Silver Springs Read online

  “Yes, but that was before the party,” Jared put in quickly. “She was telling us all about it.”

  “I liked the dancing,” Shannon added, “And all the pretty dresses. I especially liked Mrs. Dayton’s.”

  “It’s too bad we didn’t think of letting the two of you stay up and take a peek from the top of the stairs,” Angel said. She was rewarded with unrepentant grins from her brother and sister.

  As usual, Vanessa was oblivious to the interchange between the three. “I’m so glad you decided to go along with your father’s wishes, Alexis. He was very pleased with the way you treated Mr. Treenery.”

  “My aim in life is to please my father.”

  “I must admit, Mr. Treenery was something of a surprise,” Vanessa said candidly. “He’s seems quite nice and so handsome, too.”

  Angel had to bite her lip to keep from grinning. Vanessa clearly hadn’t expected much of her husband’s choice either. “I’m still not interested in marrying him.”

  “Certainly not, you only just met. I told your father he’d have to give the two of you a chance to get to know each other first.”

  “And I’m sure he’s willing to do that.”

  “Of course he is. Your father isn’t an ogre, you know. Oh, heavens, here I am chattering on like a magpie, and he’s waiting for you downstairs.”

  Angel frowned. “My father?”

  “No, silly, Mr. Treenery. I think he’s very taken with you.”

  Angel’s heart jumped to her throat. Ox was waiting for her downstairs? Willing herself to stay calm, she walked back to the dressing table. “I’ll be down in a few minutes, as soon as I finish my hair.”

  “All right, dear, but don’t keep him waiting too long. You children run along now.” Vanessa said, shooing her offspring toward the door. “Alexis doesn’t have time to visit.”

  Angel glanced back over her shoulder. “They don’t have to leave.”

  “It’s all right. We have something we need to do anyway,” Jared said.

  Shannon looked surprised. “We do?”

  “Yes.” Jared gave her a little push toward the door. “And we have to get started right away.”

  A slight frown marred Vanessa’s brow as she watched them go. “What do you suppose they’re up to?”

  “No good, I’ll wager.” Martha picked up the hairbrush and started on Angel’s hair again. “If there’s no trouble to get into, those two will make their own.”

  “I best go see.”

  Vanessa hurried out after them, and Angel smiled. “Do you think she’ll be able to thwart whatever Jared has planned?”

  Martha snorted. “Not likely. In fact, if I know those two, she’ll probably wind up helping them without realizing she’s doing it. Stop your fidgeting or I’ll never get this done.”

  “I’m sorry.” Angel forced herself to sit still. “I’m just not used to having anyone do my hair for me.” In truth, it was difficult not to jump up and pace the room. How ridiculous for the mere anticipation of seeing Ox to set her heart pounding in her chest like this. It wasn’t as if she was a silly schoolgirl, for heaven’s sake. By the time Martha secured the last hairpin, Angel had calmed herself, at least outwardly. It was a very serene widow who entered the parlor a few minutes later and greeted Ox Bruford.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Treenery.”

  He flashed her his heart-stopping grin. “Please, call me Ox. I never could abide being called Mr. Treenery. It sounds too much like my grandfather.”

  “Very well...uh...Ox.” Her tone left no doubt she thought it was a peculiar name. “Won’t you sit down?”

  “Actually, I came to ask if you’d like to go for a buggy ride.”

  Angel glanced toward the window. The gorgeous spring day beckoned. This might be a good time to begin trying to find out why he needed to marry for money. Besides, a buggy ride with Ox was too tempting to resist. “I suppose I have time for a short one. Just let me get my wrap.”

  “Alexis, Alexis!” The door burst open and a small whirlwind dashed into the room.

  Angel bent down and scooped the little girl up in her arms. “What is it, precious?”

  “I go with you?”

  “Who said I was going anywhere?”

  “Shannon and Jared.”

  Angel swallowed a smile. So that’s what they were up to. They couldn’t have provided her with a better chaperone. “Uh,...Ox,...This is my youngest sister, Elizabeth. Betsy, this is Mr. Treenery.”

