CHAPTER FOUR
Caroline was busy sorting mail when she heard a customer at the front counter. Because the post office was open only two hours on Saturdays, she often did a brisk business then.
Setting aside the stack of letters, she stepped out to the customer-service area. When she recognized Grady Weston, her posture immediately became defensive; she could feel it. Generally Savannah—and now occasionally Richard—collected the mail for the Yellow Rose Ranch. Grady hadn’t been into the post office since last May and he’d come only because he was seeking her help. But then, he’d been worried about Savannah’s relationship with Laredo Smith. A relationship he’d tried to destroy. He hadn’t trusted Laredo, and he hadn’t understood Savannah. In fact, Grady had seriously underestimated both of them.
“Morning, Grady,” she said warily. The last time she’d seen him, he’d been laughing hysterically at the prospect of attending Ruth’s birthday party with her.
“Caroline.” He nodded, looking about uncomfortably. He removed his Stetson and held the brim with both hands.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
He blinked as though someone had lifted him off his horse and hurled him straight into the middle of town. He shook his head in a puzzled way, apparently wondering how he happened to be there in the post office, talking to her.
“Do you need stamps?” she asked.
“No.” He shifted his weight from left to right. “I, uh, came for another reason.”
She waited impatiently for him to continue. Grady had never been a smooth talker like his brother, but Caroline suspected his hesitation had something to do with their last unfortunate meeting.
“It’s about what I said the other day—or what I said that you heard. What I mean to say…” He snapped his jaw closed and she noticed the color creeping up his neck. “Savannah said you weren’t really offended, but I can’t help feeling that—”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, rather than have him endure this embarrassment any longer. “Let’s put it behind us.”
He relaxed visibly. “That’s kind of you. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I know. Savannah shouldn’t play matchmaker—she has no talent for it.” Caroline was all too aware that her best friend was in love with love. Savannah wanted Caroline to know the same happiness herself but unfortunately was convinced Grady was the man she’d find it with.
Caroline knew she was at fault, too. She should have discouraged Savannah from the first, but deep down part of her had wanted Grady to notice her. She liked Grady, perhaps more than she should, seeing that they couldn’t even carry on a conversation without arguing about something.
“I wouldn’t have minded going to Ruth’s party with you. I realize I must have sounded like I’d rather pluck chickens, but that isn’t so.”
Despite his apology, his attitude tweaked her pride.
“You have to admit it was a crazy idea,” he said, holding her gaze. “You and me going out together.” He seemed to expect some response from her.
“Let’s drop it, all right?” She slapped the mail down on the counter and glared at him, not completely understanding her own anger.
He flinched at the sound. “Now what’d I say?” he demanded.
“Nothing.”
“Then why are you looking at me like you’re madder than hops?”
Caroline shook her head. “You’re the only man I know who can apologize with an insult.”
“I insulted you?” His jaw went slack with astonishment.
Caroline drew a deep calming breath and held up her right hand. “Let’s just say we’ll agree to disagree.”
He frowned and twisted the rim of his Stetson. “I need to know what we’re agreeing to disagree about.”
She gave an impatient sigh. The man was completely and utterly obtuse. “You and I both love Savannah,” she said with exaggerated slowness. “But when it comes to each other, we don’t see eye to eye, which is fine. We don’t really need to. I have my life and you have yours. You don’t want to go out with me and that’s fine, too. Because frankly I’m not all that interested in you, either.”
His eyes narrowed. “In other words you’re turning me down before I even get a chance to ask you to the Cattlemen’s Association dance.”
He was asking her to the dance? So that was what this was all about.
Now he was the one who was agitated. He gestured with his hand as if he wasn’t sure how to continue. “I take the better part of the morning driving into town,” he finally managed. “I’ve got an entire herd of cattle that need tending, but instead, I waste a good part of my day just so I can invite you to a stupid dance. Then before I can even get the words out, you’re telling me you’d rather go out with a polecat than with me. Well, if that doesn’t beat all.” He slammed his hat back on his head with enough force to make her recoil.
