Grayson Brothers Series Boxed Set (4 books in 1) (6 page)

Blood surged to Evelyn’s face. “I hope you shot the woman.”

“I wanted to, especially when I saw bruises on Rebecca’s arms where Gert had pinched her, but I restrained myself and threw Gert out of my apartment before I forgot she was a woman.”

“You should have shot her,” Evelyn said, knowing she wouldn’t have been able to keep her hands off the woman.

“As I said, my actions with Rebecca have nothing to do with your influencing her. It’s just that being motherless makes Rebecca more susceptible to forming attachments that might fall apart later on. I don’t want her to lose another person she grows to love.”

“Isn’t she suffering as much without any feminine attachments? Without any friends she can play with?”

“She’ll have that when she warms up to my mother.”

Knowing Radford’s mind was closed on the subject, Evelyn shook her head. “I know you’re a loving father who’s trying to protect your daughter from the heartaches involved in growing up. There’s nothing wrong in that, but you’re keeping Rebecca from learning to depend on herself. Someday she’s going to want to leave the safe little square of her blanket. What if you’re not there when she does?”

“I’ll be there,” he said, his expression absolute.

Evelyn nodded in resignation. “I hope so, Radford. But I think Rebecca needs more than your protective love.”

His face blanched and he stood with his hands at his sides, eyes dark, his expression so concerned, Evelyn pitied him.

“She needs to laugh, Radford. Teach your daughter how to laugh.”

Evelyn had been unusually quiet throughout the evening, her gaze escaping Radford’s each time he glanced in her direction. Had their earlier conversation about Rebecca upset her? Did she think she had offended him by showing concern for his daughter? The truth was, Radford found it touching and quite typical of the Evelyn he was coming to know. She was a caretaker to everybody: her father, her horses, and one motherless little girl.

Unfortunately, Rebecca was too young to understand the difference between a woman’s temporary kindness and a mother’s lifetime love. Radford wasn’t going to watch his daughter learn that heartbreaking lesson again.

Thrusting away memories that reminded him of his poor parenting, Radford retrieved the jug of chokecherry wine from the corner of the table and refilled his glass as Kyle dealt the cards.

“Pass that over,” Boyd said. He took the jug and filled the other glasses before topping off his own.

“Careful, Papa,” Evelyn warned. “That’s your third glass.”

“Well, I’m thirsty.”

Radford listened to the chuckles around the table. It had been like this years ago when his father was alive. William and Mary would come over and play cards with his parents, drinking wine and laughing late into the evening while he stood by his father’s knee as Rebecca was doing with him. To his surprise, the memory felt warm and welcome instead of burying him in melancholy because his father and Evelyn’s mother weren’t with them tonight.

Boyd filled William’s glass and ignored Evelyn’s frown. “My partner is just building his strength,” he said, with a wink at William.

“More like drowning his sorrows over your poor card playing,” Evelyn said then grinned at Boyd.

Laughter filled the kitchen and Boyd glanced at Kyle. “It’s not too late to change your mind about marrying her.”

“Boyd Benjamin!” Radford’s mother covered her eyes and shook her head.

“If you don’t want Evelyn, I’ll take her,” Radford said, not realizing how his statement sounded until it was out of his mouth. When Kyle raised his eyebrows, Radford scrambled to cover his blunder. “Ah... the way Duke is playing, I could use a new partner.”

Flustered by the sudden attention, and Kyle’s scrutinizing gaze, Evelyn took a drink from her wine glass. She wasn’t foolish enough to think Radford meant that as a compliment. Not after their earlier conversation about Rebecca. He didn’t like Evelyn reaching out to his daughter, but she couldn’t help herself. Rebecca was clinging to the safety of her father and a three-foot piece of cotton the same way Evelyn had clung to her livery. She had felt safe inside those four walls and gave her love to her horses, who wouldn’t hurt her. Now she was a misfit, uncomfortable anywhere else. Evelyn didn’t want Rebecca’s need for security to imprison her—as it had Evelyn.

“Your turn,” Kyle said, startling Evelyn so abruptly from her thoughts that she nearly overturned her wine glass.

In her scramble to keep her glass upright, she dropped her cards. They fluttered to the floor at her feet. She leaned over to retrieve them, but saw a pair of tiny, slippered feet step forward and two small hands reach down for the cards she had dropped. Rebecca gazed up at her, her brown eyes dark and nervous as though she was afraid to touch the cards.

Evelyn nodded for her to go ahead, and Rebecca’s inept fingers reached for the cards, fumbling at the edges until she managed to curl her fingers beneath them. With both fists, she gathered them to her chest, clasping the bent cards for dear life as she stood. Slowly, she moved to Evelyn’s side then leaned forward. “Here,” she said shyly, releasing the cards into Evelyn’s lap.