  “Howdy do, Mr. Treenery.” She stuck out her hand.

  He cleared his throat uncomfortably, then reached out and awkwardly shook her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Brady.”

  “I go with you and Alexis?”

  “I guess you could,” he said with a wary smile. “If you want to.”

  “I do!”

  A startled expression crossed Ox’s face as Betsy withdrew her hand from his larger one. He glanced down at his palm, and his brows rose a fraction.

  “Please, Alexis,” Betsy pleaded, putting her hands on either side of Angel’s face and looking earnestly into her sister’s eyes.

  Angel reached up and pulled a blonde braid. “I don’t know, brat, will you be a good girl?”

  “I be perfect.”

  “You promise not to scare the horses, or jump out of the buggy, or cry when it’s time to come home?” Angel asked.

  “I promise,” Betsy said.

  Though most of her attention was on the little girl in her arms, Angel couldn’t help but notice Ox watching them with rapt attention. How peculiar. He always maintained he couldn’t stand children. “All right then, let’s go ask your mother,” she said, setting Betsy on her feet. “We’ll be back in a few minutes Mr...I mean, Ox.”

  “Take your time.” Ox’s grin was even bigger than usual.

  “Is something wrong?” Angel asked suspiciously.

  “I wouldn’t call it wrong exactly.” His eyes danced with ill-concealed humor. “But you might want to...check your hair before we leave.”

  Mystified, Angel followed Betsy out into the hall. She was still wondering what Ox’s problem was when they reached Alexis’s sitting room where Vanessa was working on her embroidery.

  Angel glanced in the mirror that hung outside the door and froze in dismay. No wonder Ox was amused; it was amazing he wasn’t laughing outright. Check her hair indeed! There wasn’t a thing wrong with her coiffeur, but her cheeks were another matter. They were covered with two perfect handprints, outlined in sticky purple jam.

  Chapter 7

  “Be careful, Betsy,” Angel said as her sister bounced up and down on the buggy seat. “You’ll fall out if you don’t sit still.” Though all her attention appeared focused on the little girl, she was vitally aware of the man sitting next to her. In all the time she and Ox had been friends, they’d never done anything like this. There were definitely some advantages to pretending to be Alexis.

  “Look, Alexis, a moose!” Betsy said, leaning precariously over the side.

  “No, sweetheart, that’s a cow,” Angel said, pulling her back.

  “I ride it?”

  Ox chuckled. “People don’t ride cows.”

  “Why not?”

  “I guess because people milk them instead.”

  “Why?”

  “Well...” Ox said thoughtfully, “maybe because the saddles don’t fit.”

  “I ride it without a saddle?”

  Ox shook his head. “No, that’s not a good idea. Cows aren’t trained like horses. Anyway, ladies never ride bareback.”

  “Angel does.”

  “She does?”

  “Uh-huh. I be like Angel.”

  Angel rolled her eyes. “I promise you, Angel never rode a cow.”

  “You let me ride a cow, Mr. Treenery?”

  “No.” A look of consternation crossed his face as Betsy’s inquisitive blue eyes filled with tears.

  “Uh...maybe I’ll take you for a horseback ride one of these days.”

 
The tears instantly disappeared. “Tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow? I don’t know...”

  Angel bit back a grin. If Shannon and Jared were like her, Betsy was the image of Alexis. It was all Angel could do not to laugh as she watched her baby sister skillfully wrap Ox around her little finger.

  “Please?” Betsy pleaded, staring up at him earnestly.

  Ox raised an eyebrow. “If Alexis comes along, I will.”

  Betsy switched around and gazed up at her sister pleadingly. “Please, Alexis, please. I want to go with Mr. Treenery!”

  “We’ll see,” Angel said. “And you don’t need to try those fake tears with me, because they won’t work.”

  “What do you say, Alexis, shall we let this little one have her way and go for a ride tomorrow?” Ox asked.

  “I think she gets her way too often as it is.”

  Ox grinned. “Then once more won’t hurt.”

