Before the Dawn

  Leah let out a sigh. Seth, Seth, Seth, she said to herself. Granted, he’d almost taken her in with his manners and his charm, but now—now she knew the truth, and it didn’t sit well. So, he’d court the devil himself, would he?

  As if she’d just arrived, Leah walked over to the door and knocked soundly.

  When Seth opened it and saw her, his composure slipped, exposing wide startled eyes. He immediately composed himself and his face broke into a broad smile. “Leah? How wonderful to see you, but what are you doing here?”

  “The clerk at the telegraph office said he sent a telegram here for me. Eloise wanted to visit a sick child so I asked her to drop me off. She’ll be back in a short while.”

  Seth gestured Leah inside, where the sparse furniture matched the house’s overall run-down appearance.

  “How are you Helene?” Leah asked.

  Helene answered distantly, “Fine, and you?”

  “I’m well.”

  Leah turned her attention back to Seth, “So, was there a message for me?”

  “Ah, yes. It’s right here.” He went over to a small table where the note lay.

  Leah took it from his hand and read:

  FILING INJUNCTION TO STAY JUDGMENT. FEDERAL COLLEAGUES AGREE. NO PRECEDENT. WILL CONTACT AGAIN SOON. BEST REGARDS, RADDOCK.

  “Judge Raddock’s been very busy it seems,” Leah voiced. She then asked Helene, “Did Seth tell you about the judge’s efforts on my behalf?”

  Helene nodded. “Yes, he did. How long have you known him?”

  “Not very.”

  “Men just melt in your mouth it seems.”

  Leah’s chin rose. It was a nasty thing to say. “Did life turn you this bitter, Helene, or were you born this way?”

  Helene threw back her head and laughed. “Touché. I forgot, you aren’t afraid of me.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Well be afraid of whoever poisoned Cecil. If the pattern proves true, you’ll be next.”

  “Aunt Helene!” Seth snapped.

  It was the second time she’d repeated her theory concerning Cecil’s possible poisoning. Coupled with Saturday night’s eerie dream of Cecil, Leah began to wonder if maybe she should talk with someone about that possibility, but whom? Leah waved off Seth’s false show of support. “It’s all right. Helene’s simply worried about my well-being.”

  Helene nodded. “Leah’s right, of course, Seth. We wouldn’t want another of Louis’s women to come to a tragic end. There’s enough death ringing his name.”

  Leah wondered how the two would react if they knew she’d overheard their conversation. The sound of a wagon outside distracted her thoughts and sent Seth to the leather-shaded windows. “It’s Eloise, Leah.”

  Leah nodded. “Okay. Thanks for taking care of the message. Good afternoon, Helene.”

  “Good-bye, Leah. Oh,” she said as if suddenly remembering something, “I’ve ordered new furniture for the house, so tell Eloise I’ll be selling some of my old things tomorrow, and that she should let her friends from the church know, in case they’d like to stop by.”

  Recalling Helene’s adamant refusal to put her furniture on the block earlier, Leah guessed she’d changed her mind and chosen to swallow her Creole pride and attempt to pay the piper. So Leah simply nodded, asking innocently, “Will the sale be at a certain time?”

  “Yes, from ten in the morning until four in the afternoon.”

  “I’ll tell her.” With a wave, Leah left them to their plotting.

  That night as Leah lay in bed, she admitted being disappointed with Seth. She had known Helene didn’t care a fig about her, but Seth, too? Leah turned over and punched her pillow. Even though she hadn’t seen herself getting serious about Seth, it pained her to know he’d been leading her down the garden path. She assumed Ryder knew all about this side of his brother but had left her to find out on her own.

  Ryder.

