Pearl Read online

  He turned and stalked from the room, shoving his two sons out the door ahead of him.

  Pearl watched as several other ranchers scrambled to their feet. She began speaking quickly, hoping to soften their hearts.

  “I realize this isn’t the best time. But I intend to go ahead with my plan to open a school on the Jewel ranch. I hope some of you will consider sending your children.”

  “Thank you, Miss Pearl.” Reverend Weston left her at the front of the room and hurried to the door, to shake the hands of his flock before they scattered.

  As Pearl trailed the others from the mercantile, she offered her hand to the minister.

  “I hope you understand,” he said gently, “that these folks aren’t rejecting your fine offer. And they aren’t being selfish. It’s just that they need the cooperation of every member of the family if they’re to survive. Schooling is a luxury many of them can’t afford.”

  “I do understand,” Pearl said softly. “But these children deserve a chance for something better. What I’m offering them is a glimpse of all that’s out there beyond the borders of Texas.”

  Reverend Weston squeezed her hand. “Then I wish you well, Miss Pearl. And I’ll pray for your success.”

  “Thank you.” As she walked away, she wondered if there were enough prayers in all of Texas to soften the hearts of these tough, independent people.

  Outside, ranchers’ wives lifted baskets of food from the backs of wagons and carried them to a grassy spot, where they joined other families. This brief, festive hour was the only relief from a life of never-ending chores.

  Pearl lingered a few moments, hoping someone would offer to speak with her, or share their lunch. But, though a few of the women gave her smiles before turning away, most of them refused to even look at her.

  What had she expected? Her father had been the richest man in the territory. Perhaps in all of Texas. That was a barrier between her and these good people, who barely managed to eke out a living. Add to that the fact that she was an outsider. An Easterner, they would say, in a tone reserved for an outlaw or villain.

  With a sigh, Pearl climbed into her rig and flicked the reins. Within minutes, the town of Hanging Tree was left in her dust.

  When she arrived at the ranch house, she was pleased to see Diamond’s horse. This generous young woman, who had opened her home and heart to a sister she hadn’t even known existed, always made Pearl’s day brighter. She turned over the reins to a wrangler and hurried inside.

  Diamond, Jade and Ruby looked up as Pearl entered the kitchen. At once, Carmelita Alvarez, cook and housekeeper for the Jewel ranch, placed a pan of milk on the stove for Pearl’s midday chocolate, preparing it just the way the young woman had always had it in Boston. Jade preferred tea. Diamond drank only strong, bitter coffee. And Ruby preferred an occasional lemonade to quench her thirst.

  Seeing the look on Pearl’s face, Diamond said, “I’d say the town didn’t take kindly to your offer to teach.”

  “That’s putting it mildly. I was told, in no uncertain terms, that the people of Hanging Tree don’t want a teacher.” Pearl slumped down at the table. “Do you know a man named Rollie Ingram?”

  Diamond nodded. Dressed in her usual rough wrangler garb of chaps and leather, she sipped strong black coffee. “A mean man. With a mean mouth. Pa used to say the only peace his wife ever found was when she was put in the ground.”

  Pearl shuddered. After a moment of silence, she said, “On the way home from town, I started thinking...”

  “Oh! Oh! Not again!” came a chorus of laughing voices.

  Ignoring her sisters’ teasing giggles, Pearl continued. “I’ve been thinking that the best way to deal with this problem is to prepare a schoolhouse somewhere here on Jewel land, and then invite the townspeople to see what I have to offer their children.”

  “You might go to a lot of work for nothing,” Diamond said softly. “You ought to be prepared for the fact that no one will come.”

  “Why waste your time?” Jade asked. The Oriental beauty sipped her tea and smiled at the thought of the thriving business her mother had once operated in San Francisco. A business she fully intended to duplicate in Hanging Tree. “Why not build a pleasure palace instead?”

  “Or hire a seamstress and milliner who can create elegant satin gowns and feathered bonnets, chérie,” Ruby interjected. It was the thing she most missed from her former life on the bayou. Here in Texas, she’d actually been forced to take up needle and thread and create her own gowns to keep her wardrobe from becoming dowdy.

