The Bride's Prerogative (71 page)

“Yes, I am, but I can give you a day’s work. Rose, there’s something else. Would you consider making me a new bonnet for the day of the wedding?”

“Why … I’d love to.”

“Nothing too fancy, now.”

“Of course not. You’re not a modish person. Yet I think we can come up with some fetching design befitting a new bride that will bring out the blue in your eyes.”

Trudy nodded. “That’d be nice. Thank you.”

They stood for a moment watching each other.

“I don’t believe I’ve thanked you for your hospitality in putting me up this summer.”

“You’re welcome.” Trudy smiled and walked toward the stairs.

CHAPTER 44

A
t the Spur & Saddle, quiet music floated from the piano in the corner. Hiram sat across from Libby at a small table, carefully eating his soup. It wouldn’t do to be sloppy this evening or to accidentally make slurping noises.

Sitting opposite Libby was distracting enough, but he knew all the other patrons—not to mention Bitsy, Augie, and the two girls waiting on tables—kept an eye on them. The Walkers lingered over their cake, and Dr. Kincaid ate alone at a small table near the piano. Someone probably watched them every second. It wasn’t exactly the quiet, romantic dinner Hiram had imagined.

Vashti set their plates of roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, and fresh peas on the linen tablecloth. Oscar and Bertha Runnels came in, greeted the Walkers loudly, and pulled chairs over so they could share their table. Hiram could tell the precise instant Bertha spotted him and Libby. She turned and leaned close to Orissa Walker’s ear and whispered something. Orissa cast one of her pinched glances in their direction. Hiram looked away.

They ate in silence for a few minutes.

“This is delicious,” Libby said.

“Mm. Do you need anything?” He probably should have thought to ask sooner. He was too used to his sister waiting on him all the time.

“No, I’m fine.” A moment later, Libby said, “Trudy stopped at the store today, after she’d been to see Annie Harper about her wedding dress.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. I’ve never seen her so happy. These days she might as well be walking on air. If her feet touch the ground, she’s insensible of it.”

Hiram smiled and wiped his lips on his napkin. The china and linens looked new and very elegant. Bitsy and Augie must have laid out a lot of cash to refit the restaurant. “I’m glad she and Ethan are getting married.”

“So am I, but I’ll miss having her right across the street. You’ll miss her, too.”

“I expect so.” Hiram laid his napkin in his lap and leaned forward a little. “Elizabeth?”

Her shapely eyebrows flew up. “Yes?”

“There’s something I’d like to discuss with you. Maybe this isn’t the time….” He glanced around. Everyone seemed to be eating and enjoying themselves, but even so, two or three people caught his gaze.

“Is it a private matter?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.” She looked around. “I would be surprised if folks could hear you over the music.”

He gulped in a big breath. “Isabel invited me to be foreman at her daddy’s ranch. That is, she suggested swapping houses first, but when I said that wouldn’t be fair, she came up with this other plan.”

Libby cocked her head toward her right shoulder and studied him. “She’s told me she wants to move into town, but I didn’t know about this. Is it something you’d like to do?”

He shrugged. “I haven’t worked for someone else for a long time. I did want to ranch when I came here, but …” So many things to consider. Did he know enough about it to do a good job? Could he boss the men and not look like an idiot? Could he live contentedly on his wages? And could he stand being farther from Libby now that they’d stepped into a different relationship? “There’s a lot to think about.”

“Indeed.” Libby took a bite of roast beef.

Hiram just watched her and waited. Libby did everything delicately, even chewing. He wished he could look at her all the time. Her golden hair shimmered in the lamplight.

After a minute, she took a sip from her water glass. “You’d be closer to Trudy and Ethan out there.”

“And farther from Rose.” He could feel his ears going red. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“If it’s important to you …”

“I don’t mind her, I guess, but I’d rather not be under the same roof with her.”

Libby nodded thoughtfully. “You’d be good at ranching.”

“Would I? I don’t know. If I’d worked with cattle the last ten years or so, maybe. But I don’t want to do it and lose a lot of money for Isabel. And I might go crazy out there by myself.”

She didn’t answer for a long time. Instead, she cut off another piece of beef and slowly put it into her mouth and chewed it. Hiram took a bite, too, but his appetite had dulled.
I’d be farther from you
, he wanted to say. The bite of potato didn’t want to go down, and he reached for his glass.

“If you were lonely, you could do things with the ranch hands,” Libby said. “Invite them into the house for coffee and checkers, maybe.”

Hiram thought about that. “I don’t know.”

“You could ask Isabel for some time to think about it.”

“Maybe I should.”

“Good evening, folks.” Dr. Kincaid stood by their table with his hat in his hands.

“Well, hello, Doc.” Hiram stood.

Libby favored the doctor with one of her glowing smiles.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I thought I’d inquire about Miss Fennel. Is she still staying with you, ma’am?”

“Yes, she is. She’s making plans for a place to live here in town, but I’ve told her she’s welcome to stay with me as long as it’s convenient and agreeable to her.”

“That’s kind of you. Is she feeling well?”

Libby’s whole face softened. “She’s grieving, of course, but physically, I’d say she’s doing well. And her father’s estate is a good distraction for her.”

Kincaid nodded. “She’s an interesting woman. Very well read for a woman in this territory.”

“Indeed,” Libby said.

Hiram felt a sudden pang of guilt. “I reckon we should have invited her to come and eat with us tonight.”

