Promise me tomorrow (36 page)

Cap smiled down at her but then looked at Chase and asked, "How smart is his father?" Chase laughed. "Something tells me I can't win with that question, no matter what I say." "That's not true," Cap went on. "You just have to tell me you're going to marry that little girl, and I'll call you brilliant."

"I've just been telling him the same thing," Nan put in. "Do you hear that, Chase? Cap and I agree, so you know it's the right thing."

'Thank you," he said dryly. "Should I check with the lovely lady herself or just tell her we've all agreed."

The older two were full of merriment, but Chase knew they were serious about Rusty.
He
was serious, but finding time to talk to the woman in question was proving to be a chore. His mother and stepfather were talking now and moving toward the drawing room. Chase returned to the window. Rusty and Quintin were still in the garden. The afternoon sun bounced off Rusty's hair, giving her a red halo, and Chase's eyes were riveted to her. He watched Quintin go down on his knees beside her and then slip an arm around her neck. Rusty turned and kissed his small cheek, and Quintin just stood holding her close with his arm.

Why didn't I find it strange that Mrs. Harding never touched Quintin? Why didnt I notice?
Chase asked of the Lord, but he knew the answer. He was too wrapped up in his business to see anything. Chase's eyes now went to his desk. Things were not getting done as they should be, and that brought more questions. Should he sell off some of his properties, all of which he managed himself, or hire a manager?

Chase turned away from the window just then, or he would have seen Rusty and Quintin leave their flowers and wander toward the woods. It was hot in the garden, and Rusty had forgotten her bonnet. She was hoping to escape even more sunburn by moving to the cool of the trees.

"Are you sad, Aunt Rusty?" Quintin surprised her by asking. She hadn't even been aware of scrutiny.

"No, Quin, I'm not. Why did you ask?"

"Your face looks sad."

"I was just thinking."

"About marrying my papa?"

Rusty stared at him. Could he actually know about that, or was he remembering his own suggestion to his father the day before? And what did Rusty say now, since she
had
been thinking about marriage to Chase McCandles?

"Sometimes it's best to let someone be private with her thoughts, Quin. So if you don't mind, I don't think I'll tell you right now."

The rebuke was given gently, but Quintin got the point. He nodded and looked toward the trees, but before he could ask if Rusty wanted to climb one, he remembered his grandmother. With Aunt Rusty to play with, he had actually forgotten she was there.

"Can I go see my grandma now?"

"May
I," Rusty corrected, "and yes, I think that would be fine. Would you like me to come?"

"Yes, please."

Rusty escorted him to the house and waited until he had gone through to the drawing room. She listened as Nan greeted him with enthusiasm and then made her way to the kitchen. Rick was at the table working over a bowl of green beans. Rusty washed her hands and joined him. They had become friends over the past weeks, and although Rusty suspected he was a bit taken with her, he now visited with her with very few blushes and stares.

"You look sad today," Rick said after just a few seconds.

"Quin just said the same thing to me. I must be too wrapped up in myself. Tell me what you did today in school, Rick, and take my mind off me."

He shrugged. "It was the same as always."

"What's your favorite subject?"

"History, but we didn't do much with that today." The young man stared at her. It wasn't polite to tell a lady that her nose was sunburned or that her burned nose and freckles made her look about ten years old, but that was what he was thinking. Her youthful look also added to the sadness in her
eyes
_y
and Rick wished he could think of a way to make her laugh. Rustys laugh was the best he'd ever heard.

'This is a quiet crew," Cook remarked as she came up from the cellar and spotted the two bean-snappers.

Rusty smiled at her and didn't comment, but it did get her to thinking. She
was
being quiet. Why was that? The reason hit her swiftly. She never had a day off, at least not a full day, and she was tired. She'd been at Briarly for more than a month and not had a full day off She'd been back to Manitou the previous weekend for the wedding, but that had been anything but restful. Her mind made up, her hands began to move faster. Rusty swiftly helped Rick finish the bowl of beans and then walked to the office. As she had hoped, the drawing room was empty, but Chase was behind his desk.

"May I bother you for a moment?"

