The Touch of Sage (28 page)

“
Waltzin
’
and a kiss,
”
Rose
reminded him.
Waltzing over to where Reb sat
defeated, but looking as amused as anyone else,
Rose
plopped down on his lap.
“
This Friday night, Reb.
Meet me here, at the boardin
’
house at six sharp.
”
Reb chuckled again.

“
All right, Miss
Rosie
,
”
he said, pinching her cheek adoringly.
“
Six on Friday night.
”

Rose
jumped to her feet once more, singing,
“
Rummy, rummy, rummy,
”
as she took another turn around the room
.

“
Well, it
’
s gettin
’
late,
”
Sage sighed.
“
We best be gettin
’
everyone off to bed here pretty quick.
”
Sage stood and headed toward the kitchen.

“
Hold on there!
”
Reb exclaimed.
“
Don
’
t ya go boltin
’
off like a frightened little filly.
Everyone else made good on their bets.
”
Sage smiled at him and shook her head.

“
Oh, Reb,
”
she laughed.
“
I know it
’
s all just in fun.
Quit teasin
’
.
”
It was Mary who stepped in front of Sage, blocking her escape.

“
Now, Sage…ya made a bet with the young man
,
and we can
’
t let ya duck it,
”
Mary told her.
“
Besides,
”
she continued,
“
what
’
re ya afraid of?
Yer just about the best rummy player in town.
”

Sage looked to Reb.
He winked at her, smiling triumphantly.

“
Ya owe me two ou
t
ta three hands, Sage,
”
he said.
“
I got witnesses.
”

“
Oh, go on, Sage!
”
Livie said.
“
Don
’
t you think a night in Reb
’
s arms would be worth losing for?
”

“
Livie Jonesburg!
”
Mary scolded.

“
Oh, you know what I mean, Mary,
”
Livie said.
“
Quit playin
’
the Reverend Mother to us all.
”

“
Besides, Sage,
”
Reb said.
“
What if ya beat me?
Ya
’
ve been talkin
’
about wantin
’
the boardin
’
house whitewashed since the day I arrived.
”

In truth, Sage could think of nothing more wonderful than losing to Reb.
Spending an evening with him, secluded and alone, with the prospect of his kissing her again was more dreamy than anything.
Still, she couldn
’t lose to him—
for she feared it would be obvious that she wanted to.

At last, she inhaled deeply and said,
“
Very well, Mr. Mitchell.
Prepare to spend a day or two workin
’
for me, instead of runnin
’
your herd.
”

“
Well, we
’
ll see about that.
Won
’
t we?
”
he said, handing the deck of cards to her.



Sage
’
s hands trembled as she held her cards.
One card. That
’
s all she needed.
Just one more three to finish her set and she would win!
Reb had won the first hand they
’d played,
Sage the second.
Now Sage sat holding eve
rything she needed to beat him—
save one silly three.

“
I swear, Sage,
”
Rose
said.
“
You
’
ve gone pale as a ghost.
”

“
Hush, Rose,
”
Mary scolded.
“
Ya
’
ll break her concentration.
”

“
Go on, Miss
Rosie
,
”
Reb chuckled.
“
Break her concentration.
”

Timidly Sage drew a card, a four of hearts.
She tossed the card to the discard pile and waited. Reb smiled, his eyes lighting up with triumph as he then took the four of hearts from the top of the discard pile, placing it in his hand.

“
Rummy,
”
he said, chuckling.
“
Rummy, rummy, rummy!
Ain
’
t that right, Miss
Rosie
?
” Sage sat,
mouth gaping open in astonishment.
She had lost!
She had actually lost!
Reb looked at her, obviously and utterly amused by her
stunned silence.

“
Well, Sage,
”
he began,
“
I got me
a previous engagement on Friday,
so why don
’t we just say,
I
’
ll drop in Saturday and collect my winnin
’s?”

“N-
now, Reb,
” Sage stammered, a nervous smile—
a pleading expression
—
washing over her face.
“Why
don
’
t I just fix you up a nice supper on Saturday
?
Let
’
s say chicken, some mashed potatoes…some of my special sage gravy.
You
’
re always tellin
’
me how much you like the flavor of my sage
—”

“
Oh, I like the flavor of sage, all right,
”
Reb interrupted, smiling at her as he smoothed his mustache with the side of an index finger.
He moistened his lips and winked at her.
“
Yes, ma
’
am!
I do love to savor the taste of sage!
And I plan on gettin
’ my fill of it Saturday night,
but supper won
’t be necessary…
Sage
.
”

Sage felt her cheeks run vermillion as the other ladies in the room giggled.
Even Mary giggled, and Sage sighed when Eugenia winked at her.



