Furious and upset, Anna hurriedly spun away. She slammed headlong through the thick willows, clawing at the branches slapping her arms and legs, desperate to get away, to reach safety.
Dislodging pebbles and stirring up dust, she scrambled swiftly down the mountainside, feeling as if Satan himself were after her.
And, in a way, he was.
Brit Caruth was surely the devil incarnate. A handsome, seductive, dangerous demon who took evil delight in tempting and tormenting her. The sexy, sinister son of a bitch meant to seduce her, corrupt her, rob her of her virtue and her will, and strip her of her inheritance.
This latest incident at the springs would not be the last of his diabolic schemes to slowly, surely chip away at her defenses. The base, brazen bastard wouldn’t rest until she surrendered.
“That’s not going to happen!” she told him under her breath. “Never, never, never!”
Fighting back threatening tears of frustration, Anna reached the border of the mansion’s manicured back terrace. She stopped to catch her breath and compose herself. She straightened her dress, smoothed her hair and remembered, suddenly, that she had left her book at the springs. Cold fear clutched her chest. Would Brit bring it back? And if he did, would he quietly give it to her or would he shame her by letting LaDextra and the entire Regent household know that the two of them had been at the springs together?
Anna took a deep breath, crossed the vast terraced lawn and slipped in the back door. She immediately heard voices. She looked down the long, wide corridor and saw young Dr. McCelland handing his suit coat to a servant.
Forcing herself to smile, Anna went to greet him.
“Hello, Dr. McCelland,” she said, offering her hand.
“Miss Wright.” said the doctor, his eyes immediately lighting up and a shy, boyish smile touching his lips. He shook her hand gently, as if it might break.
Dr. J. Bryan McCelland Jr., only son of the recently retired Dr. J. Bryan McCelland Sr., looked much younger than his thirty-two years. A very shy, very nice man, he was barely taller than she. The slimly built physician had sandy hair, a fair complexion and green eyes that lit up noticeably each time he looked at Anna.
“What brings you to the ranch today, Doctor?” Anna inquired politely, smiling at him.
“Just a routine visit to LaDextra,” he said, his shy smile still very much in evidence. “I spent the morning down at the bunkhouse and at the married ranch hands’ quarters—checking on the men, their wives and children, tending a few sick people. Thought I might as well stop by at the house since I was out this way.”
“Yes, of course,” Anna said, then extended her hand toward LaDextra’s room. Accompanying him down the corridor, she said, “You see to the health of the hired hands as well as…?”
“Yes, yes I do. I come out here every couple of weeks and I also travel to each of the division headquarters at least once or twice a month.”
“I see,” Anna replied with interest. “So the cowboys and vaqueros show up at division headquarters if they need medical attention?”
Dr. McCelland nodded. “Their wives and children as well.”
Anna again smiled. “You must be a very busy physician.”
The bashful young doctor smiled back at her. “Not so busy that I’d miss the big Fourth of July celebration.” He turned a pale shade of pink when he said, “You will be there, won’t you?”
“Yes. Yes, of course.”
“The biggest blowout in all Texas!”
That’s how Sally Horner described The Regent’s annual Fourth of July celebration as she and Anna lay across Anna’s bed the next afternoon.
“Everybody comes,” she told Anna, throwing out her arms in a wide encompassing gesture. “The Regent cowboys and vaqueros and their families will all be there. Plus the entire population of Regentville turns out for the festivities. And there are old friends of LaDextra’s who come from as far away as the Panhandle, El Paso, Pecos and San Antonio.” She laughed and warned, “Be prepared to have a houseful of overnight guests.”
“LaDextra mentioned the celebration at dinner last night. She said that I would go into town with her some afternoon next week to make the arrangements and to get a new dress for the occasion.”
Sally nodded. “I’ve already picked out a lovely yellow piqué dress that definitely makes me look slimmer and quite sophisticated as well.” Twisting a reddish-brown curl, she mused, “We’ll want to look our very best since every eligible bachelor in southwest Texas will be there.” She glanced at Anna, then suddenly frowned. “Heck, you needn’t worry. You’d look good in anything.” Sally sighed enviously.
Ignoring the statement and the sigh, Anna said, “So this Fourth of July festival is a Regent tradition?”
“Yes, indeedy,” Sally replied. “For as long as I can remember I’ve been coming out to the ranch for the Fourth. It’s such fun, Anna, you’ll absolutely love it. Games and gossiping and food and flirting and champagne and fireworks and dancing and—”
“Dancing?” Anna interrupted.
“Yes, of course. Everyone dances the night away.” Sally’s eyebrows lifted. “What? What is it? Why are you making a face?”
