Texas Pride: Night Riders (14 page)

The end of the song came as an unpleasant jolt. Carla was so wrapped up in the magic of being in Ivan’s arms that she wanted it to go on forever. She didn’t come out of her trance until they’d walked back to where Beth and Danny were sitting, both looking as though they had a touch of the fever.

“I don’t like the way Beth looks,” Kesney said as soon as Carla reached them. “I think I ought to take her home.”

“I’m fine, Papa,” Beth protested.

“You don’t look fine to me. What you do think, Carla?”

“Tell Papa I’m not sick,” Beth begged. “This is the first dance I’ve been to in months. If I have to go home, I
will
be sick.”

“Move over,” Carla said to her brother. “I want to sit next to Beth.”

Since there wasn’t room for both of them on the bench, Danny had to stand, which is exactly what Carla intended. “Why don’t you and Ivan bring us some lemonade?” she said to her brother.

Beth glanced up at Danny then back at her hands, which she was twisting in her lap. “I’m not thirsty.”

“Danny will bring you some lemonade just in case you change your mind.”

Danny looked as reluctant to leave as Beth was to have him go, so Carla leveled a steady look at Ivan, hoping he would understand she wanted him to take Danny away. Accurately interpreting her plea, Ivan gripped Danny by the shoulders and propelled him toward the lemonade table.

“Why don’t you stretch your legs?” Carla said to Kesney.

“I’m too worried to leave Beth.”

“She’ll be fine, but worrying about
you
worrying about
her
isn’t helping. Maybe you’d like something stronger than lemonade.”

Kesney shuddered. “What man in his right mind wouldn’t?”

“Go,” she encouraged when Kesney hesitated. “I’ll take care of Beth.”

Beth seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when her father left. She cast one glance at Danny’s back before he was swallowed by the crowd. She turned back to Carla. “I’m really not sick.”

“I know,” Carla said. “He’s quite handsome, isn’t he? If he weren’t my brother, I’d be angry with him. No man should be more beautiful than his sister.”

Beth buried her gaze in her lap. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“If you have any hope of convincing your father you’re well enough to stay here and dance with Danny, which any idiot but a doting father could see is what you’re longing to do, you have to be honest with me.”

Beth seemed to be struggling with herself.

“You needn’t be afraid to admit your feelings. Danny feels the same about you.”

Beth jerked her head up and looked at Carla with anguished eyes. “Do you really think so?”

“I’ve watched him through every infatuation, but I’ve never seen him stare at a female like he was a half-wit.”

“I’m the one staring at him,” Beth protested. “He’s gorgeous.”

“I agree. Just don’t tell him he’s beautiful enough to be a girl. He’s heard that too many times.”

Beth was indignant. “I don’t think he looks like a girl. What an awful thing for his friends to say.”

“It was the girls who said it.”

“Then they’re all blind and stupid,” Beth declared heatedly. “He’s more handsome than Ivan, and one of these days he’s going to be almost as big. Then they’ll be sorry they teased him.”

“I agree with you, but what you have to do right now is convince your father you’re sufficiently recovered from a momentary indisposition to stay. Maybe you can blame it on something you ate.”

Beth made a face. “That won’t be hard. We had some beans the cook said he fried twice. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to eat them even if they were fried only once.”

Carla laughed. “I guess it’s an acquired taste.”

“I have no intention of acquiring it.”

“Never mind. It ought to be enough reason to ease your father’s mind. Now I want to talk about your infatuation with Danny.”

Carla got a stubborn look. “Don’t try to tell me I’m too young to know my feelings.”

“Who told you that?”

“My father.”

“I didn’t think he knew how you felt about Danny.”

“He was talking about Ivan.”

Carla felt a stab of emotion that was uncomfortably like jealous anger. She was surprised and a little frightened at how difficult it was to get under control. “Why would he say that about Ivan?”

Beth delivered herself of a dismissive sniff. “He said I was acting like a little girl who was infatuated by a handsome older man. I was saying how handsome Ivan was, how beautifully he danced, what exquisite manners he had. I
think
I said I wished I could grow up really fast so he would marry me.
Maybe
I said he wasn’t too old for me. I don’t remember what I said, but Daddy acted liked I’d said we were engaged and the wedding was next week. He didn’t shout at me, but I’d have liked that better than some of the things he said.”

