Silver Springs Page 10

  “How about here?”

  “If your father caught us here, he’d think I’d compromised you and make us get married right away!”

  “Father doesn’t even know about this place.”

  “He doesn’t?”

  “No, I keep it a secret so I have a place to go when he comes to visit.”

  Ox stepped out from behind the screen as he finished buttoning his shirt. “Your father doesn’t live in Cheyenne?”

  “Not usually. He has a very nice home in New York, but he sort of took up residence here when Duncan passed on. I’m hoping he’ll leave once he thinks I’m going along with his plan to marry you.”

  “We can always hope.” He sat down in the overstuffed chair and held his bare feet out to the flames.

  Angel stared at them. There was something curiously intimate about a man’s toes. “Your feet still cold?”

  “Not really, but that fire sure feels good. I think I just came up with a name for our stage line.”

  “Oh?” Angel pulled her gaze away. After the embarrassing episode with his mouth, she didn’t dare concentrate on his feet anymore. Who knew where her eyes would wind up? “What’s that?”

  “The Silver Springs Express.”

  “Hmm,” she said consideringly, “not bad.”

  “We’re probably crazy to even be thinking of this. It’s kind of like David going up against Goliath.”

  “True, but David won, remember?”

  “And so will we.” He lifted his coffee in salute. “Here’s to success.”

  “To success.”

  As Angel raised her cup to her lips, she reflected on how strange life was. Here she was, about to embark on the challenge of a lifetime, and all she could think about was her partner’s naked feet.

  Chapter 10

  “Alexis, dear, are you out here?” Vanessa called, stepping into the garden behind the house.

  Angel finished patting the soil around the small shrub she had just planted. “Right here. Hand me the spade, will you, Shannon?”

  “Oh my,” Vanessa said as she caught sight of her stepdaughter kneeling in the dirt. “What are you doing?”

  “Just moving a few plants that were too close together. Why?”

  “It’s nearly tea time.”

  “Heavens, already?” Angel winked at Shannon. Vanessa’s tenacious refusal to give up tea time was a standing joke in the family. It was the only thing, other than her accent, that remained of her British roots. “Oh well, not to worry. It will only take Shannon and me a moment to wash our hands.”

  Vanessa eyed the front of Angel’s skirt. “You’ll need to change your clothes, too.”

  Angel glanced down in surprise. Her dress was a little mussed, but not really dirty. “Why?”

  “You’ll want to make a good impression.”

  “Uh-oh. Who’s coming, Vanessa?”

  “Your father mentioned it to Mr. Treenery this morning. He’s bringing his daughter-in-law and his grandson.”

  “Vanessa—”

  “The elder Mr. Treenery is about to escort Mrs. Treenery to her sister’s in Boston,” Vanessa broke in before Angel had a chance to finish her sentence. “I knew you’d want to visit with her again before she left.”

  Angel would have been delighted to spend a little more time with Ox’s mother, if they could have been alone. But under the watchful eyes of her father, it was sure to be an ordeal. Every time she came in contact with him, she took the chance of giving herself away.

  Besides, this would be the first time she and Ox were around anyone else, though they’d spent plenty of time together over the last week and a half. She wondered nervously if their ‘romance’ would be convincing enough. “I wish you’d told me sooner. I wouldn’t have spent so much time in the garden.”

  Vanessa looked puzzled. “Whatever possessed you to come out here and dig in the dirt anyway?”

  “I don’t know, but it was very relaxing. Shannon and I enjoyed ourselves immensely.”

  Shannon nodded eagerly. “Oh yes, Mama, An...er Alexis was showing me all about gardening.”

  “I wasn’t aware she knew anything about it.”

  “I only dabble a bit. I got started when Duncan couldn’t find a decent gardener in Cheyenne,” Angel said, brushing off the front of her dress. “Come on, Shannon, we wouldn’t want to be late for tea.”

  “Alexis never works in the garden,” Shannon whispered when they were out of earshot.

  “She’s going to start. I can’t abide sitting around with idle time on my hands.” Angel smiled down at her sister. “You had fun, didn’t you?”