“You wanted to ask me to the dance?” she asked, recovering in record time. “And I’m supposed to be grateful?”
“No…yes,” he faltered, then ignored the question. “Why else would I drive into town on a Saturday?” Not giving her time to respond, he added, “Cal’s right. A woman’s nothing but trouble.”
Caroline’s heart sank. She would have enjoyed attending the biggest dance of the year with him. Instead, she’d ruined any chance she had of stepping onto the dance floor with Grady Weston.
“I told Savannah this wouldn’t work,” he said with the self-righteous attitude of a man who thinks he’s been right all along. “As far as I’m concerned, this is the last time I’m inviting you to any social function in this town. If you want a date you’re going to have to ask me.”
The insinuation that he was the only man who’d ask her out infuriated Caroline. “I don’t need you in order to get a date.”
“Oh sure, I suppose you’re interested in Richard, too.”
“Richard? What’s he got to do with anything?”
Grady opened and closed his jaw, but apparently decided against explaining. “Never mind. I’m out of here.”
Caroline stretched out her hand to stop him, but it was too late. Grady had already turned and was storming out of the post office, leaving the door to slam in his wake.
“My, oh my, what’s gotten into that young man?”
For the first time Caroline noticed Edwina and Lily Moorhouse standing in the post-office foyer. Both women continued to dress as if they still spent their days at the front of a classroom. Caroline couldn’t remember ever seeing either one in anything but well-pressed shirtwaist dresses. On Sunday mornings and at important social functions, they wore dainty hats with matching purses and spotless white gloves.
Lily, the younger and less talkative of the two, clutched her mail to her breast as if in mortal fear of having Grady rip it from her.
Edwina, who’d never had a problem sharing what was on her mind, was sputtering about “that young man.”
“I apologize, ladies,” Caroline said. “Grady and I were having a…difference of opinion.”
“So it seems.” Edwina pinched her lips together, clenching her purse tightly with both hands.
“Are you all right?” Lily asked.
Caroline shook her head, dismissing the older woman’s concern. But the encounter had left her more shaken than she cared to admit.
“You like him, don’t you?” Lily asked in a soft voice, and reached across the counter to pat Caroline’s hand.
Caroline nodded. Yes, she did like Grady—even if they didn’t get along—and it was well past time she admitted it. But then, her judgment in men wouldn’t exactly earn her any awards. Maggie’s father had left her pregnant, and every other romantic relationship in her adult life had ended badly. “I guess some women are better judges of character than me,” she said.
“Grady’s a fine young man,” Lily insisted, apparently over her shock.
“He’s got a heart of gold,” Edwina agreed. “But if you want my opinion, I think that young man’s constipated.”
“You think so, sister?” Lily frowned thoughtfully.
“Indeed I do. You be patient with him, Caroline, and he’ll come around. Mark my words.”
“I couldn’t agree with Edwina more,” Lily said, brightening somewhat. “There’s nothing wrong with that young man that a large bowl of stewed prunes wouldn’t cure.”
“Or Grandpa’s cordial.”
“Indeed!”
***
Ellie’s heart hammered in her ears as she stepped backward, slowly edging her way onto the path toward the truck. Richard was still nowhere to be seen.
Glen’s warnings about the ghost town echoed in her mind. Even Richard had advised her not to come. She’d been the one to insist on making the trip, certain that Glen, at least, was being overprotective.
What was worse—far worse—was this…sensation, this feeling. It was as though she was being watched. And judged. And…disliked. Her pulse still thundered in her head, gaining volume and intensity. Her feet dragged heavily as she walked. It almost felt as if someone had bound her arms and legs and was slowly tightening the rope, binding her.
