Hope, page 12
part #3 of Brides of the Rio Grande Series
Charity walked right up to the sheriff and stuck out both her wrists. “I think I might like you to put on them handcuffs, Sheriff Grayson. That way, we gotta stay good and close all the way back to your office.”
Billy couldn’t help but grin at the lawman’s discomfort. His face turned red as a beet and he huffed and puffed like a beached fish gasping for air. Charity was still standing in front of him, her wrists out, and a great big grin on her face.
“Get going, you two.” He stepped back and nodded his head in the direction of his jail. When the ladies finally got moving, he turned and gave Billy a look that said “Thanks a lot.”
Billy just shrugged back. “Wasn’t anything I did, Sheriff. I’m as much a victim of this spectacle as you are.”
Billy watched the sheriff follow the two still quarreling women down the boardwalk for a block or so, then he turned to search for Hope.
“Billy, we’re in here.” He turned to see Faith speaking to him from the dressmaker’s shop.
He rushed inside and saw Hope standing behind a dress mannequin. She was hiding. He felt awful about embarrassing her.
“I’m really sorry about that, Hope. I swear to you on my mother’s grave, I was just walking across the street when Cora came running up and grabbed my arm. Wasn’t anything I could do to stop it once Charity got involved.” He prayed she understood.
“I know, Billy. It’s just that—” she stopped and turned away, refusing to look at him. It made his heart hurt knowing he caused her pain.
“I’m so sorry, Hope. What can I do to make it up to you?”
No one was more surprised than he was when Hope rushed toward him. He opened up his arms and she fell against him. Now this was a turn of events he hadn’t seen coming.
9
Hope fell against Billy and pressed her cheek against his chest. Holding him felt so wonderful. Raising her face to him, she pressed her lips against his. It started as a chaste kiss of sweethearts long apart, but her burning passion for this man threatened to ignite into a raging fire. Her kissing him like this in the middle of the dressmaker’s shop was highly inappropriate. She supposed she could attribute her wanton behavior to the fact her mother’s blood coursed through her veins. The thought chilled her ardor and she broke off the kiss.
“I’m sorry. That was very inappropriate of me.” Her face heated in embarrassment and she searched the store for any unwanted observers. The owner had gone to help Faith in the dressing room so there was no one else in the store. She was thankful for that.
“Don’t apologize to me, sweetheart. There’s nothing more that I would like to do right this minute than to sneak away with you somewhere so we can be alone, but there’s something I need to talk to you about. That’s why I was headed to see you before all of this mess happened.”
“Do you want to go to the Hanovers’?” she offered.
“I was headed to the doc’s office because I was hoping we could talk a bit. In private. I suppose we could go to the Hanovers’, but my place at the Nelsons’ is closer…”
Hope heard Billy’s voice trail off in invitation. The thing was, she did want to spend some time alone with him, but she had to be careful of her reputation, considering she started with one to begin with, and after this afternoon’s public spectacle, she could only guess what people were saying about her right at this moment.
Billy pulled her into his arms, but she stopped him this time. “Not here.” Hope pushed against him, creating distance between them. “I’ll meet you at the Nelsons’ in twenty minutes. I want to make sure Faith is okay before I leave her. And I want to make certain no one sees us…together. You know, without a chaperone.
She loved the feel of her body next to his, and she could admit to herself she was jealous of Cora’s attentions toward Billy. Seeing them together had nearly pushed her into doing something she knew she would have regretted. She hated to admit it, but Charity had saved her from her own public embarrassment.
Billy nodded his understanding and touched her soft lips with a tender kiss. She kissed him back, sending her nether regions into a tail spin.
But this wasn’t the time or the place for this sort of behavior. This was something Cora or one of the girls from the Holy Moses would do. No matter how much she wanted Billy, she had to reign in her emotions if she hoped to have any chance at respectability in this town. “You go on. I’ll be along soon. You know what people will say if they see us going to your house alone.”
