The Independent Bride (5 page)

“I didn’t say that of you,” Abby said.

“It sounded like it to me.”

“Then I apologize. But I don’t under—”

“That’s just it. You
don’t
understand, which is why you should turn around and go home.”

“My sister is going home, but I intend to stay.”

“I will not leave without Abby,” Moriah said.

“Now, Moriah, I’ve told you—”

“There’s no point to discussing it,” Moriah said. “If you say, I stay.”

Wonderful! Now he had two impossibly stubborn, totally inexperienced women on his hands. They would probably be more trouble than the Indians. How could he be crazy enough to be attracted to Abby? Apparently part of him didn’t respond to common sense. He desired this woman more strongly than any he’d ever met.

“I have one further request to make of you,” Abby said, turning back to Bryce. “Where can I find two mattresses? Those in the trading post are infested with lice and bedbugs.”

“I doubt you can find any tonight, but I’ll see what I can do for you tomorrow.”

“I appreciate that, but my immediate concern is for tonight. It’s impossible for us to sleep on those mattresses until they’ve been cleaned and aired.”

“They can stay with us, Daddy.”

Chapter Three

Bryce turned at the sound of his daughter’s voice. “You’re supposed to be in bed, Pamela.”

“I couldn’t sleep with you talking.”

His daughter had an irrepressible curiosity, much more than was good for her at a place like Fort Lookout.

“They can use Miss Wallace’s room,” she said.

Pamela entered the room, her bare feet showing under the hem of her embroidered nightgown, a redheaded doll held tightly in the crook of her left arm. “How do you do?” she said, stepping forward with her hand held out to Abby. “I’m Pamela McGregor. I’m seven.”

Bryce saw Abby’s lips twitch, but with suitable gravity, she took Pamela’s hand and shook it. “I’m Abby Pierce and this is my sister, Moriah. We’ve come to run the trading post.”

“Was Mr. Pierce your daddy?”

“Yes, he was.”

“I liked him. He smiled at me.”

“He also gave you candy behind my back,” Bryce said.

“He said it was our secret.”

“Everybody on the post knew he spoiled you.”

“I liked him,” Pamela insisted.

“It’s nice to know my father was liked by such a sweet child as you,” Abby said.

“I’m not a sweet child,” Pamela declared. “Daddy says everybody spoils me rotten. He says I’ll grow up to be a termagant. Did I say it right this time?” she asked her father.

Unfortunately she’d pronounced it with such accuracy and clarity that Abby knew exactly what she’d said.

“I don’t think you need to tell Miss Pierce everything I say.”

“She said her name was Abby.”

“I heard her.”

“Then why don’t you call her Abby?”

“Because it’s much too familiar.”

“Is it all right for me to call you Abby?” Pamela asked Abby.

Abby said yes at the same moment Pamela’s father said no. “It’s very kind of Miss Pierce to invite you to call her by her first name,” Bryce said, “but you know I don’t allow you to address adults except by their surnames.”

“She said I could.”

“I said you couldn’t.”

“Is that fair?” Pamela asked Abby.

“Colonel McGregor is your father,” Abby said. “You have to do what he says.”

“I don’t see why I can’t call you Abby if you don’t mind.”

Abby looked up at Bryce, but he shook his head. They wouldn’t be here long. He didn’t want them undermining his daughter’s manners.

“You have to do what your father wants,” Abby said.

“Did you do what your father wanted?”

“Always.”

“But he was nice.”

“I’m sure your father is nice, too.”

Pamela looked doubtful. “He’s very strict.”

“A father can’t be too careful with his daughter,” Abby said.

“Do you think she’s right?” Pamela asked Moriah.

“Without question,” Moriah answered.

Bryce figured that of the two, Moriah was the one with the better understanding of how to deal with people. Her sister seemed too headstrong.

“But if I have to call each of them Miss Pierce, how can they tell which one I’m talking to?” Pamela asked.

“We can worry about that another time,” Bryce said. “It’s time for you to get back into bed.”

“Are you going to let them say in Miss Wallace’s room?”

Bryce had nothing against Abby or her sister, but he’d have let them sit up all night fending off bugs and chasing mice if it would have made them take the first opportunity to leave. However, his daughter had put him in the position of being forced to offer hospitality. He did have an extra room, and he was certain Abner Pierce’s mattress wasn’t fit for anything but burning.

“There’s only one bed in the room,” he said, “but you’re welcome to use it.” He hoped he didn’t sound insincere, but it made him very uncomfortable to think of Abby sleeping under his roof. His reaction was completely nonsensical, but there was a kind of physical closeness about the situation that made him overly aware of her as a woman. It was out of the question that he show an interest in a woman at the fort. It would undermine discipline and cause gossip.

“Thank you for the offer,” Abby said. “Under the circumstances we’ll gladly accept your hospitality.”

“Since she made the offer, I’ll let Pamela show you the room.”

“We didn’t come prepared to stay.”

“You can return when it’s convenient. I’ll be up working for several hours yet.”

“Follow me, please,” Pamela said in a charming attempt to act grown-up.

“You can show my sister the room,” Abby said to Pamela. “I need to speak to your father.”

“Can I offer you something to drink?” Bryce asked Abby. “It won’t take long to make coffee.”

“No, thank you.”

“If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I feel like a brandy.”