A riot of dark curls spilled across Rebecca’s back and rolled over her shoulders. Of its own volition, Evelyn’s hand lifted and stroked Rebecca’s head. “Thank you, sweetheart,” she said, her voice sounding emotional to her own ears.

Rebecca looked up at Evelyn with a shy smile then stuck her finger in her mouth and took a step back, leaning against her daddy’s knee.

Radford lifted his daughter onto his lap, drawing Evelyn’s gaze to his. A deep sadness registered in his eyes and Evelyn experienced a sudden urge to put her arms around both of them.

* * *

Evelyn stopped beneath the oak tree with its giant limbs spreading several feet across the yard, one of them still holding her childhood swing that Rebecca now used. “It’s late,” she said to Kyle, who had walked her home after their card game. “I’d better go in.”

He braced his hand against the tree trunk. “Radford’s capable of helping your father up to bed. Let’s enjoy the breeze and talk for a few minutes.”

She slipped between the ropes of the swing and sat on the wide wooden seat. “All right, but it seems all we talk about lately is our wedding and building a house.”

Kyle gave a short, disbelieving laugh. “That’s what most women want to talk about.”

“I’d rather talk about horse races, or the cities we might visit someday. Those are the things we used to share.” She stood up and playfully pinched his hard stomach. “Why don’t we do that anymore?”

He shrugged. “I guess right now there are things more pertinent. Maybe after the wedding we’ll have time for that.”

“I hope so. I really miss our talks.” She grasped his hands, needing to connect with her old friend. “I want us to be happy.”

“So do I.”

 “I mean really happy.” Evelyn met his eyes. “Like we were when we used to race our horses to the gorge. Remember the feeling of being eight years old and not afraid of anything?”

“You weren’t afraid. That’s why you always won the race.”

Evelyn laughed and her mind traveled back to the afternoon Kyle nearly broke his neck jumping a tree stump to cut in front of her and cross their imaginary finish line. The horse had stumbled and unseated Kyle, who was lucky enough to land in a freshly plowed field. Evelyn wanted to choke him for breaking the rules, instead she offered to wash out the dirt ground into his shirt and pants. After he’d disrobed behind a bush and tossed his clothes to her, Evelyn clutched them under her arm and rode off, yelling to Kyle that it served him right for cheating.

“What are you smirking about?” he asked.

“I was remembering the day I stole your clothes and made you ride home in your undergarments.”

His grin widened. “I still owe you for the beating I got that day.”

“You deserved it for cheating.” She laughed and swung their arms from side to side. “Remember this little ritual we used to share when celebrating something grand?”

He squinted in momentary confusion then slowly nodded. “Kinda foolish, wasn’t it?”

“I didn’t think so,” she said, but released his hands. “We were full of enthusiasm then. Remember, Kyle? You once told me that you wanted to go out West where the trees are so tall you couldn’t even see the tops of them. A tree like that would keep the mill busy forever.”

He leaned a shoulder against the wide trunk of the tree and propped a foot on a thick upraised root. “Our mill couldn’t handle a tree that size.”

“Oh.”

“Have you considered what size stove you’ll need for our kitchen?” he asked.

“What?”

“I need to order the stove so it’s here when I get the kitchen ready. What do you want?”

She shook her head, jarred by his abrupt change of topic. She should be used to his penchant for keeping their conversation to business, but every time he did it, she felt her hopes for an intimate union with him plummet.

“Our wedding is in less than twelve weeks, Ev. You need to make a decision.”

“I know that, Kyle, I just thought we could do this another time. I thought you wanted to talk to me tonight.”

“We’re talking, aren’t we?” When she didn’t respond, Kyle shoved away from the tree. “What’s bothering you? You’ve been acting odd ever since Radford came home. Are you still upset that he’s running the livery?”

“No,” she said, and though it was true she’d been acting skittish around Radford, being unable to communicate with Kyle had nothing to do with his brother. Kyle honestly didn’t understand her, and she had no idea how to reach him. Sometime after his father died, Kyle had ceased to dream, and now he was incapable of going back.

“Ev.” He slipped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “Daydreaming doesn’t run the mill or the livery for us so it’s best to keep our minds on what needs to be done.”

He was right of course, but she missed the boy she could play with.

“Let’s forget about talking,” he said quietly. “I’d rather do this.” He lowered his head and kissed her.

It felt as awkward as the first time, but as he deepened the kiss, Evelyn remembered to part her lips and allow Kyle’s tongue access to hers. When he groaned and pulled her hard against him, she thought maybe she shouldn’t have done it. When his hand started to move up her waist, she knew it for certain.

She pulled back. “That’s more than a kiss, Kyle.”

