No Place for a Lady (23 page)

The cool night air did little to clear Luke's head as he lay in his
bed staring up at the knotholes in the pine beams. He couldn't get
Crystal's dark hair out of his mind. He wondered what it would
be like to snuggle with her on a cold Colorado night, with her
long hair unpinned and spread out on the pillow next to him.
He mentally shook himself. She'd made it pretty clear that he
was nothing more to her than any other cowpoke that had only
a horse and a bedroll to call his own. She, on the other hand,
was educated and had previously led a genteel way of life. Yep,
all manners and charm. And yet there was something about her
that made him want to be better, to prove he was basically a good
person. Maybe it was because he knew she had a deep faith. Luke
believed in God, but with Crystal it went beyond that.

He tried to let his thoughts drift off to April, but try as he could,
he could not imagine her asleep in the curve of his arm. All he
could think about was Crystal's sweet singing.

After staying up half the night talking, the girls rose slowly and
began preparing the morning's breakfast before church. If Crystal
had doubts before of Emily's affections for Jube, they were soon
dispelled. Emily had told him he could come courting, and now
she asked Crystal if he could have the morning off to drive her
home. Crystal readily agreed and teased Emily about the reverend
tripping up over Jube's boot heels.

"He's all yours now," Emily said. Crystal shook her head, and
suddenly they both burst into giggles. Last night they had vowed
to push Reverend Alden in the direction of Widow Miller. They
might make a perfect match.

The men trooped in for breakfast. Crystal was quiet when Luke
entered and took his place at the table with barely a glance her
way. Crystal returned the favor, talking amicably with Rusty and
the others but ignoring Luke.

But this morning it didn't matter, for Luke had decided this
weekend they would move the cattle out. He was planning to
put as much distance between himself and April as quickly as
possible. He needed some time, and there was a lot to be done
before Friday. He only wished that Crystal would not insist on
tagging along. Not only would she be in the way, but she would
be a constant reminder of who was in charge and owner of the
ranch. Rusty had assured him that she was well informed of the
dangers, and he had personally taught her to rope and stay astride
a cutting horse.

Luke grunted and poked at his food. At least she'd finally learned
how to fry a decent egg and make a strong pot of coffee. He glanced
up to find her brilliant green eyes boring into his for a moment
before looking away.

Luke's boot heels pounded loudly as he took the steps to the bunkhouse two at a time the following morning. He barked orders to
anyone in earshot that today they would start moving the cattle
up from summer pasture. It would probably take a few days to
round up the cattle for the trail drive to Denver.

Fiercely yanking his rope off the wall hook, Luke startled Jube,
who was already packing his bedroll. Luke was riled, so the punchers had better give him a wide berth today.

Kurt appeared with Curly right on his heels to get specific
orders. "Rusty's waiting out by the corral with the horses. Miss
Crystal is packing us some grub;" Luke said, reaching above his
bed for his coat.

Without another word, Luke headed back outside, and the
drovers followed him to where the horses were saddled and waiting. Rusty and Crystal were talking, and she handed Rusty a muslin
sack that he strapped on the side of his horse.

"I'll be fine, Rusty. It'll give me time to get squared away here
before the drive;' Crystal was saying. "There are the cows to milk,
the chickens to feed, and the wash to keep me busy."

At the very thought of her going along on the trail drive, Luke
clenched his jaw but said very little and did not acknowledge
her presence. He strode over to where Buck was hitched and in
one fluid movement was astride his broad back. With a sideways
glance he saw her slight frame standing rather forlornly as she
halfheartedly raised her hand in farewell to the boys as they disappeared in a cloud of dust.

Crystal watched him until his red shirt became a dot in the
distance, then swallowed the lump in her throat and turned back
to the house to do her morning chores.

Managing to keep busy all day was not a problem. She was
certainly learning that running a ranch and all that it entailed
was no small feat. It was a never-ending job, but she relished the
challenge, rarely finding herself idle for too long.

Crystal had plans to spruce up the much-neglected cabin with
new curtains for the kitchen. She had been spending a lot of time
in the kitchen lately and was in sore need of work space and a
few more cupboards. She would ask Rusty about who would be
skilled enough to build something suitable. While her aunt had
the bare necessities, Kate had not been one to decorate for the
pure pleasure of it. This would give Crystal something to do during the winter months, since everyone around her had stressed
just how cold and confining they would become. She intended
to have a flower garden planted by the time spring rolled around.
These thoughts occupied her mind as she washed the laundry on
the rubboard and carried it out to the clothesline.

The wind had kicked up, making it difficult to pin the sheets
on the clothesline, and they whipped back into her face. The air
was a bit cooler today even though the sun was out. The laundry would be dry in no time. Good, she thought. Tomorrow she would
write up a list of things needed for her first trail drive. Rusty had
already told her to pack only what was necessary and could be
carried on horseback.

