One month away from home, and Rob had lost his senses.
His first Sunday back at the little Sheridan church, and he'd been caught by Maisey Matthews and somehow wrangled into a supper invitation at her home. He'd lost his touch at avoiding matchmaking mamas. Or maybe he'd wanted to prove Liza wrong, even if she'd never know.
He should be on the ranch. His foreman Charlie had done well managing while he'd been gone, but he'd come home in time for summer branding, and he'd barely had a breath of time for anything else.
Tonight, he'd wrangled Charlie into coming to town with him, because Maisey had included in him her invitation and because Rob was too chicken to go alone.
Maisey opened the door to them with a warm smile, but it was the woman sitting on the parlor sofa who drew his notice and brought his whirling thoughts to a halt.
"Miss Bennett." He reached for his hat to sweep it off his head, but then remembered evening had fallen, and he hadn't worn it inside.
Maisey gave him a sharp look, and there was an edge to her tone that hadn't been present before. "You know our guest?"
His throat was suddenly dry as he took in Liza's hair styled up behind her head, the snap in her blue eyes before she averted her gaze, the fold of her hands on her lap. Tiny lines framed her mouth. She looked tired.
She looked beautiful.
He cleared his throat. "I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Bennett in Calvin."
Her chin lifted, and her eyes seemed to contradict him, though she didn't protest his statement aloud.
He registered Charlie at his shoulder and moved into the room to allow introductions for his foreman.
Maisey's daughter, Priscilla, sat opposite Liza, and he didn't know where the greater danger lay. If he sat next to Priscilla, it might give her, and her mother, the wrong idea.
But sitting next to Liza...
She was a danger to his equilibrium.
His indecision won him a spot standing between the two sofas while Charlie sat on the edge of the sofa next to Liza.
"What brings you to Sheridan?" Charlie asked.
Liza opened her mouth to answer, but Maisey spoke over her.
"Miss Bennett is working in one of the shops while her friend recovers from childbirth."
Liza glanced his way briefly, only a flash of her eyes, and then her lashes lowered against her cheek. "I believe you met Mr. and Mrs. Collins."
"Yes." The man had made an awkward introduction at the barn raising.
Charlie asked Liza something else in a low voice, and Maisey turned to Rob. "If you ask me, Mrs. Collins would've done better to ask her local friends for help."
No doubt Liza could tend the store without requiring additional training. Liza had come to help her friend.
Liza was here.
"Don't you think my Priscilla's new gown is the loveliest shade of rose? It compliments her complexion just so, don't you think?"
"Yes, of course." His ears grew hot. Priscilla's face flushed a shade to match her dress.
Another knock sounded, and Maisey turned for the door, leaving him to breathe a sigh of relief at her momentary absence. Voices sounded in the vestibule.
Charlie's head was bent toward Liza as she said something so softly that the rest of the room couldn't hear.
Their proximity caused something ugly to roar through Rob.
Another mother and daughter joined their party.
Liza probably shouldn't take pleasure in watching Rob's discomfort grow.
At least she wasn't the only one uncomfortable. It was more than obvious she was an unwanted guest at tonight's event. Watching Rob scramble for words gave her something to smile about and eased Maisey's pointed conversational redirections and sharp glances.
Maisey had rented her a room as a favor to the Collinses. Liza left the house early each morning, before mother or daughter arose, and had mostly returned to a covered plate left on the stove—the remains of what they'd eaten for the evening meal.
Tonight, William had insisted she close up shop early. Liza doubted he'd noticed her exhaustion. At home, Papa only allowed her in the store during the afternoon hours, but she’d worked open to close all week long. Perhaps Charlotte had encouraged William to let her go early. On the lunch hour, she usually slipped upstairs to visit her friend. Charlotte was improving, but slowly.
And Liza's early arrival had interrupted Maisey's supper preparations. She hadn't understood the woman's black look at her presence until the first knock on the door.
There was to be a dinner party.
