No Place for a Lady (29 page)

"Is this about Kate?" Luke took the proffered seat, his long legs
half under the wooden desk.

"It is indeed;' McCarthy said. He shuffled through the enormous stack of papers and found the one he wanted, then paused to push
his glasses up. He cleared his throat. "It appears that Kate made
you the sole heir of Aspengold" McCarthy looked at Luke over
the top of his spectacles.

Luke jerked up in the chair and gripped the wooden armrest,
his knuckles turning white. "What ... did you say?"

"Are you hard of hearing, boy? I said you are now the owner of
Aspengold. With a few stipulations, of course, but I'm sure you
won't have a problem with that:"

I can't believe it. What about Crystal, Kate's niece?" Luke's
mouth was dry.

"This will was written last year. It provides a Crystal Clark with
a Columbine pin and the proceeds from the sale of the cattle, but
that is all. A said Rusty Wendell is to have the right to live on said
ranch for as long as he lives, but the five hundred acres of the land
adjacent to the Blue River and its livestock belong to you now. You
will, of course, have to pay taxes on the property in the spring."
McCarthy clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back in
his chair. "I take it that this is a surprise by your reaction:'

"You could say that. I had no idea. I assumed Crystal was the
rightful owner" Luke was flabbergasted.

"When we drew this up, Kate told me that you were like the
son she never had. She wasn't expecting anything to happen, of
course, but she did want to make certain that you were provided
for. I have the necessary papers here that you will need to sign:"

I had no idea. None:' Luke sat with tears in his eyes. He stared
down at the worn floor, grateful that Kate would do such a thing
but feeling terrible for Crystal.

"I'm sure that you will make her proud, son. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get your signature on this before you go, stating
that I gave you a copy of the will and deed and that I discussed
all this with you:' He held a pen out to Luke.

With hesitation, Luke scrawled his name.

"Is Crystal Clark still at Aspengold?" McCarthy asked.

"Actually, she drove the trail drive with us, and she's in town
right now."

"Is that a fact? Boy howdy. Never heard of a female going on
a trail drive."

"You don't know Crystal Clark;' Luke said, his voice softening.

"Do I detect a hint of interest there?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued, "Well, you'll have to tell her about the will.
I'm sure she will understand. After all, Kate raised you and not
her. Anyway, as Kate's attorney, I respect her decision:"

Luke cleared his throat. "Actually, I'm engaged to marry April
McBride. Perhaps you've heard of Jim McBride?"

"Matter of fact, I have done business with him. Quite a wealthy
cattleman. Congratulations"

Luke rose and took his deed. McCarthy rose as well and shook
his hand.

"Good luck to you in the future. That's beautiful land. You could
always sell it to Crystal, if she was inclined to buy"

"Nope. I'll never sell Aspengold. You can count on that" Conviction was firm in Luke's voice. He bid Mr. McCarthy good day
and made his way out onto the busy streets of Denver, shoving
the deed deep into his vest pocket.

Darkness had settled in over the sprawling cow town as the
gas streetlights began to glow. Crystal waited with Rusty at the
Oxford, her toe tapping against the wooden floor. She glanced
through the crowd and anxiously searched for Luke. When she
spotted him, she rose to meet him. He looked dashing in his long
black duster, and she thought the thin necktie added a nice touch.
"Well, it's about time!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep you waiting. I had some business to tend to that couldn't wait:"

I figured that. We've been waiting awhile, Luke Weber, and we
were just about to go ahead without you. As usual, your manners
are sorely lacking:' Crystal's comment seemed to create immediate
tension between them.

"I said I was sorry. . " Luke sounded lame.

Rusty rose and picked up his hat. He looked at Crystal and
then back to Luke.

"Now that we got all of that out of the way, let's go eat:" Rusty
took Crystal's arm, and she walked past Luke toward the dining
room.

Crystal knew she was being silly because she had been late
herself, and if the truth be known, she would still be asleep if
Rusty hadn't awakened her. She couldn't help herself, though.
Part of her just wanted to act indifferent to him since he became
engaged, and part of her wanted him to put his arms around
her and hold her fast to his broad chest. I'm acting like a sullen
child.

Now that the cattle were sold, maybe the best thing she could
do was just pay off her aunt's debts, go back to Georgia, and try
to pick up her life there. Then she wouldn't have to see Luke every day. Not that he would stay at the ranch anyway once he
married April.

The truth was that Crystal had come to love this wide-open
land, its mountains, and its people. She had accomplished something-saving Aspengold-and felt useful. Crystal knew that God
had given her this peace and sense of belonging here because nothing happened to her without God's involvement. She vowed in her
heart to spend some time alone praying about her dilemma.

"Ma'am?" The waiter bowed as he pulled out her chair.

