Texas Hero Page 8

  Last night, after he'd left her so abruptly, sleep had been impossible.

  Instead she'd tossed and turned, fighting the feelings that still heated her blood and caused her pulse to leap.

  Suddenly the congregation was standing and opening their song books.

  Caroline was grateful to hide behind the pages as the voices around her swelled in song.

  When they filed from the church, Caroline saw Cora Meadows standing beside the young preacher. With a sinking heart Caroline realized what the woman had in mind.

  "There you are!" Cora called.

  "Caroline Adams, meet Reverend Symes.

  Reverend, this is the new schoolteacher I've been telling you about." Caroline's hand was encased in a warm, firm handshake. Reverend Symes was thin, almost frail, with a high, narrow forehead and sad, hound dog eyes.

  But when he smiled, she caught a glimpse of the warmth and humor that lurked inside the man.

  "Miss Adams." His glance took in the prim gown and bonnet.

  "I read your qualifications and was pleased that you would travel all this way to impart your considerable knowledge to the children of Hope."

  Caroline flushed, avoiding his eyes. When she glanced at Cora, she saw the woman smile in triumph. Her matchmaking chores completed for the moment, Cora caught up with Bel va Spears, who was walking alone.

  ' "When will your duties begin?" the preacher asked.

  "Tomorrow."

  "So soon?" He glanced around, speaking to those who crowded around.

  "This is certainly our good fortune, to have a teacher who is actually eager to begin."

  They chatted politely among themselves, and several of the families approached, waiting patiently as the preacher introduced each of them to Caroline. It was obvious as she smiled at the children and went out of her way to put them at ease that she thoroughly enjoyed their company.

  After the crowd thinned and Reverend Symes went back inside the church, Caroline made her way to her rig. As she approached it, Jessie called, "Caroline, how would you like to come out to our ranch this afternoon and join us for Sunday supper?"

  "Thank you. I'd like that very much."

  "Fine. Cole and the children will come by for you later in the wagon."

  "I don't want you to go to so much trouble. Just give me directions and I'll bring myself."

  As Jessie began explaining where their ranch was, she suddenly paused.

  "Will you look at that."

  Following the direction of her gaze, Caroline saw Thad stepping out of the mercantile. On his shoulder was a heavy sack, which he deposited into the back of a wagon.

  "In town on a Sunday morning and can't even come to services," Jessie complained.

  At her call he looked up. A slow smile spread across his face. At his sister's beckoning, he strolled lazily toward their wagons. He kissed Jessie's cheek, then tipped his hat to Caroline.

  '"Morning, Miss Adams." His eyes danced with teasing laughter.

  "Seen any slimy, slithery creatures lately?"

  Caroline felt her cheeks grow hot and forced a thin smile to her lips.

  "You should have been at Sunday services. Uncle Thad," Lisbeth scolded him.

  "Well, you see. Little Bit," he said teasingly,

  "I couldn't stand to see anything bad happen to you."

  "I don't understand."

  He tugged one of her long ringlets.

  "I knew if I went inside that church, a bolt of lightning would fall from the sky and the building would cave in on all of you. So you see, I saved your life by skipping the service."

  She giggled despite her mother's frown.

  "You're setting a fine example for my children," Jessie said tartly.

  Suddenly, Jessie's frowning lips curved into a bright smile as a new thought struck.

  "You never come to Sunday supper, Thad. Why don't you come today?"

  "Sunday supper?" He began to shake his head.

  "You know I don't have time for" -- "But you promised to take me hunting someday, and someday never comes,"

  young Jack said accusingly.

  "Why can't you do it today?"

  Thad grinned at his oldest nephew.

  "You're right. Jack. Why not today?"

  "That's wonderful." Jessie shot him a triumphant smile. "Since you live the closest to the schoolhouse, why don't you pick up Miss Adams?"

  Caroline realized she was trapped. As was Thad.

  Her eyes widened as she turned to him, praying that he would excuse himself from that chore. Surely a man as glib with words as Thad Con way could come up with a plausible excuse.