And she wasn't supposed to have been invited.
She would have made some excuse to escape to her room, except she was ravenous and the smells of roast and stewed vegetables had glued her feet to the floor.
It didn't mean she wouldn't feign a headache after the meal and escape. She didn't know whether she could be polite to Rob for so long.
Rob was Nathan's friend. Nathan had broken Janie's heart. She could only force so much civility.
Plus, there was the issue of George Wickham. Cowboys worked long hours during the summer months, and Liza hadn't seen him in weeks, but she couldn't forget what Rob had done to him.
Maisey introduced Mrs. Kimball and her daughter, Cynthia, and the group adjourned to the formal dining room.
The table had been set with china and a lace tablecloth, and Liza was rewarded to see Rob's grimace before he hid the expression behind a polite smile.
Maisey swept to the head of the table, but with an odd number of guests, Liza held back, waiting to see where the woman would seat her.
The two men hung back as well, which meant that when Maisey pointed Liza to the seat at the center of the table, Rob was right there to push in her chair. His fingers brushed her shoulder, and an unexpected shudder went through her. She hid it by shaking her out napkin and placing it on her lap.
Rob sat beside her, Priscilla on his opposite side. Charlie, who she'd learned was his foreman, sat across from her, flanked by Mrs. Kimball and Cynthia. Maisey sat at the head of the table.
Charlie was pleasant and polite. When Maisey had been distracted greeting her other guests, he'd leaned in and asked for her protection against the matchmaking mamas. His bluntness and humor had put her instantly at ease.
How was it that Rob could collect such decent friends when he himself was difficult? Even now, she was intensely aware of him at her elbow.
The meal had been served, and she'd just eaten a decadent bite of roasted potato when the man beside her spoke.
"How is your family?"
She chewed and swallowed before answering. "As well as can be expected. Janie is currently on a visit to my aunt." She refused to ask about Nathan.
"How long will you be staying in Sheridan?" Charlie asked. She turned his direction, enjoying the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled.
Had Rob smiled once since his arrival?
"A week or two more. Charlotte is getting stronger every day." She took another bite, only to be mid-chew when Maisey addressed her.
"Your mother must be very brave to send you so far away from home."
The way she said it, the words didn't sound like a compliment to Mama.
Liza forced a smile. "I'm afraid Mama was against it. Papa was insistent that I come."
"Still, it is such a distance to travel for a young woman alone. I would never allow Priscilla..."
"From what I've seen, Miss Bennett is plenty capable," Rob said without looking at her.
What—?
Charlie grinned across the table at her. "A high compliment from my friend."
Maisey glared, her lips set in a thin line.
And Liza was still so stunned she didn't know what to say.
She redirected. "This is an excellent meal, Maisey."
Rob's chance to converse civilly with Liza was rapidly dwindling.
Maisey and Mrs. Kimball had gone into the kitchen to prepare coffee and a treat while the younger folks had been ushered into the parlor to chat.
Priscilla and Cynthia sank onto one of the sofas, smoothing their skirts. Liza moved behind the couch, toward the front hall.
"I'm quite tired," Liza said. "I think I might retire."
Rob hadn't entered the room completely yet and moved on instinct to intercept her.
Charlie stood behind the sofa where the other two women sat, and Rob caught his raised brows.
"You can't go up yet," Priscilla said. "We're going to play a card game."
"I must be at the shop early," Liza said, though she smiled a genuine smile at the young woman. "Besides, this way it'll be evenly matched."
That's what he was afraid of.
But that wasn't all of it. He wanted her to stay. He wanted her to keep talking. Smiling.
He cast about for something to say, some way to dissuade her, but it was Charlie who came to his rescue. "You haven't told me yet how the boss spent his time in Calvin. I'm surprised he didn't return with a wife."
Charlie's words were pointed, though Liza seemed to miss their meaning. Charlie had somehow tracked his feelings. Rob squinted slightly at his friend.
"I wasn't aware he was looking for one," Liza said in that teasing manner he so enjoyed.
