a wonderful new sense of freedom. I can do anything I choose to do. And be anyone I choose to be. Oh, Cal, it was your love that unlocked that door and gave me my freedom. Why would I ever want to go back to that prison that once held me?”
His heart was beating so thunderously he thought it could probably be heard all the way to Hanging Tree. “Then, if I ask you to stay here and be my wife, you won’t think I’m lower than a snake?”
“I’ll think you’ve finally come to your senses,” she muttered against his lips.
He lifted his head a fraction, avoiding the temptation to kiss her. “Will you? Marry me and put up with wolves and weather and cattle and all manner of vermin here in Texas?”
“Oh, Cal. I thought you’d never ask.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her lips to his throat. “Let’s go tell the others. And go see Reverend Wade Weston. Oh, and the boys. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about them. I was hoping we could take Daniel and Gilbert in and make them ours. And that will mean Blizzard, of course, and...”
He decided the time was right for a kiss. And, for at least a few moments, it managed to silence her. But when she came up for air, she whispered, “And I was thinking we might want to make this cabin ours, since it was Daddy’s first home, and it has a special place in my heart....”
“Woman,” he muttered against her mouth, “I’m all in favor of making Daniel and Gilbert our sons, and living here in your pa’s old cabin, as long as I can add a few more rooms, so we won’t be walking into each other at every step. But first things first. I see a loft up there. And some straw. Now, if you have any pity in your heart, you’ll at least give me a few hours alone with you.”
Without waiting for a reply, he caught her in his arms and carried her up the ladder. As he laid her in the straw and stretched out beside her, he brushed her lips with his in the lightest of kisses. “Now that my wounds are completely healed,” he muttered, “there are some things I’ve been meaning to teach you.”
She brought her arms around his neck and drew his face close for a long, drugging kiss that left her head spinning. “I can’t wait to learn,” she whispered. “I’ve been told that, with the right teacher, I’m a very good pupil.”
Epilogue
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you looking so jumpy, Cal.” Cookie shifted his pipe to the other side of his mouth before adding with a grin, “It’ll only take a few minutes and it’ll be over.”
“I know. I know.” Cal stood beside his old friend on the porch of the remodeled cabin and glanced at the wagonloads of people who continued to arrive and go inside.
As they passed him, everyone seemed to be talking about the fact that the newlyweds were leaving the elegant Jewel ranch to take up residence in this simple cabin, which had once been Onyx Jewel’s home, and which would continue to serve as a schoolhouse, as well.
Cal and Pearl had insisted on holding the ceremony at their own place, rather than the big, fancy Jewel ranch. Much to the dismay of Lavinia Thurlong and Gladys Witherspoon, only the families of children attending the school had been invited to what the town was calling the biggest social event of the year.
Carmelita and Cookie had been cooking and baking for days, and the wonderful aroma of spices drifting from the kitchen had everyone’s mouth watering.
Diamond, of course, was horrified, knowing how much the town gossips enjoyed such a spectacle. She had wanted it to be a private wedding, with only the family in attendance. But she had been outvoted. What was worse, she was being forced to wear a gown, a shimmering, silvery confection that was the perfect contrast to her thick red curls and sun-bronzed skin. As an act of revenge, she wore her sturdy, dung-caked work boots beneath the long skirt.
Seated beside her in the carriage were Jade, in an elegant green silk, with mandarin collar and frog closings, and Ruby in her trademark slinky red satin. On the opposite seat was the bride, who wore a gown the color of iridescent pearl, with a high neck and long sleeves buttoned from elbow to cuff. At her throat was her father’s gift to her, a rope of gold with an onyx beside a perfect pearl. At her lobes were the earbobs Cal had bought for his bride—a delicate filigree of gold with matching pearls. He had presented them to her last night, a romantic night she would never forget. It had been their first in their newly renovated cabin.
Reverend Wade Weston rode up in a cloud of dust and strode forward, wearing his best Sunday blacks, to offer a handshake to the nervous groom.
“I’ve prepared a stirring sermon to assure that it’s a memorable service,” he said.
“Just see that it’s brief.” Cal had intended to say more, but just then he caught sight of Daniel and Gilbert, who had flanked the bride, stepping down from the carriage. They wore spanking new suits and radiant smiles. Spotting Cal, they raced to his side.
“Do we have to say anything?” Daniel asked nervously.
“Not a thing, son. All Gilbert has to do is hand me the ring.” Cal turned to him. “You remembered the ring, didn’t you?”
“Yes, sir.” Gilbert withdrew a simple gold band from his pocket.
At the sight of his mother’s ring, Cal felt his throat constrict. She would have loved his choice of bride. She would have been so proud....
“I’m sure glad to hear we don’t have to talk in front of all those people.” Daniel peered through the doorway and saw a crowd nearly as big as the one at Sunday services. “Did all those folks come just to see you marry Miss Pearl?”
“I guess so.” Cal could feel himself beginning to sweat, and he wished the damned thing was over. It was just the beginning, he fretted. Pretty soon, she’d have him hauling in wet laundry off the line, and putting dry britches on babies’ behinds. But just then Diamond, Jade and Ruby stepped apart, and he caught sight of Pearl’s sweet face. At once his fears dissolved. The truth was, he’d turn cartwheels in the middle of town, buck naked, if that little female asked him to.
She hurried over to join him and the boys. “Did you tell him yet?” she asked them.
“We were...waiting
for you,” Gilbert said, staring at the toe of his shiny new shoe.
“What’s this about?” Cal wasn’t sure he could stand many more surprises.
“Yesterday, when we drove into town for our suits, we had some...other business to take care of,” the boy said.
“What other business?”
Gilbert reached into his pocket and withdrew an official document, which he handed to Cal. “Ma... that is, Miss Pearl...that is...” He stopped, swallowed, and gathered his courage. He wasn’t much good at making speeches. “We met with the visiting judge. And we asked him to change our names, as a wedding gift to you. So now he’s Daniel McCabe,” he said, pointing to his little brother, “And I want to be called Gil McCabe. I thought Gil sounded more grown up than Gilbert. Like Cal. That is, if you don’t object.”
“Object?” Cal felt a lump in his throat the size of a boulder. He gathered the two boys into his arms and closed his eyes. It wouldn’t do for his wranglers to see their boss crying. “I guess this will go down as the happiest day of my life. I acquired a bride and two of the finest sons any man could ever want.”
Pearl’s eyes misted. She truly felt as though her heart would burst with love.
Feeling a bulge under Daniel’s jacket, Cal caught him by the shoulder and peered down. “And what’s this? Another surprise?”
“No, sir.” Daniel pulled the wiggling coyote pup from its hiding place. “It’s just Blizzard. I didn’t want him to feel left out on such an important day. After all, he’s part of the family, too.”
At that moment, the music began to play, and the minister took his place. All heads swiveled to watch the bride and groom. But instead of a solemn procession, they saw a coyote puppy wriggle free and race through the crowd, with an embarrassed little boy chasing him, ducking between chairs, crawling through a forest of legs.