  So far, she hadn’t heard from him. After their parting Saturday night, she wasn’t sure she wanted to. He’d declared himself to her as no other man had before, and even now his blunt words made her blood rush. She didn’t see him proposing marriage, nor did she expect him to, but she didn’t see herself in the relationship based on lust alone; she wanted more from life than that. She also didn’t see herself revealing the details of her marriage to Monty because she didn’t think he’d understand why Monty believed the marriage to be such a necessity. In fact, Ryder might feel that it proved Monty cared about someone else’s child more than his own flesh and blood. If she knew him better, maybe she could take the plunge, but she didn’t. Even though she’d gone to his bed a virgin, that fact hadn’t changed any of his other assumptions; it only added more fuel to the fire. Yes, he knew she’d scrubbed floors and where she’d attended school, but what else? He knew neither her heart nor her soul, and until he did, she thought it prudent she keep the truth to herself.

  The next morning, Eloise came out to the cabin. “Leah, there’s an invite here for you. It seems Sam and Mable have gotten engaged, and they’re throwing a party.”

  “What?” A laughing Leah took the invitation—sure enough there was the announcement scrolled on the fancy paper in black and white. The party would be two Saturdays away at Sunrise, and both she and Eloise had been invited. “I knew he was seeing her, but engaged?”

  “Yep. I think it’s sweet.”

  “I do, too. Sam’s a nice man. I hope he’ll be happy,” Leah said.

  Eloise cackled, “I know Mable will. A lot of other widows around here won’t be, but Mable sure will.”

  It was the end of May; the rhubarb in the garden was high, and the summer flowers were peeking above the earth, signaling that warm weather had finally arrived.

  A few days before the engagement party Leah and Eloise went into town. While Eloise did errands, Leah went over to the telegraph office to wire Eloise’s address to Judge Raddock. She also asked the clerk not to send any more of her messages to Seth. She wanted them sent to Eloise’s. The less Seth and his aunt knew about her doings, the better she’d feel.

  The day of the party, Leah had to pound on the closed door of Eloise’s artist’s room in order to draw her attention to the time. “Eloise, we’re going to be late!”

  “Okay,” she called back. “Just give me a couple of more minutes, and I’ll be right there.”

  Leah shook her head. Eloise was working on a new piece and had been spending every free waking moment sequestered in her sanctuary. Leah had no idea if the creation were a painting or a sculpture, but she did know if she left things to Eloise, the party would be over and done with before Eloise called it a day.

  Leah went back to her cabin to dress. For the past few weeks she’d set aside the expensive attire she and Cecil had purchased in Boston in favor of simple skirts and blouses. Eloise had been trying to convince her to purchase a pair of denims, insisting they were much more comfortable for gardening and the like, but Leah hadn’t the nerve so far. Tonight’s event required elegance, however, so she opened the wardrobe holding her fancy gowns and tried to decide which one she would wear. As she viewed each of the four gowns in turn, it suddenly came to her that the midnight blue dress she’d worn that night with Ryder wasn’t there. She thought back. Last she’d seen it, the gown had been pooled on the floor before the fire! Surely she hadn’t left it behind? The answer to that question seemed quite obvious since the dress wasn’t here hanging with the rest. Good lord, how do you ask a man for the return of your dress, she asked herself. Sighing, Leah took down the first gown her hand found and laid it across the bed.

  When Eloise pulled back on the reins to stop Ol’ Tom in the paved drive leading to Sunrise, Leah was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. On one hand, she couldn’t be happier for Sam and felt honored to be among the invited guests. On the other hand, there was Ryder; she didn’t need to say more.

  The happy couple greeted them at the door. Sam was dressed to the nines in black-and-white formal attire. His eyes shining,
he gave both Leah and Eloise a big hug, and thanked them for coming.

  Beside him stood a Mable France whom Leah hardly recognized. Gone was the frumpy woman dressed in the formless, white-aproned costume of the servant. In her place stood a confident, buxom woman in a beautiful blue gown that showed off her ample figure to advantage. The severe bun had been replaced by an elegant twist, and there was a smile on her face.

  “Thanks so much for coming,” Mable said.

  “Thank you for the invite,” Eloise replied, speaking for both herself and Leah.

  Mable then added, “Sam why don’t you take Eloise out back with the rest of the guests. I’d like to speak with Leah for a moment.”

  Leah was a bit surprised by the woman’s request but let Sam and Eloise go on ahead. She then asked Mable, “What did you wish to speak with me about?”

