Kaitlin's Silver Lining (10 page)

She took a stumbling
step backwards as if he’d punched her in the gut. “I am not a man.”

“No, ma’am. I can see
that, but you tend to act like one. A man likes doin’ things for a woman, but
you want to do everything for yourself, like fixin’ that window. Ain’t no crime
in lettin’ a man take care of you.” He fixed her with a hard gaze. “In fact, it
ain’t no crime in acceptin’ your limitations.”

“Just because I wear
skirts doesn’t mean I don’t have the same capabilities a man has. You have to
admit, I did just fine helping you with that glass pane. With a little
instruction, I could have done it by myself.”

“You’re missin’ the
point.”

“No, sir. You’re
missing the point. I don’t feel less of a woman for attempting things
ordinarily deemed masculine chores. Nor should you feel less of a man for
accepting help from a woman.”

“Less of a man?”

“God, save me from
sensitive specimens.” She shook her head and turned as if dismissing him.

Was this little bit
of a woman questioning his masculinity? He had a mind to prove her wrong on one
account, but he’d have to change tactics to do so.

“Do you always wear
your hair like that to bed? That tight bun looks mighty uncomfortable.” He
reached up and pulled at a hairpin that had worked itself loose.

“That’s none of your
business and highly inappropriate under the circumstances.” She yanked the
hairpin from his hand and attempted to shove it back into place. The change in
topics must have caught her off guard. Bryce smiled, enjoying this new game.

“Yep. About as
inappropriate as my next statement.”

“Which is?” She
patted her bun, checking for other loose hairpins.

“I think I’d like to
kiss you.”

“Kiss me?” Her hands
fell from her hair.

“Yep. I’d like to
know what you taste like without molasses.” He took a step toward her.

“This is very
unseemly.” She backed away from his advance, her eyes bright.

He didn’t really mean
to kiss her. The statement was meant to rattle her cage. She was wound tighter
than a corset on a young bride, and the desire to loosen the stays of her
composure made him say things he wouldn’t ordinarily have said.

“I’m thinkin’ a man’s
lips upon yours might take the vinegar out of you and make you feel like a
woman,” he murmured.

“You stay away from
me.”

“You look like you
just ate a persimmon. Gettin’ ’em all puckered just for me?” He stared at her
pursed lips and grinned. God, but she was fun to tease.

He had her backed
against the dresser. Her hands grasped the edge of the furniture, and she
leaned away as he stood toe-to-toe with her. He licked his upper lip before
biting gently on his lower one. Reaching out, he tucked a wayward curl behind
her ear.

“I reckon you’ve
never been kissed by a man. Or have you? You have the look of a cornered
animal.”

“Why are you doing
this?” she whispered. The lace at her bosom moved in time with the frantic
pumping of her heart.

This was all wrong.
He shouldn’t bait her like this. Her mouth parted slightly. Without knowing it,
she’d given him the invitation he searched for. He bent his head and paused.

He pulled away
abruptly. “I forgot, ma’am.”

“Forgot?” Her voice
sounded slightly breathless.

“Yep. I forgot about
you wantin’ to be an equal, to have the same skills as a man. I reckon you’ll
want to lead.”

“Lead?”

“Yes, ma’am. You’ll
want to initiate our first kiss, take the lead so to speak. Just don’t wait too
long before makin’ up your mind on the matter. I surely want to know what you
taste like.” Bryce pulled away from the promise of her rosy lips. It took every
ounce of willpower he had not to crush her in his arms and taste her sweetness.
He’d teased her with the idea of a kiss just to shock the primness out of her
starched attitude, but once he’d initiated the thought, he couldn’t let go of
the idea. The look on her face when he’d pulled away was priceless. Although
he’d cheated himself out of that kiss, it had been well worth it.

~ *
~

Kaitlin stared at the
door in shock. Bryce had waltzed into Maggie’s bedroom with the confidence of a
riled bobcat. The charged atmosphere stimulated their conversation with more
than anger. How could one man exude such a range of emotions in such a short
space of time? How could one man spark her desire so readily? She touched her
lips. They tingled with unanswered curiosity. How could he tease her like that?
How could he be so cruel?

“Kaitlin? You all
right?” Maggie stepped into the room with Charley close behind. “You look
rather pale.”

“Uncle Bryce must
have really yelled at her. She looks like I feel when he finishes giving me one
of his lectures.”

“I’m...I’m fine.”

“What’s wrong with
your lips?” Charley stared at Kaitlin’s mouth. “They look all twitchy.”