All she could think about was escape. But she couldn’t leave, couldn’t just turn and run. Somehow, someway she had to find out what had happened to Richard. Although every dictate of her heart and mind urged her to get out of there, she couldn’t abandon him.
Besides, she hadn’t a clue how to find her way back to Promise. She’d have to search this place and—“Boo!”
Ellie screamed and leaped a good three feet off the ground. Richard threw back his head and laughed hilariously, as if her terror was the funniest thing he’d seen in years.
Furious, Ellie clenched her hands into fists and glared at him.
“Hey,” he said, continuing to chuckle, “you’re the one who claimed not to be afraid of ghosts.”
“Where’d you go?” she demanded, gripping his arm and clinging tightly. She was too frightened to stay angry for long.
“Hey,” he repeated softly, “you’re really scared, aren’t you?”
“You know I am!”
“Sweetheart, it was a joke.”
“A stupid one.”
“Okay, okay, it probably wasn’t the best thing to do, but you were so sure nothing was going to frighten you. Sorry,” he said with a casual shrug. “The real danger is letting your imagination run away with you.”
Her fingers tensed on his arms. “I don’t like this place.”
“I told you.” He sounded cool and unaffected.
“Don’t you feel it?” she asked, studying him.
“Feel what?”
“The…sense of oppression.”
He looked at her as if she needed a psychiatrist. “I don’t feel anything. Come on, let me show you around. Old as it is, there’s still lots to see.”
Even though she was curious, Ellie shook her head. “I think we should head back.”
“We just got here. Don’t you want to check out the mercantile? I actually found some bloated canned goods left on the shelf. Can you believe it? The cash register is there, too. I looked, but there wasn’t any money inside.”
Did he actually expect there to be cash for his taking? Ellie wondered.
“What happened to the church?” she asked, gesturing toward the small hill at the far end of the main street.
“I didn’t go in. Doesn’t interest me. Outside looks like it got hit by lightning.”
Ellie stared, fascinated despite her fears.
“Come on,” Richard urged again, “let’s explore.”
Ellie realized it wasn’t likely she’d come back for a second visit. “Okay, show me the mercantile,” she said, uncertain even now that it was a wise thing to do.
“Sure.” He took her hand and led her up the two steps to the raised wooden sidewalk. The old boards creaked with their weight, making an eerie inhuman sound. It looked as though the town had been fairly prosperous at one time. A hotel and saloon, a livery stable, a small corral. The sun-bleached planks of the boardwalk were bleached and splintered with age, and several sections had rotted through.
“Watch your step,” Richard said, and slipped his arm around her waist, holding her unnecessarily close.
“Maybe we should go to the hotel,” he whispered suggestively. “Find a room with a bed.”
“No, thanks,” she murmured.
“Hey, don’t be so quick to turn down a good thing. We could have a lot of fun together.”
“No, thanks,” she said again, her tone reinforcing the message.
“Pity. We could be good together.”
Ellie sincerely doubted that.
As Richard opened the door to the mercantile, the hinges squeaked loudly and Ellie shivered. The sensation persisted, the feeling that she was being watched.
The inside of the old store was like something out of a museum. The counter stretched the length of the room, with shelves built behind it. What Richard had said was true; there were several tin cans scattered about. The cans themselves were swollen, their labels faded.
“What happened to make people move fast enough to leave goods behind?” Life was hard in the Old West, and food was often in short supply.
“Who knows?” Apparently Richard didn’t find her question of any interest.
The cash register was there, too, the till open. Bramble weeds littered the floor. Ellie saw a couple of old barrels and a table, but no chairs.
“Okay, we’ve seen it,” she said. “I’m ready to go back.”
“You don’t want to see anything else?”
“No.” Her curiosity was gone and all she wanted now was to escape. Even knowing that her father’s great-grandparents had walked these very streets and stepped inside this store wasn’t enough to keep her.
“Come on, let’s go look at the hotel,” Richard urged again. “There’s quite a fancy staircase—if you ignore the occasional broken step.”