“I don’t know how to dance,” stated Anna dejectedly. “The sisters educated me, but dancing was not part of the curriculum.”
“Is that all?” Sally said. “Don’t worry. We’ve got two full weeks before the Fourth. I’ll teach you to dance. There’s nothing to it.” She jumped up and raced across the room to the phonograph player. She cranked it up and said, “Heck, let’s get started.”
The dance lessons began that very afternoon in Anna’s spacious bedroom. The somewhat scratchy sound of the music, as well as their clear girlish laughter, floated down the stairs to LaDextra’s ground floor sitting room. The old woman smiled with genuine pleasure at hearing her beautiful young granddaughter laughing, happy.
Her eyes were closed, but LaDextra was still smiling when, half an hour later, the two young women came racing down the stairs, giggling and whispering. Sweet, sweet music to LaDextra’s ears.
The young women burst out the door and onto the front gallery. They were rushing down the sidewalk when Sally suddenly stopped and grabbed Anna’s arm.
“Look who’s coming!” she said excitedly.
“Who?” Anna asked. She lifted a hand to shade her eyes, looked down the long pebbled drive, but saw no one.
“Over there!” Sally pointed to a couple of mounted horsemen a hundred yards away, cantering across the broad pasture directly toward the house. “It’s Brit and Buck Shanahan. Do you suppose I’d ever have a chance with Buck? He’s not as good-looking as Brit, but—”
“I have to go inside,” Anna interrupted, anxiously pulling free of Sally’s grip.
“Go inside?” Sally was nonplussed. “And miss a chance to flirt with these two handsome cowhands? You could at least wait until—Anna…!”
But Anna was already to the gallery and she didn’t look back. She disappeared inside. Shrugging, Sally sighed, headed for her one-horse gig, waving madly at the approaching horsemen.
The two men waved back at Sally.
Anna’s speedy retreat had been missed by neither. Buck commented, “Guess Miss Anna is too busy to come out and visit with us.”
“I guess.”
“I’ll bet she’s never too busy to visit with Doc McCelland though.”
There was no reply from Brit.
“Yes sir, looks like Doc McCelland is pretty much smitten with Miss Anna,” Buck said as the two rode knee-to-knee, heading home after a hard day down at the Sierra Blanca, pasture.
Brit’s dark head finally swung around. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Buck shrugged. “Well, all I know is the good doctor has been out to the house several times recently, and I figure it’s to see Miss Anna.”
Brit was involuntarily irritated. “Jesus, you’re as bad as an old woman,” he scoffed. “Doc McCelland isn’t interested in the girl. He routinely visits the ranch to check on LaDextra. Make sure she’s in good health.”
“Maybe,” said Buck, “but one of the house servants said just yesterday she heard the doctor ask Anna if he could sit at her table for the evening meal at the Fourth of July celebration.”
“So?”
“So, sounds to me like he’s sweet on LaDextra’s granddaughter.”
“Damn it to hell, Buck, I’ve told you a thousand times, this woman is not LaDextra’s granddaughter!”
One evening a few days later, LaDextra and Will Davis lingered at the dining table long after Brit and Anna had both hastily excused themselves. The two old friends drank their after-dinner coffee and discussed plans for the upcoming Fourth of July celebration.
“Brit’s driving me into town tomorrow so I can make the final arrangements,” said LaDextra.
Will took a pull from his cigar and nodded. “Engage the musicians, order the food and liquor?”
“Yes, and I plan to hire a couple of carpenters to build a temporary dance floor out on the west lawn.”
Again Will nodded. “The Hall brothers would probably be your best bet there. Shall I have them come to my office tomorrow to meet with you?”
“Why don’t you? Make it afternoon, though. I have to get the food and liquor ordered. Then I’ll need to check with Hap Kinney, see if he’ll come out twenty-four hours early again this year and start the barbecue.”
“He’s the best,” commented Will.
“I know, and I really want this year’s celebration to be the best one ever.” Will was puzzled by the wistful look that came into LaDextra’s expressive blue eyes as she spoke.
“I’m sure it will be a huge success, just as always,” he offered. “What about the fireworks?”
LaDextra nodded. “I contracted an El Paso outfit some time back. They’ve promised to put on quite a pyrotechnic spectacle at straight-up midnight.”
The two continued to discuss the upcoming Fourth of July festival, recalling amusing incidences that had happened at past celebrations. Fondly remembering old friends who came every year, some of whom were no longer alive. Laughing about the liquor-induced arguments and fistfights that occasionally broke out.
“We’ve had some mighty good times out here on the Fourth, haven’t we, Will?” LaDextra mused, tears of laughter shining in her pale eyes.
“We sure have, my dear,” said Will with a smile. “And we’ll have many, many more.”