Pioneer Passion (17 page)

She liked Robert and saw how much he and Skye
were in love. They were a grand looking couple, with his dark,
rugged looks and her dark and delicate features.

On first meeting Robert, Rusty was taken by
his handsome face, but as the day advanced, she found herself
comparing him to Guy; no one could hold a candle to her Guy. Her
Guy? she snickered inwardly. He was probably in the arms of another
right now. Tears lay heavily on her lids, blurring her vision, but
she shut the door to her disturbing thoughts, reminding herself
once more that she had no one to blame but herself. Straightening
her spine, she was determined she would not mar her day with
thoughts of him. And she tried, she really did.

Rusty was amazed how the house overflowed
with chaos the day of the party. She leaned over the banister
watching as servants scurried here and there. Gowns, lacy
undergarments, shoes, and accessories were delivered later in the
day causing Skye to come down with the vapors because they were a
day late. Robert’s parents, Marge and Paul Taylor, arrived two
hours before the ball. They were cheerfully greeted by Claire and
Hal and shown to another guest room. It was all so unbelievable and
thrilling! Again she bathed in rose scented water, and thought of
her new satin gown, the color of strawberry ice cream-pink, clean
and crisp. The unspoiled dress lay on the bed, waiting to adorn its
owner. It was so beautiful, but again she believed cut too low,
making her creamy breasts peek out a little too much for her
comfort. She still refused to wear one of those darned corsets, but
since her waist was so narrow, Claire didn’t press her on it. Susan
helped her dress and arranged her hair in large ringlets tied
tightly with a pink ribbon cascading down her back along with wisps
of her auburn hair.

“You’ll have all the men fighting over you
tonight,” Susan squealed with delight, hugging the hair brush. “I’m
so excited for you though, maybe a touch of envy. I know I could
never attend such a gala, being a mere servant.” Rusty experienced
a bout of sadness for the girl. “Oh, but I plan to peek into the
ballroom a few times to see the beautiful women and their colorful
gowns. Then at night I’ll dream of being at such a ball
someday.”

Rusty had no words for Susan and she thought
on what the girl had said moments ago. There was only one man she
wanted to fall at her feet, and she had her doubts, since he had
been busy with his lady friend. She chided herself; she would have
to forget that cowboy and try to think about Kyle who had gone out
of his way to be with her every moment he could. He was very sweet
and made her laugh. She liked him very much, but she knew it was
only a sisterly love and was afraid he felt more than brotherly
affection for her.

In fact, the other day he kissed her in the
garden. So stunned, she stood mute. Rusty wanted to tell him then
about her true feelings, but couldn’t form the words. He was about
to kiss her again, but the gardener interrupted them, and she
slipped away, flushing from her head to her toes. She promised
herself to talk with him as soon as possible. He didn’t make her
stomach do flip-flops the way Guy did. What justified reason
allowed Guy to control her emotions like that?

Rusty’s mind was on the gala when the voices
in the hall made her rise from the dressing table and a rap on the
door made her heart flutter and she paused to catch her breath. She
expected Kyle to escort her to the ball, but when she opened the
door, her eyes widened in disbelief, and her smile teetered, for
standing there with a wolfish grin was Guy. He looked so handsome,
she forgot to breath. He was dressed in a fitted, three-piece
cutaway suit, with a white cravat dotted with a gold and diamond
pin. Not able to control her eyes, her gaze drifted to his tight,
smooth pants that fitted snugly and proudly. Damn! What right did
he have to look so handsome? Rusty gathered her wits, swallowed,
and tried to ignore her dizziness. She played dangerously with her
lower lip and stood on tip toe to see if maybe Kyle was behind him,
but the hall was empty.

“Expecting someone?” Guy grinned
knowingly.

“Where’s Kyle? He was supposed to escort me
to the party.” She pursed her lips in disappointment.

“By the way, you look unbelievably beautiful
tonight, but of course, you knew you would.” She was halted by the
tone of his sarcastic voice and stiffened. When he took her arm she
rebuked, “Still charming, I see! I thought since you spent so much
time with your, err, lady friend, you’d be in a better mood.” She
raised her eyebrows, proud her barb hit a nerve and she totally
believed she had injured his male pride.

He swallowed and scoffed, “Do I see those
beautiful green eyes getting just a little greener, my dear?”

