Dusty Britches (22 page)

“
So I
’
ve been told,
”
Dusty informed her.

“
And I think,
”
Miss Raynetta began, taking Dusty
’
s arms and holding them out to her sides,
“
I think I
’
ve got a red dress in the back that
’
ll do just fine on you!
”

“
Oh, no, no, no,
”
Dusty argued.
“
You
’
re the only one I know
who
can wear red and get away with it, Miss Raynetta.
”

Miss Raynetta giggled and lowered her voice.
“
Me and the devil, y
a
mean?
”

“
Oh, no,
”
Dusty
protested
.
“
I didn
’
t mean
—”

Miss Raynetta giggled again.
“
I
’
ve got a rather brown
-
sugar shade of calico made up. What do y
a
think of that?
”

Dusty wanted to think it was wonderful. She wanted to think about looking pretty, wearing her hair down. She wanted to think about being dressed in something the color of Ryder
’
s eyes. But try as she might, she built a wall against it in her mind. She
’
d been trying for ove
r a week to be kinder to Becca—
to
her father and the hands too—e
ven
to
Ryder. For all she
’
d avoided him, she
’
d been more civil to him when she
did have
to be in his powerful presence.
Still,
to change the way she wore her hair would certainly draw
too much
attention
already
! A new dress at the picnic? Could she endure that?

“
Come on, Dusty,
”
Becca pleaded.
“
Just…just be yourself for once.
”

It was an awkward attempt at telling Dusty to change. Dusty chose not to flash anger at her sister. She meant well, after all.

“
It
’
ll surely become y
a
, pumpkin,
”
Miss Raynetta assured her.
“
Don
’
t be afraid to try somethin
’
new.
”
The woman paused and put a ponderous finger to her lips.
“
Tell y
a
what
. Y
ou wear that new brown calico to the picnic
,
and I
’
ll wear my loudest purple just to take the attention offa you.
”

Dusty smiled at the woman
’
s sincere offer, knowing perfectly well that it wouldn
’
t bother Miss Raynetta McCarthy
one bit
to wear purple up to meet St. Peter at the
p
early
g
ates.

“
It
’
ll be a sacrifice on my part,
”
Miss Raynetta sighed dramatically.
“
But…I can do it for you.
”

The Hunter girls
spent near to an hour in Miss Raynetta
’
s shop while
Dusty
and Becca were completely doted on by the dress shop owner. It was as if, Dusty noted, the woman w
ere
expending every bit of energy on her and Becca that she never could on daughters
of her own—daughters
she never had.

“
I
’
ll hem that up for y
a
right this minute, Dusty,
”
Miss Raynetta called after her as Dusty crossed the street
toward
the general store.
“
You drop in and pick it up
’
fore y
a
leave, you hear?
”

Becca was staying behind to help Miss Raynetta, and Dusty walked along the board walkway
,
wondering how in the world she would ever find the courage to wear a new dress to the picnic.

“
Now ain
’
t you somethin
’
to look at,
”
a man
seated on a bench outside the carpenter
’
s shop chuckled.

Dusty ignored him and kept walking.
It was obvious he was a drifter of some sort, for she’d never seen him in town before.
She hadn
’
t even noticed the
rest of the
unfamiliar men sitting
nearby until the man had spoken. S
he
’
d been too lost in her own thoughts.
Yet w
hen one of the men reached out and took hold of the hem of her skirt
, she wished she hadn’t been so distracted
. She tugged at the fabric, giving the man a disapproving, prideful glance.
Still,
he continued to hold onto it, in fact, lifting it up somewhat until her stockings showed nearly to her knee.

“
You
’
ll not t
reat me with any disrespect, mister,”
she told him
—a
lthough, as several of the men stood and formed a circle around her, her confidence began to wane.

“
Oh, I don
’
t mean no disrespect, miss…just that y
a
look like y
a
taste sweeter
’
n honey,
”
the man chuckled.
His breath reeked of liquor. I
t was obvious that all of them were drunk.

“
Stand down, sir,
”
came a very familiar voice from behind. Dusty closed her eyes for a moment, irritated that it should be Cash Richardson who had come to rescue her reputation.