  “No, I suppose not.”

  “May I take that as a yes?”

  Angel shrugged. “I suppose so.”

  “With enthusiasm like that, I’m tempted to suggest a picnic, too,” Ox said with a twinkle in his eye.

  The warm smile set alarm bells ringing in Angel’s head. What was she doing flirting with him when she was supposed to be convincing him he didn’t want to marry Alexis? “Picnics aren’t my style. I don’t like eating in the dirt.”

  She watched his smile fade with a certain amount of satisfaction. A man who lived and worked outdoors the way Ox did was sure to be offended by such a statement. It wouldn’t take long to convince him how inappropriate Alexis would be for a wife.

  “Would you mind my asking you a personal question, Alexis?”

  “That would depend on the question.”

  “I was just wondering how long you’ve been interested in the stage business.”

  “The stage? Why never really, though I’ve always thought acting might be fun if it weren’t so socially unacceptable.”

  “Acting?” It was Ox’s turn to look surprised. “Oh no, I didn’t mean that kind of stage. Stagecoaches.”

  “What on earth would make you think I was interested in stagecoaches?”

  “My grandfather told me you wanted to take over your father’s half of The Flying T.”

  “The Flying T?”

  “The stage line your father and my grandfather own.”

  Angel shook her head. “I can’t imagine where your grandfather got such a notion. My father never even discusses business with me, let alone actually letting me participate.”

  “My grandfather said that was the reason for this proposed...uh...partnership.”

  Angel laughed. “If your grandfather believes my father will give up one ounce of power to anybody, he’s doomed to disappointment.”

  “Not even to his daughter?”

  “Especially not to his daughter. My father controls everything and everybody around him. He’d never let me make business decisions; he wouldn’t even let me choose what I wore to the party last night.”

  Ox raised an eyebrow. “Has he always been like this? I mean, I can’t imagine anyone telling Angel what to do.”

  “He tried. That’s why she left.” She gave him a direct look. “If I know my father, he sees this as a way for him to get more control of the company, not less.”

  “It seems your father and my grandfather have the same flaw,” Ox observed. “That might just be their downfall.”

  “Wouldn’t I love to see that!”

  “Maybe you will,” Ox said pensively. “Maybe you will.”

  Angel was still wondering what Ox meant when she paid her nightly visit to Alexis shortly after dinner. Predictably, her sister was less concerned with what plan Ox might have in mind than how long it was going to take Angel to persuade him to give up his suit. She laughed aloud when Angel told her about the jam fiasco.

  “We should have realized Shannon and Jared would jump into the middle of things. Who else would have thought of sending Betsy along as a chaperone?” Alexis said with a grin.

  “I have to admit, it was pretty clever of them.” Angel took a sip of tea and relaxed back into her chair. “Though I wasn’t nearly as impressed with the rest of it.”

  Alexis giggled. “It’s too bad Betsy didn’t leave her jam on Mr. Treenery instead.”

  “From the look on his face, I think she did. Besides, a little jam won’t stop Ox.”

  “What will?”

  Angel sighed, “I’m not sure, but I think you’re going to be very silly tomorrow.”

  “Will he believe it?” Alexis asked doubtfully.

  “He doesn’t know you. Besides, the world expects rich widows to be brainless simpletons.”

  “Thank you.” Alexis made a face. “I’m glad I won’t be there to witness myself as a total idiot.”

  Angel grinned. “It’s your own fault. You decided to let me play the part.” Then she sobered. “I just wish I knew what Ox is up to.”

  “He’s trying to convince you to marry him. “

  Angel shook her head. “I don’t think so. There’s nothing the least bit romantic about the way he’s acting.”

  “You probably wouldn’t recognize it if there were.”

  “Of course I would,” Angel said with a touch of irritation. “I know a man with marriage on his mind when I see one.”

  “Sure, that’s why you never even realized John Stikes was trying to court you until he proposed,” Alexis reminded her. “You just assumed he thought of you as a good friend.”

  “I was sixteen!”

  “And how many men have courted you since?”

