Dust Devil (29 page)

She caught the furrowing between his brows but said nothing, only waiting.

"Mother, Inez is with me.” He nodded behind him and took her hand, drawing her through the doorway.  “We’d like to talk with you.”

Rosemary should have been
relieved to see that Jamie had apparently put the previous evening out of his mind, but she didn’t believe it for a moment. Rather she suspected Inez had something to do with restoring his present equanimity. "Don’t leave her standing there, Jamie. Inez, please come in.” She turned to her beloved son. "Shall I have Consuela make us something cool to drink?”

H
e shook his head and led her to the loveseat opposite her bed. 'This is something special. A secret to be kept for a while.”

She
looked at both their faces, bright with hope that only the youth seemed to have. "I think I can guess your secret. You two are in love and you want to get married.”

"It’s that obvious, is it?”
he asked, grinning broadly.

She
nodded, and Inez said in her softly accented voice, "We were afraid there would be objections because I am older than Jamie.” Her fingers had been toying with the folds of her long, flounced skirts, but now her head snapped upward. With her dark brown hair piled high and held in place with a tortoiseshell comb, she looked as regal as a Spanish queen. "But it does not matter what anyone says. We love each other!”

Rosemary rose and crossed the room, bending to give first Inez, then Jamie, a kiss on the cheek. "I couldn’t
be happier, children. And I’m certain Rita will be happy about the news.”

"We knew you would feel that way,”
he said. He paused and glanced at Inez, then went on. "We were hoping you two women might smooth the way with our fathers. I thought I’d ask Don Jiraldo for Inez’s hand at the Fourth of July Ball tomorrow night. But father . . .’’Jamie frowned. "Well, you know, mother, we’re not that close. But I would like his blessing.”

She
turned away. Moving to the window, with her hands crossed about her elbows, she stood looking out. She saw the great cottonwood where her firstborn was buried alongside Stephanie’s grave. She saw the millhouse where Grant first kissed her. And she saw the village below where she spent many afternoons teaching the illiterate and many nights watching over the sick. Almost a quarter of a century she had lived in this land. A land she had come to love despite her initial reservation. She was bound to this land, more so than Stephen could ever be!

Slowly she turned to face the two lovers, her decision made. "Jamie, your father will never give his blessing.”

"Why not? Surely age can’t be that important. And he and Don Jiraldo have been friends for years.”

She
held up her hand. "Let me finish.” Her teeth played with her lower lip. "I don’t know how to say this, because I care so much for you, Inez. But you see, Jamie’s father brought me here from Ireland to be . . . ” she drew a deep breath and finished, " . . . not so much a wife — but a breeder. Like a thoroughbred horse.”

She saw the couple’s faces register disbelief, then shock. Her lips twisted in a sad smile. "Actually, Inez, ’tis not so uncommon. Your father, who is a
gachupine
with the finest Spanish blood in his heritage, would never consider letting you marry a Mexican with Indian ancestry, a
mestizo
. Though he might be persuaded to let you marry Jamie . . . I don’t know. I do know that Stephen will never allow you to marry Inez, Jamie. He wants an empire ruled by pure Anglo blood.”

Jamie bowed his head. His right fist ground into his left palm. When he looked up, Rosemary saw the fury that tore him inside out, the tears that symbolized years of frustration and anger and hurt. "I used to dream, mother
— horrible dreams. Every night of the three years you were gone. And father was always in them. Yelling, shouting, bullying.

"After you came back the dreams eventually stopped. But not my hatred for what father stands for. A bigoted megalomaniac. He will control everything, everyone. He moves us like puppets. The puppeteer. But not me, mother. Not any longer. With
— or without his blessing, I shall marry Inez!”

She
stifled her urge to console her son. Her voice sounded harsh in her ears. "Jamie, your father merely has to give the word, and one hundred and thirty
vaqueros
are at his command, ready to do his bidding. And that’s just here at Cambria. His hand controls the entire Territory.”