"No bother at all." Chase had come to his feet and waited for her to enter. Rusty took a seat and began when he sat back down.

"I know I was just away for the weekend, but I was wondering if I could possibly have tomorrow off."

"That would be fine," Chase didn't hesitate to respond, but then he just sat still and looked at her. "Something is bothering you. Can you tell me what it is?"

Rusty shook her head. "Everyone has been asking me that. I think I'm just tired. Its very hard to find rest and time alone when you live in the same house you work in." Rusty stopped talking and looked at him.

Chase worried about her. She did look tired, but something else was amiss. "'Take tomorrow off," Chase told her. "Rest. Do whatever you like. Quintin and I will manage just fine. We may take the day off ourselves and spend it with my mother and Cap."

"Thank you," Rusty said gratefully and stood. "I'll plan on that."

"You worked in the garden without your bonnet, didn't you?" Chase asked. His voice was light, but Rusty felt very self-conscious, almost rebuked.

"Yes." She managed a strained smile, her hand going to her nose as she turned away. "I'd better find Quintin." She had to get out. If she stayed she would cry.

"All right," Chase said, not catching the dismay in her eyes. "I told Mrs. Whitley to plan on dinner for the five of us again. I want you and Quintin to join us."

"Yes, we'll do that," Rusty agreed, glad to be back on a business basis. She said goodbye and slipped away to find her charge. Her heart hurt so badly that she thought it might kill her, but now was not the time to dwell on that. She would work hard at her job the whole summer if she had to, but as far as marriage to Chase McCandles went, Rusty's confused heart told her that it would never work.

***

"Actually," Cap explained to Rusty after dinner that night, "I'm one of the few men in Texas who doesn't run cattle. My father did, but I had no interest, so my brother owns and operates the family ranch. I enjoy work with less dust and travel, so I bought into a boot factory."

"A boot factory?" Rusty had not been expecting that.

Cap grinned. "Cowboys must have their boots, and the best part about it is that it allows me to have more time with Nan."

"How wonderful for you," Rusty said and meant it. She smiled at him and thought how blessed they were. Cap clearly adored his second wife, and if Nans eyes were any indication, she was as much in love today as she had been when they met.

"Cap," Nan spoke up, "Did we bring that picture of the ranch? I was going to show it to Quintin and forgot all about it. Its the Capland Ranch, taken from the water tower on the edge of the property," Nan explained to Rusty.

"I think we brought it," her husband said. "It should be in the case." 1II go get it.

Quintin was already in bed for the night, so he would have to see it later, but Nan wanted Rusty to see it now. She rose to find it, and Cap went on with his story. Nan, however, did not come back. Some time passed, and Cap decided to check on her. Rusty watched him walk from the room and then looked to Chase. As had been the case all evening, he was watching her.

"I want you to be my wife," he said softly, his eyes watching her intently.

Rusty's air left her in a rush. There was no longer any reason to wonder or imagine. Chase had laid his cards on the table for Rusty to see. She had no idea what she was going to say. Intent on framing a reply, her mouth opened but no words came. A moment passed, and just as she thought she had the words, she heard movement on the stairs. Cap and Nan were returning.

"Here it is," Nan cried triumphantly "This is the house. I think Cap told you his brother and family live there now." She handed a large daguerreotype to Rusty and bent over her shoulder to explain. Rusty took in only half of it.

She had had such dreams. Her parents had warned her from early on to lead with her head and not her heart where romance was concerned, but what girl didn't dream of sweet words and courtship? Mr. McCandles' proposal sounded like a business arrangement. How would she tell him? What should she do? Rusty was so tired of asking herself that question that she ached.

"I think you're tired, Rusty," Nan's voice suddenly came very gently to her ears.

"I'm sorry." Rusty realized Nan had been speaking to her and she hadn't heard a thing.

'There's no need. Cap's daughters and daughter-in-law have little ones. The work you do with Quintin is exhausting. I'm glad you're taking the day off tomorrow."

"You're very kind, Mrs. Capland."

"I'm also wise enough to see that you need to be rescued. Go to bed, Rusty."