It was amusing as well as a little sad to think of Kesney acting like a parent who didn’t realize his little girl was almost grown. Maybe he didn’t want her to grow up yet because he knew that would mean he would lose her. She was probably already more grown up than her father thought. Carla was as impressed by Beth’s ability to put her feelings into the proper perspective as she was unhappy with her own reaction. She was three years older. There was no excuse for her. She had to get her feelings under control. And soon!

“Fathers always have trouble realizing their little girls are growing up. They’re much more protective than they are with boys. Which leads me to your interest in Danny.”

“Don’t
you
tell me I don’t know what I feel.”

“I won’t, but I will tell you that you don’t know Danny. I don’t know that anybody does.”

“It’s not just his looks,” Beth insisted. “That’s what caught my attention at first, but it’s not what held it. You only have to look into his eyes to know he’s honest and gentle. His smile shows he’s sweet-tempered and kind. In spite of being so handsome he took my breath away, he’s strong and manly. He’s perfect.

Carla almost snorted. “No one is perfect. Least of all my brother.”

“I know you’ll say I don’t know him, that it’s not possible to fall in love with a man you’ve never seen before, but that’s how I feel. Besides, he’s your brother, and I really like you, so it’s kinda like I already know him a little bit.”

Carla could have listed a dozen ways she and Danny were different, but she didn’t think Beth was ready to hear them. “Whether I agree with you isn’t important,” she said. “You need to convince your father you have recovered enough to stay here. Then you need to get to know Danny better. Your father may not approve—there are a lot of reasons why he might feel that way,” she said when Beth started to object. “But don’t try to hide your feelings from your father.”

“Maybe he won’t disapprove of Danny. Why should he?”

“Because Danny is only seventeen, and you’re very young.”

“I just turned sixteen,” Beth declared. “I know lots of girls my age who are married.”

“Danny has no money and no property. I doubt your father will see him as a suitable husband for you. Since he knows Danny gambled away his half of the ranch, I’m certain of it.”

“How did that happen?”

Beth listened attentively while Carla recounted the story. “It was all that Mr. diViere’s fault,” Beth stated when Carla finished.

“I agree, but your father may see it differently. Now they’re coming back. You’ve got to look like you’re completely recovered. It might be better if you didn’t stare at Danny all the time.”

Beth had a stubborn jut to her chin. Carla was certain Kesney had overindulged his daughter after her mother’s death, but she doubted his lenience would go so far as accepting Danny as a future son-in-law. She was relieved when Beth’s mulish look faded.

“I will do what you say,” Beth said, “but none of this would matter if you marry Daddy. Then he couldn’t object to my marrying Danny.”

Carla could have given her plenty of reasons why she was mistaken—the first being that Kesney hadn’t asked her to marry him—but Danny and Ivan were back. Danny looked like he’d recovered. He was smiling brightly, acting much more like his old self. She wondered if Ivan had had a talk with him.

“Here’s your lemonade,” he said, handing the glass to Beth.

“Thank you, but I don’t want it yet.”

“Why don’t you dance?” Danny asked. “That will make you thirsty, and you’ll want it then.”

“Are you asking me to dance?” Beth acted coquettish but not besotted.

“I guess I am.”

“Since Papa isn’t here, I’ll have to ask Carla’s permission.”

“You don’t need anybody’s permission to dance,” Danny argued.

“It’s clear
you
didn’t grow up in Kentucky.”

“You can tell me about it while we dance.”

“Go on,” Carla said. “I’m sure your father won’t mind.”

Carla watched her brother lead Beth to the dance area. In a way it was touching to watch the two young people so focused on each other they might as well have been the only couple at the dance. At least they’d managed to get the love-struck looks off their faces.

“What do you think her father will say?” Ivan asked.

“I hope he’ll say it’s nice to see the youngsters having fun.”

“Is that what you really think?”

Carla turned to him. “What do you think?”

“What I think does not matter. I am not her father.”

“Well, here he comes.”

“Maybe you should dance with him to take his mind off Beth.”