Maggie looked
pointedly at Charley. “Charley, I think you best leave your aunt alone.”

Bless Maggie for
coming to her rescue. “I...I don’t think I can sleep right now. I...I think
I’ll read a bit.”

“Well, don’t pick one
of those romances you’re so fond of. It will only compound what ails you.”
Maggie went to her side of the bed and pulled down the covers.

Charley climbed into
the makeshift palette on the floor. “Romance? Did Uncle Bryce kiss you? Is that
why you look so strange?”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake.
Bryce did not kiss me.” She fluffed a pillow. “I am just flustered by our
conversation. That’s all.”

“Bryce, is it? Not
Mr. Stanton?”

Kaitlin threw Maggie
a disgruntled frown. It didn’t help any that Maggie and Charley had the right
of it. Bryce—Mr. Stanton had flustered her. But that wasn’t all. He’d given her
a smidgen of hope, and she’d wanted him to kiss her. For once, she wanted to
feel desirable, wanted to feel beautiful in a man’s eyes.

It was all an
illusion. Bryce had snapped to his senses fast enough, leaving her feeling more
crushed than Bethany’s past ridicule.

You
might as well dig your heels in here, girl. Ain’t nobody gonna want a plain
woman with more fancy learnin’ than needed for these parts.
Her
father’s words rose from the grave she’d buried them in. She hadn’t thought
about her father in years. The ghosts of her past were lining up, knocking on
the door to her sanity.

How dare Bryce
Stanton show up out of the blue and make her question herself and her goals?
How dare he make her want things beyond her reach? Well, she would show him.
The top of Pike’s Peak would become a desert before she’d ask for that kiss.

Twelve

“Charley. Charley!”

Bryce’s booming voice
reached the kitchen where the rest of them gathered for breakfast. Kaitlin
glanced at Charley. The girl ducked her head but ignored the heated summons.

“Charley! You best
answer me, girl.” Bryce’s voice got closer. Whatever mischief Charley had done
this time would be revealed soon.

Bryce entered the
dining area in his stocking feet. In his hand, he carried both boots, his face
a palette of mottled reds.

“You best have a good
explanation.” Bryce shook the dangling footwear at his ward.

“For what, Uncle
Bryce?” Charley sounded as innocent as a newborn lamb.

Bryce yanked her
chair back from the table and planted himself in front of her. Several drops of
water landed on the floor. “Don’t play dumb with me. You know exactly what.”

“You mean your
boots?”

Kaitlin and Maggie
remained silent throughout his tirade, but Kaitlin wasn’t happy he’d brought
his anger to her table. Manners dictated he air his grievances elsewhere, but
clearly he’d missed this lesson in etiquette. “Perhaps you should invite
Charley upstairs where you can finish this discussion in private. Besides,
you’re dripping on my clean floor.”

“With all due
respect, I’d like to finish this discussion now. Charley, start explainin’.”

“They smelled bad.”
Her bottom lip extruded in a mutinous pout. “I was only helping.”

“You filled my boots
full of soapy water cuz they smelled?”

“Worse than a pile of
manure in the summer.”

Maggie’s hand flew to
her mouth to stifle a laugh. Kaitlin’s eyes grew wide. “Ladies do not say such
things, especially at the dinner table.”

“Just stating a fact,
Aunt Kate.”

“It don’t matter how
bad they smell. You never put water in a man’s leather boots.” Bryce shook his
head, the anger making his cheeks puffy. By now a puddle had formed near
Charley’s chair.

Maggie giggled.

“It’s not funny.”
Bryce shoved the items in question toward Charley. “You go upstairs right now
and dry ’em out. You keep towelin’ ’em down until I can wear ’em without
wrinklin’ my toes.”

“I don’t wanna touch
your damn, smelly ole boots.” Charley crossed her arms and tilted her chin.

Kaitlin threw her
napkin on the table and stood. “That’s enough. Charley, come with me. Now.”

“Why?”

“Because, if you want
to eat and sleep in this house, you will not use foul language. A good soaping
will make sure there isn’t a repeat.”

“All I said was damn.
That ain’t so bad.”

“Ladies do not curse,
and ladies with schooling don’t use the word ain’t.”

“You ain’t a lady.
Bryce says so. I don’t see why you want me to be one if you ain’t one.” Kaitlin
suspected Charley purposefully stressed ain’t just to prick her temper. Bryce
didn’t help matters by constantly butchering the English language as well.

