Schulze, Dallas (28 page)

“Of course,” Bridget murmured. Her eyes met Lila’s across the
table and Lila knew they were thinking the same thing, which was that,
considering the number of saloons in Paris, Sara must spend a great deal of
time zigzagging across the street to avoid walking in front of any of them. Her
amusement was shortlived, however.

“I understand congratulations are in order, Lila,” Sara said. She
lifted her teacup, her little finger crooked at precisely the right angle.

“Congratulations?” Lila raised her eyebrows in question.

“William tells me that your stepdaughter told him that you’re
expecting.”

Good Lord, was Angel making announcements on a regular basis?
Lila smiled at Sara. “That’s right.” “When is the blessed event, if you don’t
mind my asking?”

Since she’d already asked, it seemed a bit late to be asking if
she minded, but Lila resisted the urge to point that out.

“My baby is due in October.”

“So soon?” Sara’s thin, dark brows climbed toward her hairline.

“It can’t be soon enough for me. I’m quite anxious to hold my
child.”

Lila was a little surprised to realize how much she meant it.

“Of course you are. I was just surprised to hear that you were
expecting so soon. After all, you just arrived in our little town. But then I
believe Sheriff McKenzie did say you’d been married quite some time, didn’t he?
When was your wedding?”

Lila kept her smile in place with an effort. It was obvious what
the other woman was wondering. And the fact that her suspicions were accurate
didn’t make her questions any more palatable.

“We were married in February. We met at my brother’s wedding and
were married just a few days later.”

“So it was love at first sight? How romantic.” Sara’s tone of
voice made it clear that she thought it tawdry and ill-bred. “Franklin and I
were engaged for nearly five years before we were married.”

Probably took the poor man that long to get up the courage to tie
the knot,
Lila thought viciously. “More tea?” she asked.

“Thank you.” Sara lifted her teacup. “I’ll admit that poor
Franklin got a teensy bit impatient, but I wanted to be sure we were suited to
one another. After all, choosing a life partner is such an important step for a
woman. I think you were very courageous to know your mind so quickly.”

“Some people recognize love right away,” Bridget said, her eyes
bright with temper.

“Yes, but love can be quite ephemeral. True compatibility is much
more difficult to determine,” Sara said, with the air of one dispensing wisdom
to the ignorant. She stirred a quantity of sugar into her cup, apparently
oblivious to the silence that had greeted her last remark. “So you’ve been
married just a few months and are already expecting your first child. Franklin
and I had been married several years before we were blessed by William’s
arrival. It seems certain he’ll be an only child. You’ll probably have a large
family.”

Her tone made the words something less than a compliment. The
woman’s arrogance was amazing, Lila thought, torn between laughter and
irritation.

“I wouldn’t mind that. Of course, with Gavin and Angel, we’ve a
good start on a family already.” “That’s true.” Sara took a sip of her tea.
When she spoke again, she changed the direction of her catechism. “Since you
were obviously so much in love, it must have been difficult for you to stay
behind when your husband returned to Colorado.”

“An illness in the family necessitated my remaining behind,” Lila
said, her calm tone belying the knot in her stomach.

“An aunt, was it?” Sara asked, her dark eyes sharp and
questioning. “I do hope she made a full recovery.”

“An uncle, actually. And he’s doing quite well, thank you.”

“I’m so glad to hear that.” Sara looked anything but glad. She
looked acutely disappointed at having failed to trip Lila up.

Even from across the table, Lila could feel Bridget’s simmering
anger and knew she was barely restraining the urge to tell Sara exactly what to
do with her questions and her superior attitude. Though she would have given a
great deal herself to be able to give Sara Smythe-with-a-y a piece of her mind,
Lila knew it would do more harm than good. Nothing would delight the other
woman more than to provoke an angry reaction. Bland indifference was not only
the safest response, it was probably the most frustrating.

She was relieved, however, when the back door banged open and the
room was suddenly filled with children. They brought with them loud voices and
the smell of dirt and sunshine, not to mention a shaggy black-and-white dog the
size of a small pony. Instant chaos followed on their heels, and it was several
minutes before Bridget managed to convince her son that Patch did not belong in
the house, despite the fact that he was the best dog in the whole wide world.
That this was not the first time this argument had raged around the dog was
evident by his guilty expression and his willingness to leave without protest.

Once the dog had departed, Bridget was able to sort the children
out and get them settled around the table with an efficiency that Lila found
somewhat awe-inspiring. Balancing Angel on her lap, she watched Bridget slice
and butter a loaf of bread. Its quick disappearance offered support to her
earlier comments about the pace at which her family consumed bread.

Lila had met Sara’s son before but this was the first time she’d
spent more than a moment with him. Though he was a year older than Gavin, he
was at least two inches shorter and considerably lighter. Franklin Smythe was a
slightly built man of medium height. William had obviously inherited his
father’s build rather than his mother’s taller, sturdier bone structure.
Dark-haired and dark-eyed, he was politely spoken, with a sweet smile that
probably would melt female hearts when he was older.

Glancing from him to his mother, she was struck by the way Sara’s
face softened when she looked at her son. The change was startling. Whatever
else could be said against her, there was no doubt that Sara loved her son a
great deal.

The presence of the children precluded any serious conversation.
Angel and Mary were full of excitement because the three older boys had
promised to build them a tree house that was, as Angel put it, “at least a
hundred miles up a tree.” Both Lila and Bridget looked less than thrilled with
the idea. Even making allowances for exaggeration as to the proposed location,
a tree house didn’t sound like the safest place for two small girls.

“A hundred miles?” Lila repeated dubiously. She glanced at Gavin,
who gave his sister a disgusted look.

“It’s not more than six or seven feet,” he said as he reached for
his third slice of bread. Lila made note to increase her estimate of what a
twelve-year-old boy could eat.