Heat remained in his eyes, but he dutifully distanced himself from her. “Sorry,” he said. The sincerity in his expression pleased her, and she wondered if perhaps he did care more than he let on.

He cupped her chin. “That was much better, Ev.”

Those simple words shattered her hopes like a stone hitting glass. Did “better” mean “good enough”?

* * *

The following morning after Radford and Evelyn had serviced three customers and rented out a rig, Evelyn waited on the porch with her father while Radford brought the wagon around. As he pulled up, Rebecca sat at his side, gazing at the world around her as if seeing it all for the first time.

Radford vaulted to the ground, caught Evelyn’s waist, and lifted her onto the back of the wagon before she knew what was happening. The feel of his strong hands around her ribs sent a queer thrill up her sides and she grasped his arms, looking down into his eyes.

He smiled up at her. “You can let go now,” he said, nodding at her fingers gripping his biceps.

“Oh!” She yanked her hands away and moved to the side of the wagon. “I wasn’t ready to board yet. I need to help Papa first.”

With a casual step to the side, Radford blocked her descent. “I’ll give him a hand.” Radford turned away and placed the toolbox on the ground beside her father to use as a step. “Can you manage with that, William?”

Her father eyed the box. “I can sure as heck try.”

Evelyn stared at Radford, wondering what he was up to. He had deliberately put her out of the way then cut her off. Didn’t he realize that her father was too frail to board alone? “Wait, Papa,” she said. “You’ll hurt yourself.”

“If I can’t hike these old bones aboard, Radford can give me a push.”

Worried, but unwilling to argue with her father, Evelyn held her breath as she watched him struggle to climb aboard. He braced his weak left leg and stepped with the right, gripping his cane as he slowly made the step, and the next. When he finally collapsed onto the seat, his face was red, but his eyes held a look of victory.

“Keep that... toolbox handy, son,” he said, winded but glowing.

Radford laughed as he chucked the box onto the wagon bed and climbed aboard. With a wink at Evelyn that heated her blood as much as the feel of his hands on her waist had, Radford urged the Morgans forward and drove them to town.

“Why don’t you leave Rebecca with Evelyn?” her father suggested to Radford when they stopped at Brown and Shepherd’s store. “She ain’t interested in horse feed and flooring nails. There’s all kinds of gewgaws for her to look at in Aggie’s store.”

“We’ll only be at the feed depot a few minutes, William.”

“That’s right, so let Rebecca go snoop around here for a bit.”

Evelyn saw the indecision in Radford’s expression, but he turned to his daughter and asked reluctantly, “Do you want to stay here?”

Rebecca glanced at Evelyn, who encouraged her with a smile then shifted her gaze back to her daddy. “Will you come back?”

“Of course, sweetheart.” Radford’s expression softened and his shoulders dropped. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”

“I will,” she said hesitantly.

Radford’s expression said he didn’t want to leave Rebecca with anyone, but to Evelyn’s surprise, he climbed down and stood Rebecca on the boardwalk.

Thank you, Papa! Evelyn vaulted from the wagon before Radford could touch her again. Her ribs were still tingling from the feel of his hands on her waist.

“I’ll keep her right beside me,” Evelyn said then opened the door to Brown and Shepherd’s before Radford could change his mind.

Rebecca followed Evelyn inside, her tiny nose pointed upward as she sniffed the air.

Evelyn gestured to a table across the store. “The scented soaps and spices make it smell pretty in here. Look around if you like.”

At first, Rebecca lingered near Evelyn then grew bolder and began to wander the store.

Evelyn selected a can of Eureka harness oil, a can of lard, a bag of flour, and a jar of molasses. Her hand lingered on a small cake of jasmine-scented soap, a fragrance her mother used to wear. She lifted it to her nose, basking in the lovely scent, immersing herself in the nostalgia of old memories.

She could buy it this time if she wanted to. Business was already picking up now that folks knew Radford was at the livery.

It pricked her pride, but Evelyn understood it wasn’t her lack of skill that caused her livery to fail. It was mostly because she was a woman doing a man’s job. Maybe her father saw that and thought Radford’s presence would give her a chance to bring the business back to life. Then again, maybe he had just lost faith in her because business had gotten so bad.

Evelyn laid the soap back in the basket and wiped her hand on the front of her shirt, hoping to keep some of the scent with her. The feel of her coarse cambric blouse returned her sanity and she turned away from temptation. How foolish of her to bother with frivolities. She spent her time with horses and hay and work that made her hands as rough as a man’s. What use would someone like her have for scented soap?

A quick in-drawn breath drew her attention to the front corner of the store. Rebecca was pressing both hands to her cheeks and staring at a cradle that held a small doll with a painted porcelain head. The sleeping baby doll was wrapped in a soft white blanket with a pink bonnet on her head.