Chapter 21

 

Tess's fingers flew and she blessed Granny with every stitch. The hours she spent learning to sew when she would rather have been roaming the mountain meadows now seemed well worth the effort.

She should have tried that darned dress on before this morning, but it had given her a distasteful feeling in her mouth each time she looked at it. She had to wear it today, but she'd be damned if she was going to look like the prune faced spinster Rose had evidently had in mind when she designed that high-necked, tight-bodiced piece of trash.

Luckily Rose hadn't bothered to trim off the excess material on the blouse seams. Probably she hadn't anticipated in her mislaid plan that Tess would be handy with a needle.

Tess snugged a final stitch and anchored the thread before she bit it off with her teeth. She stuck the needle in the pincushion beside her on the bed, then held the dress up and studied it carefully.

The color was fine — a pale ivory that would set off the tan she had acquired on her frequent rides on the ranch. But she had almost choked when she tried to fasten the top button, and forget about flattening her breasts enough to pull the bodice together. She wasn't about to put up with those long, tight sleeves, either.

Tess shook the dress and the lace-edged red ruffle settled back into place around the altered scoop neck. Her spare teddy lay beside the pincushion, scavenged of its beige lace and elastic, and only scraps remained of the red blouse she had worn the morning she arrived in Keene Valley. She had even covered her leather belt in red to match the ruffle. It would highlight her slender waist, especially since she had taken a nip and tuck or two in the waist gathers.

Capped sleeves now poofed out from the wide neckline and Tess had only to press out the crease where she had let down the too short hem. She thought longingly of the gold and red sandals in the closet of her apartment, but at least the long dress style would hide her Reeboks — the only footwear she owned now, except for her hiking boots.

"Oh, let me see what you've done, Tess," Flower said from the doorway.

Tess smiled at her and shifted the dress around so Flower could see the front. "Do you think it looks all right, honey?" she asked.

"It's gorgeous," Flower replied. "And I'll tell you a secret, if you promise not to let on to Pa that you already know. I talked him into it, but it wasn't very hard."

"And what could that be?"

"I'm going to run over to the general store while Doctor Calder takes your cast off and find you a pair of dancing slippers. I just need to measure your other shoes to see what size to get."

"That's not necessary, Flower. No one will see my shoes under this dress."

"Sure they will. Why, ladies get swung around a lot, especially later on in the evening, after the men have slipped outside a few times."

"Slipped outside? To get a drink, I guess."

"Uh huh. But we always pretend we don't know. It's kind of hard sometimes not to wrinkle up our noses when we smell their breath, though."

"I better practice then, huh?" Tess turned her head sideways and pursed her lips, aiming her nose up an inch.

Flower giggled and imitated Tess for a second, until they both broke up into laughter.

 

~~

"You might as well drop Rose off at the picnic grounds, Stone," Tess said several hours later as the wagon entered the small town. "I'm sure she would rather visit with people instead of waiting around for us at the doctor's office."

""Oh, I don't mind a bit," Rose demurred. "I can keep Stone company."

"That's not necessary," Tess replied, shifting a half inch closer to Stone on the wagon seat and cupping her hand beneath his elbow. "I'm sure the doctor won't mind if Stone comes in and holds my hand."

Tess slipped a smirk at Rose, who had sat on the far edge of the wagon seat on the ride to town. Tess had plopped herself in the middle, assuring that Stone would be on one side or the other of her, separated from Rose. She hadn't missed the look of consternation on Rose's face when Stone escorted her from her small cabin an hour or so before.

Nor had she missed the look of surprise on Rose's face when she saw the altered dress Tess wore, though Rose had at least had the grace to blush slightly and murmur a compliment on Tess's handiwork.

Rose had obviously designed her own pale blue gown to enhance her more petite figure. A hint of rounded breast showed over the low-cut neckline, edged with a white lace ruffle to give an impression of more fullness than she possessed. Tess thought the ruffled skirt a little much for a woman of Rose's age, but she managed to swallow that catty remark.

With a jangle of reins and a "whoa", Stone pulled the wagon up beside a small, white washed church. Already Flower and Rain were calling greetings to several youngsters their own age and they both scrambled from the wagon bed.

"I'll see you over at the doctor's office in a few minutes, Pa," Flower said as she turned to wave. "I just want to say hi to Sally and Missy first."

Rain had already joined a group of boys, and Stone nodded at Flower as he climbed down from the wagon. He came around and reached up to assist Rose to the ground, giving her only a small smile when she thanked him.

"I'll keep an eye on Flower and Rain for you," Rose said as Stone started back around the wagon.

"They'll be fine," Stone said over his shoulder. "You just enjoy yourself with the other women folk."