“I’m sure she wasn’t offended,” Libby said. “However …” She looked expectantly from him to the doctor and back. “I do wonder if she’d enjoy having a piece of Augie’s chocolate cake with us.”

Dr. Kincaid smiled. “Now, that sounds like a good idea. I’d decided to skip dessert tonight, but if Miss Fennel could be persuaded to join us, I might change my mind.”

Hiram had been puzzling in his mind ever since he’d noticed Doc eating at the restaurant, and his curiosity got the better of him. “Say, why are you eating here, anyway? I heard Mrs. Thistle is a good cook.”

“Oh, she is. But I, uh …” Kincaid glanced around and leaned closer. “I did a little professional consultation here yesterday, and Mrs. Moore asked if they could pay me in meals. I didn’t want to embarrass her, so I said yes.”

Hiram nodded. Doc wouldn’t be one to point out that he already paid for three meals a day at the boardinghouse. But if Bitsy and Augie were short on cash, that might mean they were hurting even more than Bitsy had let on this afternoon.

“Well, say,” Libby said with a broad smile, “I think it would be delightful to ask Isabel to come and join us. What do you gentlemen think?”

Hiram nodded and looked toward Doc.

“If you agree, I could step over to your lodgings and invite her,” Kincaid said.

“Sounds good.” Hiram resumed his seat as Doc headed for the door. He looked across at Libby and chuckled. “Well, what do you know about that?”

“It was unexpected,” Libby said. “At least on my part.”

“Mine, too.”

Vashti approached, her satin skirt swishing. “Can I give you folks some coffee?”

“Yes, thank you,” Libby said. “And we expect two more people to join us momentarily for dessert.”

“Why, ma’am, that’s lovely. I’ll bring over a couple more chairs.” The girl brushed her dark hair back and poured both their cups full.

“The place is busy tonight,” Libby said.

“Yes ma’am. This is the way we like it.”

Vashti went off with the coffeepot.

“You don’t mind that I suggested we invite Isabel and Jim Kincaid, do you?” Libby asked.

“Not a bit.”

“I hope Isabel isn’t too overcome when he shows up at the door. I don’t know if she’s ever had a gentleman caller before.” Libby’s face went pink. “Oh dear. I just thought—what if she decided to retire early? And she might be frightened if someone knocks on the kitchen door.”

Hiram tried to imagine the schoolteacher’s reaction to the unexpected arrival of a man on the doorstep. “If you think we ought to, we could step over there and …” He let it trail off. Libby was already shaking her head.

“No, Isabel is not overly timid. I know she’s been through a lot recently, but I think Dr. Kincaid is intelligent and polite enough to overcome any awkwardness.”

Hiram let out a sigh. “That’s fine, then. Because if we’re going to have company soon, there’s something else I’d like to say.”

“Oh?” She fixed her vivid blue eyes on him with an air of expectancy.

“Yes. That is … Elizabeth …”

Her lips curved in a gentle smile. “Yes Hiram?”

His heart pounded like the hooves of a running pony. “I wondered if you ever thought about … about a different life.”

“What sort of life?”

“Away from the Paragon.”

She was silent for a long moment. Goldie ended her song at that instant, and the entire room seemed breathless. “Yes,” Libby said. “I often think of it.”

Hiram felt a warm wave of satisfaction wash through him. The music began again, a slower tune. A rogue thought crossed his mind of dancing with Libby to that music. Of course, they didn’t have dancing in here, and he wasn’t sure his strict New England upbringing would allow him to come here if they did.

She still watched him. “As a matter of fact,” she said, “the last time I was in Boise, I received an inquiry about my business.”

He had to breathe carefully to keep his chest from hurting. “I’ve been thinking of life at the ranch,” he said, barely above the music.

She nodded.

“But not alone. Isabel’s right about that. It’s not a life for the solitary.”

Her lips parted, and his pulse soared.

At that moment, the door to the Spur & Saddle opened, and Isabel walked in wearing her gray schoolroom dress, her spine as stiff as a ramrod, followed by dapper Dr. Kincaid. She darted nervous glances about the room while he closed the door. When she located Hiram and Libby, her back seemed to unkink and let her stand like a normal woman.

“I believe our guests are here.” Hiram stood beside the table and gave Isabel a slight nod.

Isabel noticed and nodded back. She looked behind her for Dr. Kincaid. He caught up to her and touched her elbow lightly, looking toward Hiram.

Just before they reached the table, Libby said softly, “Indeed, that is a topic we should discuss further.”

Hiram glanced at her, not wanting to plunge into conversation with Doc and Isabel. But there would be another time. Libby’s approving eyes told him that.

“Yes,” he said, “and soon.”

He found it easy to work up a smile for the new arrivals.

On a fine day at the end of August, Hiram stood outside the haberdashery building with Trudy and Libby. Too bad the new church wasn’t ready for the occasion, but his crew had only begun to hoist the rafters for the building on Gold Lane.

From inside the makeshift sanctuary came the strains of the hymn “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us.” Goldie had a way with the piano. Oscar Runnels and a crew of volunteers had hauled the instrument over from the Spur & Saddle for the wedding. The effort expended probably wasn’t worth it, especially considering the men would just have to move it back again after the celebration. But Bitsy’s gesture in lending the piano and pianist showed her love for Trudy, and that’s what this day was all about.