“Richard!” The hotel had to be riddled with danger. If the staircase collapsed or they fell through a damaged floor, heaven only knew how long it’d be before someone found them.
Glen would come. Ellie was genuinely relieved that she’d told at least one other person where she was headed, even if he disapproved. If she did turn up missing, Glen would leave no stone unturned. He’d look for the town until he located it again. Then he’d mount a search-and-rescue effort, enlist everyone’s help. He wouldn’t rest until he knew exactly what had happened and why. He was that kind of man. That kind of friend.
“I want to check the cemetery,” she decided as they left the mercantile.
“The cemetery? As jittery as you are?” Richard said. “Why?”
“I want to look for a grave. A little boy by the name of Edward Abraham Frasier.” Since the Bible had given no information about what had caused his death, perhaps a grave marker would.
“All right,” Richard agreed, but she could see he wasn’t enthusiastic.
The sensation of someone following them grew less intense as they walked toward the outskirts of town. The gate to the cemetery hung by one hinge.
“Someone’s been here recently,” Ellie said, stopping just inside the fenced area. The dirt had been churned recently to plant a rosebush.
“Savannah,” Richard said. “She was after some old roses and replaced the ones she took.”
“Savannah’s been here?” Ellie wasn’t completely surprised. Savannah scoured the highways and byways for old roses, hoping to find unfamiliar and unusual species. And replacing the roses she’d removed? Savannah never took without giving; it was her nature.
“What was the name again?” Richard asked.
“Edward Abraham Frasier.” Some of the graves were marked with wooden crosses that had badly deteriorated with age. And only a few names were legible on the stone markers. After a couple of minutes she gave up the effort.
“You done yet?” Richard asked, sounding bored.
“Yeah.” While she wished she’d found the grave, she didn’t want to linger in town any longer.
Richard held her hand as they scrambled up the incline, then followed the rocky path that led to the truck. He helped her into the cab—obviously charm died hard—and climbed inside himself. “Put on the blindfold,” he instructed her, turning the ignition key.
Ellie complained under her breath. He had nothing to worry about; she had no intention of returning to Bitter End. She didn’t know what had made her ancestors leave the town; all she could say was that she didn’t blame them.
Once the blindfold was securely in place, Richard put the truck into gear.
The ride back to Promise was accomplished in half the time it had taken to drive out. Once again the truck pitched and bucked over the uneven terrain, leaving Ellie to wonder how he’d found Bitter End on his own. Of one thing she was sure—neither Glen nor Cal would have taken him there. Nor would Grady or Savannah. No one she knew would purposely return to Bitter End. She wouldn’t. Never again. Glen was right; once was more than enough.
Richard dropped her at the feed store. “Thanks,” she said, and was about to open the door and climb out when he stopped her.
“Hey, there’s no need to rush, is there?”
She did have work to do. “Well—”
“Don’t you want to thank me?” he asked.
“I thought I already had.”
“A kiss wouldn’t hurt.” Without giving her a chance to respond he reached for her shoulders and brought his mouth to hers. Technically it was a kiss, but Ellie experienced none of the warmth or gentleness she had with Glen. None of the surging passion. What Richard classified as a kiss was little more than the touching of lips.
Apparently he wasn’t satisfied, either, because he opened his mouth and twisted it over hers. Ellie still felt nothing. Which surprised her, considering how attractive the man was.
Richard released her and smiled. “I’ll give you a call soon,” he said as though nothing was amiss. “We could have something good together, Ellie. Think about it, all right?”
She stared at him, at a total loss for anything to say. The kiss that had left her cold had somehow convinced him they could become romantically involved.
“You’re coming to the Cattlemen’s dance with me, right?” he asked, when she finally climbed down from the truck.
“Ah…” She stood with one hand on the door, ready to close it. “I’ll let you know for sure, but I don’t think so.”
Richard’s eyes widened with surprise. “But I’ll see you there?”