  “Oh yes. Can we do it again soon?”

  “We’ll have to make sure it doesn’t interfere with tea time,” Angel said with a grin. “Better scoot along now, or we’ll both be in trouble.”

  Normally, it wouldn’t have taken Angel long to change, but today, she wanted to look her best. She and Ox would be under intense scrutiny. In the end, she chose an apple green walking dress that brought out the pink in her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes. How ironic. A mere month ago she’d been intent on persuading everyone this betrothal was impossible. Now, she was just as determined to make them think it was her heart’s desire. With a last pat to her hair, she took a deep breath and went downstairs to join the others.

  The Treenerys had just arrived and were still standing in the hallway when Angel reached the bottom of the stairs. “I’m so glad you could come, Mrs. Treenery, Mr. Treenery,” she said, trying to ignore her irrational flare of disappointment over Ox’s absence.

  Beth Ann smiled brightly. “Why, thank you. I hope you don’t mind we’re a little early. Your father and my son were delayed. I didn’t want to wait, and Papa Treenery was kind enough to escort me. I did so want to chat with you, Mrs. Smythe.”

  “Please, call me Alexis.”

  “And you must call me Beth Ann. Jamie talks about you and your sister Angel so much, I feel as though I’ve known you both for years.”

  “Jamie? Oh, you mean Ox.”

  James Treenery stiffened, but Beth Ann’s eyes twinkled in a way that reminded Angel strongly of her son. “Of course.”

  “I’m glad we have a chance to visit before you leave town.” So Ox talked about her to his mother? The thought gave Angel a warm feeling inside. “I think my stepmother is in the parlor waiting for us.”

  “You know, I’ve never been to a real English tea before, ” Beth Ann confided as they moved toward the parlor door. “You’ll probably think me silly, but I’m rather excited about it.”

  “I don’t think it’s silly at all, and it will please Vanessa no end. She feels we don’t give the tradition proper respect.”

  “Waste of time, if you ask me,” James Treenery grumbled. “No place for a man.”

  Angel swallowed a grin as she opened the parlor door. “Vanessa, our guests are here for tea.”

  The children had already arrived and were patiently waiting for the adults. Beth Ann was delighted, but the look on James Treenery’s face was anything but. He couldn’t have been more disgusted if he’d found pigs romping in the parlor.

  Ox’s mother was an instant success with the children. Within five minutes, Betsy was sitting in her lap, Shannon was watching her with worshipful eyes, and even Jared unbent enough to tell her about the tree house he and his friends were building.

  Angel thoroughly enjoyed herself as Vanessa and Beth Ann progressed from discussing the accomplishments of the Brady brood to the finer points of child rearing. The conversation wasn’t particularly entertaining, but James Treenery’s reaction to it was. He became more revolted by the second. As his expression soured, Angel had a difficult time not giggling.

  “Your son tells me you’ve recently been to New York, Beth Ann,” Vanessa said pleasantly, “and that you particularly enjoyed the opera.”

  Beth Ann nodded. “I was lucky enough to hear Jessica Lanford. It was delightful.”

  “Really? I’ve never had the pleasure,” Va
nessa said avidly. “They say her voice is the ninth wonder of the world. Is it true?”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me in the least. I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Sadly, it was her last performance before she disappeared.”

  Vanessa’s voice took on a conspiratorial note. “Isn’t that the strangest thing? She said she was going to visit her mother and vanished without a trace. No one has seen hide nor hair of her since.”

  “Small loss, if you ask me,” James Treenery muttered. “Never heard such caterwauling in my life.”

  Beth Ann smiled. “Papa Treenery isn’t fond of opera.”

  “Mr. Treenery!” Betsy cried suddenly, squirming off Beth Ann’s lap and heading for the door. Angel turned just in time to see the little girl grab Ox around the legs and hug him for all she was worth. It was hard to say who was more surprised; Ox or Richard Brady, who looked at his youngest child as though she’d sprouted horns.

  “Here now, Betsy,” he said disapprovingly. “Don’t bother Mr. Treenery.”