It was very late when Reb set out for the ranch.
Once he was gone
,
the older ladies of Willows
’s
Boarding House retired quickly—
giggles and whispers about their sinful card playing with Reb buzzing about in their wake.
Sage lay in bed for hours, struggling for sleep, struggling to calm herself about the prospect of having to pay her debt.
She
’
d lost in gambling.
In fact, it was the first time in
her life she had gambled—
and the outcome proved the vice was wicked.

Still, she couldn
’t help but smile,
a thrill running through her as she thought o
f spending time alone with Reb—of his
collecting his winnings.
Saturday night couldn
’
t come fast enough!

Chapter Eight

“
It fits!
”
Rose
exclaimed, clapping her tiny hands.
“
It fits perfectly!
I knew it would.
Oh, Sage!
To see you there…that dress…it takes me back.
It truly takes me back.
”

“
It should take you back, Rose Applewhite,
”
Mary grumbled.
“
Back to jail for showin
’
so much skin.
Sakes alive, Sage. Ya look like ya done stepped straight out of the town saloon!
”
Mary exclaimed, though her tight smile displayed approval.

“
Miss
Rosie
!
”
Sage exclaimed as she looked at her reflection in the standing mirror.
“
I can
’
t believe you used to…I can
’
t believe you talked me into puttin
’
this on!
It
’
s hardly proper.
”
Still, Sage couldn
’
t help but grin as she studied her reflection.
Her hair was piled high on her head in a profusion of curls with several ringlets cascading over her shoulders.
Her shoulders, in fact
,
were nearly b
are except for the ruffled, lac
y capped sleeves of the dress
’s
bodice.
The purple and crimson satin dress barely covered her knees in the front, tapering down at the sides to hang nearly to her ankles in the back.
It was the most ru
ffled thing Sage had ever seen—
embellished beautifully with long black ribbons and a profusion of black lace.
Still, scandalous or not, as she studied herself in the oval standing mirror, hair piled high, black stockings
,
and danci
ng boots laced tightly,
Sage could not help but be delighted.

“
It
’
s ridiculous,
”
Sage giggled.
“
I look like a…
”

“
Like a princess!
”
Livie exclaimed.

“
More like a
hussy
,
” Mary grumbled.

“
Wonderful, isn
’
t it?
”
Rose
sighed.

Eugenia smiled and chuckled herself.
She could not believe the change in Sage!
With her hair so soft and curled, loosely piled,
the bright colors of the dress—
all of it combined to entirely transform the girl.
It was obvious
from
Sage
’
s countenance
that
it
had been
a very long time
since
she was pleased with her appearance.
Eugenia
’
s innards thrilled with delighted anticipation.
Oh, she was indeed anxious about the little plot she and her dear friends had hatched.
Still, it was for Sage
’s own good—a
nd Reb
’
s.
Sage would get over any residual anger she might feel
—
once Reb had
“
had his way with her,
”
as he put it.

“
You
’
re beautiful, Sage,
”
Eugenia sighed.
“
If only Reb could see you now.
”

Sage laughed and shook her head.
“
If Reb could see me now
—
or any other man for that matter
—
I think I
’
d drop dead in my tracks.
”
Still
,
Sage giggled again as she looked in the mirror.

“
Now,
”
Rose
said, taking Sage
’s hand, “up
on the table with you, Sage.
Let
’
s work on your high kick.
”

“
Oh, no you don
’
t, Miss
Rosie
,
”
Sage said, shaking her head.
“
You talked me into puttin
’
this silly costume on…but you
’
re not gonna push me any further than that.
”

“
Oh, please, Sage!
”
Livie whined.
“
Just do a little dancing for us.
I mean…
Rosie
has
nice bloomers,
but I
’
ve never seen a real dancehall girl dance befor
e. Just a little…just for me?”

Sage smiled and shook her head.
How could she refuse her friends
?
The l
ittle imps were too delightful—
to
o
happy and full of life.
She admired the
m for the lives they had lived,
for
the hardships they had endured,
and for the joy and mischief
that
still bubbled in them.
And besides, though it was late Friday afternoon, Reb wasn
’
t due to meet with Miss
Rose
for two hours yet, and certainly no one else was expected at Willows
’s
.

