Whispers on the Wind (13 page)

Rick nodded in agreement.
“Heck, yeah. She’s sure been smiling a lot.”

Hank sat up a little
straighter and drew his brows together. “How come?”

Carter shouldn’t be pulling
Hank’s leg since he’d been so sick, but he knew that Hank had been
sweet on his mother for a very long time. “Well, Hank, it’s like
this.” Carter leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. “I
brought someone home with me and Mother has taken a real liking to
them.”

“She hardly noticed me and
Carter at all,” Rick added as he let his chair fall back to the
floor. “Sorry, Hank, you’ve been replaced.”

“It ain’t fair,” Hank
stated. “Just let me get laid up a little bit and she forgets all
about me. Just like a blamed woman. Once she gets you interested,
then she moves to greener pastures.”

Carter couldn’t hold his
smile any longer. “I didn’t say she’d forgotten about
you.”

“Well, what would you call
it? Who is the fellow?”

Carter waited for a moment
until Hank’s face was good and red. “Mary,” he said, struggling to
hide a grin.

“What the hell?” Hank
swore, and slammed his cup on the desk, splattering the coffee over
the old, brown wood, then swore some more as the hot coffee hit his
hand.

Carter and Rick laughed as
Hank glared sourly at both of them.

“You good for nothing
mangy dogs!”

“Ah, come on, Hank,
where’s your sense of humor?” Carter asked, rocking back on two
chair legs.

“So who is this
Mary?”

“The prettiest little
thing you’ve ever seen,” Rick said.

“Does this mean Carter—”
Hank paused.

“No, it doesn’t This is a
girl we found lost in a snow bank,” Carter said. Then he filled
Hank in on the rest of the story.

Hank finally said, “So what
are you going to do about her?”

“I don’t know,” Carter
said. “I can only hope that her memory comes back soon.”

The lovely green gown hung
invitingly on the wardrobe door. Mary had never seen such a pretty
dress, and she was reluctant to try it on. It was the one Judith
had picked out for her to wear tonight

As she stood in front of
the dress feeling the texture of the fine material between her
fingers, someone knocked on the door. “Come in,” Mary called over
her shoulder.

"The dress will do you no
good hanging on the door,” Judith scolded with a smile. “You need
to be dressing, so you can charm everyone at the opera
house.”

“It’s so lovely, I’m
afraid I’ll mess it up,” Mary said.

“Nonsense. It’s just cloth
and material. It will wash. Now come along and put on your
bustle.”

Mary slipped off her plain
brown skirt and placed it on the bed. “I’ve never worn a bustle
before.”

“Then it is time for you
to start,” Judith told her as she picked up the contraption. “You
see”—she squeezed the humped-looking thing—“this is nothing but
gathered silk taffeta. It’s lightweight and sits behind you like
this.” She demonstrated the proper sitting technique, flipping the
bustle up to keep from squashing it, then wrapped the ribbons
around Mary’s waist and tied them. “There we go. Now your gown will
hang much prettier.”

“It feels funny.” Mary
laughed as she wiggled her hips. “Why do I need one?”

“It’s known as fashion, my
dear.” Judith cast an eye over Mary. “In many ways you’re very much
like a child who’s never dressed up before.”

“I’m not sure I ever
have,” Mary admitted. She held her arms up so Judith could slip the
dress on over her head.

The silk slid with a rustle
down Mary’s body. It felt so soft and smooth against her skin. The
only clothing she had ever known was made of cotton and
wool.

Judith brushed the skirts
down and jerked at the pleats until she had the dress just right.
Then she announced, “It fits perfectly. Now, let me pin your hair
up and we’ll be ready. Sit down here.” She pointed to a
stool.

Mary took a quick look at
her reflection in the mirror as she sat down. The woman who stared
back looked nothing like the Mary she was used to seeing. The color
of the gown made her complexion look soft and creamy. “This is such
a vivid color. What is it called?”