  She lowered the red-satin-fringed shawl to reveal a matching gown that molded her lush figure like a second skin. “Every woman in Hanging Tree would bless you.”

  Pearl fell silent, gritting her teeth.

  Diamond couldn’t help laughing at the differences between these young women. Now that she and Adam Winter were husband and wife, she didn’t see them as often as she would have liked. She missed this friendly banter that went on constantly.

  “Have you found a place that suits you?” she asked.

  “I’ve been exploring the ranch. There’s an empty shed just over the creek. Do you know what it’s used for?”

  Diamond nodded. “It was Pa’s first cabin, before he made enough money to build this house. I don’t think it’s used for anything now.”

  “It would be far enough away from the ranch so that my students and I wouldn’t disturb the wranglers. And close enough so I could easily ride out there every morning and prepare for my classes.”

  “Your classes.” Diamond studied this prim, proper woman who still seemed so out of place in her new home. “You understand that the children of Hanging Tree are needed to help out on their parents’ ranches? There’s little time or energy left for such things as reading and writing.”

  “But there’s more to life than mucking stalls and feeding cattle.” Pearl glanced toward Jade and Ruby, seeking their support. “Don’t you agree?”

  “I do indeed,” Ruby said emphatically. “There are fine clothes to be worn, and...”

  “Pleasures to be sought,” Jade added.

  “I can’t believe the two of you,” Pearl cried with dismay. “How can you only think about fancy clothes and personal pleasure?”

  “Can’t you see they’re just having fun with you?” Diamond shot a warning glance from one of them to the other, then gave in to the laughter that was bubbling up. She circled the table to press a kiss to Pearl’s smooth cheek. “If you want to turn Pa’s old cabin into a schoolroom, and fill the children’s heads with sums and letters, I’ll go along with it. It would be nice to see the old place used for something good.” She glanced at Jade and Ruby. “How about the two of you?”

  The two young women nodded enthusiastically.

  “Do whatever you wish, chérie.” Ruby sipped her lemonade. “Just so you do not ask me to assist you. I was never much of a scholar.”

  “Nor was I,” Jade said with a shake of her head. “But I think it is a noble task to tutor the young.”

  “That just leaves Cal’s vote.” Pearl glanced anxiously at Diamond. “You’ve known him all your life. What do you think he’ll say?”

  Diamond had to swallow back her smile. She could already imagine their tough ranch foreman’s reaction when he learned that his ranch might be invaded by the town’s children. Cal McCabe had a reputation among the wranglers as a tough boss with a quick temper. A man good with both guns and fists. And a man who, once his mind was made up, was as immovable as a mountain.

  “He’ll object. Violently,” she added with a chuckle. “I think we had better meet with him as soon as he returns from the line camp. He can listen to your arguments, and weigh the issue from all sides.”

  Seeing Pearl’s look of dismay, she said, “Don’t worry. We’ll all be there to support you. And in time Cal will come around.” She crossed her fingers behind her back. “Now I’d better run.” She hugged the three young women, then kissed Carmelita’s cheek. “I promi
sed Adam I’d ride with him to the south range.”

  Everyone was aware of the tenderness that came into her voice when she spoke of her husband. Married less than two months, they’d become inseparable. It was plain that their love had enriched both their lives. Their ranch, which adjoined the Jewel ranch, had already begun to prosper.

  As Diamond headed out the door, Pearl followed her. Diamond pulled herself into the saddle. Pearl snapped open her dainty pink parasol and lifted it over her head to shield her pale skin from the sun.

  “I hope you’re right about Cal. I really want to do this. I’m afraid he’ll dismiss it as a foolish dream.”

  “Don’t ever think your dreams are foolish, Pearl.” Diamond’s voice took on a wistful note. “Pa used to say that Texans were a different breed. And maybe we are. But I think what makes us so special is all the people who come here with heads full of dreams. Like Adam’s dream of a piece of land even better than the one he left in Maryland after the war. And your dream of opening up the world to children. You just keep on chasing your dreams. And make them all come true.”

