Texas Tender (29 page)

“Why not? He hasn't been wrong about anything yet.”

In her mind she knew Will wasn't the father of Junie Mae's baby, but the emotional part of her wasn't completely convinced he didn't feel something for Junie Mae. She was beautiful and in love with him. Junie Mae would never argue with him or even question him. She'd work her fingers to the bone for him and think it a privilege. Why should Will be in love with a woman who'd caused him trouble from the moment he'd arrived, who'd questioned his character and his veracity, who seemed incapable of appreciating his help?

“It's not as easy as that,” Idalou told her brother.

Carl had caught up their horses and brought them to the shade. “It
is
as easy as that. All you have to do
is follow your heart. That's what I'm doing, and that's why I know I still love Mara and she still loves me.” He helped his sister mount up. “You think too much. You have to look at everything from every possible angle.” He swung into the saddle. “You think so much you don't know what you think.” He nudged his horse's flanks and started toward the trail back to town. “At least stop thinking enough to enjoy the party.”

Idalou made one last adjustment, then turned to Junie Mae. “Are you sure I don't look silly in this dress?”

“You look beautiful,” Junie Mae said. “I can't wait to see Will's expression when he gets a look at you.”

Idalou had almost refused Will's invitation because she didn't have anything to wear. She'd finally given in to Junie Mae's insistence that she borrow her best party dress.

“There's no point in it staying in the closet and you staying in the hotel,” Junie Mae had said. “As fat as I'm getting, I couldn't wear it even if I was going to the party.”

Junie Mae had been invited—nearly everyone in Dunmore had—but she said she had no intention of going just so people could gawk at her and gossip behind her back. Idalou had offered to stay with her, but Junie Mae had told her if she didn't accept Will's invitation, there were plenty of other women who'd be glad to take her place. So Idalou had spent the last two days altering the dress to fit her. She'd let Junie Mae fix her hair. Instead of being in a knot at the base of her neck or pulled back into a ponytail, she had allowed Junie Mae to curl it and style it so it framed her face. She'd hardly recognized herself when she looked in Junie Mae's small mirror.

“People are going to stare,” Idalou said. “I've never dressed up like this before. I look strange even to myself.”

“Nobody's going to think you look strange,” Junie Mae assured her. “They're going to be too busy being jealous or wishing they were the man at your side.”

It gave Idalou a thrill to know she looked nice. For once, she would be wearing a dress that was just as pretty as anything Mara or her mother would wear. She was even wearing some of the expensive perfume Junie Mae's aunt had given her. It felt strange to be enveloped in a cloud of scent that smelled like a spring garden.

“Maybe I should pull my hair back.” Idalou stared at her reflection in the mirror, worried she might look too much unlike herself. Will had invited
her
to the dance, not the woman staring back at her from the mirror.

Junie Mae took the mirror from her and laid it face down on the dressing table. “It's perfect like it is. Trust me,” she said when Idalou continued to feel unsure. “I know what men like in a woman.”

All of Idalou's attention had been so consumed by the ranch, she hadn't had time to worry about making herself attractive to men. After Webb died, she'd sort of assumed she'd never marry. Will's interest in her had changed that assumption.

“Will is different,” Idalou said.

Idalou smiled. “He's still a man.” A very polite knock sounded at the door. “Unless I'm mistaken, your Prince Charming has arrived.”

All the tension and uncertainty gathered in a ball in the pit of Idalou's stomach. What if Will didn't think she looked pretty? What if he didn't like her dress or her hair? Even though she knew she'd never looked this pretty in her life, she worried she
wouldn't be pretty enough for a man as handsome as Will. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

She'd thought it was impossible for Will to look any more handsome, but he simply took her breath away. A navy-blue suit, white shirt with high pointed collar, and a tie transformed him into any woman's version of a prince.

“Who are you, and where is Idalou?” Will asked.

