Whispers on the Wind (9 page)

Brandy hugged her husband
tight “Find her.”

“I will,” he murmured into
her brandy-colored hair. Then he tipped her face up so he could
kiss her with all the fire and passion they’d always had. Some
things never changed.

Chapter Five

A week had passed and Mary
hadn’t gotten any closer to figuring out what had happened to Big
Jim. She could picture bits and pieces of that day, but nothing
that made sense. She just couldn’t have done such a thing, so that
meant someone else had been there, and she needed to figure out who
and why. Then something occurred to her. If she’d actually seen
this person, then she could identify him as soon as she remembered
his face. And that made her very dangerous to the mystery
man.

Would he come after
her?

Mary shivered. He couldn’t
possibly find her. Once the marshal had picked her up, that should
have thrown him off the trail if he had been following her. She
didn’t even know exactly where she was.

My God. She’d gone from
being simple Mary to being wanted by everybody. Just the thought
made her short of breath. She just couldn’t deal with all the
possible unknowns that faced her, so she shoved them to the back of
her thoughts. Later, after she was fully recovered and had her
strength back, she would decide what she had to do.

In the meantime, she had
settled into her temporary home. A home she felt completely safe
in as long as they didn’t know her true identity. She couldn’t deny
she liked the way Judith pampered her. In all her life, Mary had
never been treated so special. She figured it wouldn’t hurt to
indulge herself for a little while. Plus, in a strange way Mary
found that her being here at the ranch had helped Judith. Mary was
glad of that She heard Carter say that it had been a long time
since his mother had smiled so much.

It was almost time to go
down for dinner. Mary walked over to the wardrobe to choose a
dress. She couldn’t get used to changing clothes just to eat
dinner. The rest of her family would laugh at her for even
suggesting such a thing, but on the other hand, Judith might also
laugh if she knew that Mary’s previous wardrobe had consisted of
three dresses.

Now, what to wear? After
looking for several minutes, she chose a peacock-colored wrapper
dress for dinner. Lisa had liked bright colors, Mary was finding
out. It was such a shame that she’d died at such a young age. She
was a very lucky young woman to have had Judith as her
mother.

When Mary first caught a
glimpse of Lisa’s wardrobe, she was overwhelmed. Lisa loved
brilliant colors and so did Mary. Her wardrobe had consisted mostly
of varying shades of brown when she was growing up.

She stepped into the
petticoats and eyed the bustle. She didn’t know exactly how to wear
one of those things, and she was too embarrassed to ask, so she
tossed it to the side.

Once she had finished
dressing, she brushed her hair. She wanted it to shimmer tonight,
so she left it hanging down her back. She’d had to tuck it up under
a cap for so long that it felt good not hiding her female traits.
Not that it ever did her any good. The way she saw it, she’d failed
as a woman.

Mary couldn’t help
wondering where she’d be if her horse hadn’t thrown her. Probably
some small town where she would have bought a house, but she’d
still be alone and in trouble. Mary really couldn’t remember when
she hadn’t been in some kind of trouble, but nothing like this. So
in the long run, perhaps things had worked out for the best At
least she had Judith to keep her mind off the murder.

Earlier, Judith had told
Mary that Carter and Rick would be having supper with them tonight
It would be the first time since she’d arrived that everyone would
be present at supper. The men had spent most of the week in town,
returning late at night and leaving before Mary had awakened. She
often wondered if they were avoiding her, but then she realized
that couldn’t be possible since they hardly knew she was
alive—especially Carter.

No matter, Mary found she
was looking forward to seeing them; though, she wasn’t sure why.
She told herself it was because it would be somebody different to
talk to. It had nothing to do with the fact that they were two of
the best-looking men she’d ever laid eyes on.

They looked nothing like
the grubby miners with their dirt-stained clothes and filthy hands.
These two were men in every sense of the word, not that she’d seen
all that many men. There were a few on the wagon train that she’d
thought were nice looking, especially Hank. He’d given Mary her
first kiss, awkward as it was, but when she left the wagon train
she’d lost all contact with him.

And, of course, there was
her adopted brother Billy. She had been sweet on Billy since she’d
first come to the orphanage. They had done everything together,
even pranks, like cutting up Brandy’s clothes. But as they grew
older and had more responsibilities, Mary realized that Billy had
grown away from her. He started thinking of her as a sister and
nothing more.

It took Mary a long time to
realize that Billy was right—they would always have a special bond
that no one could break, so she finally accepted him as just her
brother.

But it also hurt Billy had
been Mary’s first love, no matter how lopsided it had been. What
would it be like to be loved and have someone love her back?
An impossible dream.
She
sighed. Maybe someday ... She could always hope.

Mary blinked. She realized
she was still brushing her hair, which now glistened like golden
threads. Placing her brush on the table, she pulled her hair up on
both sides and secured it with gold-colored combs. She peered into
the mirror again and pinched her cheeks. That was better, she
thought. Satisfied with her appearance, she headed
downstairs.

Upon entering the main
living quarters, Mary noticed everyone waiting for her. The men
stood up as she approached them. Refreshing, Mary thought At home
it would be a race to see who got to the table first.

Rick smiled at Mary. Carter
nodded. Evidently he wasn’t as happy to see her, or maybe the man
never got excited about anything. He’d had the same expression on
his sternly handsome face every time she saw him. And it wasn’t an
expression of pleasure. He was much too serious.

However, Rick looked very
glad to see her as he stepped forward and offered his arm. “You
look so much healthier since the last time we saw you.”