  With Diamond’s words ringing in her mind, Pearl set off on foot to examine the old cabin. Now, more than ever, she was determined to turn it into a schoolhouse. And to share her knowledge with the children of Hanging Tree.

  Chapter Two

  Cal McCabe rubbed his knuckles over eyes gritty with trail dust. The lower half of his face was covered with a scraggly growth of beard. He’d spent the past weeks hauling supplies to Will Culver at the isolated line camp on the northern boundary of the vast Jewel ranch. Once there, he’d mended fence and cut logs for a new storage shed. On the return trip, he’d rounded up a herd of stray cattle that had grown from a few dozen until they now reached over a hundred. They fanned out in front of him, moving in an undulating black wave.

  As his horse crested a hill, he drank in the sight of the big, sprawling ranch house, surrounded by outbuildings. This place had been his home since he was twelve years old. Onyx Jewel had taken a chance on a scrawny, half-starved misfit, and had turned him into the roughest, toughest wrangler in Texas. What was more, he’d trusted him with his most precious treasure, his ranch. Just thinking about the fact that he was now part owner brought a smile to Cal’s face.

  He was itching to get home. All he could think of was a hot bath, a change of clothes and a bottle of whiskey.

  The herd, sensing food at the end of a tedious journey, broke into a run. Cal’s mount did the same.

  Suddenly, up ahead, Cal spotted the flutter of a pink gown. An unsuspecting female had stepped directly in the path of the thundering herd. Now she stood, frozen to the spot, her hands gripping a ridiculous pink parasol.

  “Pearl!” Her name was torn from his lips, though he knew she couldn’t hear over the roar of the stampeding cattle.

  He swore, loudly, fiercely, as he dug in his heels and urged his horse into a full gallop. Cutting a path through the wild-eyed cows, horse and rider raced at breakneck speed. And all the while, Cal’s line of vision was filled with a flutter of pink.

  The faster his horse moved, the more desperately the herd attempted to outrun him. The lead steer was bearing down directly toward Pearl, with the rest of the herd following close on its heels.

  Sensing that his horse was tiring, Cal whipped him into a frenzy, leaning low over his neck and shouting a string of curses. The horse responded, reaching for even greater speed, until he began to pull ahead. Passing the lead steer, they kept up their terrible pace until they reached their goal.

  In one swift movement, Cal leaned over and snatched up the slender figure, holding her in one arm like a rag doll. The horse veered off the path and came to an abrupt halt, just as the herd thundered past.

  Without a word, Cal set her down, none too gently, and slid from the saddle. His face was a mask of fury, hiding the razor’s edge of terror that still sliced through him.

  “Damn it, woman, do you know how close you came to being trampled?”

  “I...” She brought her hand to her throat, struggling for breath. All the color had drained from her face. It was plain that she was still paralyzed with fear. She was holding herself together by a thread.

  She wanted to throw herself into his arms and thank him for saving her life. She wanted to weep with relief. But pride and propriety wouldn’t permit it. Instead, she stood stiffly, head high, chin lifted in a pose that could be misinterpreted as haughty. “I...couldn’t move. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life.”

  “Helpless.” He couldn’t hide his disgust. “There’s no room in Texas for helpless females.” He glanced around, missing the wounded look that came into her eyes. “What in the hell were you doing way out here, so far from the house?”

  “I was...examining my new schoolhouse.”

  His head swung around. Eyes narrowed, he speared her with a look. “Your what?”

  She swallowed. “The children of Hanging Tree need to be taught. And I’m a teacher. So I thought...”

  “You thought?” His hands were still shaking. To cover up, he clenched them into fists. “Think about this. What we have here is a ranch.” His tone, his manner, had become so menacing, she actually cringed. “I won’t have my wranglers playing nursemaid to a useless female and a handful of dirty ragamuffins.”