  “It’s no bother,” Ox said, awkwardly patting the little girl on the head. “Hello, Betsy.”

  She gazed up at him adoringly. “You hold me?”

  “Uh...” His uncertain expression gradually dissolved into a slight smile as she gazed up at him with her big blue eyes. “Let me see your hands.”

  She held them out, and he solemnly inspected them. “No jam, I see,” he said, swinging her up in his arms. “Have you waited for us then?”

  Betsy nodded. “Mama said we had to. Can we eat now? I hungry.”

  “An excellent idea,” put in Vanessa.

  “We’ll go tell Martha,” Shannon said, jumping to her feet. “Come on, Jared.”

  Vanessa frowned as they hurried out the door. “What do you suppose got into them?”

  “Probably too much adult conversation,” Beth Ann said with an understanding smile. “Well, Jamie, I see you and young Betsy are already acquainted.”

  Ox grinned. “She has a way of making herself known.”

  “He let me ride his horsey.”

  “She shamed him into it,” Angel said with a chuckle. It was only when her father gave her a sharp look that it occurred to her Alexis was more likely to giggle than chuckle. It was something she’d have to watch in the future.

  Martha chose that moment to enter, carrying the tea tray. Shannon and Jared followed closely behind with finger sandwiches and sweet cakes.

  Angel swallowed a sigh of relief as her father turned his attention to his wife, who was directing Ox and himself to chairs.

  Ox obediently set Betsy down and went to sit by Angel on the settee. Since they had discussed at length how to make their betrothal convincing, Angel was fully prepared for his loving smile and the tender way he touched her hand. What she wasn’t expecting was the effect it had on her.

  Suddenly, she found it hard to breathe, and her whole body felt as though it had been dipped in warm honey. She didn’t even have to fake her reaction. The slight blush and shy smile were as real as they looked.

  “Set those over here by your sister,” Martha instructed her two helpers. “Don’t think you can get away with taking more than your share just because you helped, either. Now, sit down and behave yourself.” With a sniff, she turned her attention to Angel. “Will you be needing anything else, Mrs. Smythe?” she asked pointedly, clearly identifying her as the mistress of the house.

  “No, I’m sure this will be fine. You’ve done a lovely job. Thank you.”

  “Humph, as though it’s any different today than it was yesterday,” she muttered as she went to the door.

  Ox leaned closer to Angel and whispered, “And I’ll bet that’s Martha, right?”

  Only Angel heard his question, but everyone saw the way her lips quirked when she nodded and his answering grin as they shared their private joke. The looks Vanessa and Beth Ann gave each other were only slightly less triumphant than the ones that passed between the elder James Treenery and Richard Brady.

  Angel looked up at Ox. Could he tell how hard her heart was pounding in her chest? He glanced down and gave her a little wink. For one breathless moment, she could almost believe it was all gloriously real, then reality returned as her stepmother’s voice broke through the curtain of euphoria.

  “Do you take sugar in your tea, Beth Ann?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “I’ll pass the sandwiches,” Shannon said, jumping to her feet. “And Jared can hand around the tea.”

  Angel’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. Since when did Shannon and Jared offer to help with tea? They were more likely to find excuses to be elsewhere. What were they up to?

  “Were the horses to your liking, Jamie?”

  Ox permitted himself a slight smile as he answered his grandfather’s question. “As a matter of fact, they’re exactly what I was looking for.”

  “Excellent.” The old man accepted a cup of tea from Jared. “I think it’s the proper time to make our announcement, Jamie, don’t you?”

  “I suppose it’s as good a time as any.” There was a note of disgust in Ox’s voice. It was too subtle to be noticed by everyone, but it was enough that his grandfather’s jaw tightened in irritation for a fraction of a second, then relaxed.

  “My grandson has agreed to take over my half of The Flying T,” he said.

  “But only when he can’t be in Cheyenne,” Ox added.

  “Well, congratulations, my boy.” Richard Brady acted as though the idea was a completely new one to him. “We need some young blood in the company.”

  Beth Ann frowned “I thought it was Jamie’s to start with.”