He hadn't been.
She glanced at him, her mouth curved slightly. And even though her humor was at his own expense, he couldn't be offended, because her smile was somehow becoming dear to him.
"Rob attended a town dance with the Bingleys on his first night in Calvin, but he refused to dance, though there were plenty of girls without partners."
She and Charlie leveled identical expectant glances on him. Charlie had stepped closer, and the two young women on the sofa seemed to be lost in their own conversation.
What excuse could he give?
He directed his words at Charlie, though he meant them for Liza too. "You know I'm more at home with cattle than new acquaintances."
Charlie's eyes twinkled. With how often Rob sent him into town for supplies on the ranch's behalf, the foreman knew it was true.
But it was the pinch of Liza's lips that made his stomach swoop low. "Then perhaps tonight will be a good exercise for you." She spoke low and nodded to the two young ladies now glancing curiously in their direction. Maisey and Mrs. Kimball came through the kitchen door, each carrying a silver serving platter.
"Good night, gentlemen."
Liza's soft laugh followed her up the stairs, and his gaze lingered long after she’d disappeared.
"You didn't mention Liza Bennett when you told me about your exploits in Calvin."
Charlie's words emerged from the darkness. Rob was a little surprised he'd waited this long to bring it up.
The men rode side-by-side on the rutted road, having already left the bustle of Sheridan behind. The moon was half-full and provided plenty of light for their ride down this familiar lane.
Rob had just started to feel as if he could breathe again, the cinch that had been tightening his chest since stepping foot onto Maisey's front stoop finally loosening.
But Charlie's easy question tightened it right back up.
"I seem to remember plenty of discussion about a Janie Bennett,” Charlie said when he didn't answer, “but not one mention of Liza."
"There's nothing to tell." It wasn't completely true. It seemed he'd done everything wrong while in Calvin, culminating in that final dance where her words had stung immeasurably. Because Wickham had charm and Rob did not.
"But you want there to be?" Charlie was too perceptive for his own good.
Rob considered kicking his mount into a gallop and leaving his friend and foreman behind, but wouldn't that action reveal more than it hid?
"The situation is... difficult."
"More so than your inability to communicate with a pretty girl?" Charlie chuckled at his own wit.
Rob didn't take offense. He hadn't been joking when he'd said he was more comfortable with the animals. If you watched their behavior, animals always told what they were feeling.
Women did not.
"Her family is—I already told you about her mother when we spoke of Nathan. The woman has no sense of decorum and makes it plain as day that she's only interested in matching up her daughters with whoever has the most wealth."
"Ah, yes. And your family is the perfect example of decorum."
Rob snorted. It was true. His sister Danna dressed like a man and had a man's job and, thanks to her supportive husband, didn't worry about what other's thought.
"You and I both know that woman like Priscilla and Cynthia would never last on the ranch." Women who enjoyed lavish parties and visiting with friends on a daily basis were often sorely disappointed.
The ranch required everyone to work hard, to pull together. There wasn't much time for visiting, and though they often turned a nice profit, there were hard years when the crops didn't make, and spending frivolous money on parties wasn't something Rob enjoyed.
"You sure Liza is like them? She seems a hard worker. You said she was capable."
So he had.
Rob had noticed her exhaustion, though. He’d seen it in how she carried herself, the tired lines around her mouth. Were the Collinses taking advantage of her giving nature and working her to the bone in their shop?
He thought of Liza and the joy she exuded in every moment—in conversation with her family, friends, and customers.
He imagined that joy disappearing.
After a long pause, he said, "And if she did accept my suit? What if I drove her away the way I did Danna? I couldn't keep my own sister happy."
Charlie knew his history. Knew that Danna had almost died from exposure and a broken leg because of him.
"Your kid sister was grieving. And so were you. You're older now. Wiser."
"Maybe in the ways of ranching. Not so much with matters of the heart."
Because if he were, Liza would already know his feelings for her.