  Instead, after seeing her stricken look, he gave her an infuriating grin and said,

  "Why, I'd be happy to pick up our schoolmarm." Catching her around the waist, he swung her up to the seat of her rig, allowing his hands to linger a moment before saying,

  "I'll be by in a couple of hours, ma'am." He handed her the reins, then sauntered away.

  Amid much calling and waving, Jessie and Cole and their children rode away in their wagon.

  Minutes later, as Caroline passed the mercantile, Thad stepped through the doorway with another heavy sack on his shoulder. With a wicked grin he gave an exaggerated tip of his hat before depositing the sack in the back of his wagon.

  Caroline tossed her head and drove by without a word.

  Chapter Seven

  I had reined in his stallion at the top of a rise and stared down at Caroline's small cabin. Smoke plumed from the chimney. Gauzy white curtains billowed at the windows. The fragrance of freshly baked biscuits wafted on the breeze.

  From the corner of his eye he caught the flutter of movement and turned his head. Caroline was walking across the meadow, gathering wildflowers. Her arms were overflowing with them, and still she stopped, admired and picked more.

  Knowing she hadn't yet spotted him, he remained where he was, enjoying the view.

  She still had on the shapeless gown she had worn to church that morning.

  The skirt billowed and flattened with each gust of wind, clearly outlining her hips and legs as she walked. She stooped, picking a handful of bluebells, before moving on.

  He waited, unaware that a smile of pure appreciation touched his lips.

  Suddenly she caught sight of him and stopped in her tracks. He nudged the horse into a walk until he was beside her. Up close he caught his breath at the sight of her. Little strands of dark hair had pried loose from the prim knot and danced around her cheeks. Cheeks as pink as some of the flowers in her arms. Her eyes, reflecting the sun, seemed more amber than green. Her lips were pursed in a little moue of surprise.

  "For the schoolroom?" he asked.

  She glanced at the flowers, then back at him.

  "For your sister. I couldn't accept her hospitality empty-handed."

  ' "Let me help you." He surprised himself by sliding from the saddle and holding out his arms.

  After a moment's hesitation, she handed him the flowers that were overflowing her grasp. As their fingers brushed she felt the heat. If he felt it, as well, he kept his reaction carefully hidden.

  Thad walked down the hill beside her, one hand balancing the delicate bouquet, the other holding the reins of his mount. When they reached the cabin she stopped, then burst into peals of laughter.

  "What brought that on?"

  She laughed harder. Catching her breath she said,

  "You. I wonder what the townspeople would say if they could see their dangerous Texan with an armload of flowers."

  "Let's just keep this our little secret then," he said with a smile.

  He followed her inside, then stopped to glance around admiringly. In two short days she had made this rough cabin into a home.

  She set her flowers on the table, then turned and took the rest from him.

  "I suppose I could keep it a secret. As long as you don't repeat the awful words you heard me say last night."

  His smile grew.

  "Ma'am, I wouldn'
t dare repeat them. Who'd ever believe that the proper Miss Adams would even know such words, let alone say them?

  Why, they'd probably run me out of town for spreading ugly rumors." He watched the way she turned away, busying herself bundling the flowers.

  But he caught the flush of color on her cheeks.

  "Something smells mighty fine." He tactfully changed the subject.

  "I baked sour-milk biscuits." He saw the color deepen on her cheeks as she turned to face him.

  "Actually, I hadn't planned on it, but the jug of milk that Jessie brought me turned sour overnight, so I had to put it to use."

  "Isn't there a root cellar under the cabin?"

  Caroline seemed puzzled.

  "I don't know. I never checked."

  Following Thad outside, she watched as he began to walk the perimeter of the cabin. Halfway around he stopped and kicked at the dirt. A minute later he lifted a half-buried wooden door and led her down three steps into a cool, dark cellar beneath the cabin.

  She breathed in the rich, dank smell of moist earth.