Crystal's wandering mind was pulled back to the present moment. "Thank you;' she murmured and took her seat.

Rusty sat next to her and Luke across from her. The table was
gleaming with fine Haviland china bearing the hotel's name. Finely
cut glass adorned the table, along with engraved silverware lying
against damask linens. A silver vase held one single red rose, and
a candle's glow in the center created a soft patina over the entire
setting.

Crystal felt like she was being treated like royalty the entire
evening and decided not to think about anything but the two
men in attendance and the delicious food. They talked about the
trail drive, how pleased they were now that it was over, and the
tidy sum they had made.

"Crystal, are you spending another night? This place is incredible. I saw where they have their own Western Union, barber shop,
library, and pharmacy. You never even have to step foot outside
and get your skirts dirty." Rusty's smile showed his approval.

"I reckon not. I don't want to be extravagant. One night will
be sufficient."

Luke seemed more than a little restless as the night wore on. Crystal thought that he was distracted. Maybe he couldn't wait
to get back to April and begin planning their wedding.

"I think it's best if you and Rusty take the train as far as Central
City and then the stage on back to the ranch. Jube, Slim, and I
can bring our horses with the remuda" Luke's voice took on a
serious tone.

"It beats riding horseback for two weeks;' Crystal agreed. "But
what's the hurry?"

Rusty answered, "For one thing, we will be workin' against
time. It's August. The mountain passes sometimes get snow early
on. Then you'd be stuck" He continued to eat every morsel on
his plate, then wiped his mouth. "Time for some coffee and dessert, huh?"

Luke couldn't keep his eyes off Crystal. The candlelight made
her face softer, and she looked even younger tonight. Her green
eyes sparkled even as the evening wore on and her lids started
drooping with fatigue. She held the fragile china cup and sipped
her coffee, her every movement expressing her femininity. Her
delicate lace blouse peaked from beneath her blue serge waistcoat
and drew his eye to her small waist. Her skirt fell in soft folds.

What would she think if she knew Luke owned Aspengold?
He couldn't ask her to leave. Where would he go when he was
about to marry April? This would change everything. How could
he leave the only place that he ever knew as home?

A myriad of thoughts about April were beginning to gnaw at
him. Luke admitted that he'd led April on. He had liked her in
the beginning. But now he wasn't sure he could follow through
with the wedding. Now he realized why McBride would give him
a big parcel of land near the Blue River-because he thought he would eventually own Aspengold. Try as he might, Luke could
not see April living there.

Now the tables were turned. Somehow he couldn't bring himself to tell Crystal about the deed to the ranch. Maybe because he
didn't want her to leave. Crystal was like a magnet pulling him in.
Then again, Luke didn't think he could live up to her standards.
He hadn't always made the right choices. Just look what he had
done with April. He should have told April when his feelings
started changing.

But when had his feelings changed? If he was honest with himself, it was when he had helped Crystal down from the buckboard
the day she had arrived, fresh as a Columbine flower and such a
greenhorn. But over the last month he had changed his mind on
that note when he saw how capable she could be.

While he was excited and honored that Kate had left the ranch
to him, he felt bad for Crystal. Well, she more than likely would
go back to Georgia. He would have to get used to the idea. He
would tell her once they got back to the ranch.

Crystal's low-throated laugh caused Luke's heart to skip a beat,
and he tried to refocus on the conversation. The evening was
coming to a close, and Rusty and Crystal stood up to leave.

"Okay, y'all. I'll be ready to leave first thing in the morning;'
Crystal promised. "I'll go straight to bed, and I promise to be
ready this time"

Rusty and Crystal laughed, and Luke wondered if he was missing something as he followed them into the lobby.

Luke took his time walking back to his hotel while Rusty saw Crystal back to her floor. He wanted to get some fresh air. He
walked toward Union Station to see what time the train left in the
morning. With his thoughts in turmoil, Luke paused at the end of
17th Street to gaze up at the stars twinkling with brilliance in the
cold night air. He thought of Curly and felt genuinely saddened.
What had she said? God knows every one of us by name like the
stars in the heavens. Maybe it was time for him to have a heartfelt
talk with the man upstairs ...

The outlying cottonwoods and aspens were ablaze with fall color
when Crystal returned to Aspengold. In her absence the Johnsons
had split and stacked firewood as high as the rooftop. Luke, Jube,
and Kurt would be returning in a few days on horseback with the
remuda in tow. She was glad that Rusty insisted she travel back
with him on the train to Central City and later the stagecoach the
rest of the way home. Crystal was happy to be back at the huge
log house, and even more so to see Carmen, who bustled with
excitement in the kitchen at her return.

"You look different, senorita:' Carmen surveyed her friend's
tanned skin and leaner form. "You've lost a few pounds:"

"Have I?"

"Don't worry, it makes you look taller:"