Carla had expected she would dance with Kesney more than once before the evening was over, but she hadn’t expected Ivan would be the one encouraging her to do it.
Did
he
care
if
she
danced
with
Kesney?
Now she was the one acting like a love-struck fool. She was sure Ivan was only trying to help defuse the situation. He had already danced with her and showed no interest in dancing with anyone else. She had to get her emotions under control before she did something to expose herself as a jealous and slightly irrational female.

“Where’s Beth?” Kesney asked.

“Dancing with Danny,” Ivan told him.

“Are you sure she’s all right?”

“She’s fine now,” Carla said. “She thinks something she had for supper upset her stomach.”

“I don’t think she likes Texas food,” Kesney said. “Maybe I should take her home.”

“I think you should dance with Carla,” Ivan said. “Then you can watch Beth more closely and see for yourself that she is fine.”

Kesney turned to Carla and smiled. “That’s the best suggestion I’ve heard all evening.” He extended his hand to Carla. “Would you like to dance?”

“I’d be honored.” Maybe she shouldn’t have said that. It might give Kesney the impression he meant more to her than he really did, but it was too late to retract her words.

The dance turned out to be even less satisfactory than she expected. Not only did Kesney pay more attention to Beth than he paid to her, he couldn’t dance nearly as well as Ivan. He stepped on her toes twice. It didn’t make matters any better that he apologized by saying he was busy watching Beth. Carla wasn’t used to having a man pay attention to someone else when she was dancing with him. She tried to tell herself she should be pleased Kesney was so concerned about his daughter, but it didn’t work. She supposed she was nothing more than a vain woman who thought so much of herself she got upset when a father paid more attention to his daughter than to her.

That was a humiliating admission to make. What was wrong with her? She really wasn’t like that. At least she never had been before. What had changed? She wasn’t even in love with Kesney.

“Beth really does look fine now, doesn’t she?” Kesney asked.

“She looks more than fine,” Carla said. “She’s beaming with happiness. I’m sure part of her feeling upset was excitement. This is her first dance. It’s hard for a young girl to be marooned on a ranch. She must miss her friends back in Kentucky.”

“She’s glad to be away from Kentucky,” Kesney said. “She says she likes the freedom unmarried women like you have. That would never happen in Kentucky.”

Carla wasn’t sure whether that sounded like a compliment or complaint, but Kesney had always approved of her independent spirit so she supposed it was support. Their conversation settled into easy channels with his attention more focused on her, but she was still relieved when the dance ended.

Over the next two hours, Carla danced with Kesney once more, Ivan twice, Maxwell Dodge, Lukey Gordon, and a few older men from Overlin. She also danced with several young cowhands who had ridden in from outlying ranches. Most hesitated before coming toward her, hat in hand, bashfully asking if they could have that dance. Some couldn’t have danced if their lives had depended on it, but most managed to spare her toes any serious damage. The more vigorous the dance, the more they liked it. When one particularly clumsy fella who’d done serious damage to several sets of toes approached her, Carla decided she needed a rest. She was grateful for the seat Ivan had saved for her. She was equally grateful for the glass of lemonade he handed her.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so tired,” she told Ivan.

“I see several other men looking hopefully in this direction.”

One of them detached himself from the crowd and came toward Carla. She felt a sudden stiffening of the muscles in the back of her neck when she recognized one of Riley’s men. Bricker. Because of their success in recapturing Wilbur Joiner’s cows, Riley and his men had been welcomed to the dance and were never without partners. Carla had danced with one named Tom, but she was not happy when Bricker stopped in front of her, smiled, and executed what he probably thought was a bow. He’d been drinking. She could smell it as well as see the effect on his balance.

“Can I have this dance?” he asked.

“Thank you, but I need a moment to rest.”

In a flash, Bricker’s smile was transformed into an ugly sneer. “You danced with half the cowhands this side of the Rio Grande. What makes you think you’re too good to dance with me?”

The abrupt change in mood was as much of a surprise as his ugly accusation. “I don’t think I’m too good to dance with you.” Carla was used to having to fight for respect when it came to handling the ranch business, but no one had ever attacked her in such a personal manner. Not even Myrtle’s most pointed criticisms had left her this angry and insulted. “I won’t dance with you now or at any other time when you’ve been drinking,” Carla declared.