Mary smiled at him. “Judith
has taken good care of me.” She placed her hand on Rick’s arm. She
couldn’t help but like him, even if he was a lawman. He was just as
big as Carter—well, maybe an inch shorter—but Rick seemed to have
an open way about him, while Carter ... well, he seemed to be
Carter. She did feel that she understood Carter a little better
after talking to his mother, but she still didn’t know how to talk
to the man.

Judith stood. “It has been
a pleasure. I’ve enjoyed Mary’s company very much. It feels good
to have another woman in the house.” Judith swept her hand toward
the dining room. “Shall we?”

Carter had been a little
startled to see Mary looking nothing like the woebegone creature
he’d brought here, but he snapped out of his bumfuzzlement and
escorted his mother to the dining room. He wasn’t a man who could
have his head turned by a lovely female. However, he couldn’t help
noticing how much younger his mother seemed, and he knew the
reason. Mary was good for his mother, so maybe he hadn’t made such
a bad decision in bringing a strange woman here with them, though
he still wondered why he had.

But what would happen once
Mary regained her memory? He didn’t want his mother slipping back
into the melancholia she had been in since his sister died. It hurt
him every time he saw the pain in his mother’s eyes, and he felt
responsible. He should have protected his sister better.

Once they reached the
table, Carter paused and held the chair out for his mother, who sat
at the head of the table, and then he took his chair to her right.
Rick seated Mary to Judith’s left and right across from Carter, and
then Rick sat beside Mary.

However, Rick was sitting
much too close to Mary, Carter thought He’d been smiling and acting
like a jackass ever since the woman had walked into the room.
Carter would have to have a talk with him about fraternizing with
the pris—Wait! Mary wasn’t a prisoner. Damn if he knew what she
was.

Well, no matter, it would
be better for them to keep their distance until they knew who Mary
really was. He frowned again. Did Rick have to laugh at everything
the woman said?

Carter wouldn’t deny how
beautiful Mary was now that she was clean and dressed well. Her
delicate face was framed by a halo of golden hair and the gown she
wore brought out the blue in her eyes, making them look like rare
jewels twinkling in a face so mysterious that he found himself
wanting to know more about her. Not because he knew nothing about
her, legally speaking, but because he
wanted
to know about her.

The kitchen staff started
bringing in platters of food as if someone had rung a small bell.
It had always amazed Carter when he was young just how the servants
knew when to bring in the food.

The first dish, pot roast
brimming with roasted potatoes, carrots, and onions covered in rich
brown gravy, made his mouth water. The servants set a loaf of light
bread and a pan of buttermilk biscuits on either side of the table.
Bowls of corn and snap beans that his mother had probably canned
last summer were the last items to be placed on the snowy white
linen cloth.

Carter glanced at his
mother. Thank you.”

“For what?” Mary asked
before she thought. It really wasn’t any of her business, but she
hadn’t been able to stop her curiosity. Maybe they didn’t want her
to know what seemed like a private joke between them because Judith
was smiling from ear to ear.

“Mother had the cook make
all my favorite dishes,” Carter explained, and he actually smiled
for the first time since Mary had known him.

Maybe it was better if
Carter didn’t smile, because he was a real charmer when he did, and
she knew it was the reason it made her grow warm all over. Finally,
she found her voice and squeaked out, “Oh. The only thing missing
is apple pie.”

“How did you know that was
my favorite?” Carter asked.

Mary gave him a saucy
smile. “I didn’t It’s
my
favorite.”

“Aha,” Rick said from
beside her. “See, you’ve remembered something already. And I think
food is something pretty good to remember. I know it’s one of my
favorite things.”

Mary laughed. “You sound
like my little brother.” She could have bitten her tongue the
minute the words slipped past her lips.

Rick patted her hand.
“You’re doing good. Anything else you want to tell us?”

Mary’s cheeks must have
looked like embers in the fireplace, they felt so hot She knew they
were waiting for her to say something more. She’d already glimpsed
a sharpness in Carter’s eyes that suggested suspicion. He seemed to
pick up on every little slip. “I don’t remember anything
else.”

“It’s a start, dear,”
Judith said with an encouraging smile. “And soon, little by little,
you’ll be able to tell us everything about yourself.”

Panic welled in Mary’s
throat
I doubt that.
Then she felt bad because Judith was being so nice without
knowing anything about her. Mary longed to tell them everything,
but she didn’t think they would believe her, and she couldn’t risk
it

“All right that is enough
questions for Mary,” Judith scolded both men. “She’ll remember in
her own good time. Now, tell me, how is Hank? I haven’t seen him in
over two weeks with the heavy snow.” She shook her head. “That was
a nasty bullet hole.”

Carter shifted his gaze
from Mary to his mother, glad to get his attention on something
else. “Hank’s still in bed. It seems he was just about ready to
start getting around when influenza flattened him
again.”

“Influenza has been
terrible this year. I’m hoping the worst of the outbreak is over.
I’ve helped all that I could. First with Donna, then Mary Sue, plus
I’ve visited a few others with Doc Moore,” Judith told them as she
buttered her biscuit She laid her knife down and said, “We’ve had
five people die from this dreadful sickness.”

“So we heard,” Rick
commented. “Pass the roast, please. Thanks,” he said as he took the
platter. Today folks seemed to be getting out on the streets again
for the first time since we’ve been here.”

“That is good to hear,
because two days from now, I’m going to play the piano at the opera
house.” Judith smiled at the surprised faces. “After dinner, I want
you to listen to the piece I’ve chosen to play.”

“You play the piano?” Mary
asked.

“She is very good,” Carter
praised his mother before she could answer. “She always wanted to
perform in a big city. However, we never made it any farther than
Windy Bend,” Carter told Mary, then he addressed his mother. “Do
you think it’s wise to get out among everyone before the town is
fully recovered?”