“I…I don’t know.” She wasn’t in the mood for much partying. “Perhaps,” she said vaguely.
“In any case I’ll see you soon,” Richard said cheerfully, and with a jaunty wave drove off.
Ellie walked into the store and George Tucker handed her a pile of pink slips. “Glen Patterson called three times,” he muttered in a way that told her he wasn’t keen on being her secretary. George’s expertise didn’t extend to the office.
“Glen phoned?” Her heart reacted immediately.
“Would you kindly put that young man out of his misery?” George asked. “I’ve got better things to do than answer his questions about you.”
Smiling to herself, Ellie headed for her office in the back of the store. Maybe, just maybe, there was some hope that she and Glen could resurrect their friendship, after all.
***
Glen hadn’t been worth a plugged nickel all day. Glen and Cal had been out at Cayuse Pasture, which was approximately twelve miles square in size. They were grazing about 400 cows and yearlings there. Even the dogs didn’t want anything to do with him, and Glen saw their point. His mood had been murderous all day. Three times he’d left Cal and the other hands to race back to the house so he could call Ellie. His frustration rose each time he was forced to leave a message with George. Now that he was back at the ranch house, he discovered his disposition hadn’t improved. The answering machine showed that Ellie hadn’t tried to call him back, which meant she was still with Richard in Bitter End. He didn’t like it, not one damn bit.
“If you’re so concerned about Ellie,” Cal said, “why don’t you drive into town and find out what happened to her?” Cal himself would be driving into town later for his weekly visit to Billy D’s, the local watering hole. Most single ranchers met at Billy D’s for a cold beer on Friday and Saturday nights. Then some of them would wander over to the café in the bowling alley or the Chili Pepper for a barbecued steak. Adam Braunfels served up one of the best T-bones in the state. Glen would probably join his brother and friends—after he’d talked to Ellie.
“You’re letting a woman mess with your mind, little brother,” Cal said with the voice of one who’d been disillusioned by love. He opened the refrigerator and reached for a can of soda. “Take my advice or leave it—that’s up to you. But the way I see it, Ellie’s already got a ring through your nose.”
“The hell she does,” Glen argued. Sure, she’d been on his mind, but only because he was worried about her and Richard visiting Bitter End.
“I was thinking about moseying into town early,” Glen admitted, making light of it.
“Yeah, fine,” Cal said with a decided lack of interest. “Why don’t you just marry Ellie and be done with it?”
Glen frowned at his brother, but rather than become involved in a pointless argument he tore up the stairs to shower and change.
By the time Glen reached the outskirts of Promise, anger simmered just below the surface. He intended to check in with his friends at Billy D’s in a while, but he wouldn’t rest easy until he’d spoken to Ellie. He needed to see for himself that she was all right.
When he arrived at the feed store, George Tucker took one look at him and pointed him toward the business office. So Ellie was back, but she hadn’t bothered to return his calls.
The door was half-open and Glen saw Ellie sitting at the desk, her fingers flying over calculator buttons. She glanced up when he walked into the room. Under normal circumstances he would have poured himself some coffee. Not this afternoon. At least not yet. He wanted to find out what her mood was like first.
“You went to Bitter End, didn’t you,” he said quietly. Although he wished she’d taken his advice, his relief that she was safely home overrode any real anger.
“Did you honestly expect me not to?”
“No,” he said, knowing his actions the night of Ruth’s party had made that impossible.
“I…I wasn’t overly impressed with the town,” she admitted.
Well, he thought, that was a start in the right direction.
“Why didn’t you ever mention it before?” she asked, and he noticed a hurt tone in her voice.
“I never talked about it with anyone.” He walked across the room and reached for the coffeepot. “If I’d told you, you would’ve wanted to see it for yourself—which you did.”
“To tell you the truth, I understand why you didn’t want me there.”
That was what he’d figured. “I was worried about you,” he said.