“
Well…well
,
all right,
”
Sage agreed.
“
But only if you promise to draw all the drapes in the dinin
’
room.
The kitchen table won
’
t hold my weight.
”

Rose
squealed with delight, as did Livie and
Eugenia. Mary simply chuckled,
her wrinkled face softening into a broad smile.

“
Good gravy!
”
Sage laughed.
“
You all act like you
’
re five years old.
”

“
I just want to see my dress dance again,
”
Rose
said, leading Sage to the dinin
g
room.
“
And it wouldn
’
t hurt ya to liven up a bit, Sage.
You spend entirely too much time bein
’
serious.
”

“
Draw them tight,
”
Sage instructed as Eugenia and Mary drew the dining room drapes to ensure privacy.
“
I swear…if anyone catches me doin
’
this…
”

“
Oh, just hush up, Sage
,
and enjoy the fun,
”
Mary said.
Sage glanced to Mary for a moment, astonished at the woman
’
s demand.

“
Up on the table now, Sage,
”
Rose
instructed.
“
Now you
’
ve seen me do this before.
” Rose
began prancing about and clapping her hands.
Sage shook her head and stepped up onto a chair and then onto the table.

“
Oh, this is silly,
” sh
e giggled.

“
A little silliness eases the heart by a mile,
”
Eugenia added.

“
And besides…you look beautiful!
”
Liv
i
e sighed, dreamily clasping her hands at her bosom.

“
There
’
s a
pretty pink
rose in
South Carolina
,
he’s marchin’
home to
wed
!
” Rose
began to sing.
“
Daa la la laa la la laaa…
”
she continued, increasing the tempo as the other ladies began to clap in unison with her.
“
Come on now
,
Sage!
” Rose
exclaimed.
“
Kick up your heels a bit!
And swish your skirts…like this!
” Rose
took hold of the front of her dress, hiking it up to her knees and swishing it this way and that in time with the clapping.
Sage shook her head, smiled
,
and imitated her friend.
“
Now…add some prancin
’
.
Just like a pony!
That
’
s it!
” Rose
giggled.
“
Perfect!
”

“
Daa la la laa la la laaa…la la la laa la laaa!
” Rose
sang as the others continued to clap.

“
Yer a natural, Sage,
”
Mary laughed, her face beaming with delight.
“
I guess ya shoulda taken up life as a dancehall girl…
’
stead of a boardin
’
house marm.
”

Sage giggled and continued to dance on the table.
She was careful, not wanting to scratch up the table
’s surface. B
ut the dr
ess, the stockings, the dancing—
all of it did free her somehow.
D
ressed as she was, her hai
r done up so fancy and feminine, somehow she felt liberated—enlightened—
as if she could be happy always.

Sage smiled, pleased at the perfectly mirth-filled expressions of her friends.
Even if the situation hadn
’
t been as fun as it was proving to be, all of it would be worth the now resplendent joy on each woman
’
s beloved face.

Turning her back to the ladies then, Sage wiggled her hind end the way she
’
d seen Miss
Rose
do so many times after winning a hand of rummy.
Each woman erupted into giggles and laughter
,
and Sage laughed to
o. Sage laughed wholeheartedly—
until she turned back around to see Reb st
anding in the back of the room. A
broad smile
spread across his handsome face as h
is eyebrows
arched
in an expression of astonishment.

Instantly
,
Sage ceased in her dance, gasping as her hand flew to
cover
her mouth.
She felt the hot crimson of the deepest sort of blush
rise to her cheeks—
cover her entire body.

S
eeing Sage
’
s horrified expression, the widows of Willow
s’
s Boarding House ceased their clapping and turned to follow Sage
’
s gaze.

“
Well, hello there, Reb!
”
Rose
greeted.
“
Sage was just entertainin
’
us a bit this afternoon.
”
Sage was
rendered frozen with embarrassment—
mortified at being found in such a state by Reb Mitchell!
“
Doesn
’
t she make a perfect dancehall girl?
”

Reb
’
s smile broadened as he nodded and said,
“
Ain
’
t seen nothin
’
the like of it
’
cept in my imagination.
”

“
Don
’
t stop now, Sage,
”
Mary urged.
“
Ya got a real audience.
Might as well give him an
eyeful
.
”