Rio (4 page)

“Oh, just look at all the carriages,” she whispered to herself. “Why, half of Austin must be here.” Her heart was beating hard as the driver came around to help her out. She must remember every detail to tell Fern tomorrow: what the inside looked like, what food was served, and how many gentlemen asked her to dance.

Oh, suppose no one asks me to dance?
She imagined
herself standing by the wall, waiting. Well, at least Uncle Trace might dance with her.

The driver opened the door and held out his hand to assist her. Turquoise paused on the step and took a deep breath. This was something she had dreamed of for years, ever since she had read about the debutante ball in the newspapers.

I am finally here,
she thought. She clutched her fan and glided across the porch and into the grand entrance. There was such a crowd that she could barely get through, although men stared at her and then stepped aside so she could enter.

“Girls! Girls!” Inside she could hear a shrill feminine voice and the sharp clap of hands. “I am Mrs. Van Hooten, and I am in charge here. Now all you debutantes gather up so I can tell you how we’ll enter.”

Turquoise pushed her way through to the ballroom where young ladies were gathering around the sharp-voiced, dumpy lady. Turquoise glided over to join them and they all turned to stare at her. Very slowly, it dawned on her that she was dressed completely wrong. She stared at all of them in horror and wanted to turn and run out, but there were too many people standing around in the doorway.

The other girls were all dressed in demure but expensive white gowns. They had little jewelry but wore long white gloves. She was the only debutante not wearing white. Mrs. Whittle had deliberately set her up to be humiliated. The tittering began and grew, then the whispering. The dowager in charge frowned at her. “Who are you?”

“I—I am Turquoise Sanchez,” she managed to stammer.

“Sanchez? I’ve got a Turquoise Sanders on my list.”

Tittering in the background.

“No, it’s Sanchez.” Turquoise bit her lip.

“Hmm, you don’t look Mexican. We never had one before.” The woman’s lip seemed to curl.

The girls started to titter again and the older lady clapped her hands sharply, her gold and diamond rings glittering in the gas lights. “Behave yourselves, girls, and remember, tonight we are presenting the most eligible young ladies in the Lone Star State to the cream of Austin society. Now, each of you have your escorts? We will practice the presentations.”

“Escort?” Turquoise asked. “My uncle will be here later—”

“No, no.” The lady frowned and the girls giggled again. “Don’t you know anything? You are supposed to have arranged for a young gentleman to escort you down from the stage.”

“I—I’m afraid I don’t have an escort,” Turquoise said.

She heard whispering from the girls. “What do you expect from a Mexican girl?”

“Haven’t you heard? She’s the ward of the Durangos and he’s got enough money to buy her way in.”

Turquoise wanted to turn and run out but decided she would not let these vicious girls defeat her. She tried to stand straight and tall, as diminutive as she was.

“All right,” Mrs. Van Hooten said with a sigh. “You girls, don’t one of you have an extra brother or cousin here who might escort Senorita Sanchez in the ceremony?”

The silence was deafening. Turquoise felt like the lonely child who was always chosen last in games.

She heard a girl whisper, “She doesn’t belong here. We don’t have Mexicans at our balls.”

The older lady clapped for silence again. “Doesn’t any young man want to escort this young lady?”

What was she going to do? Turquoise felt her face burn with humiliation. It wasn’t only the gaudy dress; now she was without an escort.

The silence seemed to echo and then, just as she was ready to turn and run out of the grand ballroom, a man’s
voice said, “I would consider myself lucky to be the escort of such a beautiful young lady.”

She heard the shocked sighs and saw the faces of the girls before she turned to look behind her. A handsome, mature man stood there smiling at her. He was tall and elegant, with light hair turning slightly gray at the temples and eyes as pale as her own. He bowed before her, wearing the finest of evening clothes with a white rose in his buttonhole. “That is, if the young lady is willing.”

He took her numb fingers in his and kissed the back of her hand. The way the girls were staring at him, they were in awe.

“Ah, Senator Forester,” the older lady gushed, “we would be so honored to have a member of such a prominent family and our fair city’s most eligible bachelor take part in our presenting of the debutantes tonight.”

He stared into Turquoise’s eyes, seemingly oblivious to the rest of the crowd. “No, it is I who is honored. What a pretty dress. May I ask where you bought it?”