Guy took her arm just a little too roughly
for her liking. She was puzzled why he escorted her down the stairs
with such haste and into the room already filled with guests. She
wondered if his lady friend was there and the whereabouts of Kyle.
The music drifted to her ears making her forget about Guy’s
brother, for the moment.

As they made their way into the foyer, she
spotted Hal and Claire welcoming other guests into the large
ballroom. Skye and Robert were at the other end of the receiving
line. Skye looked fetching in her pale yellow gown. Her dark hair
was pulled back tight with a long braid twisted around her head.
She looked regal with her striking features, and her light blue
eyes, eyes that sparkled with so much love. Rusty’s envy was
blended with happiness for a friend she had grown to love like a
sister. If only it could be like that for her.

After greeting the family and a few friends,
Rusty turned towards the ballroom. Ladies in rainbow gowns were
dancing, filling the air with soft sounds of rustling materials, a
kaleidoscope of spinning tops, reflected on the glass-like floor.
“Someone please wake me,” she whispered under her breath. Someone
did. Guy grasped her firmly by the hand and led her onto the dance
floor. She pulled back insisting she couldn’t dance and would step
on his toes. He said he would chance it.

By the time the music stopped Guy’s feet
smarted and he knew Rusty wasn’t lying. It was worth it because she
felt good in his arms. When they turned to sit the next dance out,
he was tapped not too gently on the shoulder by a very angry Kyle.
When he went to escort Rusty to the gala, the kid was expecting
Kyle, but he decided to beat his brother to the punch. And, she had
looked so beautiful, even with that funny expression on her face,
looking over his shoulder for Kyle. He’ll be angry, but Guy
suspected he’d get over it. His sibling was very level headed, like
Claire.

“I’d like some words with you, dear brother!”
he growled through a clenched jaw. Seeing Kyle’s eyes flashing
angry sparks, Guy winced. He also noticed Rusty look from one
Strong to the other suspecting something was wrong. She excused
herself to get some punch, leaving them to settle the matter.

“Outside!” Kyle’s voice was thick with the
order.

Guy was surprised how angry his brother was
but he still followed his irate sibling, knowing he was in for it.
He shrugged; the kid is still wet behind the ears he mused as they
walked into the garden, out of earshot of the guests.

“Now Kyle, I know...Whack!” Guy didn’t see or
expect the fist that swung around clipping him under the chin, but
he damn well felt it! The punch had a wallop and he landed, not too
softly, on his rump. “What the hell?!” He rubbed his sore jaw,
flexing to see if it was broken. It pained him, but there was no
serious damage. He licked the corner of his mouth tasting blood,
but to his amazement, his teeth were still intact. Guy had
misjudged his young brother.

“Come on! Get up, you bastard!” Kyle had his
fists flailing in the air as he jumped around looking like a
fighter in a ring.

Guy shook his head. “I’ll not fight you.” His
brother would put up a good fight; but he could surely clobber the
kid. “What happened to the level headed brother I knew?”

“Come on, you no-good son of a.---”

Now, hold on Kyle.” Guy held up his hand in
defense. “I may be all the things you claim, but I didn’t deserve
that punch.”

“Like hell, you didn’t,” Kyle sputtered. “You
sent me on that wild goose chase, telling me that....” He wiped his
forehead with the back of his fist. “It doesn’t matter now how you
tricked me; it was down right low of you brother! Get up!” he
challenged. “I’m not through with you.”

He knew he couldn’t sit there all night.
“Look kid, I’m sorry that I tricked you but---”

“Don’t call me a kid! I’m a man, if you
haven’t noticed.”

Guy nodded. “Yes, I guess you are. I didn’t
realize how much you’ve grown while I’ve been away. I still think
of you as my little brother. And that’s why we have to talk.” He
extended his hand. His brother looked at his hand as if it was a
hot poker but he pulled Guy up.

“I remember all too well what a good fighter
you were,” Kyle intoned.

With that said his sibling kept a wary eye on
him. “Yeah, I’d say you’ve grown some. Where did you learn to hit
like that?” Guy rubbed his jaw.

“I’m on the lightweight boxing team in
college.” Kyle puffed up his chest looking mighty proud that he got
the best of him.