Inez dropped to her knees at Rosemary’s feet.
The young woman’s hands clasped hers.    "
Por favor, Senora
, help us. I love your son. And he loves me — and needs me.
Ayudanos
! Help us!” Tears misted her darkly-lashed eyes.

She
lifted Inez to her feet. "The third floor of the mill,” she began hesitantly as she made her plans. "Leave the dance tomorrow night — separately. I shall arrange for the Methodist circuit rider — he’s at Las Vegas now I think — to meet you at the mill. It’s two witnesses you’ll be needing. Your mother, Inez, and Stephanie. I’ll detain Stephen.”

Jamie took his mother’s face between his hands. "I love you, mother.”

"And I love you. Now go, both of you. I’ve much to do before tomorrow night.”

CHAPTER 32

Stephanie looked up into Wayne’s face and saw the grim lines carved at the corners of his mouth. She waited until he had whirled her past the musicians’ platform, away from the twang of the banjo and the scrape of the fiddle and the watching eyes of the matrons and retired soldiers too old to dance any longer, content to watch the younger people dance, and dream of another era.

A strained smile came to
her lips. "I’m not forcing you to marry me, only seduce me. Am I that bad of a bargain, Wayne Raffin? After all, I am heiress to a kingdom, as you once reminded me. And I’m not that bad looking. Ask the master-sergeant over there. Already he’s asked me to dance twice this evening.”

Wayne had to smile.  Well, compared to 
the cloddish daughter of one of the homesteaders I just danced the quadrille with, maybe you’re not so bad a bargain. Are you trying to bribe me into marrying you?” he asked, attempting to match her humorous sparring. "If you are, it won’t work. I’ve found I’m allergic to your bites.”

Her
smile leveled into a serious line. "Wayne, we’d be good together! Can’t you see it?”

Embarrassment surfaced on
his usually sardonic countenance. His eyes looked past her head. "I know only that you’re still a child in some ways, Stephanie. That you don’t see beyond your own needs and wants.”

Before the dance was even ending its last note, he dropped his arm from about her waist and escorted her back to her mother. Stephanie turned her back on him as he thanked her and rapidly began to fan herself. She was glad her mother was too preoccupied with Rita at the moment or she would have easily detected that something was wrong. But from the comer of her eye Stephanie hopelessly watched as Wayne bowed to Inez and heard him ask, in Jamie’s absence, for a dance.

Stephanie wanted to cry and stamp her feet at the same time. She knew every pair of female eyes watched her, gloating at her frustration. She raised her head and glared at the nameless faces about her. Her defiant gaze swept by the women, herded together like sheep for security, and on to the men at the room’s far side. She saw through their facade of nonchalance to their nervousness. And she saw Cody Strahan in lithe relaxation against a post, his watchful gaze on her.

With cool deliberation she snapped shut her fan and began walking across the sand-sprinkled puncheon floor that separated the two sexes like an enemy firing line. She heard the startled gasps even above the beginning strains of the music. She came to a halt before Cody, who raised one brow. "Will you dance with me, Cody?”

Cody took her in his arms and led her out onto the floor. It was the first time she had ever seen him dance, and she was surprised at his smoothness, for she had expected the usual awkwardness of the other cowpunchers she had danced with. Looking up at him now, she realized he was attractive in a rugged sort of way. He wore a dress-white linen shirt with the paper collar, and rather than his usual bandana knotted about his neck he had on a thin drawstring black tie.

"You’re grinning like a opossum, kid,” he said. "Does it hurt that much?”

She nodded, still smiling. "It shows, huh?”

He shrugged his shoulders. "I doubt the others know. I just been around you a lot maybe.”

"You can read me like you can read bear tracks, Cody Strahan, and you know it.” She looked up into the watchful gray eyes. "What am I going to do, Cody?” she asked in a pained whisper. "I want Wayne more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.”

"And you’ve always gotten what you wanted, haven’t you?”

She stiffened. "Are you against me also?”