“Ah, Charley. Don’t
be puttin’ words in my mouth.” Bryce let his boots dangle at his side. “I never
said your Aunt Katy wasn’t a lady. She’s a lady through and through, but she
wants everyone to treat her like she’s a man.”

“Charley, come with
me.” Kaitlin ignored Bryce’s less-than-flattering explanation and rounded the
table to grab Charley firmly by the arm. “Mr. Stanton, we’ll discuss your
behavior when I’m through washing her mouth out with soap.”

“Now, wait just one
lick.” He moved to block her way. “I didn’t bring her here for you to abuse.”

Kaitlin had her hand
wrapped around the back of Charley’s neck, guiding her to the sink. “And what
do you suggest? Every child needs guidance and discipline. Even I know that.”

He stepped aside and
followed them. “Well sure, but...”

“Bryce.” She said his
given name for the first time, and he flinched.

“I think I like it
better when you call me Mr. Stanton. The way you said my name just now makes me
feel like a babe in diapers.”

“If the boot fits...”
She let the familiar saying dwindle and struggled to get Charley’s head close
to the basin.

“Damn, you’re full of
stickers this morning.” He shot her a petulant glare.

“Bryce, so help me
when I’m finished here, I’m going to wash your mouth out as well. How is
Charley going to learn if you don’t set a good example?” She wagged the
soap-filled washcloth at him before jamming it into Charley’s mouth. The child
gagged and sputtered as Kaitlin swished the rag around her teeth and tongue.

“There,” Kaitlin said
when she’d finished. “You may now go back to the table and finish your meal. I
would strongly suggest you watch what you say from now on.”

Charley spit out the
remainder of soap and glared at her. “I hate you.”

“Hate me all you
want, just don’t use foul language in my house.” Kaitlin stood with arms akimbo
and waited for Charley to mind. The girl stomped back to the table, sat down,
and drank a full glass of milk. Kaitlin turned to Bryce. “You want to add
anything?”

“Now hold on.” He
pointed to the table. “I just told her to go dry out my boots.”

“She can dry them
after breakfast. Set them next to the stove while we finish eating. That will
do more good than Charley taking a towel to them anyway. Hopefully, they’ll dry
before we go to church.”

Was the man pouting?
Kaitlin wanted to shake him for making such a spectacle.

“Why are you
limping?” Kaitlin asked.

“Cuz I don’t have my
boots on.”

“No, you’re favoring
one foot over another.”

“My right foot gets
knots in it when I’m under stress. It doesn’t make much sense, but it hurts
less when my boots are on.” He plopped down in a chair.

“Finish your eggs,
Charley,” Maggie instructed quietly.

“I can’t. They taste
like lavender and ick now.” Charley pushed them around with a fork.

Bryce leaned over and
refilled her glass. “Here, swish this milk around in your mouth. That should
make it better.”

“I’ve already had a
full glass, and it didn’t help.” She tossed her napkin on the table. “You let
her hurt me, Uncle Bryce.”

“I didn’t let her
hurt you.”

“You didn’t stop
her.”

“I tried.”

“You’re my guardian.
Not her.”

“Yes, but...Don’t be
mad, Charley. I’ll take you to the store after church for a peppermint.”

Kaitlin swallowed the
bite of ham before directing her comment to Bryce. “I refuse to feel guilty for
making that child mind. A little more action on your part and a little less
yelling would probably do wonders for Charley’s disposition.”

Bryce leaned forward.
“I don’t need you to tell me how to handle Charley.”

“Clearly you do, or
you’d still be in Texas.”

Bryce shifted in his
chair. The anger that made him storm down to breakfast had diminished. Instead,
he looked lost. Her heart constricted. Why did he have the power to make her
react with such intensity?

He ran blunt fingers
through his silky hair. “You’re right. I do coddle the girl, but it’s only
because I know how hard life has been to her.”

Maggie pushed herself
away from the table and lifted a dirty plate. “You look finished, Charley. Why
don’t you help me with the dishes while Bryce and your aunt discuss things?”

“I’m the thing
they’re discussing.” She twirled a pigtail. “I think I wanna stay right here.”

“Charley.” Bryce and
Kaitlin said her name at the same time. Charley mumbled under her breath but
took it for the warning it was meant to be. Kaitlin watched with some amusement
as Charley grudgingly helped Maggie clear the table.

Bryce leaned back and
stretched out his long legs. He looked so relaxed, like he belonged here at her
table on a lazy Sunday morning. She took a sip of coffee to calm her thoughts.