“That’s almost a hundred miles,” Angel said, unperturbed by the
correction.

“You’ll have to talk to your father about it, Joseph,” Bridget
told her son. “Make sure he thinks it’s safe enough. He’ll want to see the
place you’ve got in mind.”

“I’m sure Bishop will want to see it, also,” Lila said. She caught
Gavin’s doubtful look and made up her mind that Bishop would inspect the site
of the proposed tree house if she had to get him there at gunpoint.

“I certainly don’t want William involved in anything that might be
at all dangerous,” Sara said. “You’ll have to build this tree house without his
assistance.”

“It’s not dangerous, Mama,” he assured her. “And we’d be careful.
It’ll be fun. Please let me help.”

Sara hesitated, clearly torn between the urge to give her beloved
child anything he wanted and the desire to keep him safe from all possible
harm. For a moment, Lila found herself almost in sympathy with the other woman.
But it was only for a moment.

“No. I’m sorry, William, but you must defer to my judgment in this
matter. It’s not just the danger. You must remember who you are. It’s not as if
you’re going to be a common laborer when you grow up. When you inherit your
father’s bank, you’ll need skills other than those learned by cobbling together
a tree house.”

Sara appeared oblivious to any possibility that her words might
have offended anyone. William was not so unaware. A flush began at the base of
his throat and worked its way upward, flooding his face with embarrassed color.
Though the younger children were unaware of the insult, implied or otherwise,
Lila saw Gavin’s eyes flash with anger, but he didn’t speak. Bridget appeared
on the verge of an explosion. It was left to young Joseph to find the right
words to smooth over the awkward moment.

“We could sure use William’s help in figuring out how to build it,
Mrs. Smythe. He’s better than anybody at figuring out how to do things.”

Sara’s chest swelled at the compliment. Lila could see exactly
what went through her mind. Joseph’s words had transformed William’s position
from that of a common laborer to something in a more supervisory capacity.
Permission was graciously granted.

Sara and William made their departure soon afterward. Gavin and
the other Sunday boys went back outside. It was midafternoon and time for the
little girls to lie down for their naps. Angel offered only a token protest
when Lila told her they were going home. Yawning, she trailed off with Mary to
get her wrap.

“I swear, it’s difficult to keep Christian charity in mind when it
comes to that woman,” Bridget snapped as soon as the two little girls were out
of earshot. After taking the towel off the bread she’d set to rise earlier, she
punched down the mound of dough with considerably more force than necessary.
“How she ended up with such a pleasant son is a mystery to me.

“He does seem to be a nice boy and it’s plain to see that she
loves him.”

“Worships him is more like it.” Bridget thumped the dough onto the
table and began dividing it into loaves, her small hands moving with quick
efficiency despite her annoyance. “Don’t you let her snooty tone spoil your
pleasure in this baby,” she said, looking up from her task to fix Lila with a
stern look. “Though she’s never dared say as much, I know she thinks it isn’t
decent that Joseph and I have five children—thinks it’s too lusty for a
minister to have a large family.” She pounded a loaf into shape and plopped it
in the pan. Setting her hands on her hips, she looked at Lila, her hazel eyes
still bright with anger. “All I can say is that if I were as prune-faced and
nasty as she is... Well, it’s no wonder she and that husband of hers only have
the one child. Poor man probably had to close his eyes and think of God and
country just to do his duty long enough for that!”

“Bridget!” Lila was torn between laughter and shock.

“There now. You see what she’s made me do.” Bridget flushed with
embarrassment. “I’ll have to say an extra prayer for saying something so
uncharitable. That woman never fails to bring out the worst in me.”

***

Despite the unpleasantness with Sara, Lila’s mood was lighter when
she left Bridget’s than it had been when she arrived. Bridget’s natural
optimism never failed to make her feel better.The basket she carried held two
loaves of bread, and Bridget had promised to teach her how to make it herself.
She was very lucky to have found such a friend.

“I like Mrs. Sunday,” Angel said, as if reading her thoughts.

“So do I.” Lila glanced down at the child. “I like her whole
family.”

“Me, too. Mary’s my best friend.” She looked up at Lila, her
china-blue eyes solemn. “I never had a best friend before. It’s nice.”

The simple summation made Lila’s eyes sting with sudden tears.
Forcing them back, she smiled at Angel. “I’m glad you and Mary are friends.”

“Me, too.” Angel looked pensive for a moment. “Next to Mary, I’m
most glad I met Joseph ’cause I’m going to marry him when I grow up.”

“I’m starting to believe you,” Lila murmured. She laughed softly.
“And heaven help poor Joseph.” “Ma’am?”

Lila came to an abrupt halt to avoid running into the man who’d
stepped in front of her. He was a large man with a head of wild black hair and
a bushy beard that looked vigorous enough to have a life of its own. If it
hadn’t been broad daylight, she might have been frightened. But despite his
ferocious appearance, there was nothing threatening in his expression.

“Yes?” She shifted so that Angel was partially concealed behind
her skirts.

“Pardon me, ma’am.” The giant swept his hat off his head and
twisted it between his hands. “I know it ain’t exactly proper, me stoppin’ you
on the street and all, but I just got back to town after spending the winter
working my claim. You’re the first female I seen in a long time and the
prettiest one I seen in even longer. I was wondering if you’d be willin’ to
just let me look at you awhile.”

Lila stared at him, at a loss for words. She’d never heard of
anything quite like it. He wanted to
look
at her? There was nothing
threatening in his stance. In fact, other than the sheer size of him, he looked
quite harmless. But that didn’t mean that she was going to stand there on the
boardwalk in front of the offices of the
Paris Examiner
and let a
complete stranger stare at her.