The dress was all wrong and she knew it now, knew that Mrs. Whittle had deliberately sabotaged her. The girls snickered again, but she took a deep breath and stammered, “
Gracias,
sir. The dress came from La Mode.”

He smiled at her. “It makes all the others look like hens beside a peacock,” he murmured, but Turquoise noticed he said it loud enough for the other girls to hear and they all seemed to sigh as if the wind had been taken out of their sails. Then he lowered his voice and whispered, “I have been standing in the back, watching all the drama.”

Turquoise could only nod gratefully.

“All right, let’s get on with this,” the lady said, obviously relieved that someone had stepped in to solve the problem. “The guests will be arriving soon. Now all of you go behind that curtain on the little stage and the young men will line up next to me on the podium.As I announce each
girl, her escort will step forward, bow, hand her a rose, and then escort her out into the ballroom.”

Senator Forester winked at her and let go of her hand. She walked toward the stage with the rest of the girls, but now they were crowding around her. “Why didn’t you tell us you knew the Forester family?” one girl asked.

“I didn’t know it mattered,” Turquoise answered truthfully. Frankly, the Forester name sounded familiar, but she wasn’t sure why.

“Why, Edwin Forester is the most eligible bachelor in Austin,” another girl said. “They say he just can’t find the girl of his dreams. He’s certainly the catch of all Texas.”

“Oh, of course.” Turquoise smiled. “And he’s escorting me tonight.”

The other girls were looking at her as if she were Queen Victoria.

So her evening, which had started off to be such a disaster, was going to be a dream come true. Maybe Senator Forester was her Prince Charming. True, he looked to be in his late thirties, but many girls married older men, especially if they were handsome and rich. She fanned herself, hot with excitement, and suddenly an image of the vaquero came to her mind and she frowned. How dare he interrupt her thoughts? He was just a poor Mexican cowboy and could never give her the place in Texas society she hungered for.

They practiced and each time, the senator bowed low and kissed her hand as he handed her the rose. And each time, her heart hammered at his good looks and fine manners.

Once he whispered, “Are you of the El Paso Sanchez family? They own most of that county—”

“No.” She shook her head and sighed at how dapper and sophisticated he was. She noticed how the other girls frowned at their callow young escorts. They were all boys but her escort was a man. She could sense the envy of the
other girls. She noted with a start that the young man she had hit with the horse whip was escorting a plain, fat girl. He glared at Turquoise but didn’t say anything. No doubt he, too, was awed by the senator.

To Edwin Forester, she whispered, “I didn’t know I was supposed to arrange for an escort.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He nodded. “You have one now and I daresay these other cruel little cats will shut up.”

She was so grateful to him. “You are so kind.”

“No.” He shook his head and she thought again how handsome he was. “I was just lucky that you had no escort. I almost didn’t come tonight. Debutante balls are such a bore, but maybe Fate took a hand so I could meet you after all these years of looking.”

He was so well spoken and his voice purred. The most sought-after and most eligible bachelor in Texas and he had volunteered to escort her before all these rich and important people.

The ballroom was filling now with successful men in evening clothes and rich dowagers in fine gowns and jewels.

“The governor is here!” gasped one of the girls standing near her, and all heads turned.

That must be him,
Turquoise thought, as an older, bearded gentleman moved through the crowd, stopping to shake hands. She saw him come up to Senator Forester and greet him heartily. The other men gathered around the senator, shaking his hand and talking to him. He must indeed be a big part of Austin society.

“Girls,” Mrs. Van Hooten commanded in a sharp whisper, “let’s all go behind the curtain now. The ceremony will be starting soon and then you’ll make your grand entrance.”

The flustered girls hurried backstage.

“I’ve been looking toward this night my whole life,” one girl gushed.

“Yes,” said another, “I might meet my future husband at this ball. After all, the best people in Austin are here.”

Turquoise smiled to herself. Yes, this night was going to be like a fairy tale. She might be wearing the wrong dress and she might not fit in, but she was being escorted by Senator Edwin Forester of
the
Foresters. And then she remembered why the name had sounded so familiar: the Forester and Durango families had been enemies for generations— bitter enemies. What was going to happen when Uncle Trace saw her being escorted by a member of the Forester family? Would he make a scene? And what would happen when the handsome Edwin suddenly realized who she was? Tonight was shaping up to be a disaster after all. Maybe she could just drop dead backstage and avoid the whole terrible scene. Or maybe she could run out some back door and not take part at all.