“I apologize. I
shouldn’t have stormed in on your breakfast like that. It was rude. My ma died
when I was ten, and Dad raised the five of us by himself. He didn’t much care
about the little things. He was more concerned about runnin’ the ranch. I don’t
want that for Charley.”

She wished he hadn’t
explained. A sudden picture of a lost little boy without a mother flashed
through her mind. She didn’t want to feel sympathy for this man. She didn’t
want to feel anything for this man.

“Charley means an
awful lot to you, doesn’t she?”

“Yep, I guess so.”

“That’s very
commendable, considering Charley isn’t your daughter.”

“She might as well
be. I helped raise her.”

“Were you married to
my sister?” Kaitlin hadn’t meant to ask. He’d already told her once he didn’t
plan on discussing his relationship to Bethany.

“Heck no.” He stroked
his mustache.

“But the two of you
were close?” She asked the question, not sure she really wanted an answer.

“Close enough.”

“And Charley?”

Bryce sighed. Slowly
he leaned forward, cradling a cup of hot coffee. He waited until Charley was
out of earshot. “Your sister set up business in Brownwood before Charley was
born. Bethany was a pretty little thing, and all the cowboys took a shine to
her. She didn’t particularly care whom she made welcome, and it weren’t long
before she became the most popular painted cat in town.”

“You were one of
her...admirers?” Her tone was flat. She hated what Bethany had become. She
hated even more that this man had intimate knowledge of her sister.

“Naw, I was only
thirteen when Bethany showed up in Brownwood. She was sixteen. She treated me
like a kid brother, and being rather shy with the ladies at that age, I didn’t
want nothin’ else from her.”

His answer surprised
her. “I can’t believe you and Bethany were never intimate given her profession
and your association with her.”

“I never said that.”
He shifted uneasily in his chair.

“Oh.” She stared at
her cup of coffee, wishing she’d kept silent.

“Look, whatever she
was or wasn’t to me is of little consequence.” He shrugged. “She saved my life
once, and I owed her.”

“So you took to
raising Charley.”

“I’d come get Charley
and take her to the ranch on the weekends, times when Bethany was really busy
caterin’ to her clients. I’d eat supper at Bethany’s place at least once a
week. We’d both pretend we were a family of sorts. It gave me respite from my
ornery brother, and I think it allowed her to pretend just for a little bit she
was a respected woman with a normal life.”

“And you gave Charley
a sense of belonging,” she said, new respect for the man dawning with each
word.

Bryce stared at the
cup of coffee. “She was a loveable child until she became nine. I think by
then, she finally figured out what her mom did for a livin’. Nothin’ I did at
that point made much difference. Charley was dead set on makin’ things
miserable for both of us.”

“Not many men would
stand by a child who wasn’t their own.” She wanted to reach out and touch his
hand. She placed both hands in her lap instead, resisting the urge.

“I’ve been part of
Charley’s life since she was born. I don’t like her much right now, but I love
her, and I want the best for her.”

“And you feel
guilty.”

“Guilty?”

She took a sip of
coffee and grimaced. It had turned cold, so she pushed the chipped cup aside. “I
understand now why you spoil her. You bribe her with treats most of the time.
And when she does something bad, you yell at her or lecture her, but you never make
her accept consequences. You’re trying to make up for her lousy childhood and
her misfortune in having a mother like Bethany.”

“I never thought
about it like that. Guess you’re right. I was never very good with the
discipline part.”

“I’m no expert, but
you’re going to have to tighten the reins on that girl, or she’ll wind up just
like her mother.”

Bryce leaned forward,
concern etching his brow. “I’ll be honest with you. I don’t know if I can. Maybe
realizin’ what I’m doin’ wrong with Charley will help, but it’s hard to break a
horse of bad habits. Will you help?”

Kaitlin nodded. She
could do nothing less. By being Bethany’s daughter, Charley had become her
responsibility also. “I’ll do what I can. But you’re going to have to make a
real effort to change. I can’t do it alone.”

“All right. You may
have to keep remindin’ me at times, but I’ll try to do better. Where do we
start?”

“School. If you’re
going to hang around here for more than a week or two, I think she’d benefit
from attending the local school here. I’ll enroll her tomorrow.”

“Fine. School it is.”
He pushed away from the table. “Then we finally agree on somethin’. Now that
we’ve smoked the peace pipe, so to speak, I think I best be getting’ ready for
church. You do still want Charley and me to go with you?”