Her hands were numb from the cold and wet clothes. She
quickly hung the clothes and scurried back inside to heat up the
coffee to chase the chill away. She had just finished cleaning the
kitchen when she heard the dogs start to yap. Walking to the front
porch, Crystal saw josh approaching the walk with his usual grin,
and he swept his hat off in greeting when he saw her.

"Afternoon, Miss Crystal," he said as he gazed up at her.

As the wind blew softly against her calico dress, her thick hair
escaped its pins. Crystal reached up to smooth her hair back and
wiped her hands on her apron. Gads! She must look a fright. She
had hardly been expecting anyone. "Josh, do come in"

"No thanks," he said, propping a boot heel up on the top step.
"I'm on my way over to the Johnsons, but I wanted to stop by here
first to ask if you'd like to ride with me to town. We could have an
early dinner at the hotel, and I'd have you back before it got too
late. What do you say?" His smile split his face with such warmth
that Crystal couldn't think of any reason to refuse.

"All right. I'm alone tonight anyway, and I was probably going
to heat up leftovers. It beats sitting here alone tonight" As soon
as she said it, she regretted it. A frown replaced his smile. "I'm
sorry, josh, I didn't mean that the way it sounded:"

He shrugged and placed his hat back on his thick hair. "I understand. I'll be back for you in a couple of hours. Till then" He
tipped his hat, mounted his horse, and spurred it into a brisk trot
down the drive.

Crystal stood watching him leave. She knew that she should
be tickled that he invited her out. At least she would be getting
away from this lonely place for a while, but she was not sure she
wanted to encourage him in that way. He was a kind and attractive person, and somehow she knew that despite the fact he was
April's brother, he was a man to be trusted, the salt of the earth.
Well, it's only dinner, she thought. It would be nice to be treated
as someone special, and josh had a way of doing that. Good thing
she had pressed her blue serge and white blouse. The jacket would
be just the thing for this evening's chill.

Crystal sat across the table from josh and laughed about his
latest escape from the family's prized bull. She could hardly believe
that she had had doubts about this evening.

The hotel boasted the finest accommodations that Steamboat
had to offer, and the management spared no expense in its decor
to make it so. Heavy rich brocade drapes of hunter green covered the windows that ran from floor to ceiling, and the tables
were covered in white linen, lending a perfect complement to
the scene.

As Josh reached to refill her water glass, Crystal noticed the
wide expanse of his hand, tanned a golden brown. He had changed
to a dark suit with a black string bow tie and a stiff white shirt
that looked like it could stand on its own. As she lifted her glass,
Josh's fingers brushed the back of her hand. Looking up, she saw
his warm brown eyes smiling into hers. She felt her face turn pink,
and she quickly looked away-right into the face of April, who
was walking toward them with her parents right behind her.

Crystal blotted her mouth delicately with her linen napkin and
shifted in her chair. She managed to say, "Hello, April:"

"Hello, Josh" April ignored Crystal's greeting and leaned over
to give his neck a squeeze. "Thought you'd be here feeding your
face, but you should have told us. We would have waited for you"
She shook a finger at him.

Josh smiled back at his sister and chuckled. "You know me, Sis.
I love to dine with a beautiful and interesting woman. I'm just
lucky to have the pleasure of Crystal's company tonight:"

Crystal felt her face flush again. Alice and Jim McBride paused
at their table to exchange greetings.

Alice smiled warmly at Crystal. "Crystal, you must come by
some afternoon for a visit"

"That would be nice," Crystal agreed, recognizing the sincerity
of the offer.

Jim stood by and puffed on his cigar. "By all means. Crystal
and I may have some business to discuss;' he said with a shrewd
look.

"If you mean the ranch, Mr. McBride, I've already told you
that I plan on keeping Aunt Kate's ranch for now. The selling of
Aspengold is not up for discussion" Crystal's voice was steady
and firm as she held McBride's eyes.

Alice sniffed. Her eyes darted around the room, and she looked
uncomfortable.

"Humph. You may have little choice in the matter;' McBride
said. "But we'll leave that discussion for a later time, perhaps?"
He bowed slightly and steered Alice in the direction of their
table. Alice cast a feeble smile over her shoulder in Crystal's direction.

April finally turned to look at Crystal. "Well, you'll not be able
to tangle with Daddy. Maybe you'd be better off giving in. The
sooner you do, the quicker you can go back to Georgia, before
you lose that famous peaches-and-cream complexion. Looks to
me like the sun has already taken its toll"

`April, I'd like to salvage what's left of our meal, if you don't
mind;' Josh interrupted with clenched teeth. April seemed to
know she wasn't welcome, which made her all the more contrary.