  “I owe you an apology,” Mable said.

  “For what?”

  “For being so tight-mouthed with you when you first arrived. I thought you’d be like Helene, ordering me around, looking down your nose, but you’re not.”

  Leah found the confession touching. “I appreciate that, but may I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “Were your family’s men really killed in one of the Montague mines?”

  Mable nodded. “Yes, they were. And although I hate to say it, I’ll go to my grave cursing Louis Montague’s name because of it. He refused to invest in the safety measures his men wanted.”

  Leah nodded understandingly, then confessed, “Cecil told me some of the stories. My late husband wasn’t a very benevolent individual in those days.”

  Mrs. France nodded. “No he wasn’t, but I changed my mind about you that morning you spilled the coffee.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you went and got the mop. She’d’ve made me clean it up, but you took care of it yourself.”

  “It never crossed my mind to have you do it for me.”

  “Well, you impressed me. I knew then and there you weren’t a fancy woman. You might’ve been married to Satan, but you’re just an ordinary woman, like me.”

  Leah considered that a compliment. “Well, I’m glad we won’t have that standing between us. I’d hate to have Sam’s lady love not care for me, because I like him a lot.”

  Mable smiled. “He likes you a lot as well. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to get all of this off my chest, so you and I could start new. I didn’t want him to be distressed because you and I were at odds.”

  “I appreciate it,” Leah said.

  “Well, I feel better. Let’s go and join the others.”

  Leah thought that a fabulous idea.

  When Ryder saw Sam and Eloise appear, he politely excused himself from a group of Sam’s old cavalry buddies to greet her. He had to admit he’d expected Leah to be with her and felt a twinge of disappointment that Eloise had arrived alone.

  “Hello, Eloise,” he said, giving her a kiss on her smooth brown cheek.

  “Hello, dear. And how are you?”

  “Not bad,” Ryder replied.

  “Hoping to see Leah, I’m betting.”

  Ryder covered his reaction by taking a drink of his lemonade. “How is she?”

  “Doing fine. She and Mable are talking. She’ll be here directly.”

  Ryder stared.

  “Happy now?” Eloise teased.

  “You’re an evil old woman. Do you know that?”

  Eloise smiled. “I’m going to get some punch.”

  Armed with the knowledge that Leah would be appearing shortly, Ryder took up a position to wait. He was looking forward to another challenging evening with her but vowed not to throw the first stone. He didn’t want anything to mar Sam and Mable’s event, mainly because he knew Sam would hold him responsible.

  When Leah arrived, Ryder tried not to stare, but it was impossible. Her beauty outshone every other woman in attendance. The low-cut, emerald green gown showed off her neck and shoulders and had a full, airy skirt. She’d worn the locket again, and memories of placing his kisses against it as it sweetly rode between the enticing, upper swells of her breasts aroused him shamelessly. He wanted her, wanted to sweep her up into his arms, spirit her away, and find a secluded place to make long leisurely love to her.

  Leah couldn’t help noticing Ryder as Mable introduced Leah to her small group of guests. He was boldly watching her, and she felt her nipples tighten in response. Trying to ignore him was impossible; even if her mind could, her body couldn’t. She vowed not to fight with him this evening though. Sam and Mable would never forgive either of them should she and Ryder start battling, so she looked over his way and nodded.

  Ryder sipped his lemonade and met her nod of greeting. He wondered if she knew what kind of effect she had on him. Just having her walk into his line of sight made him hard. Encouraged by the way her eyes kept sliding to his, he walked over to where she stood talking with Eloise and a few of the women from her church.

  Eloise welcomed him by asking, “When are Sam and Mable going to be married?”

  “About a month. Sam’s taking her to Virginia City. Then they’re going on to San Francisco.”

  He then turned to Leah. “Hello.”

  “Hello, Ryder. How’ve you been?”

  “Well, and you?”

  “Just fine. Just fine.”

  Eloise told her friends, “Ladies, how about we go and see if Mable needs any help setting out the food?”

