Essentially Bri was the feather in Eaton’s cap, the merging of one well-heeled family to another. If Bri’s mother had her way—and she did entirely too often—her daughter would become the extension of her own life. A life that hadn’t turned out the way she’d wanted.
Mother is not going to get her way in this instance, Bri promised herself resolutely. At twenty-three, Bri was old enough to make her own decisions and accept an engagement proposal, if and when she wanted to. She had to convince her father to side with her and to stand against his estranged wife. Besides, Bri couldn’t possibly plan a wedding while she was accompanying her father on his inspection of Ranger battalions in West Texas, now could she?
The thought of a grand adventure in the great outdoors filled Bri with excitement and anticipation. She thrilled at the prospect of leaving behind polite society and its obsessive preoccupation with her unusual interests and activities.
Bri stared across the countryside, marveling at the broad river valley flanked by rolling hills that were covered with mesquite and oak trees. Pecans and elms lined the creeks that tumbled into the river. Nothing would please her more than to rent a horse and explore this scenic wilderness.
“Tell me, gentleman, what are your opinions of the large ranchers who are objecting to our government’s insistence that they pay rent on the public lands where their cattle and horse herds are grazing without restriction?” Eaton asked.
Bri wanted to express her view about bullying cattle barons. They objected to small ranchers nesting near their domain and using water sources and rangeland that had been designated for public use. Of course, Eaton didn’t want her to have an opinion on anything. She was supposed to be window dressing for the upstart politician.
She tuned out Eaton, who had interrupted one of the passengers to express his opinion of favoring large ranchers over nesters. Instead, she poked her head out the window to survey The Flat. It was rumored to be one of the four wildest towns in the West. The community was a cultural paradox that not only boasted upstanding storeowners and farmers, but also harbored outlaws, harlots and gamblers.
It looked as if The Flat did indeed have a motley frontier population, she noted as she studied the individuals who were striding down the boardwalks. The place had sprung up at the base of Government Hill and the streets were lined with dozens of businesses. She spotted two freight offices, a large general store, three cafés, a telegraph office and a newspaper office. She also noticed two banks, a theater, gaming halls, saloons, a livery stable and a row of bordellos that seemed to be doing a thriving business an hour before sundown. Bri could only imagine how prosperous the dens of ill repute became after dark, when more of their potential clients were off work and on the prowl.
Bri perked up when she noticed the sign announcing the last performance of a traveling repertory company. Several men and woman milled around the redbrick theater, singing ditties and sporting costumes and props to entice attendance. The actors drew considerable attention, Eaton’s included. He came to point like a hunting dog when he spotted four young women flitting around in tight-fitting costumes.
Womanizer, she mused as she watched Eaton’s hawkish gaze rove over each woman’s physique.
Here was yet another reason Bri refused to spend her life shackled to this blowhard politician whose sexual appetite was whispered about in drawing rooms. Bri knew loyalty and fidelity weren’t among Eaton’s virtues—if in fact, he had any at all. She couldn’t think of one off the top of her head. But then he’d been getting on her nerves all day so it was hard to think past his annoying faults to find his redeeming qualities.
As the stagecoach halted beside the clapboard depot, Bri caught a whiff of a foul odor. She glanced sideways to see the oversized piles of buffalo skins and the unkempt men who wandered around the hide yard that sat on the edge of town.
“Ah, here we are,” Eaton said unnecessarily. He leaned close to add, “Honestly, Gabrielle, why must you wear these plain traveling clothes? You look like a sodbuster’s wife, not a future senator’s fiancée. You can afford to dress like a princess and you should.”
“I have no intention of soiling my best clothes in dusty stagecoaches. I don’t believe in flaunting family money,” she declared.
His gaze narrowed reproachfully. “I must remind you that your unfashionable appearance reflects badly on me. We are in the public eye because I’m running for office. You need to dress the part and keep up appearances for my sake.”
She cocked her head at him then stared pointedly at the three shabbily dressed men who climbed down from the coach. “I thought you wanted to represent the common man.”
“Represent them, yes. Become one of them? Hardly, my dear.” He flicked his wrist, urging her to step out of the coach by herself so he could make his grand entrance into the street. “Please find something flashy to complement my wardrobe before you venture out this evening.”
Grateful to escape the narrow confines of the coach—and Eaton—Bri practically launched herself through the door.
Glancing this way and that, Bri sought out a hotel that offered adequate accommodations. She noticed an establishment above a run-down saloon, but it didn’t appeal to her. Neither did the foul-smelling stack of hides close by. She intended to stay upwind of hide hunters and their pungent bounty.
The moment the driver handed down her two satchels, she hiked toward Brazos Hotel, which sat at the opposite end of town. The sound of tinkling piano music and boisterous laughter that wafted from the string of saloons was a welcome change from the tiresome sound of Eaton’s voice and his haughty criticism. Bri couldn’t wait to ensconce herself in a private room and relax.
“Slow down, my dear!” Eaton called out as he snatched up his four suitcases and clatted after her.
Bri glanced over her shoulder in time to see Eaton nod a flirtatious greeting to one of the thespians who all but floated across the street to greet him. It was lust at first sight for Eaton and the red-haired actress, she decided. She shook her head at the ridiculousness of the public flirtation playing out on the boardwalk. The voluptuous actress, with pouty lips and luminous green eyes, was welcome to Eaton. And vice versa. Bri didn’t want him. Never had.
One of the main objectives of her journey was to disengage herself from Eaton. Another was to enjoy the freedom and independence her mother constantly tried to stifle. Despite her mother’s browbeating efforts, Bri refused to be no more than a social hostess and devoted politician’s wife.
When the redhead twirled gracefully in front of Eaton, who had halted to watch her leap through the air like a ballerina, Bri smiled in amusement. Eaton’s arrogance was astonishing. He seemed to have no idea that she could see right through him and tell what he was thinking while he visually undressed the actress. She would be outraged if she had the slightest interest in the boorish dandy.
Her stomach growled as she hiked past one of the cafés. There would time for food later, she promised herself. First, she wanted to wash away the trail dust and relax in the privacy of her room.
Leaving Eaton to ogle the actress—and her friends, who gathered around to promote their farewell performance—Bri scurried into Brazos Hotel to request a room. She dug in to her purse to pay for her accommodations then trudged up the steps.
She expelled a gigantic sigh when she closed the door behind her and appraised her modestly furnished room. She was never so glad to be anywhere in her life! She could tend to the business of hiring a guide to accompany her to the Ranger camp, where her father was inspecting troops.