  “I’m afraid you misunderstood, Mother.” Ox reached for a sandwich on the tray. “The Flying T belongs to my grandfather and Mr. Brady. They only want me to run it for them.”

  James Treenery waved his hand. “Nonsense, my boy. It’s merely a matter of—”

  “Do have a sandwich, Alexis,” Shannon said quietly so as not to interrupt James Treenery.

  Something in Shannon’s voice set alarm bells ringing in Angel’s head, but she could see nothing wrong with her sandwich. Nor could she see anything amiss with the way her sister was serving, though she watched her intensely for several minutes. So why the smug satisfaction?

  When she glanced away, she was startled to find her father’s gaze locked on her face. Had that chuckle given her away after all? Her father wasn’t unobservant like Vanessa, nor could he be convinced as easily as Ox, who had never actually met Alexis. The only thing in her favor was the absolute idiocy of what she and Alexis had done. Richard Brady was having difficulty believing it. Maybe if she did something only Alexis would do, she could put his suspicions to rest. But what?

  And then she had it. So simple really, it was rather amazing she hadn’t thought of it before. Angel yawned. It was a very small yawn and carefully hidden behind her hand, but it did the trick. Vanessa gave her a questioning glance, which Angel returned with a slight shrug of her shoulders as if to say all the talk of business bored her to tears.

  Vanessa, ever the adept hostess, took the matter in hand. “Gentlemen, your tea is getting cold.” It worked perfectly. Even James Treenery stopped his rather one-sided discussion of the merits of investing in stocks.

  Angel sneaked a peek at her father out of the corner of her eye. The look of pure disgust on his face was unmistakable. Good. He was forever calling Alexis a bubble-head.

  She fought the urge to smile as she brought her cup to her lips. But when she looked up, she saw Ox watching her in surprise. Her sudden disinterest in business would take some explaining. He quirked an eyebrow and took a bite of his sandwich. He never dropped his gaze as he chewed.

  Angel felt a wave of apprehension. Would he believe she did it to fool her father? Suddenly, without warning, his face turned an alarming shade of red.

  “Ox?” Angel sat forward in consternation. “Ox, what is it?”

  But he only gasped as though he couldn’t catch his breath. “He’s c
hoking!” Angel cried, slapping him on the back.

  It didn’t seem to help. Tears appeared and coursed their way down his now purple cheeks as he reached out and grabbed his teacup. He gulped the contents like a man dying of thirst. A second later he spit it all back out, spraying tea halfway across the room.

  Angel was in a panic. She continued to slap his back, not knowing what else to do, but it made no difference. All at once, Jared was there with a glass of water, his face as white as a sheet.

  “Here, Mr. Treenery. Drink this, it will help.”

  Ox grabbed it from his hand and downed it all in several big swallows.

  When he put the glass down at last, he took a long shuddering breath, the first he’d had since the ordeal began. He glared down at the sandwich he held in his hand. “Jesus,” he rasped out. “What’s in that damn thing?” Then he went off into a fit of coughing.

  Angel took the sandwich from his lax fingers. Her lips thinned as she pulled the bread apart to look inside. Then she picked up Ox’s cup, dipped a finger into the tea and stuck it cautiously in her mouth. “Yuck!”

  “What is it?” Beth Ann asked fearfully. “Will he be all right?”

  “He’ll be fine,” Angel said, rubbing Ox’s arm as he collapsed back against the settee. “He just ate something he shouldn’t have.”

  Vanessa gave her a bewildered look. “But we all had the sandwiches and tea.”

  “That’s right, but somebody,” Angel said, glowering at Shannon and Jared, “put pepper in his sandwich and alum in his tea.”

  Chapter 11

  “We didn’t mean to hurt him, Angel. Honest,” Jared said earnestly.

  Angel frowned at him. “Maybe you should tell that to Mr. Treenery.”

  “We tried, but his mother said he was too sick for visitors.” Shannon’s eyes were wide with worry. “He is going to be all right, isn’t he?”

  “No thanks to you two, he is. There was enough pepper and alum in his food to bring a full-grown buffalo to its knees.”