  "You can store milk and smoked meats down here, as well as summer fruits and vegetables. But you'll need a lantern," he cautioned.

  "And I'll fix a latch for that door so it won't blow shut while you're down here."

  She shuddered at the thought of being trapped beneath her cabin, then quickly shrugged away the fear at the realization that this cellar would add to her independence. In no time she could have it stocked with food.

  Enough food to sustain her during lean times. In her life there had been too many lean times.

  He wiped his hands on his pants before helping her up the few steps of the cellar. Though each of them felt the jolt at his simple touch, they both turned away quickly.

  While Thad replaced the door, he called over his shoulder,

  "Ready to go to Jessie's?"

  "I'll just get my things."

  "I'll leave my horse here at the cabin and hitch yours to the rig."

  She hurried inside, where she wrapped her biscuits in a linen towel and picked up the bouquet of flowers. When she stepped outside, Thad drove the horse and rig around to the door and helped her up beside him.

  About a mile from her cabin he pointed to a cluster of buildings in the distance.

  "There's my ranch. The bigger buildings are the barns and horse stalls. The smallest building is the ranch house."

  Caroline noted the hills dotted here and there with horses. All of them had the look of care about them, their coats lustrous and shiny and their coloring rich.

  "Do you raise any cattle?"

  He shook his head.

  "Horses. Someday I'll have the best bloodline in the state."

  She heard the note of pride in his voice and had no doubt that one day he'd have what he wanted. If he wasn't shot down in a gunfight first.

  "Looks like a good day to go hunting," he remarked as they rolled across the meadow.

  "What will you and Jack hunt?"

  "Deer maybe. Or turkeys or pigs. The boy's good with a rifle," he added proudly.

  "And that makes you happy?" She tried to keep the edge of anger from her tone, but it crept in.

  "Do you want him to grow up to be like you, with a reputation for a fast gun?"

  "There are worse things." He squinted into the sun.

  "Like what?"

  "Like being dead at the end of someone else's gun. Or how about being a fool, a coward or a liar?"

  At his words she flinched and looked away. In a trembling voice she said, "Wouldn't you rather be known as a man of peace, a man of honor?"

  "A man of peace." He bit off the words with venom. "Ezra Spears was a man of peace. Look what it got him. An early grave."

  She turned to face him.

  "But..."

  "And as for a man of honor..." He turned a level gaze on her and she could feel his struggle to contain his anger. "I live by my own code.

  But I tell you this--my word is my bond. As long as the people of this town don't bother me or mine, I'll do the same." " And you think that's enough? " Her own temper flared." Why should the good people of Hope ignore a gunman in their midst? "

  His tone was low, his words precise.

  "One day you'll learn that there's a big difference between a gunman and a man who's good with a gun."

  "And which are you?"

  He shrugged.

  "I guess you'll have to figure that out for yourself.

  Teacher." They rode for several miles in strained silence. Then, as the rig rolled across lush green fields, Thad pointed to a sprawling house and a series of sturdy outbuildings in the distance.

  "There's Jessie's ranch."

  Caroline lifted a hand to shield the sun from her eyes. "It's so big."

  "Cole's one of the most successful ranchers in these parts."

  They passed a series of fenced pastures, where sleek cattle grazed, and continued on until they pulled up in front of the house. A low, wide veranda ran the length of the front of the house. On the veranda were several well-worn rockers, plumped with colorful cushions.

  Thad handed the reins to a grinning youth who shouted a welcome.

  ' "Learned how to toss that lasso yet, Illinois?"

  The boy shook his head.

  "I'm still practicing."

  "Better master it before roundup time." Thad jumped down, then offered his hand to Caroline.

  "Illinois, this is the new teacher. Miss Caroline Adams.

  Caroline, this is Tommy Wilkins." " Miss Adams." The boy touched a hand to a wide hat that sheltered his freckled nose from the sun.

  "Will you be coming to school. Tommy?"

  He seemed startled by her question.

  "No, ma'am. I'm too old for school."

  "How old are you?"