Billy grinned, those dimples in his cheeks making her knees want to buckle. “They will say that Billy Buchanan is the luckiest man alive to be spending time with such a special woman. And that’s all they will dare to say in my presence.”
He gave her that look when he was thinking things he shouldn’t, but she was glad he did.
“Go on,” Hope urged him.
“Okay, but don’t be long.” He grinned again and Hope watched Billy’s tall silhouette disappear up the darkening street. Her heart was on her sleeve. She had to make a decision about Billy. And soon. It wasn’t fair to either of them to hold their futures in the balance. If she wasn’t brave enough to claim Billy as her own, then she needed to let him go, but how could she when she loved him with all of her heart and soul.
Hope turned toward the dressing room and called out to her sister. “Faith, I suppose you should tell Liam that Charity got herself arrested. I don’t know if he’s gonna want to rescue her tonight or let her spend a night in jail to teach her a lesson, although we both know she won’t learn a thing from any of this.”
She heard Faith laugh behind the dressing room curtain. “I imagine Sheriff Grayson will let both Charity and Cora go within a couple of hours because their bickering back and forth is going to drive him crazy.”
Hope nodded in agreement. “You are probably right. Do you want me to walk you home? I’d be happy to,” Hope offered.
“No, Mrs. Willoughby’s nephew is going to carry my purchases for me, so he can walk me home. Don’t you have some place to be right now?”
Hope blushed.
“Yes, I suppose I do.”
“Then get going. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Hope stuck her head inside the dressing room and hugged Faith goodbye. Then, she stepped out into the night air and walked up the street toward the Nelson house at the end of Main Street and one street over. She hadn’t even made it up on the porch to knock on the door when Billy opened it and ushered her inside.
He pulled her inside and straight into his arms. “Hope, I’ve missed you so much. I thought I’d never get back to Creede.” He leaned in and his lips touched her. She melted into his arms and for a moment, she was content to be lost in Billy’ kiss surrounded by his strong protective arms.
Finally, she pulled away. “I can’t stay too long. You said there was something you wanted to talk to me about. Has something happened?”
“Here, you sit here on the sofa while I build a fire in the grate. I’m sorry the house is so cold, but I’ve been haulin’ freight and no one has been here to keep the home fire burning.”
“I know you’ve been gone, Billy. I’ve—missed you. A lot.” She felt a bit shy at expressing her feelings, even though she was sure they didn’t come as any surprise to Billy.
He grinned and sat next to her on the Nelsons’ sofa. “I’ve missed you too. More than I have words to say.” Billy took her hand into his. “Hope, there’s something I want to ask you. I’m sorry I didn’t ask you sooner, but there always seemed to be something getting’ in the way.”
Her heart hiccupped. Was Billy going to ask her to marry him?
Billy leaned in and kissed her again. His kiss was so soft and gentle. His lips felt like the brush of butterfly wings against her lips. The scrap of his beard grazed her face. She liked him with a beard. The sight of him with his dark good looks always pulled at her emotions.
Hope could admit to herself that she loved him. She missed him when he was gone. And, she was certainly capable of jealousy where he was concerned. But, could she commit to marry him?
Hope was now on pins and needles. Was Billy going to ask her to marry him again? And if he did, what would she say? She wanted him, but could she give herself permission to have him? She didn’t have an answer for him, so she stopped him from saying anything else by placing her lips against his and kissed the hell out of him.
Billy had no intention of asking Hope to marry him tonight, but he might have to reconsider if she kept kissing him like this.
“Hope, I’ve missed you too.” He pulled her tight against him and deepened the kiss between them. This wasn’t the right place or the right time to ask her to be his wife. He wanted the memories of that moment to be special. Unforgettable. He wanted the whole town to know Hope belonged to him, but this was the perfect time for showing Hope how much he loved her. He broke off his kiss and pulled Hope into his lap, but she resisted. “
“Billy, I don’t think we should be—I think I should be getting home soon.”
He held her on his lap and looked into her beautiful eyes. “Hope, there’s something I wanted to ask you first.”