But now the girls were lining up and the crowd seated at tables out front was being called to attention by the governor himself. It was too late to flee. She was about to create a major crisis and there was no way to avoid it unless the mansion suddenly burst into flames. She took a deep breath and wished she was back home on the Triple D or at the very least, Fern’s father’s ranch, sitting around playing checkers. Turquoise crossed herself and made ready to face the terrible scene that was bound to come.

From behind the curtain where she stood with the other fidgeting and giggling debutantes, Turquoise heard the pompous governor, Richard Coke, being introduced to polite applause. Then he spoke about how proud he was to be head of this “fair state and city.”

All Turquoise could do was bite her lip and hope Uncle Trace came in late. She wasn’t sure what he would do if he saw her being escorted across the stage by a longtime enemy.

Finally the governor finished and there was more polite applause. Then Mrs. Van Hooten spoke saying how proud she was to introduce this year’s group of debutantes and how they represented some of Austin’s finest and oldest families. Turquoise felt the other girls eyeing her and giggling. She wanted to shout at them that just because she looked white but had a Spanish last name, there was nothing questionable about her background, but she forced herself to remain quiet.

She felt beads of perspiration breaking out on her face, but she dared not wipe it as Mrs. Van Hooten was beginning to call the names of each debutante. Maybe Uncle Trace would be late. Maybe after the introductions she
could excuse herself and Senator Forester need never find out she was part of an enemy family.

She peeked through the curtains. Miss Maude Whittle, plump inher white dress and gloves, was introduced and waddled out to polite applause, escorted offstage by the young man Turquoise had taken a whip to over Silver Slippers.

One after another, the girls’ names were called and now it was her turn. Turquoise took a deep breath and stuck her chin out proudly. So she was Mexican in this Anglo crowd and she was dressed completely wrong, but she would show them what courage was.

“Turquoise Sanchez,” sang out Mrs. Van Hooten and Turquoise stepped through the curtains, “escorted by Senator Edwin Forester.”

The lights blinded her and she couldn’t be sure if Uncle Trace was out in that crowd or not, but she heard the low murmur of voices, commenting and tittering on her gaudy dress and then awed comments as the handsome, suave bachelor stepped forward, smiling at her and bowing low as he extended a white rose. She took it blindly, a smile frozen on her lips as he took her arm and escorted her off the stage. “You are the most beautiful woman here tonight,” he whispered and he sounded as if he meant it.

“Thank you. I’m so grateful you came to my rescue,” she murmured and smiled up at him. Here at last was her handsome, respectable Prince Charming and all the other debutantes were looking at her with confusion and envy as they stood by their pimple-faced boy escorts.

“And to think, if I hadn’t come tonight, I might never have met you.” He looked down into her eyes, still holding her hand. “May I have the first dance, Miss Sanchez?”

She could only stare up at him and nod as the debutante introductions finished and the orchestra started to play a soft waltz. “But of course.”

He took her in his arms and whirled her out onto the
dance floor. “I know no man is supposed to monopolize a deb’s dances at this event,” he murmured, “but I may just have to break that tradition because I don’t want you dancing with anyone else.”

Sure enough, other young men were crowding around her now as the music ended, but the senator shooed them all away. She looked around into the jealous faces of the other girls and heard Maude Whittle whisper, “How’d that Mexican country girl manage to snag the most eligible bachelor in the whole state?”

“Because she’s the most beautiful girl in the state,” the senator snapped at the plump and awkward Maude and whisked Turquoise out onto the dance floor again.

She was deliriously happy to be in his arms. The evening that had started out to be a disaster was now her triumph. How she wished Fern could be here to see it.

Why, Senator Forester was not only handsome and polished but at the top of the Lone Star State’s social ladder. She had almost forgotten the Foresters were enemies until she saw Uncle Trace’s angry face in the crowd along the wall. She could only hope he didn’t create a scene.

But now he was striding toward them and then he tapped Edwin on the shoulder. “May I cut in?”

She held her breath, afraid the senator might object, and then he seemed to see the fury on the other man’s face and nodded. Uncle Trace whirled her away and his words were bitten off and furious as he whispered, “What the hell are you doin’?”

“I—I didn’t have an escort and you weren’t here yet.”

“The Foresters never do anything out of kindness. He’s probably gloatin’ that the Durangos were put in an embar-rassin’ situation.”