“Dragon green,” Judith
replied as she rolled Mary’s hair around her fingers. “See, it has
a cuirass bodice.” Judith pointed at the dress. “And a pronounced
train on the skirt It was designed in France and brought over here
for Lisa. Unfortunately, she never got to wear it However, green
becomes you, my dear. You look very fetching. See how gold your
hair appears? There will be many men’s hearts fluttering
tonight”

“I doubt that, but thank
you just the same,” Mary said, trying not to look skeptical. “Are
Carter and Rick going with us tonight?”

“Most certainly. They are
waiting downstairs for us right now. There.” Judith patted Mary’s
curls. “Perfect”

Mary tossed her head and a
cascade of ringlets fell over her left shoulder. She had to admit
she did feel pretty. What would Carter think about the
transformation? She shrugged. Well, she really didn’t care what he
thought.

Judith sighed and seemed
suddenly to sag. “I believe I’ll sit down for a moment” She walked
over to a chair and sat down, then she leaned back and rested her
head.

Mary stood. “Are you
feeling all right?” She noted that Judith’s color was very pale.
“Maybe we shouldn’t go out after all.”

“Of course we should. I’m
just a little dizzy, probably from all the rush and excitement Just
give me a moment and I’ll feel fine. If you’ll look at the far end
of the wardrobe, you’ll find a winter cloak to keep you warm.” She
gestured in the direction of the wardrobe.

Mary located the dark brown
garment and folded it over her arm. “Are you sure you’re up to
going out tonight?”

“I wouldn’t miss it,”
Judith said as she rose and headed out of the room with Mary
following her.

When Mary rounded the
corner, she spotted Carter with his elbow propped upon the mantel,
talking to Rick.

Carter looked magnificent
His black suit and crisp white shirt made him appear extremely
dashing. His bright red vest provided just the touch of color he
needed.

When he caught sight of
Mary, he made no effort to disguise the look of admiration in his
eyes. He stared at her quite openly, with the same hungry look
she’d seen just before he’d kissed her. Was he thinking of that
kiss? She felt her body flush at the memories as she returned his
stare, unable to look away. Slowly Carter lowered his eyelids,
until his eyes seemed hooded and she could no longer read his
thoughts. Just what did Carter think of her, she
wondered.

Rick didn’t bother to hide
any of his emotions. He stood with a grin and gleam of admiration
in his eyes. “Ladies, you look grand indeed.”

‘Thank you, sir," Judith
said. “You gentlemen look mighty fine yourselves. I can’t remember
when I’ve not seen you with guns strapped to your
sides.”

“Rest assured they will be
close by,” Rick said.

Judith turned to Carter.
“We should probably be going now.”

Carter pushed away from the
fireplace. The buggy is out front.”

Mary slipped on her cloak,
assisted gallantly by Rick, while Carter opened the door. ‘You have
a buggy?”

“Yes,” Judith answered as
she preceded Mary out the door. “What do you think?”

“It is very nice,” Mary
said. Parked in front of the house was a sleek black buggy that had
two seats instead of one. The backseat was completely covered by
the canopy; the front seat was partially covered. Rick and Judith
climbed into the buggy first, so they could sit in the
rear.

Mary didn’t have much of a
choice but to sit next to Carter. He helped her up, then walked
around to the driver’s seat and took his place. Someone had heated
bricks for their feet, and they felt good against her toes as she
rested her kid pumps on the bricks. Carter tossed a quilt over
their legs and picked up the reins. He looked at Mary. “Are you
ready?”

Mary nodded.

Carter flicked the leather
straps and the buggy lurched forward. There were three ranch hands
riding in front of them. Mary looked at Carter, arching an eyebrow
in question. Carter explained that since they lived a ways from
town, there was always safety in numbers. She knew firsthand how
harsh the West could be.

