Timeless Passion: 10 Historical Romances To Savor (112 page)

“Ay me,” Consuelo followed her to the table and placed the food in front of her. “You always get your way with me, don’t you?”

Kara laughed and threw her arms around Consuelo’s waist. “It’s just you love me so much, and I love you, it’s why I get my way … verdad?”

“Si, you imp,” Consuelo laughed returning the hug. “Now hurry up. There are fresh towels and hot water in the tub. Your robe is in there also. Eat up. We wouldn’t want you to faint at the feet of your father’s new partner, would we?”

Kara snorted. “No, Consuelo.” Her eyes narrowed. “In fact, I think I’m going to have to show our new partner how tough we modern western women are. I’ve read about the women in their ‘society,’ and it seems they are always waiting for some man to tell them what to do and think.” Taking another spoonful of stew, she chewed thoughtfully. “I think his lordship will probably be a little shocked by how independent women out here are. He might just faint at my feet.”

“Mija,” Consuelo warned. “You had better not be planning any tricks. Your papa … he will have your hide if you embarrass him.”

Kara sighed. “You’re right. But it sure would be fun. I could think of ways to shock his lordship and perhaps send him running back to London.” The thought of some dandy making all sorts of silly demands made her grimace. “He’s going to want everything his way, I just know it.”

Kara rose from the table and put her bowl in the sink. “Are the rooms and guesthouses ready? Is there anything I need to do?” she asked.

“No mija, no,” Consuelo smiled. “The girls and I have everything ready; all you have to do is get yourself dressed.” She headed Kara towards the bathing room with a gentle shove. “Go quick.”

Swinging around, Kara gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and smiled, “Thank you. I’m sorry I wasn’t here earlier to help.”

• • •

Kara bathed quickly, wrapped up in her robe, and headed up the stairs to her room to change.

The flagstone floor felt cool on her bare feet. Entering her bedroom, she went to her vanity table with its large mirror, picked up her brush, and began brushing out her wet hair. She loved this room with its bright white-washed adobe walls and ceiling. A small fire burned in the corner kiva-shaped fireplace with a rocking chair nearby and the thick quilt her mother had made folded on the wrought iron bed. Kara looked at the framed tintype of her mother and father on the bedside table. Her most valued possession.

Walking across the wood plank floors covered with colorful Indian rugs, she remembered the day her mother had given her the picture. An aching pierced her heart. When would the pain cease? she wondered.
When will I quit missing her so much?

Maria, Consuelo’s oldest daughter and Kara’s friend, entered the room. “Mama said you’d be running late and would need help.”

Where she was tall and slender, Maria was small like her mother, with light brown skin, high cheekbones, a lushly rounded figure and a ready smile. They were sisters in all ways that mattered.

“Oh God, Maria.” She looked at the clock on her dresser. “Where’s my dress? What am I going to do with my hair?” Frantic, she looked around her room, not knowing what to do first. “I could kill Papa for planning this big to-do during the middle of spring round-up.”

Taking control, Maria pushed her gently into the small padded chair in front of the vanity.

“Your dress is in the wardrobe, and if you’ll sit still, I’ll fix your hair.”

“This is all so silly. Having a party just to introduce a man who probably thinks he’s better than everyone anyway, just because he has a title.” She slumped defiantly in her chair.

“Why are you determined to dislike someone you’ve never met? I’ve never known you to be this negative. What’s bothering you?”

“I don’t know,” she said softly. “I just feel his arrival is going to turn my life upside down, and I don’t know if it’s going to be for the better or the worse. There have been so many changes in my life the past few years. I’m just ready for life to be normal again. Plus I worry he’s one of those swindlers just out to steal the ranch.”

Maria continued brushing out Kara’s long silky hair. “Maybe he’s a handsome young man, who’ll sweep you off your feet,” she teased. “Maybe he’s the knight in shining armor you were always reading about when we were little girls.” Maria laughed at the face glaring at her in the mirror.

“More likely some overweight, mincing clown sent by his father to get some starch in his backbone.”

Kara stood up and pranced around the room, trying to imitate an overweight effeminate man. “I’ll even bet his hands are all soft and clammy … yuck!”

Both girls fell on the bed laughing. The tension Kara had felt eased the more she talked to Maria.