“I didn’t know who he was,” Turquoise answered truthfully, “and he rescued me. I didn’t have anyone to escort me from the stage.”

“Damn it, I would have done it.”

“You weren’t here and it’s supposed to be a bachelor.”

“Edwin Forester is a bachelor all right, with the reputation of being a rake among the ladies.”

“Oh.” She was disappointed. She had felt his interest was genuine.

“Everyone in the crowd is whisperin’ about the Duran-gos’ ward being escorted by a family enemy.”

“He doesn’t know who I am.”

“Are you sure he doesn’t? Maybe he’s just tryin’to make me look like a fool.”

“I am sorry, Uncle Trace. I won’t dance with him again and we’ll leave soon.”

“Fine. I’ll be at the bar.” The music ended and he escorted her to the sidelines, where young men crowded around, eager to sign her dance card. Trace strode away toward the bar.

And then elegant Edwin Forester was pushing through the crowd of boys. “Sorry, gentlemen, the lady promised the next dance to me.”

Several boys protested, and Turquoise said, “I shouldn’t—”

However, Edwin swept her into his arms as the music started and danced her out onto the floor. It seemed to Turquoise that every eye in the ballroom was on them. She was suddenly very uneasy to be so conspicuous. “Senator, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“All right.” He smiled down at her and danced her through the open French doors and out onto the wide veranda. “It was hot in there anyway.” He took both her small hands in his. “Now what is it, my dear?”

She licked her dry lips. “I—I presume you don’t know who I am.”

“You’re the most beautiful girl at this ball,” he declared.

“I’m also the ward of Trace Durango.” Her words came in a rush.

He looked down at her a long moment, then he dropped her hands and laughed. “So that’s what all the whispering was about in the crowd. I assumed it was because you were so beautiful.”

“You didn’t know?” She felt relief.

“No, although I sensed something was wrong when Trace Durango appeared. I’m glad I gave the staid citizens something to gossip about. We must be the Romeo and Juliet of Austin.”

She turned away from him and looked out over the lawn. “Uncle Trace is not happy about it.”

“I wondered why he looked so angry. He has a reputation as a gunfighter, you know.”

“Aren’t you upset with me?”

He put his manicured hands on her shoulders. “This isn’t your fault, my dear, and it’s a cruel joke on me. I finally find a girl who intrigues me and she’s related to one of my family’s bitter enemies.”

She moved away from him. “I don’t even know what the feud is about.”

“Mostly I don’t either,” he admitted, standing next to her, leaning against the veranda railing. “I think it’s been going on for three generations. I know there was conflict over business dealings between the grandfathers, and then what happened between my father and the old Don Durango.” He sighed. “I was hardly more than a child when that occurred. I wish there were a way to end this feud so I might call on you.”

She whirled, looking up at him. He was so tall and handsome, although his chin was a bit weak, but his eyes seemed so sincere. “We hardly know each other.”

“I know, but just looking at you, it seems like you’re the missing piece of the puzzle—why I have waited so long to marry. Will you be staying in Austin a few days?”

She nodded. “Uncle Trace is doing some business or something. We’re at the Cattlemen’s Hotel.”

He took her hands in both of his. “Then perhaps we can see each other again. It’s warm out here. Would you like some punch?”

“Please.” She nodded and he turned and went back in, the music floating out to the veranda through the doors. Turquoise looked out over the manicured lawn, breathless with excitement.

Then she noticed a figure standing in the shadows of nearby bushes and started. “Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Rio Kelly.” She caught the accent and the deep voice as he stepped out into the moonlight and she remembered how virile and masculine he was. He wore a short Mexican jacket adorned with silver conchos. He made a striking figure, although his jacket looked a bit threadbare.

“What are you doing here?”

He shrugged and motioned for her to come down the steps. She hesitated, then came down.

“You asked if I were coming, remember?”

“Well, I didn’t think—”

“Of course I had to sneak over the back fence, but I wanted to see how you looked and how the other half lived.”

“You’re trespassing? You’d better leave or there’ll be trouble.”

He grinned at her and reached out and caught her hand with his strong right one. She noticed again the shamrock tattoo. “It might be worth it to dance with you once. You look beautiful.”

“I’m dressed very inappropriately.” She felt herself flush with humiliation.