"Nope. No one is. But you’re headstrong. Like an unbroken colt.”

"I’ve had to be, Cody! What do you think it’s been like — growing up at Cambria where you count for nothing? Pet her, and she’ll go away and leave you alone. That’s my father’s theory. It’s always been Jamie this and Jamie that!”

"Are you jealous of Jamie?”

"No, no one could be. I love him, Cody, and I don’t think he’s been any happier with the life that’s been forced upon him.”

"So, you think you should’ve been the boy.”

She looked away. "I never wanted to be. It just seems easier.”

"Hey, kid
— you’re just as beautiful as your mom . . . but in a different way.”

Sh
e looked up shyly. "You mean it?”

He
laughed out loud. "Don’t play the coquette with me, Stephanie Rhodes. I’ve known you too long, kid.”

S
he laughed, enjoying herself in spite of Wayne’s rejection. Too soon the waltz finished, and when Cody returned her to the benches of watching women, Rita was there with Inez.

"Cody
— my Inez, she does not feel so well,” Rita said. "Maybe you and Stephanie can take us back to Cambria, no?”

Cody cocked an eyebrow at Inez,
taking in the girl’s pale appearance.

"Rosita can return with Esteban and Jiraldo tomorrow morning as planned,” Rita continued.

"I’ll clear it with mama and papa, Cody,” Stephanie added hastily, "while you bring the wagon around.”

Cody caught her arm. "No, I’ll clear it with them. You three wait.”

She searched his angular face and saw the knowledge in his eyes that something was afoot. "Cody, please,” she whispered. "This isn’t for me. It’s for Jamie.”

He glanced at Rita, and she nodded imperceptibly. "Your mom and pop don’t know about this
, kid?” he asked.

"Mama does. Please, Cody.”

Cody hesitated, then said, "I’ll be waiting outside. Make your good-byes.”

Nervously
she twisted the ends of her shawl as she approached her father. At her side Inez said, "I do feel so sick now, Stephanie. My stomach, it chums like butter.”

"Good!”

"
Callados
!” Rita hissed. "Hush, you two. Inez, hang your head. Chiquita, I shall do the talking.”

At the women’s approach Stephen turned from the group of Las Vegas businessmen and their wives who surrounded him and Rosemary. He pinched his daughter’s cheek. "You be looking as bonny as your mother did at your age.”

"Why, Inez,” Rosemary said, taking Inez’s two frozen hands between her own, "you look like you don’t feel well, doesn’t she, Stephen?”

"
Con su permiso, Esteban
,” Rita said, "we thought we’d return to Cambria early, if Cody could take us. Inez, she has been complaining of a
dolor de cabeza
all evening.”

"A headache, huh,” Stephen said. "Maybe we should rouse the fort’s surgeon. Have him examine her.”

"That probably would be unnecessary, Stephen,” Rosemary said. "Inez just needs a little rest, I’m sure.”

"I’ll return with you,
mi amor
,” Don Jiraldo said. "These
fiestas
that last
todo las noches
are too much for a man my age.”

Stephanie opened her mouth to protest, not knowing exactly what she would say, but her father spared her the worry, saying, "I’m sure Rosemary and Rita can take care of Inez, Jiraldo. Besides, we still haven’t finished the deal on the Encino Silver Mines. Get with Hubbard and finish off the details while I walk the women to the wagon.”

Outside there was the usual nip of coolness in the evening air, and the women hugged their shawls close about them. From nearby Las Vegas could be heard the explosion of fireworks. At noon that day Fort Union’s cannon had fired thirty-eight salvos, one for each state in the Union.

Rita, Inez, and Stephanie climbed into the back seat of the wagon, and Stephen helped Rosemary in next to Cody. "Rosemary,” he said, releasing her waist.

Rosemary heard the challenge in his voice. How many times had she faced it over the twenty years of their marriage, most of the time losing, sometimes winning? At times she thought Stephen had actually come to enjoy their marriage, enjoy the challenge she brought to it. "Aye, Stephen?”