Before Idalou's stupefied brain could process what he'd said, Will gave a low whistle and broke into a broad smile. “Who'd have thought that a nice-looking boy like Carl could have a sister beautiful enough to make him look downright plain? You sure you want to be seen with somebody like me?”

Will wasn't the kind of man to give flowery compliments, but he did have his own way of expressing his surprise and pleasure.

“Well, you have cleaned up a bit since I saw you last, so I guess I won't be too embarrassed to be seen with you,” Idalou said.

“Quit it, you two,” Junie Mae said. “You'll be the most handsome couple at the party.”

“Do you really think I look nice?” Idalou asked Will. “You don't think the way Junie Mae did my hair makes me look peculiar?”

“I think you look beautiful regardless of how you do your hair,” Will said. “You make that dress look right smart, too.”

It wasn't the way most men gave compliments, but Idalou thought she could grow used to it.

“Let's hurry. I can't wait to show everybody that the prettiest lady in Dunmore is my date for the evening.”

Idalou decided she just might take Junie Mae's advice more often.

Jordan and Alma McGloughlin certainly knew how to throw a party. The interior of the ranch house blazed with lights, while the porch and portions of the yard were illuminated by more than two dozen kerosene lamps. Alma must have borrowed nearly every lamp in Dunmore. A small band of banjo, guitar, and fiddle produced a twangy, nasal music Idalou found slightly melancholy despite the upbeat rhythm.

“I've never seen such a display,” she said to Will.

“A daughter turns eighteen only once. You should have seen what my family did for our younger sister this spring. We practically set the entire Hill Country ablaze. For the first time in years, everybody in the family was there.”

Idalou had spent so many years feeling she carried the weight of the family alone that she couldn't imagine what it would be like to be part of a huge, supportive family. In a way, the idea frightened her. She might get lost, lose her way. At the same time, she would have the emotional, physical, and financial support of a large network of families. Dunmore had been like that when they first moved here. Then ambition for the next generation got in the way, and friendships weakened, loyalties broke down.

“Carl wouldn't let me give him a party when he turned eighteen,” she told Will. “He said it was a waste of money.”

“I didn't want one, either,” Will said, “but I got one then, and again when I turned twenty-one.”

“Welcome, Sheriff,” Alma McGloughlin said with a smile that made her look ten years younger. “I'm glad you were able to persuade Idalou to come with you. We haven't seen much of her recently.”

Idalou could have told Alma why that was so, but she had put rivalry and trouble out of her mind so she could enjoy the party.

“It's hard for just two people to keep a ranch going,” she told Alma. “It seems we're always a day behind.”

“Now that the dam is broken, you and Carl ought to sell that place and move into town. Ella says you were the best shop assistant she's ever had.” Alma laughed self-consciously. “Listen to me giving advice about things that are none of my business. Come in and enjoy yourself. There's plenty of food in the house, and we're going to have dancing when it gets cooler.”

Mara hurried over when her mother moved away to welcome other guests. “Thanks for coming,” she said, looking at Will before turning to Idalou and asking, “Where's Carl?”

“He's coming later,” Idalou told Mara. “He wouldn't miss the biggest party since Webb's twenty-first birthday.”

“I thought he'd be with you.” Mara peered anxiously over Idalou's shoulder.

“He thinks he's too old to be seen with his big sister.”

Mara eyed Will in a speculative manner. “Is that why you asked the sheriff to come with you?”

“
I
asked her to come with
me
,” Will said.

“It's okay for a woman to come to a party alone in Dunmore. The town's small enough that we know everybody.”

Mara sounded a little jealous, but she seemed more upset about Carl's absence. Was she hoping to make one man jealous of another? That didn't seem likely, since Van was already here—he was talking to Mara's father—but Mara changed her mind so often these days, no one knew who she'd think she was in love with next.

“Are you a good dancer?” Mara asked Will.

“One of the best. What else do men with rich parents have to do with their time?” He winked at Idalou. “I've got to make sure she's good enough to keep from embarrassing me.”

“I'm a very good dancer,” Mara said.