“Billy, I—” Hope pushed herself off his lap and took a seat on the Nelson sofa.
He turned to her and pulled her hands into his. “I know I’m kinda late in askin’, but you know I been gone so I couldn’t ask you until now. Will you do me the honor of going with me to the Winter Festival dance? I mean, I figured you would, but I didn’t want to go assumin’ in case you had another man wantin’ to court you and all.” He was teasing her. At least he hoped there was no truth to his gest.
“Billy, I thought we talked about—the dance?” Hope stuttered. He knew she was expecting him to ask a different question, but he wasn’t ready. Not yet.
“Yes, the dance. Will you go with me next Friday to the Winter dance? Everyone is going and I can pick you up around six o’clock next Friday. We can walk if the wind isn’t blowing too hard, but if it is, then we can ride with Mr. and Mrs. Hanover in their carriage. Hiram said he wouldn’t mind a bit.” He knew he was talking too much, but the longer she remained silent, the more nervous he grew.
“Um, you are asking me if I’ll—go to the Winter Festival dance with you?”
“Yes. Everyone in town is going and I hear Jeb Ezekiel and his fiddle will be doing the honors. There’s no one better than him at playing dancin’ songs. And wear comfortable shoes. I intend to keep you out on that dance floor until the cows come home.”
Billy watched Hope’s expression. She was quiet and it seemed she was disappointed. That was a good sign, right? If she was disappointed that he hadn’t asked her to marry him tonight, then surely that meant she would say yes to his proposal next Friday. He couldn’t have been happier.
“So, will you go with me?” He pushed her for an answer.
She nodded. “Yes, of course I’ll go with you, Billy.”
“Great! I’ll pick you up at six o’clock sharp next Friday night.” He pulled Hope into his arms. “It will be a night to remember, I promise you.”
He kissed her with the promise of more to come. He loved this woman more than life itself and he was willing to do whatever he could to make her happy.
“Well, I guess I better get you home before someone thinks you’ve been kidnapped.”
“Yes, I think I probably should get home,” she said. “It’s getting dark and I don’t want people to think that we were—are…you know.”
Billy picked up her wool cloak from the chair and wrapped it around her shoulders. Then, he pulled her into his arms. He loved the feel of her body next to his. Overcome with emotion, he blurted, “I love you, Hope Anderson. I hope you know that. And don’t you worry one bit about what people think. If folks have a mind to be mean-spirited, then ain’t nothin’ to be done about it. Everyone that knows you can’t say a bad word about you. You are the sweetest, most kindest person I’ve ever met. And those that choose to back bite, ain’t nobody gonna listen to what they say anyway.”
He touched her soft lips with a tender kiss. He was delighted when she returned his kiss. He wished they could get married tomorrow because his passion for this woman was hard to rein in, but no matter how deep his feelings for Hope ran, he would never disrespect her or jeopardize her reputation in that way.
Billy pulled away and kissed the top of her head instead. He pressed her head against his chest. They stood that way for a few minutes until a gunshot sounded off in the distance.
Billy laughed. “Sounds like things are picking up down on Main Street.”
He watched Hope nod in agreement. “Yes, and I really should be getting home. The Hanovers will start to worry if I don’t come home soon. And I think they have enough to worry about with Charity being arrested and all.”
“You don’t think she’s still in jail, do you?” Billy couldn’t imagine Hiram or Liam leaving Hope’s sister inside a jail cell, but then again, the woman was a handful.
“No, I’m sure she’s already home. I know both Hiram and Liam like Sheriff Grayson. They wouldn’t do that to the man.”
Billy laughed at Hope’s insight. She may have meant her comment to be funny, but Billy knew there was a whole lotta truth to it too.
“It is my pleasure to walk with you to the Hanovers, if you have no objections to the idea.” Billy knew she wouldn’t say no, but he wanted her to want him to walk her home.
Six blocks later, he deposited Hope at the Hanovers’. Hiram winked at him and asked him if he wanted to come inside for a spell.