“Besides, after all I learned from the women in the suffrage and women’s rights movements back east, I don’t believe I want a knight in shining armor anymore. I think I would rather rescue myself, and while I’m at it control my own destiny, instead of letting some man tell me how I should live or treat me like some possession.”

She jumped up on her bed, legs astride, her hand tucked into her robe with the other pointing to an imaginary spot above her. Mocking her own seriousness. They burst out in giggles all over again.

The girls were still giggling when Luisa, Maria’s younger sister, walked into the room.

“Maria, Mama says the Roberts have just arrived. She said hurry up.” Ducking to miss a small pillow thrown her way, Luisa left the room.

Kara sat down in front of the mirror and Maria quickly finished her hair and helped her dress. The dark blue sateen, the color of her eyes, was set just off her shoulders, with puffed sleeves narrowing over her elbows to her wrists. The bodice with its sweetheart neckline and nipped waist highlighted her trim figure. The skirt swirled easily around her ankles and matching blue shoes. Taking one last spin in front of the mirror, she picked up a shawl and both women left the room deep in discussion about what party preparations needed to be finished.

Chapter 5

The ranch was a hive of activity as the men rode in.

“Looks like quite a party they’re having for you,” Alec noted. Hawke saw Alec’s attention drawn to several ladies entering the house.”

“Yep. Case wanted you to meet some of the neighbors and townsfolk,” Joe said as he stopped his horse outside the empty corral. “Me and the boys will settle the cattle in here, and your bags will be sent up to the house.” Joe looked over his shoulder. “Here comes Case.”

Joe turned his horse and began shouting orders to the hands. Hawke and Alec dismounted and turned to meet Case Jonston.

Hawke watched the older man approach, noting the vitality of his movements. Intensely blue eyes stood out in his tanned leathered face, and his smile showed strong white teeth.

• • •

“Gentlemen … Welcome!” Case extended his hand. “Welcome to the Ladder J. I’m glad to see you’ve arrived with no problems.” He looked past the men into the corral filled with black cattle moving restlessly, noting the well-filled-out bodies and shiny ebony coats.

“That’s a fine-looking bunch of animals you brought. I look forward to crossing them with my longhorns. They seem to have handled the long trip just fine.”

He gestured towards the house. “Let’s go into the house so you can clean up, and then you and I, Lord Stoneham, can conduct some business in my study before the barbecue begins.”

“Thank you, sir,” replied Hawke, smiling at him. “We feel welcome already. May I introduce my friend Alec MacCairn, Lord Peyton?”

“A pleasure, sir,” Alec shook Case’s hand. “Hawke has been regaling me with tales of cattle breeding and western ranching. I feel almost a native already. Not only has he told me many tales of the American West, but your employees have been telling us about your fascinating and multitalented daughter. I do look forward to meeting her.”

“Excuse him, sometimes he lets his mouth run without consulting his brain first. He meant no insult.”

“Fascinating, hmmm?” Case shook his head. Turning to Lord Peyton, he smiled, “Alec, I’ve heard my daughter described in many ways, but fascinating, now that’s a new one. Gentlemen … let me show you to your rooms.”

They walked through a large portal in the adobe wall wide enough to accommodate a wagon. Case explained a Spanish patron, or cattleman, built the house several decades before. The high wall surrounding the placitas was similar to the curtain wall on a castle. Within were the main house, a small building housing the laundry, storerooms for supplies, and two small guesthouses.

“This way,” said Case, “in case of Indian attack, the vital supplies could be protected along with the occupants. Very effective against siege of any sort.”

He went on to explain that when the New Mexico territory became part of the United States, many of the Spanish land grants were confiscated and sold to American citizens. He had bought the Ladder J from the widow of the previous American owner.

The front of the main house had a covered porch; shallow steps led up to the shaded porch and entry doors. The posts were topped with carved corbels. These supported the exposed vigas, long beams supporting the second story and the flat roof. The upper levels stepped up from the main level. Large multipaned windows were topped with brightly painted wood lintels. The heavily carved front doors opened through thick adobe walls.

“The building material seems very strong,” Hawke noted.

“Basically, it’s just mud and straw formed into bricks,” explained Case. “But for this climate you can’t do any better. The adobe soaks up the heat of the day without letting it into the house, and at night stays amazingly comfortable.”