  “None.” Angel didn’t count Terence. He hadn’t courted her so much as hoodwinked the naïve girl she used to be. She hadn’t even told Alexis or Martha about him.

  “See?” Alexis smiled triumphantly. “There were probably dozens, you just didn’t know it.”

  “Alexis, I’ve spent most of that time running casinos!”

  “Right, casinos frequented by men. Surely there were some who looked at you as something other than a businesswoman.”

  “I’m sure there were, but it wasn’t marriage they were thinking of.”

  “You don’t know that. Anyway, I don’t think you can trust your instincts on this, Angel. You’ve got to try harder to keep Mr. Treenery at arm’s length. I don’t want to wind up married to him.”

  “If you don’t like the way I’m doing things, why don’t you just end this stupid charade and do it yourself?” Angel snapped. “I’ll be glad to step aside.”

  Alexis bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Angel. I didn’t mean to sound critical. I just don’t want anybody to get hurt, including your friend.”

  “Don’t worry, I know exactly how to keep Ox Bruford at arm’s length.”

  Alexis tipped her head to the side consideringly. “Are you sure you want to? I mean, you almost seem to be enjoying this.”

  “It’s just that I like a challenge; you know that.”

  “You also like him,” Alexis said.

  “Of course I like him. Ox and I have been friends for a long time.”

  Alexis tapped a finger on her tea cup thoughtfully. “What about him? Maybe his feelings for the Angel he knows are a bit warmer than you think.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous! There’s never been anything the least lover-like in his manner.” Angel dismissed the notion with a wave of her hand. “He’d probably laugh himself silly at the idea.”

  But her sister’s words and the good-bye kiss at South Pass City kept running through Angel’s mind. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to put a little more distance between them, just in case.

  Ox felt the crazy urge to whistle as he rode up to Alexis Smythe’s house. There was no guarantee she would agree to help him, yet he couldn’t shake the positive feeling he’d had ever since the idea occurred to him. Angel would have embraced the plan wholeheartedly, for it was just the sort of challenge she thrived on. If Alexis was as much like her twin as she seemed, she’d
jump at the proposition he was going to offer her.

  His feet had barely touched the ground when the door burst open and Betsy came flying down the steps.

  “Mr. Treenery!” she yelled. “I ride with you?”

  “Not if you scare my horse.”

  She came to an abrupt halt at the bottom of the steps, then started toward him again on tip-toe. “I be very quiet,” she whispered. “Alexis said she be right out. Can I talk to the horsey?”

  “If you’re very careful and don’t make any quick movements.” Ox watched in amusement as Betsy petted the horse and whispered nonsense to it. No wonder she was a trifle spoiled; she was such a cute little thing. Even his horse Sabin seemed to like her.

  Time passed slowly as Ox waited for Alexis to appear. Betsy kept up a steady stream of chatter, though she eventually lost interest in the horse and moved on to the sticks and gravel along the side of the road. Ox’s glances toward the house became more frequent as she hit him with a barrage of questions about castles and dragons. He eventually started walking his horse and was on the verge of losing patience when the door finally opened.

  Ox looked up and caught his breath in surprise. Though he had never seen Angel in a fashionable riding habit, he was struck by how much Alexis looked like her today. It would be virtually impossible to tell them apart. Only the top hat that perched atop her head, resplendent with a large blue feather looked out of place.

  The image disappeared the moment she joined him. “I’m sorry I’m so late,” she said petulantly, “but my maid just couldn’t get my hair right this morning.”

  “It looks fine.”

  She touched the elaborate mass of curls with one hand and made a face. “It’s very nice of you to say so, but I know I look a fright. If Betsy weren’t looking forward to this ride—” she broke off with a dramatic sigh.

  “I wouldn’t worry too much. No one’s likely to see us once we leave town.”

  “I suppose you’re right. This is the most godforsaken country.”

  Ox frowned. “I like to think of it as wide-open spaces.”

  “You sound just like my sister,” she said with a tinge of disgust. “Angel loves it here.”