  “Useless fe — ?” Her mouth snapped shut. Her lips thinned. Wasn’t this exactly what she would have expected from a clod like Cal McCabe? Of all the insults he could hurl, this was the worst. Two bright spots of color touched her cheeks as she brought her hands to her hips. “The children of Hanging Tree deserve an education.”

  The cumulative effects of the trail and the last dregs of fear combined to add a sharper edge than usual to Cal’s temper. “This discussion is over. I’ll take it up with Diamond. At least she understands how a ranch operates.”

  It was another blow to Pearl’s already wounded pride. “Diamond agrees with me. She suggested a meeting.”

  His eyes narrowed. “A meeting? What for?”

  “To...persuade you that we should locate a schoolhouse here on Jewel land.” Oh, this wasn’t going at all the way she’d hoped. This was the wrong place, the wrong time, to bring up such an important topic. With each word, she was creating a wider chasm. But now that she had begun, there seemed no way to stop.

  Cal swore. “Onyx Jewel would turn over in his grave if he thought his ranch was going to become nothing more than a glorified playground. Diamond ought to honor her father’s wishes.”

  “I’ll remind you that Onyx was my father, too. And I won’t be treated like a —” in her frustration, her prim and proper Boston accent sharpened “— like an outsider.”

  He was about to remind her that was exactly what she was. But his gaze was arrested by the dirty smudges on her pink gown. Smudges caused by his big hands when he’d caught and lifted her. They looked so out of place on this woman who always seemed so perfect. He found himself wondering what she’d do if he tugged on those damned silly ribbons and mussed her hair, as well. Or how she’d react if he unbuttoned that row of tiny buttons that ran from neckline to hem. He wondered if the body she kept hidden beneath was as perfect as the wrappings.

  The thought brought a trickle of sweat down his back. And caused his lips to curve in the slightest of smiles.

  At once, her frown deepened. “Are you laughing at me?”

  He wiped the smile from his mouth, annoyed by the direction his thoughts had taken. “Now why would I do a thing like that? What nearly happened is no laughing matter.” He bent and retrieved what was left of her parasol. The frame had been shattered beyond repair. The fabric hung in tatters. As he looked at it, his anger grew. It could have been her. God, it could have been her pink gown that was trampled, her slender body that was shattered beyond repair. The knowledge staggered him. He was filled with a sudden blinding rage.

  “This is what happens to anything—or anyone—who gets careless around stampeding cattle.” He shook the hated parasol under her n
ose.

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” She held out her hand for it.

  His anger grew. She was so damnably cool. And completely unaware of how close she’d come to...

  Instead of giving her the parasol, he clamped his fingers over her upper arm, dragging her close.

  He saw her eyes widen in sudden fear, and cursed himself for his clumsiness. But he couldn’t seem to stop. The thought of what had almost happened sent him hurtling out of control.

  “Woman, if you’ve got any sense at all, you’ll take the first stage back to Boston.”

  She started to push against his chest. “I’ll have you know I’m not so easily frightened.”

  He dragged her close, trapping her hand between their bodies. She felt his breath hot against her temple. His voice was a low growl of anger. “Damn you. You ought to be.”

  He should have released her then. Turned away and never looked back. But he couldn’t. His temper had taken over. Besides, the touch of her, the press of that slender body against his, had his blood hot and his breath backing up in his lungs.

  “You ought to be scared to death.” His big, callused fingers tangled in hair softer than any silk. He drew her head back and saw the way her eyes widened in shock. Without giving a thought to what he was doing, he covered her mouth with his. And then he was lost. Lost m lips that were as cool as a spring-fed lake on a hot summer day.

  She made a sound, and tried to pull back, but he was quicker, stronger.

  He could taste her fear. Her outrage. And something more. Just beneath that cool veneer was passion. Oh, she kept it buried deep, locked up tight, but it was there. And as the kiss deepened, he could feel it stirring. It was the most purely sensual thing he’d ever experienced.

  Her fingers, splayed across his chest, slowly curled into his shirt. Her sound of protest became a sigh, before she caught herself and swallowed back the sound. And though her kiss was awkward, and her lips trembled slightly, they moved under his, causing his pulse to race at full speed.