A few minutes later, Stone pulled up in front of Doc Calder's office and soon Tess had the freedom to move her ankle for the first time in a month. She wiggled the ankle back and forth and gave a sigh.

"It feels wonderful, Doctor. You did a fine job."

"You did your part, too, young lady," Doc Calder replied. "And seems like you had good nursing care." He winked at Stone and noticed Stone tear his eyes away from Tess's lower leg, which Doc had uncovered to remove the cast.

"Now," Doc continued. "You be careful for a little while yet, until your muscles adjust to not having the support of that cast. Don't try to dance every dance tonight, or your foot will be swelled up in the morning."

"Well, I expect to at least have one dance with my doctor," Tess said in a flirtatious voice. "I don't want to end up a wallflower."

"Harumph," Doc Calder said. "I don't think you're going to have to worry about that. I'll probably have to wade through every eligible male in town to claim a dance with you."

They heard the front door of the office open and Stone turned away abruptly. "That's probably Flower," he said as he strode out of the room.

Tess glanced away from the door in time to see a worried look on Doc Calder's face as he stared after Stone.

"Is something wrong, Doctor?" she asked. "Stone seems fully recovered from the snakebite. Isn't he?"

"It's not that, Tess. He's fine. It's...look, Tess. Stone hasn't been in town for a while, and there's been some changes he ought to be aware of. I brought him out a newspaper one day, but I don't think he took time to read it. He laid it on the porch while I looked at his leg, and I saw that darned dog carrying it off as I left."

"So that's how that paper got scattered all over the barn," Tess said. "Flower gathered it up and we put it in the kindling box. It was pretty well chewed up."

"Well, I should have talked to him about it. But he was in such a damned surly mood...."

Flower came through the door, with Stone behind her. She hurried over to the examining table where Tess lay, her eyes twinkling with delight.

"Is your cast off?" she asked. "Oh, it is. Good. Pa's got a present for you."

Stone handed her the brown paper wrapped package and tucked his hands into his pockets. "Flower picked them out," he said with a shrug. "Hope you like them."

Tess untied the string and laid the paper back to reveal a pair of ivory slippers, almost the same shade as her dress. "They're beautiful," she said with a brilliant smile aimed at Stone. "Thank you so much."

The door on the outer office slammed open and a voice called, "Doc! Doc Calder! You here? Harry's gone and broke his arm!"

"Dang it," Doc grumbled. "You'd think they could behave themselves for one day and let me enjoy the social, too." Muttering under his breath, Doc left the room.

"We better get out of the way," Tess said as she swung her legs from the table.

"Try your slippers on first," Stone demanded. He picked up one and knelt to put it on Tess's foot. The dainty slipper fit perfectly, and he leaned back on his heels, a satisfied smile on his face.

"It feels nice, Stone," Tess said. "But I better wear my tennies until the dancing starts. I brought my other one with me."

Tess handed him the Reebok she hadn't worn since she landed in Oklahoma and Stone sighed in compliance as he removed the slipper. His thumb slid across her soft instep and Tess giggled.

"Don't," she said. "You know I'm ticklish."

Doc Calder appeared at the door. "Sorry, folks. But I need the table for Harry."

Stone held the Reebok out and Tess wiggled her foot into it, allowing him to tie the laces. She slid from the table and took a tentative step or two, while Stone stood ready to steady her if she wavered.

"Hum. I think it's going to be fine," Tess murmured. "Come on. We better get out of Doc's way."

Outside the doctor's office, Tess paused as Stone took her elbow to lead her to the wagon. "Would you mind if I looked around town for an hour or so, Stone? I can walk out to the church in a while."

"I guess Flower could stay with you. I probably need to get out there and see if they need some help setting up tables or something."

"Flower wants to visit with her friends. I'll be perfectly all right for pity sakes. I just want to do a little window shopping."

"Well, don't go around the saloons," Stone ordered. "You stay in this end of town."

"Yes sir, boss." Tess snapped him a perky salute, and Stone couldn't suppress his grin.

"Yeah, sure," he muttered. "Boss. Huh." He gallantly turned to Flower and took her arm. "I guess I'll just escort this pretty miss to the picnic instead."

Flower dropped him a slight curtsy before she took his extended arm and moved toward the wagon. "Just until Tess comes out, Pa," she agreed. "And you better not bid on my picnic dinner. It's the one with the pink ribbon that matches my dress."

"And just who do you have in mind to share that supper with?" Stone asked with a frown after he lifted Flower onto the wagon seat.