  It was a badly veiled attempt to leave Ryder and Leah alone, but the group just smiled and followed Eloise over to the white-clothed, trestle tables set up a few yards away.

  “Would you like some lemonade?” Ryder asked.

  “I’d love some.”

  Sam was laughing over a story one of his buddies had just told, and when he saw Leah and Ryder walk by, he smiled approvingly, then turned his attention back.

  “Sam certainly looks happy.”

  “Yes, he does,” Ryder agreed. “And I’m happy for him.”

  “Where will they live?”

  “Sam has a place about ten miles from here. We’ve been working on it for the past few years, and it’s finally finished.”

  “Will you miss having him around?”

  “Undoubtedly. We’ve been through a lot, he and I.”

  When they reached the refreshments table, he slid the ladle into the crystal punch bowl, dipped her out a portion of lemonade, and handed her a cup.

  “Thank you.”

  As Ryder watched her take a small sip, he couldn’t help wondering if her lips would taste like the lemonade if he kissed her.

  Leah thought now might be the time to ask about her navy dress. The nearness of a few other guests stopped her though. She didn’t want anyone to overhear and possibly set off a whole new flurry of gossip.

  Looking up at him, she asked, “Will you walk a ways with me? There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”

  He gestured her forward, all the while wondering how much longer he could keep from dragging her off somewhere and sampling her kisses.

  They took a walk down to the small creek running at the base of the cleared acreage behind the house. A few of the other guests were there, too, but not close enough to intrude.

  Ryder asked, “What did you want to talk about?”

  “I—um left my dress here the night we—”

  “The night I made love to you?”

  His bold eyes made Leah’s body tighten sensually. “Yes.”

  “I have it upstairs. I’ll get it for you before you leave.”

  “Thank you,” Leah said.

  “Anything else?”

  “Yes.” She paused for a moment in an effort to pull her thoughts together. “I made a pact with myself not to fight with you. I don’t want to ruin Sam’s day.”

  “And neither do I. So how about we agree to conduct ourselves accordingly?”

  Leah smiled. “I think that’s a marvelous idea.”

  They clinked cups
to seal the agreement.

  Ryder held her gaze. “So that means if I drag you behind a tree and kiss you, you won’t protest out of fear of wrecking Sam’s day?”

  She realized he was quite serious.

  He then asked, “Remember what I said about the two truths?”

  She did. I want you. You want me, he’d said. He’d then promised to remind her everytime they were together.

  “Well I meant it.”

  Tingles broke out all over her body.

  “So,” he added, “let’s walk back. Looks like it’s time to eat.”

  Leah had a very hard time trying to appear nonchalant, but managed to walk calmly at his side.

  There was so much food spread across the tables, Leah didn’t know where to begin. She saw chicken both fried and grilled, pork ribs gleaming with sauce, steaks, smoked fish, and a splendid array of mouth-watering collards, mustards, squash, and yams. The dessert table was no less impressive. Many of the women in attendance had brought their specialties. There were coconut cakes, chocolate cakes, fools, trifles, and pies.

  Eloise was one of the women helping out at the dessert table and when Leah and Ryder walked up, she said, “Leah, I make the best rhubarb pie on either side of the Mississippi. Care for a piece?”

  Leah shook her head. “I’ll have to pass. I’m allergic to rhubarb. Makes me swell up like a bullfrog.”

  Eloise looked truly disappointed.

  But from behind her, Ryder boasted, “That just means more for me. Cut me a big piece, Eloise.”

  Some of the guests standing nearby chuckled. Eloise’s face brightened, but Leah could see she was still unhappy about Leah not being able to sample her prize-winning recipe.

  Leah took her small china plate of desserts to one of the benches and sat down. Ryder followed and took a seat beside her.

  “This has been a very nice gathering,” Leah said, casually watching the people milling about.

  “That it has, and we haven’t crossed swords once.”

  “No we haven’t.”

  “Quite an accomplishment, wouldn’t you say?”

  The softened tone of voice made her turn his way. He’s so handsome, she thought. All that thick, rich hair, the vivid eyes, his godlike face. He can also be quite nice when he chooses to be.