“I long to get settled and busy myself in the kitchen.”
“Reckon you do. Your quarters aren’t large, but you’ll find them above adequate.”
“I’m sure I’ll be comfortable.”
And even if she weren’t, she wouldn’t be at his ranch that long to suffer from a bit of discomfort.
As she’d told Mrs. Leach, headmistress Halsey expected her at the Falsmonte Academy in San Francisco the first of the new year. Ellie must not be late or she’d lose the once-in-a-lifetime chance to teach at the prestigious school for discerning young ladies. She’d lose the only job that’d come her way since the scandal.
“Mrs. Leach ordered holiday gee-gaws and reminded me several times that I was to pick them up while I was in town,” he said as he stopped the sleigh before the mercantile. “I trust you know how to dress the house up with them.”
“I’ve been told I have an artistic eye for such,” she said, relieved to be in her element again. “Do you usually decorate the entire house?”
“Nope,” he said. “Never celebrated the occasion before.”
“Surely you’re exaggerating.”
He shook his head. “I was reared in an orphanage, Miss Cade. There was scarce enough funds for food and clothing.”
How sad! Christmas had always been her favorite holiday, for it was the one time throughout her life that her pa made an effort to visit her, if only briefly.
He’d always bring her some small gift and regale her with wild stories of the West. He’d tell her he’d missed her and loved her and that he’d stay in touch.
But he never had.
She hadn’t seen him for three whole years. She’d feared he’d died. Then Mrs. Leach’s letter arrived out of the blue and gave her hope.
“Last chance for shopping, Miss Cade,” Reid said as he extended a gloved hand to assist her.
She rested her hand in his and secretly thrilled at the power encased in those supple leather gloves. This man might be a wealthy gentleman but he certainly was no dandy.
“If I may be so bold to ask, what has spurred you to celebrate the season now?” she asked as he escorted her to the door of the mercantile.
His handsome features took on a hard, distant expression. “We’ll be hosting a wedding at the ranch,” he said without a lick of excitement in his voice. “Seems fitting that the house look festive.”
A wedding. Another detail Mrs. Leach had neglected to mention.
“Who’s getting married?” she asked.
“Me. My fiancée will arrive in a week.”
That was the last thing she expected to hear. But it was just the shake of reality she needed to put a stop to these inappropriate thoughts of Reid Barclay.
“When will the wedding take place?” she asked.
“Christmas Day.”
One week from now! A bone-deep worry settled into Ellie.
Mrs. Leach hadn’t mentioned she’d have to decorate the house and prepare a wedding feast. What else had the woman kept from her?
“After you,” he said, holding the door open for her.
Ellie bustled into the warmth of the general store that overflowed with all manner of goods, as well as a goodly clutch of customers milling about. All paused to stare at the new arrivals, though the women barely paid her a passing glance.
He tipped his hat to a grinning trio of ladies huddled near the confectionary counter. Their soft, telling giggles had Ellie wondering if he’d captured the heart of the entire female population of Maverick.
He’d surely caught their interest, but then how could he not with those incredibly broad shoulders and long legs dressed entirely in black? And those eyes—
She’d never seen such an arresting blue that reflected her emotions back at her instead of revealing his own.
A robust woman bore down on them, her kindly face wreathed in a smile. “Good afternoon, Mr. Barclay. What can we do for you today?”
“Mrs. Leach said there was a parcel waiting here for me.” He nodded to Ellie. “Anything Miss Cade wants, just add it to my bill.”
“With pleasure,” the woman said, giving Ellie a critical eye this time before flouncing off into a back room.
Without another word, Reid took himself off to the section sporting all manner of leathergoods. Ellie appreciated his broad back and firm backside before moving over to a table laden with fine hand-knit items.
“Can you tell us about the latest fashions in England?” one of the trio asked as she sidled over to Ellie.
She considered that a moment. “It’s the cutting edge of hauteur, but as to specifics, I’m woefully unaware of what is in vogue there.”
One of the trio frowned. “But you just came from there.”
It was Ellie’s turn to don a mantle of confusion. “No, I just came from Denver where I’ve lived most of my life.”
The trio exchanged confused looks. “But aren’t you Mr. Barclay’s fiancée?”
“Heavens no,” Ellie said, stunned they’d assume so. “I’m a friend of Mrs. Leach’s and I agreed to assume her duties on the Crown Seven Ranch while she’s away helping her sister.”
Instead of understanding, the trio took a collective step backward in perfect synchronization that would make a chorus line proud. The censure in their eyes was as unsettling as the sudden hush that fell over the store.
“Have you and Mrs. Leach been friends long?” one of the women finally asked.
Ellie hesitated for a suitable reply, for speaking the truth would surely rouse Reid Barclay’s suspicions. She decided to expand minimally on a passing remark she recalled in one of Mrs. Leach’s letters.
“You could say that,” Ellie Jo said and affected a secret smile as if she were fondly recalling the past. “Mrs. Leach lived in Denver for a good many years.”
Two of the young women raked her with a condemning look before walking away. The woman that tarried pulled her lips in a thin line of disapproval.
“There’s no need to say more,” she said, and turned up her nose and joined the small klatch that had formed near the rear of the store.
How rude! Ellie was a heartbeat from launching into a lecture on the merits of gainful employment for women when the storekeeper stepped in front of her.
“Pay them no mind,” she said in a hushed tone. “They have nothing better to do than spread gossip, and would delight in causing trouble if you argue with them.”
Ellie