They entered a large central room with high ceilings. A fireplace took up a portion of the back wall; its thick wood mantle ran between the two French doors on either side of the fireplace.

“Your house reminds me of the homes I saw in India,” said Hawke, looking around the large room, “designed for maximum air movement. Fascinating.”

Case pointed out the curving staircase along the far wall, the doorway leading to the kitchen and the bathing areas. He said baths could be sent to their rooms if they preferred. Through the French doors, he showed them an enclosed patio. Against the back wall of the patio was an ornate stepped adobe wall with a small garden gate. A covered seating area with a rounded kiva-style fireplace completed the area. Case pointed to his study and said he would meet them after they had a chance to rest and clean up.

“Candelario!”

A small boy hurried in from the kitchen.

“Please help these gentlemen with their bags and show them to their rooms.”

The young boy smiled at the two strangers, reached down, and struggled to lift one of the bags.

“Here laddie,” laughed Alec, “you show us our rooms. I think we can manage our own bags.”

The bedrooms were large, with corner fireplaces and tall French doors opening to balconies overlooking the center patio. Two older boys had brought up a tub and water for his bath by the time Hawke unpacked. Easing into the hot water, he leaned back and closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of travel weary muscles relaxing in the heat of the water. His thoughts wandered to everything he had seen so far. Smiling, he congratulated himself on his good luck in making this business arrangement. It was going to be an interesting, and a lucrative, endeavor. Anxious to share his ideas with his new partner, he finished his bath and dressed.

• • •

Kara sat on the bed and watched Alicia twirl in front of the mirror in her new gown. The pink muslin-and-lace gown with satin ribbons billowed around her ankles.

Alicia and Kara had not seen each other since her return from school, but had written regularly. The Roberts had been frequent visitors to the Ladder J and the Jonstons had spent much time at the Roberts’ spread over the years. The girls’ mothers had been close friends and after Emma had died, Sarah, Alicia’s mother, had been a great source of comfort to Kara and her father. She and Alicia had grown inseparable over the years. The petite blue-eyed blonde always made her laugh and Alicia’s witty letters had helped her through the time away at school.

“What is your problem? You’d think having not just one, but two, men coming to stay with you would thrill you. Instead you look like a skunk has snuck under your skirts. I’d love to have new people stay with us.” Alicia’s blue eyes twinkled mischievously. “Especially men.” Sitting next to Kara on the bed, Alicia grabbed her friend’s hands in excitement. “You know there’s no one interesting in White Oaks, and Papa won’t be taking us to Albuquerque until fall. Imagine,” she said breathlessly, “they’re real English lords. How can you look so miserable?”

She couldn’t help but smile at Alicia’s enthusiasm. “I’m quiet Alicia,” she laughed, “because you haven’t let me get a word in edgewise.” Smoothing her skirt, she sighed. Her worries rushed back. “I don’t know why I’m so upset. Guess I just think this man has no business coming all the way out here and upsetting everything in my life. I just never thought Papa would sell part of the ranch.”

Feelings of hurt and resentment washed over her. She felt like her dreams had been attacked. Her gut reaction was to strike back, show her father she was capable, and prove this so-called partner unnecessary. A part of her refused to believe there wasn’t a way to end the partnership. They didn’t need him.

“Alicia, what am I going to do?”

Alicia hugged her tightly. “You’ll put on your best face, be nice to this new partner of your father’s, and who knows,” she smiled gently at her friend, “maybe you’ll like him. After all, he’s young, right? Maybe he’s your knight in shining armor.”

Kara grimaced at hearing that phrase again. She remembered how they had talked of their perfect man.

“Alicia, you are the one who wanted someone to take you away from the ranching life, wanted to live in a big city and attend parties and the theater and shop to your heart’s content.” Never mind she’d never been to any town larger than Albuquerque. “I always planned on staying here, on the ranch.”

Kara had always envisioned her true love like someone from her stories, a big man like her father, who would love the land, especially the Ladder J, the way she loved it. She wanted someone who could dominate this hard land, but still recognize the gifts the land had to offer. She had always thought this man would be a westerner like her. After all only those who had been born to this land could understand it and love it … . right?