She felt the red velvet
cushions beneath her and marveled at the very smooth ride. “This is
a very nice buggy,” Mary commented. The only thing I’ve ever ridden
in is a buckboard. And it doesn’t ride anything like
this.”

Carter glanced quickly at
her and Mary realized too late that she’d slipped again. She did
everything she could to keep from looking guilty at the slip as she
looked away from him.

“My husband, Thomas,”
Judith said from behind Mary, “insisted that I have a buggy. He
said he didn’t want to see his wife driving a buckboard. And with
Thomas, everything had to be the best” It was the first time Mary
had heard any mention of Carter’s father. She wondered what had
happened to the man, but figured it was none of her business. “He
certainly had good taste.”

“In all things,” Judith
admitted with a sigh. “I still miss him a great deal, but at least
I have Carter. He looks so much like his father that, at times, I
feel as though I’m staring at Thomas.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t get a
chance to meet him,” Mary said. “Was he a lawman, too?”

Thomas was a cattleman,”
Judith said. Mary could hear the pride in her voice. “He was killed
in a stampede the year before Lisa’s death.”

Those years must have been
hard,” Mary said.

There was a moment of
silence before Carter said, “Now that the weather is clearing”—he
paused as he maneuvered the buggy around a hole—“you’ll get to see
some of the cattle we own.”

“Really?” Mary glanced at
Carter and felt all warm and tingly inside. There was something
seductive in the way he looked tonight. She could feel his leg
pressed next to hers, and she could sense the tension coiled in him
as if he wanted to leap up at a moment’s notice. She wondered if
the man ever relaxed. Was he always on alert, watching, waiting for
the next incident to occur? If so, Carter’s life was as boring as
hers. Maybe they were more alike than she realized. “How many head
of cattle do you have?”

“A few thousand,” Carter
answered.

That sounds like a lot to
me.”

“Not really, but it is a
good start”

“Would you believe that
Carter prefers to chase bad guys than cattle?” Rick
asked.

“No, I can’t,” Mary said,
“but I’m sure he has his reasons.”

Carter couldn’t explain the
strange feeling that swept over him. She had actually taken up for
him, and he appreciated it

“I’m hoping one day he’ll
come home for good,” Judith said.

Mary glanced at Carter from
beneath her lashes and she could see him tensing up as if he were
fighting a battle within himself. How could she penetrate the
deliberate blankness of his eyes? She reached over and placed her
hand on his arm. For some unexplained reason, she needed to touch
him.

Carter didn’t turn her way,
but he did take her hand in his, causing her stomach to flutter as
if a thousand butterflies had been released.

“What are you going to do
once the sheriff is on his feet again?” Mary asked. She really
hadn’t thought about Carter leaving, but she knew he couldn’t stay
here forever. But would he take her with him? There would be no
reason for him to stay in Windy Bend unless he was going to work
the ranch, and the way he felt about his job more than guaranteed
he wouldn’t be staying.

“I’m not sure,” Carter
admitted. “There’s been some trouble at Pikes Peak. Heard tell that
they are having a hard time solving a murder. May mosey up there
and help out.”

“I—I see,” Mary managed to
get out as each little butterfly in her stomach died. What was he
going to do when he discovered that the solution to the mystery was
sitting next to him? She bit her lip and stared straight ahead. She
didn’t want to know the answer.

“What happened?” Judith
asked.

“A murder. It seems one
partner got greedy for the gold and murdered the other partner.
Carved him up real bad,” Carter explained.

“Are they sure that’s what
happened?” Mary blurted out. If Carter thought that way, then so
did everyone else. “Sometimes things look one way but are not what
they appear.”

Carter turned to her, and
Mary was thankful that it wasn’t broad daylight. “Possibly,” he
finally admitted, then added, “a good lawman always checks out
every possibility.”

“Glad to hear it,” Mary
said, and then cursed herself silently for not keeping her mouth
shut. Up ahead, she could see the town lights and not too soon, for
her. At least the topic of conversation would change.