As Abby watched Bryce leave the room, she tried to organize her thoughts. During the several hours she’d spent in her future living quarters trying to scrub away some of the accumulated grime, she’d had plenty of time to consider her present situation. It was abundantly clear that Bryce McGregor didn’t want her here and didn’t think she could handle the trading post. Abby didn’t want to stay here, but she didn’t have a choice. Therefore, she had to make the best of things. But it didn’t take much pondering to know she had a lot to learn. She could become familiar with her stock, learn what people needed and how much to charge for it, but she didn’t understand anything about living in this brutal place. She had no idea what she was supposed to do about the contract to provide the Indians with beef, and she had no idea how to keep herself and her sister safe from men like the three she’d already encountered. She’d decided Bryce McGregor, his prejudice not withstanding, would have the honor of helping her learn to survive in this new and unfriendly environment.

She realized the attraction she felt for him would make that uncomfortable, but she expected it would fade quickly. It had to rest on the fact that he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen, and that he’d saved her from a terrible fate. It was only natural she should be attracted to him. She took comfort in knowing he was too cold and forbidding for her to like for long.

The style of furnishing in his house gave her a different impression of him from the stern commander she’d seen. The house was neat, uncluttered, and minus the little touches that indicated the presence of a female, but the furnishings were comfortable, stylish, expensive, and showed just enough feminine influence to indicate he’d been married. A thick carpet covered the floor and velvet curtains hung at the windows. One table was covered by lace of an intricate design, another with the neatly organized evidence of his work. Pictures on the wall were of his daughter and several women, all of whom were heavily jeweled and expensively dressed; there was also a painting of a house that looked like a mansion. Clearly Colonel McGregor came from a wealthy family. All the more reason for her to throttle her absurd attraction to him.

Abby drew back from inspecting an ormolu clock when she heard Bryce returning.

“As you’ve no doubt guessed, learning about weapons is just the beginning of what I need to know to operate this store successfully,” she said when they were seated.

“It’s an impossible task,” Bryce said. “I can understand why you want to leave.”

“I’ve already told you I don’t intend to leave,” Abby said, somewhat irritably. “I wish you could believe I mean it.”

“I do believe you mean it. I keep hoping if I mention it often enough, you’ll realize you’ve made a mistake and reconsider.”

“I won’t, so let’s not waste any more time on it. I have lots of questions about the store, and you seem to be the most logical person to answer them.” From his strained expression, she knew he was not happy with her conclusion.

“I realize you’re newly arrived at Fort Lookout, but it couldn’t have escaped your notice that I have a fort to run, two hundred men whose safety and well-being I must be concerned with at all times, an Indian situation to watch carefully, and a civilian population that thinks the army has nothing better to do than solve its problems.”

He was trying to show her how unimportant she and her sister were. “In other words, you don’t have time to waste on two females who own and will operate the store at your fort.”

“Obviously I have to be concerned with your store. It’s badly understocked at present, but it’s our only source of supplies without going into Boulder Gap, which is off limits to the enlisted men. If you can’t restock quickly, I’ll have to look for someone else to take over the lease.”

“I just got here. You can’t expect me to work miracles overnight.”

“I don’t have the time to give you all the help you’ll need. I suggest you contact the man who worked for your father.”

“Why? He’s the one who was too drunk to mind the store.”

“Whom you hire is up to you. I’m only interested in who can do the best job as quickly as possible and most dependably over a period of time.”

“I can,” Abby stated with more confidence than she felt “That has yet to be seen.”

She had believed he was a little bit attracted to her, but maybe she was wrong. “You don’t approve of women, do you, Colonel McGregor?”

His smile was quick and disarming. It would be easy to become infatuated with this man. Dangerous, too.

“Whatever gave you that idea? I certainly do approve of women. I like them and enjoy their company. Nevertheless, I can’t let the fact that you’re a woman, and a very attractive one, interfere with the running of the fort. While you’re a guest under my roof, I’ll treat you with all the deference you deserve. But my only concern about you as the store owner is that you fulfill the requirements of your lease.”

“I haven’t had time to go through my father’s papers.”

“There’s not much in the lease you need worry about. Essentially it says you have to supply the fort with everything the army doesn’t give us. There’s something in there about selling liquor to the Indians and being drunk and disorderly, but I doubt I’ll have to worry about that.”

Abby saw amusement in his eyes. Maybe he wasn’t as cold and forbidding as she thought. She didn’t like the tremor that zigzagged through her body. She was relieved when Moriah and Pamela entered the room. “I’ll find the contract and read every word,” she said.

“This Miss Pierce says it’s a very nice room,” Pamela announced, pointing to Moriah.

“Thank you very much for letting us use it,” Moriah said to Bryce.

“You’re welcome. It’s back to bed with you,” he said to Pamela. “The ladies will return later.”

“Can’t I stay up?”

“No.”

“Did you get to stay up when you were seven?” she asked Abby.

“We were sent to bed promptly after supper.”

“It’s still light outside then.”

“I begged to be allowed to play outside, but I never was.”

“Daddy’s not that mean.”

“Then you’re a very fortunate little girl.”

Pamela drew herself up. “I was a little girl when I was six. I’m a big girl now.”

Abby was certain Colonel McGregor turned his head to hide a smile. It was only with difficulty she was able to keep a straight face. “Of course you are. I would never have made such a mistake, but I’m very tired. Moriah and I have been scrubbing and cleaning all afternoon.”

“Daddy said it was worse then a stable yard,” Pamela said.

Abby didn’t know anything about the colonel’s philosophy on rearing children, but in less man five minutes with Pamela, she was certain he had more on his hands than he could handle. You had only to see the way he looked at his daughter to know he adored her.

“I said the man who took over after Abner Pierce died had turned it into a mess worse than a stable yard,” Bryce said with an apologetic grin at Abby. “If you’re going to get me in trouble, Pamela, at least make sure you quote me exactly.”