“I know. I talked to Cal a few minutes ago.”
Glen frowned. He could just imagine what his brother had said. On second thought he didn’t want to know.
“You plan on making a return visit?” he asked, instead, keeping the question light.
“Go back? Not on your life.”
“Good.” He raised the mug to his lips and took a sip of coffee.
“I think we should talk,” Ellie surprised him by saying.
“Talk?” He froze, not sure he liked the sound of this.
She laughed softly, and Glen realized how much he’d missed hearing that. She had a deep rich laugh, unlike a lot of women he knew who had delicate laughs. Ellie’s was robust and confident, as if she didn’t need to prove her femininity by being reserved. He found her unique in any number of other ways.
“We can try to ignore it, pretend we’ve forgotten it, but the best way to deal with…what happened is to discuss it.”
His eyes held hers. “Are you talking about…” He was having as much trouble saying the word as she was.
“The…kiss.” There, she’d said it.
“The kiss,” he repeated in low tones, as though this were something dark and dangerous. He was beginning to think it was.
Ellie laughed, and soon he did, too.
“We should acknowledge that we were caught up in a momentary impulse,” she suggested primly. “And… Oh, hell, let’s just forget it.”
Leaning against the edge of her desk, Glen cradled his coffee mug in both hands. “I don’t think that’ll work.”
“Why not?” Ellie stood and replenished her own coffee.
Because they’d been friends all these years, Glen knew exactly what she was doing. What had prompted her sudden burst of activity wasn’t a craving for more coffee but an effort not to let him see what was in her eyes.
He set his mug aside and touched her shoulder. She jerked around as though he’d burned her.
“I don’t want to forget the kiss,” he said with blinding honesty. He didn’t recognize it as the truth until the words left his lips.
“You don’t?” She sounded startled.
“Do you?” He was a fool to ask, but he couldn’t have held back the question for anything.
“I…I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do.” If he could hang out his pride to dry, then she’d damn well better be prepared to do the same thing.
She blinked twice. “All I want is for us to be friends.”
“We are. That hasn’t changed.”
“But it has!” she cried, gesturing wildly with her hands. “That kiss changed everything. I used to be able to talk to you.”
“You still can.”
“No, I can’t.”
“Try me,” he challenged.
She threw back her head and laughed, but this time her amusement lacked sincerity. “We can talk about anything, can we?” she flung at him. “Fine, then we’ll talk about how Richard’s kisses leave me cold and how all I could do was compare the way I felt when I was in your arms.”
Glen didn’t hear anything beyond the first few words. “So you’re kissing Richard now. Is there anyone else I don’t know about?”
“See?” she cried, tossing her arms in the air. “My point exactly.”
“What point?”
“We can’t talk.”
“We’re already talking! What do you mean?” This was the kind of convoluted conversation women suckered a man into—giving him just enough rope to hang himself. Glen had seen it happen often enough and had always managed to avoid it with Ellie. Until now.
“You said there wasn’t anything I couldn’t discuss with you, and already we’re at each other’s throats.”
“I am not at your throat!” he shouted, his patience gone. The entire day had been a waste. First he’d fretted about her with Richard in Bitter End. Then he’d attempted to revive their friendship, only to learn she’d been locking lips with Richard Weston.
“You’re welcome to him,” he said, setting the mug down forcibly enough to send coffee sloshing over the sides. “As far as I’m concerned, you and Richard deserve each other.”
“Oh, please, now you’re acting like a jealous fool.”
He was out the office door before he realized he’d had more than one reason for seeing Ellie. He walked back and leaned against the doorjamb, crossing his arms.
Ellie glanced up and waited.
“You going to the dance?” he asked finally, as if her answer didn’t really matter.
“I…haven’t decided yet. Are you going?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I probably will, too.”
“See you there?” he asked, his mood brightening.
She nodded. “Will you wait for me?”
He nodded, grinning.
She smiled back.