Tess gave Flower a wave and hurried down the walkway toward where they had passed the general store on their drive to the doctor's office. She hoped whichever young man Flower had in mind had the courage to stand up to the glower on Stone's face as he bid on Flower's picnic dinner. She bit back a laugh. And she bet that Stone and Rain would share her own basket within a few feet of whoever that lucky young man turned out to be.

Inside the store, Tess subdued her curiosity at the jumble of goods lining the shelves and floor. Only small paths led between the multitude of objects, which included everything from new saddles and harness to a shelf of bonnets and even a rod filled with dresses in one corner. She made her way to the counter where a huge cash register sat, and peered through the glass top protecting a few of the more expensive items the store proprietor stocked.

"Can I help you, Miss?"

Tess glanced up to see a tall, lanky man come in from the rear of the store, wiping his hands on a stained apron.

"I don't know," Tess replied. She glanced down again through the dusty counter glass. "I see you stock some jewelry. I was wondering if you also buy pieces that women no longer have a use for."

"Sometimes," the storekeeper told her. "Depends on what you have you want to get rid of. By the way, I'm Sid. Don't remember seeing you around here before."

"Tess Foster," Tess responded as she held out her hand. The storekeeper took it in a firm grasp and Tess liked the honest look in his eyes and the fact that he dropped her hand as soon as he squeezed it once. His red hair reminded her of Freddy, and for a second she found herself wondering if Freddy had gotten in trouble when she came up missing on the mountain.

Tess shook the thought aside and pulled the diamond ring from the reticule Flower had loaned her. She'd already made up her mind not to feel guilty about selling the ring Robert had given her. After all, it wasn't a family heirloom or anything. Robert had commissioned it from Tiffany's.

The storekeeper picked up a jewelry glass to study the ring stones and whistled under his breath. "Well, now, Miss Foster, I'm afraid I don't do a large enough business here to offer you what this is worth. I might could give you a little something on it and take it on consignment. Then if someone buys it, we could settle up."

"How much would you ask for it?"

"It's gotta be worth at least a thousand," he said. "Them small stones're emeralds, you know. Not worth as much as that diamond. Ain't never seen one that big — even the one the banker's wife's so proud of. And I'll bet she might buy this, but she's gone to Oklahoma City to visit her sister for a few days. Soon as she gets back and sets her eyes on this, though, her husband won't have no rest until she gets it."

Tess didn't know exactly how much Robert had paid for the ring, but she had seen a similar one at Tiffany's for over fifteen thousand dollars. She had to remember, though, that money was worth a lot more in this time period. It probably took the storekeeper several years to make even a thousand dollars.

"I could go a hundred on it now," the storekeeper mused. "Not today, though. Have to wait until the bank's open again on Monday and transfer it to your account. You got one set up at the bank?"

"No. Could you take care of that for me, too? I'm staying with Mr. Chisum, and we'll be going back to the ranch after the dance. In fact, why don't you just deposit the money in Stone's account? I'll be able to get it if I need it. I would like to have a few dollars today, though, if it's convenient."

The storekeeper pushed a button on the cash register and the bottom drawer flew open with a clang. He studied the drawer for a moment, then looked up at Tess. "Probably could let you have thirty dollars. You want it in cash or credit?"

"How about ten in credit and twenty cash?" Tess replied with a smile.

After Sid nodded his agreement, Tess picked out a bonnet for Flower that cost two dollars and a new hunting knife for Rain that was slightly less. It took her longer to decide on Stone's gift, but she finally chose a turquoise studed bolo tie, which Sid informed her had been handmade by an old Indian man, who sold his creations through the store. It seemed a bargain at five dollars, and she loved the intricate silver design that held the turquoise in place.

She expended the remainder of her credit on a small bottle of perfume for herself, and dabbed a drop behind each ear before Sid tied her purchases up and handed them to her, along with a twenty dollar gold piece.

"Thank you so much," Tess murmured.

"Now you come see me the next time you get in town," Sid said. "I'm almost sure that ring will be sold by then."

"Just put the money in Stone's account if it's necessary," Tess informed him.

Tess left the store, holding her purchases by the string Sid had wrapped around them, and headed across the street. She hoped the newspaper office hadn't closed on Saturday. Surely not. They would want someone to cover the social and write it up.

Tess glanced at the next window beside the newspaper office as she climbed the two steps to the walkway on the other side of the street, and stopped to study the gilt letters on the pane. A law office. Hum. The shade was drawn, though — the attorney was probably at the social.

A second later she pushed open the door to the newspaper office and a small, gray-haired woman looked up from the desk where she sat.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked.

"I'd like to look at some of your back issues, if I could," Tess explained.

"Of course. Come on back and I'll show you where they are."

 

 

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