  "Fifteen," he said proudly.

  "Been earning my own keep since I was twelve."

  She felt a sudden kinship with the youth.

  "Can you read and write and do sums?"

  "Yes, ma'am. My ma taught me before she passed on."

  "That's fine. Tommy. It was nice meeting you. I hope I'll see you again."

  At her smile the boy blushed clear to his toes before taking the reins and leading the horse and rig to the barn.

  "Why do you call him Illinois?" Caroline asked, following Thad up the broad steps to the veranda.

  Thad shrugged.

  "It seems like everybody who comes to Texas these days is from someplace else."

  Caroline turned to him with a sudden smile.

  "You mean that's why they call you The Texan? Because you were born here?"

  "One of the few." He gave her his famous smile, and she found herself wondering how many women had fallen under the spell of that smile.

  "Come on, Boston, let's see what Jessie's planning for supper."

  The house was as warm and inviting as the welcoming veranda had suggested.

  The rooms were big and airy, with high ceilings supported by thick wooden beams. The rooms seemed to flow one into the other, with a large front parlor for company, a rear family parlor and a huge kitchen and dining room.

  Pulling off her apron and smoothing her skirts, Jessie hurried forward to greet her brother and Caroline.

  "Flowers? Oh, Caroline, how nice." Jessie lifted the bouquet to her face to inhale the perfume, then sent Lisbeth and her cousin Kate scurrying away to find vases.

  "And sour-milk biscuits," Caroline added, feeling suddenly shy.

  "I'll set them on the stove so they stay hot." Jessie took them from her guest's hands.

  "Morning Light and I are just finishing up in the kitchen if you'd like to join us."

  "Where's Cole?" Thad asked.

  "Out in the barn with the boys. He figured he'd manage to get a lot of work out of Jack today before you got here."

  As Thad swung through the door, Jessie added in a low voice,

  "Jack would do a hundred chores today just for the chance to go hunting with his idol.
"

  "Aren't you concerned that he might learn to like guns a little too much?"

  Jessie gave her a gentle smile.

  "Yes, that worries me. But don't believe all the things you hear about my brother, Caroline. There are so many rumors about him, it's hard to tell fact from fiction."

  Though the words were spoken softly, Caroline had the distinct impression that she had just been quietly rebuked.

  Morning Light looked up from the table where she was rolling out a thin layer of pastry. Sprinkling it with honey and chopped pecans, she sealed the edges and placed it in the oven to bake. Soon the kitchen was filled with the wonderful aroma of sweets.

  "What can I do to help?" Caroline asked.

  "There's china in a cabinet in the dining room. The girls can help you set the table."

  Followed by a giggling Lisbeth and Kate, Caroline made her way to the dining room, where a table big enough to hold at least twenty people dominated the room. Against one wall was a huge cabinet and hutch. As she unloaded the china, Caroline ran her hand along the smooth wood of the cabinet. Though it had been handcrafted, it was a beautiful piece of furniture.

  ' "Did your father make this?" she asked Lisbeth.

  "No, ma'am. My Uncle Thad."

  Seeing Caroline's look of surprise, she said proudly, "Uncle Thad made the table, too, and all the chairs. He told Mama it was the least he could do for her after all she'd done for him through the years."

  "And what did she do?" Caroline moved around the table, setting down plates and cups. They were a perfect set, she noted. And not one of them chipped.

  "Mama raised Uncle Thad after their mama died."

  "How old was he when that happened?"

  "Three weeks" came Jessie's voice from the doorway. She wiped her hands on a towel.

  "Ma never rallied after giving birth."

  Caroline was thunderstruck. A three-week-old baby. No wonder Jessie was so defensive of Thad's reputation. She was as much mother as sister to him.

  Caroline ducked her head and continued setting the table.

  "These are beautiful dishes," she remarked.

  "They belonged to Cole's mother. When he brought me here to his ranch, I thought I'd just died and gone to heaven. My brothers and I had grown up in a little sod shack smaller than the henhouse out back."