“No sir, but thank you for the offer. I have had a very long day and I’m ready to climb into my nice warm bed. I’ll take you up on that at a later time, if the offer still stands.”
“Of course, my boy. I look forward to it.” The portly man nodded his goodbye and disappeared inside the parlor, out of which the sounds of other voices drifted. He recognized Aggie’s and Charity’s. He only caught a snippet or two, but it sounded like Aggie was trying to explain to Charity why it isn’t socially acceptable to be hauled down the street in handcuffs by a lawman. It sounded like Charity was in total disagreement with Aggie’s point of view.
Billy smiled and closed the door behind him. “Good luck with that, Mrs. Hanover. That’s like trying to put a saddle on a yearling colt,” he mumbled to himself.
He walked down the boardwalk toward his rented home, his hands stuffed inside his coat pockets against the chilly breeze blowing off the snow from the peaks of the mountains surrounding Creede. His thoughts drifted to the beautiful sapphire and diamond ring hidden in the velvet pouch in the bottom of his dresser drawer. He was one happy man.
10
Hope was still trying to convince Charity to put on the beautiful dress Aggie had made especially for her to wear to the Winter Dance when she heard Aggie’s voice calling from downstairs. “Girls, our escorts have arrived. It’s time to go. I trust you won’t keep the gentlemen waiting long.”
Hope turned to her sister who was half in and half out of the hated dress. “See? Now you have made us late. Finish getting dressed and I’ll go down and stall, but if you aren’t downstairs in ten minutes, we are all leaving without you.” Hope hated being harsh with her sister, but sometimes that was the only tactic that worked with her rebellious sister.
She rushed downstairs only to find an empty hall. A momentary rush of panic was quashed by the sound of voices coming from the library. There was only one voice she was interested in.
“Hope. There you are. We were just discussing—” Hiram’s voice was cut short by a jab to his ribs from his wife. “I was going to say we were discussing Hope’s success as Doc Howard’s medical assistant. That is, before I was skewered by your bony elbow, my dear.”
“My elbows haven’t been bony in many years, but I love you all the more for saying it.” Aggie grinned and gave her husband a kiss on his chubby cheek.
Hope watched the couple exchange quips and could see how much they loved each other. If only she could be certain that she and Billy would be so happy if they were married. There was so many things that still stood between them and at the forefront was his confession of trying to steal his best friend’s wife.
She glanced around the room and there stood Billy talking to John. He glanced at her, winked, and returned his attention to John. Grace was sitting on the settee, smiling at the bickering couple too. She noticed Hope standing at the door. “Hope, come join us. Where is Charity? Please tell me you finally convinced her to put on the dress.”
Hope couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she made her way across the room, gifting Grace with a quick peck on her cheek and joining her on the settee. She stole a glance toward Billy. Dear Lord he was so handsome. The sight of him standing in his white shirt, black coat and tie made her body want things a proper unmarried young woman should not want.
“Hope?” She was startled by a voice very close by. It was Grace whispering in her ear. “My dear sister. You might want to try to temper your emotions. Just a bit. You are looking at Billy as if you could, well, I think you know what you are thinking in that pretty head of yours.”
Hope could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. Grace patted her on the hand, a knowing smile on her face. “Don’t worry. Our men are so engrossed in their conversation, I’m sure your secret is safe. For now.” Grace stood. “We really should be going. Should someone check on Charity’s progress—”
“No, I don’t need no one checkin’ on my progress. I’m here. Ain’t happy about it. But I’m here.”
Everyone turned at the sound of Charity’s voice and a collective gasp stuttered into complete silence. No one could utter a single word.
“Well goldarn it. I knew this was a bad idea. I’m gonna go put my britches back on.” Charity turned to leave, but Aggie rushed to stop her.
“Oh, my dear. You look—” Aggie seemed speechless for once. Hope didn’t blame the woman. She was at a loss for words herself. Thank goodness Grace had her wits about her.