Rusty smiled at her, a wide, genuine smile. "I believe I will." With that she stood. The men came to their feet as Rusty bid everyone goodnight. Chase announced that he would walk her upstairs. Rusty didn't comment. She was too tired to care one way or the other.

As it was, Chase said not a word. He walked Rusty up the stairs and to her door where she turned and looked up at him. A moment later he bent his head and kissed her softly on the mouth.

"I haven't said I would marry you." Surprised as she was, Rusty felt the need to remind him.

"I must be more aware of that than anyone, Katherine."

"Then why the kiss?"

Chase's eyes traversed her face, as if memorizing every detail. "Before you stands a man who's desperate to show you that he's not trying to secure a mother for his child."

Rusty sadly shook her head.

"Why can't you believe that, Katherine?"

Her hands moved helplessly; she saw no help for it but to tell him. "I don't think you even find me attractive," she said softly. "Maybe when I wear my hair up, but that's not very often. Sometimes you seem exasperated with my ideas, and I think you see me as something of a child. I couldn't live in a marriage like that, a marriage of convenience so you'll have a live-in nanny for Quintin. I want children of my own, lots of them.

"I also think you must find me a very shallow person, but I'm not. I give much more thought to things than you think I do. I haven't seen much of the world, but I'm not the foolish little girl you imagine. I'm a woman, capable and willing to work hard. It's true that I make mistakes and look on life as an adventure, but just because I have the heart of a child when I play with one doesn't mean that I'm a child myself."

"Oh, Katherine," Chase whispered—he'd never known such pain.

"It's all right." She knew she needed to release him before he could say another word. "I understand. I would never hold you to your proposal. You just didn't realize that you felt that way. I'll work as long as you need me to this summer, but I won't mention any of this again. You can still count on me to work hard and put this behind us."

Chase was too stunned to move or he'd have taken her in his arms. This was all his fault, and he knew it. He should have made time to talk with her the day he received Mrs. Harding's letter, but he didn't do it, and now she thought this.

"I love you, Katherine," he said softly.

Rusty stared at him.

"And it's all my fault that you don't know that. I haven't talked with you. I haven't been the same since I stood at the train station and looked up to see you coming toward me with the Parks children."

Rusty couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I should have told my mother when she arrived that the timing was terrible, and that I needed to be alone with you. She and Cap would have understood. We could have left Quintin with them and gone into town for the day or even taken the train to Manitou, anything that would have given us time so I could do this properly."

Rusty was still speechless.

"You see, this has nothing to do with Mrs. Harding. I was trying to figure out how I would word the letter to her when I wrote to tell her I wouldn't need her anymore: I'd found a woman to love and marry. I asked your father when they were here that weekend if he would object to my approaching you. He told me that he approved as long as you did, but I didn't want to rush you."

Rusty licked her lips. She could hardly breathe.

"I know you're tired, and I didn't plan to overwhelm you tonight as I have, but will you tell me one thing?"

Rusty nodded yes.

"Are you open to hearing more from me on this subject, or do you wish to tell me right now that you never want marriage mentioned between us again?"

Again Rusty licked her lips. "A real marriage?"

"Oh,
yes^
His voice had grown even softer. "With
many
children."

"You love me?" She had to make sure she'd heard him right.

"So very much."

It was all too huge. She couldn't take it in, but she had to tell him that she did want to hear more.

"On Thursday," Chase said slowly, "after you've had your day off, could we talk of this?"

He had rescued her. Rusty could have sobbed with relief but didn't. She said only, "I would like that."

"I need to let you rest now."

Rusty nodded. It was very true.

"Goodnight, sweet Katherine. Please don't be upset about this. Just rest, and we'll talk soon."

"All right. Goodnight."

Rusty was in a state of shock as she readied for bed. She didn't remember entering the room or shutting the door. She went through the motions of bedtime preparation without thought or emotion. Once beneath the covers she felt she could cry herself to sleep, but it didn't happen. Rusty lay there dry-eyed until she couldn't hold her eyes open any longer, and then slept for the next 11 hours.