Guy let out a painful whistle. “I wish I had
known. I would have thought twice about….” He laid his hand
apologetically on his brother’s shoulder, but the young man
shrugged it off with annoyance. Flexing his jaw happy it was still
intact, he had to have a heart to heart with Kyle.

“Kyle I’ve noticed the attention you’ve been
giving Rusty, and I was afraid you were getting too serious about
her. She, well… she’s not your type and I don’t want you to get
hurt,” he said curtly, but Kyle was not letting him get off that
easily and raised his hand for another hit. This time Guy was on
his guard and stopped the punch. He hated to resort to bullying his
brother, but he needed to have his say and his jaw couldn’t stand
another hit without some damage. He twisted Kyle’s arm behind him
and forced him against a large tree.

“Sonofa-!”

Guy knew the sharp contact scraped Kyle’s
cheek and he was sorry to have inflicted pain. But, nevertheless,
with Kyle’s face pressed into the bark, he had his say. “You must
realize that you cannot beat me now anymore than when they we were
young. His brother backed down and listened, but by the scowl on
Kyle’s face, Guy had no doubt that he didn’t like what he
heard.

“Who are you to tell me who was or who wasn’t
good enough for me?”

Guy released Kyle from his vise-like grip,
not missing his brother’s sinister look.

Kyle massaged his red face and sneered, “I
believe it’s my turn to speak my mind!”

Guy sighed and nodded, but kept his jaw
stubbornly set. He didn’t want to hear anything Kyle had to say,
but it was only fair.

“What do you know about women?” Kyle spat and
Guy held his retort. He knew a lot more than his little sibling,
that he was certain. He balled his fist to keep from strangling
Kyle who was, as far as he was concerned, still wet behind the
ears. His brother’s face was becoming redder by the minute.

“A man who hangs around with the likes of
that Cynthia has no insight on females. And why are you so
concerned? You don’t treat Rusty very kindly and are you so naive
you don’t hear the sarcasm in your voice when you speak to her? I
don’t know what’s between you two, but all’s fair in love and war
as far as I’m concerned.”

Guy cursed inwardly, not liking what he was
hearing.

“I appreciate your looking out for me big
brother,” Kyle replied stiffly, straightening out his coat and tie,
“but who I like is my affair. I think she’s a beautiful and caring
woman.”

“Woman!” Guy snorted. “She’s barely eighteen.
She’s just a kid!” He felt somewhat uncomfortable by Kyle’s
assessment of his character and rubbed the nape of his neck. This
whole situation had turned ugly, more so than he would have liked.
But damn it, he still didn’t like his brother falling for
Rusty.

“Just a kid?” his sibling barked and pulled
himself to full height and Guy knew his warning had fallen on deaf
ears. “Well, brother, I think it’s time you had your eyes examined,
and at the same time, get your head looked at, too.” Kyle said
nothing more, leaving him very perplexed standing with a sore jaw
hanging nearly off its hinges.

Rusty was dancing with one of Kyle’s friends
when he cut in and he didn’t seem to care about the dirty look he
received from her partner. And she could see that he was in a foul
mood and looking as if he wouldn’t mind decking someone.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Fine,” he grumbled, but Rusty suspected he
wasn’t.

Bewildered, she noticed his flushed face and
felt his sweaty palm when he took her hand to dance. What on earth
happened? she reflected and was dying to know what was going
on.

Before she formed the words to ask, she
looked up in time to see Guy enter the room rubbing his chin. She
looked at Kyle with confusion.

He smiled and explained, “Just a little
brotherly difference. Everything is straightened out now.”

He grinned and whirled her around the floor
before she could voice another thought. Soon she was having so much
fun, she forgot about the strange incident and hardly noticed Guy
was not around until it was time to retire. By then Rusty was
exhausted but excited by all the attention she received from the
young men. She was glad to see people finally leaving and gave a
weary sigh of relief as the band packed to leave. Her butt
dragging, she climbed the long staircase, escorted by Kyle who bid
her good night at the bedroom door with a very warm kiss. She’d
have to remember to talk with him.

Too upset to go back to the party, Guy had
gone to the study with a bottle of his father’s best rum and drank
the rest of the night away. His thoughts were not only on the fiery
redhead, but also his brother. He didn’t like the rift in their
relationship, especially now that he had ironed out things with his
father and they were once again on good terms. Guy had avoided his
home most of the day but he didn’t miss the love sick expression on
his brother’s face at meal times.