“Oh? Says who? I think you look like the most beautiful girl in the world. I’ll wager you made the other girls look pale and ugly.”

The music started again and drifted faintly on the breeze.

“You’d better leave before Senator Forester returns.”

“Ah.” He grinned and raised one eyebrow in a mocking fashion. “So you have scored high,
si?
You may end up as the queen of Austin society yet, although he has a reputation in this town as a womanizer.”

“I’m sure that’s not true. Now you leave before he comes back and calls the guards.”

“One dance and I’ll leave.” He took her in his arms and he was so much bigger and more masculine than Edwin.

“You promise?”

“I promise, senorita.” He pulled her closer, holding her much too tightly to be respectable and dancing her slowly around the patio. His mouth was close to her ear and she could feel his warm breath and the hard muscle of him all the way down her body.

“This is too close,” she objected but he paid no heed. She tried to pull away, but he held her closer still.

“Miss Sanchez?”

She heard the call from the veranda and looked back. Senator Forester stood there, silhouetted against the light from the ballroom with two punch cups in his hands.

“I—I’m coming.” She tried to pull away from Rio but he took her hand and kissed it.

“Miss Sanchez, who is that out there with you?”

She could see Edwin peering into the darkness but the light behind him kept him from seeing clearly. “Let go of me,” she muttered through clenched teeth, “or I’ll scream.”

“You wouldn’t dare. It isn’t something rich Anglo girls do.” He kissed her hand again, mocking her.

“Just watch me!” She threw her head back with spirit and called, “Help, sir, there’s an intruder!”

“Damn you, you little vixen!” Rio swore and turned loose, moving toward the shadows of the back fence.

However, Edwin Forester dropped the punch cups and
they shattered loudly on the veranda as he shouted, “Guards! Guards! We’ve got a trespasser!”

Three guards came running around the mansion and toward Rio.

“Good-bye, my sweet Mexican flower. You’ve got more spirit than I thought.” The vaquero made a run for the back fence, but the guards caught him and they struggled.

Turquoise took a deep breath, praying he could get away. She regretted now that she had called for help out of spite.

Rio seemed to be holding his own in the brawl with the three guards while the senator watched from the veranda. Finally, one of the guards hit the Mexican on the head with a pistol and his legs folded under him. “We’ve got him, sir!”

“Good! I was worried about the young lady.” Now Edwin came down off the veranda to stand by Turquoise as the guards hauled the half-conscious intruder to his feet. “Are you all right, Miss Turquoise?”

“Yes. I don’t think he meant any harm. He only wanted to see the party.”

Edwin scowled. “I was afraid the dirty rascal scared you or smudged your dress.”

“I wasn’t scared, Senator, and I wish you’d just forget this and let him go.” She looked at Rio and was ashamed of her hasty actions. He had blood running down his face.

The senator did not look pleased. “Do you know this— this tramp?”

“He’s the farrier who shod my horse,” Turquoise said. “I’m sure he meant no harm. Please let him go.”

Edwin Forester glared at the intruder down his fine, patrician nose. However, to Turquoise, he smiled and bowed. “Very well. For you, my lady …” He took her hand and led her back up on the veranda. “You just wait here, my dear, and I’ll see that he’s escorted out to the street and released.”

“Thank you.” She sighed with relief and watched Edwin
return to the three guards and the bloody vaquero. They all disappeared around the corner of the mansion.

Edwin made sure they were out of the girl’s sight and then he said to the guards, “Toss this greasy bastard in jail for the night and don’t be gentle about it.”

“But I thought you told the young lady …?” one of the guards protested.

“You heard me!” the senator snapped and turned on his heel to return to the veranda.

The stunning beauty still awaited him there. “He’ll be fine, but he won’t invade the governor’s grounds again.”

She took one last look at the lawn, ashamed that she had gotten Rio in trouble. Then Edwin took her arm and led her back toward the ballroom. She glanced over her shoulder, worried about the man who had been dragged out to be tossed in the street. “Thank you, Senator, for not making an issue of this.”

He patted her hand with his free one. “If it hadn’t been for your pity, I would have thrashed the young thug for being so familiar with an elegant lady.”

“You are so gallant.” And yet, he sounded arrogant. Besides, she remembered that he hadn’t come running from the safety of the veranda until he was sure the three guards had subdued the trespasser. More than that, she had a feeling that if he had taken on Rio, the senator would have come out the worse for it.