“Then I look forward to dancing with you, too.” He said it with so little enthusiasm, his words annoyed Mara but thrilled Idalou.

“Mama says I have to choose the man to open the dance with me.” She looked up at Will, her big eyes wide and admiring. “There are only three possible choices. Carl's not here, and Van is a terrible dancer, so that leaves you.”

Mara's blatant attempt to ensnare Will irritated Idalou.

“Have you thought about your father?” Will asked. “I'm sure he'd be glad to have the honor of the first dance. After all, you are his only daughter. He'll never get this chance again.”

From her surprised look, it was clear Mara hadn't thought of choosing her father.

“That would also remove any possible chance of jealousy,” Will added.

“What do you mean?”

“Don't be so blind.” Idalou was irritated at Mara's attempt to appropriate Will as well as her inability to stop encouraging Carl and Van at the same time. “You know your father wants you to marry Van.
Everybody
knows your mother wants you to be Will's wife. You also know Carl loves you. How could choosing Will not cause jealousy?”

Mara stiffened, her voice brittle. “Van says he's not ready to settle down, and Carl has barely spoken to me in weeks. How is choosing Will going to cause jealousy in two men who don't care?”

“Look,” Idalou said, softening her words, “we all
care about you in our different ways. Now, your parents have gone to a lot of trouble to throw a fabulous party. For tonight, forget about marrying anyone and have fun.”

“You're the sheriff,” Mara said to Will. “People won't be jealous of the sheriff.”

Will looked at Idalou. She wished with all her heart he would refuse, but she knew she was being selfish.

“Ask your father,” Will said. “If he refuses, then I'll open the dance with you.”

“Thanks.” Mara flashed a brilliant smile. “I'll ask Daddy even though he dances worse than Van. I'd better go before Mama accuses me of neglecting my other guests.”

Will's willingness to help a woman in distress was an admirable trait, but Idalou was having a difficult time living with it. She'd have to learn to accept his chivalry if she was interested in a future with Will. Besides, it really was an endearing quality that could be to her advantage, too. Maybe she was having trouble with it because she wasn't sure of his feelings for her, but whose fault was that? She was the one who kept backing away.

She decided that from this moment on, she'd put all doubt out of her mind. If Will wanted to talk about marriage, she'd listen. She had a strange feeling that she would like what he had to say.

“Sorry about that,” Will said. “Just another disadvantage of being sheriff.”

Idalou hooked her arm in Will's. “That had nothing to do with being the sheriff and everything to do with being Will Haskins. Women can't resist you.”

Will leveled a speculative glance at her. “You have managed it rather easily.”

“Actually, I haven't managed it at all. I've just been too confused to know what I wanted to do.”

“Do you know now?”

Idalou bit her lip. “I think I've figured most of it out.”

“Will I like the answer?”

She gave Will's arm a squeeze. “I hope so.”

A slow smile spread over Will's face. “I give you fair warning that I plan to test your resolution.”

She returned his smile. “I give you fair warning that I'm ready. Now let's get something to eat.”

People continued to arrive, some bringing food, nearly every man bringing his own whiskey bottle. Idalou was relieved to see Will turn down all drink offers. He jokingly said he had to be sober when the fights broke out. Carl arrived about fifteen minutes after Idalou and Will. He'd shaved, gotten a haircut, and put on his best suit. Except for Will, he was the best-looking man there.

Mara didn't waste a moment in hurrying over to welcome Carl. He responded coolly then came over to join Idalou and Will.

“It looks like a really big shindig,” he said, glancing around.

“Mara was anxious for you to get here,” Will said. “Have you two made up?”

“Not yet,” Carl said. “She still gets stars in her eyes when she looks at you, and she hasn't yet had the courage to tell her father she won't marry Van. I'm taking your advice and keeping my distance, but not so far that she thinks I've lost interest in her.”

Idalou looked from her brother to Will and back again. “I can't believe you two are plotting against that poor girl.”