“
Go on, boy!
”
the first man growled at Cash. Dusty turned to see Cash standing in the street nearby.
“
This don
’
t concern you.
”

“
If you
’
re bothering the lady, then it concerns me,
”
Cash said.

Cash was handsome. His dark hair and
even darker
eyes were
unusually
striking. He was very tall, broad
-
shouldered, square
-
jawed
,
and firmly built.
Yet
something about the fair color of his skin and the perfect cleanliness of his immaculate suit struck a sudden cord of distaste in Dusty
’
s stomach. It wasn
’
t hurt, heartbreak, jealously, longing, or anything the like she felt as she looked at him. More it was distaste
. An odd
wonderment entered her mind as she tried to think of what it was
she’d ever found in him to like
.

“
He said,
”
one of the men began, stepping off the walkway and standing nose
-
to
-
nose with Cash,
“
it don
’
t concern you, boy!
”

“
I
’
ve no desire to make this
unpleasant,” Cash told the man—
though Dusty noted he took a step backward.
“
Just leave the lady alone.
”
Cash looked to Dusty and said,
“
Run along, Dusty. These fellows will leave you be now.
”

Dusty frowned, unconvinced, as she tried to step past the three men
standing
before her. It was not at all surprising t
o her that they blocked her way, grinning with triumph when she tried to move past them a second time
. When she tried to turn and go the other way, two other men blocked her wa
y—
the first man that had spoken to her taking hold of her arm.

“
You
’
ll go when we say,
”
he said.

Dusty looked to Cash
,
who swallowed hard.

“
Men…let
’
s remember…you
’
ve been drinking
,
and this is a lady here…not a saloon girl,
”
Cash said.

Dusty raised her eyebrows at him. The irony of his word
s, considering his past behavior
, was so hypocritical it was almost humorous.

The men, save
the one standing
nose-to-nose with Cash, ignored him as the drunken leader pulled Dusty closer and spoke directly into
her face. “
Is that so? I ain
’
t never tasted myself the kiss of a lady!
”

“
Well, you ain
’
t about to start now neither!
”

Dusty glanced up
when
she heard Ryder
’
s voice
. He was
striding angrily toward them. He paused when he reached Cash and the other man
. He studied Cash for a moment—looking at him as if he were looking at the
l
owest form of life on the earth. Without further pause, Ryder
took hold of the other man
’
s shirt and let loose with a merciless, tightly fisted punch to the man
’
s face! Dusty gasped as she watched him
forcefully
throw the man
,
with a now
-
bleeding nose
,
to the ground. Leaping up onto the walkway, he turned another degenerate around by the shoulders and let go a fist to his face as well, sending him falling off the walkway and
sprawling to
the ground.

Taking Dusty
’
s hand
,
he pulled her from the drunken man
’
s grasp and pushed her behind himself. Distracted in doing so, Ryde
r was momentarily off guard.
Dusty screamed as the man punched Ryder in the mouth. Ryder stayed on his feet and simply began delivering his own punches in sober superiority. Two men jumped Ryder from behind. He took several hard blows to his midsection before breaking free. Reaching up, he grabbed
one man by the head of the hair, slamming
the villain
’s face down onto his knee and
tossing him aside as if he were
no more than an old
rag doll.

“
Three to one still ain
’
t a fair fight!
”
Feller shouted as he cast a disapproving look
to
Cash before jumping up onto the walkway and throwing fists himself.

Dusty couldn
’
t move. She simply stood in astonished, paralyzed shock at wh
at was going on in front of her—
and because of her! She watched as Ryder and Feller eventually knocked the three remaining men to the ground, leaving them bleeding and unable to stand.
Ryder and Feller
stood
near panting with the
exertion
of their efforts. A
s Ryder wiped the blood from his lip and battered knuckles
,
he turned and glared at Dusty.

Dusty shook her head in dismay and tried to speak.
“
I…I…just…
”
she stammered. She couldn
’
t think of what to say to him.

Feller reached out and took Dusty
’
s hand, helping her to step over the bodies of the men
sprawling
every which direction as he assisted her down from the walkway. Ryder stepped off the walkway. Dusty felt sick
to her
stomach as she saw the anger blatant on his face when he
stepped
up to Cash.