“Well, well, well.”
The lazy drawl made Tilly look up and she froze as Frederic’s hard, pewter-gray gaze settled on her. She tightened her grip on Ryan’s hand and fought to keep her breathing even. How had he managed to approach without her inbuilt alarm system sounding the alarm? Ryan, she thought. Her awareness of him had made her unaware of anything else.
Ryan pushed his chair back and stood up. “Evenin’, Mr. Vanderoosten,” he said politely. “Anything I can help you with, sir?”
Tilly glanced at both of them. Ryan, not as tall as Frederic but more solidly built, and Frederic, tall and slim, his fine features drawn into a sardonic sneer. He flicked a mean glance at Tilly and the sneer changed into a thin smile.
“I was hoping to have taken up Miss McCormack’s offer of her company, but it seems I have missed my chance. Another time, perhaps.”
He wandered off towards the bar and, as Ryan slowly took his seat, Tilly released the breath she held.
“What was that all about?” He spoke quietly, but tension edged his eyes.
Before she could speak, Saul quickly explained what had happened the evening Burma had joined them.
“And,” Fliss added for emphasis, “Tilly didn’t invite him to join her, she invited him to join us, as a group. He’s obviously chosen to misinterpret what she said.”
Ryan took Tilly’s hand again and gave it a little shake. “Just watch out for him, Tilly. He’s as mean as a rattlesnake and will strike twice as fast if you give him the chance.”
Tilly nodded. “Fliss warned me, and I’ve already seen the results of his temper.”
Instantly she wanted to bite her tongue. She had promised Burma she would say nothing and yet here she was almost on the point of divulging that confidence. In answer to the questions she now found herself bombarded with from Saul and Fliss, she simply shook her head.
“I promised I wouldn’t say anything, and I won’t,” she insisted.
“That’s okay,” Ryan comforted her. “We don’t expect you to. But if anything gets out of hand, anything at all, make sure you tell one of us. Promise?”
Tilly nodded, suddenly overwhelmed as she realized how much these people meant to her now. Ryan and Saul suddenly got up in unison, as if they had sent each other a silent signal, and went to the bar. Watching them go, uneasiness gnawed at Tilly’s heart. Frederic had already vanished so she was sure they were not about to confront him. They seemed to be chatting easily enough, joking with the barman and a couple of packers who had come in. She continued to watch them thoughtfully.
“What do you think they are up to?” she asked Fliss.
“Priming the community,” Fliss answered dryly. “I don’t think Frederic will find it so easy this year to cause the same sort of havoc as last. The packers will likely do what they can to keep an eye on him when he’s out and about, and I know Saul has already talked to the bellhops at the hotel.”
“Isn’t there anyone there that we can tell?”
Fliss shook her head. “Nope. He’s there on Mr. Evans’s dime and plays that card as much as he can. If he had to pay his own bill, well, he’d either not be here in the first place, or kicked out, because I know for a fact he wouldn’t be able to pay it. The man’s a leech. Why do you think he made a play for Burma in the first place?”
“You knew he was after the money he thought she had?”
“Of course. Everyone did.” Fliss settled back in her chair, but she kept her eyes fixed on Saul’s back. “Everyone gossips in a hotel whether they are supposed to or not. So, last year, it was no secret that Mr. Evans had set Burma up for the season with a $60,000 letter of credit. Frederic had taken no notice of her until he caught wind of that and then he hardly left her side.”
“Poor Burma,” Tilly murmured.
“Oh, yes. Poor girl, with all Daddy’s moola to draw on.” Fliss stubbed out the cigarette she’d been smoking with short, stabbing strokes. “I was lucky if I got a dime from my dad and goodness knows what kind of a pickle he and Mom are in now.”
“You don’t keep in touch with them?” Tilly was sure that if her parents were still alive she would want to write letters to them.
“I sent a postcard from Miami at Christmas but really, Saul and I move around so much I never think of it.”
Ryan and Saul sauntered back to them then, but Tilly could tell from the expressions on their faces something had changed. An air of collusion hovered between them which Tilly had no intention of questioning, knowing that somehow it concerned her and Fliss’ safety and she was grateful for it.
They took a slow walk back, Saul and Fliss a little ahead and deep in conversation. Ryan walked more and more slowly until he stopped altogether and turned Tilly to face him.
“You do know what you started this evening, don’t you?” he asked.
“I think so.” Tilly looked at his mouth and her own ran dry. Her heart thudded painfully but she liked that Ryan was the cause. He drew her into the shadow of the trees and put his arms around her. With a sigh she rested her head on his chest. It felt so right.
“I don’t have much to offer right now, Tilly,” he said above her head. “I’ve got a good horse and a not-so-good dog and I bunk with the boys, but I’ve got my eye on a cabin which might be available next spring. Think you can wait ‘til then?”
Tilly tightened her arms around him and breathed in the scent of him. Did she dare flirt more? She looked up at him and whispered, “Only if you kiss me now.”
He lowered his head to hers. Tilly took a breath and closed her eyes. She had only been kissed once, a quick, sloppy buss on the mouth she knew to have been the result of a dare. She had quickly dismissed it, but this was different. Every part of her tingled with anticipation. When their lips met in one soft, sweet moment of tenderly giving and taking, she fell all the way in love.
They stood together in the darkness with the distant sound of rushing water vying with the rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze around them. Somewhere close by an owl hooted and they reluctantly broke apart. Tilly lifted her fingers to Ryan’s mouth, reading the contours and texture of his lips. She felt him smile and saw that same smile soften his eyes. He leaned in and kissed her again.
“Come on,” he said when he finally released her. “I’ll walk you back to your door.”
They talked quietly as they walked, their conversation broken by occasional laughter as they shared a joke or teased one another.
It was, Tilly thought, the most wonderful evening of her life. Just before Ryan left her, he chucked her on the chin and she smiled up at him.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. “Wear pants if you’ve got them. I’m taking you trail riding.”
Tilly almost groaned. There it was again, that proprietary streak that gave Ryan his take-charge attitude. It might work for guides and packers, but it sure wasn’t going to work for her. She fisted her hands on her hips.
“I’m going to marry you. I’m going to take you riding,” she stormed. “Doesn’t it ever cross your mind that a girl might like to be asked what she wants?”
Ryan looked at her in mild astonishment. “Don’t you want to go riding?”
“That’s not the point,” Tilly sputtered. “Why can’t you just ask me, instead of tell me? I do have an opinion of my own you know.”
An easy-going shrug of his shoulder infuriated her more. “All right. Would you like to go trail riding with me tomorrow?”
“Thank you.” Tilly tilted her chin up as she glared at him. “I would very much like to go riding with you and I do have pants and boots.”
“Hmm.” He appeared to be considering her response. The gleam of humor in his eyes put her on edge and she looked up at him warily, waiting for the comeback she knew would come.
“So, if you’re coming with me anyway,” he said, “why make all that fuss? Why not just say okay?”
“Because you can’t just take it for granted that I’ll fall in with your plans,” Tilly stormed. “What if I’d wanted to do something else?”
“Do you?”
“Ryan!” She threw up her hands in despair. “I can see that arguing with you will be like trying to catch a cloud.”
“Don’t waste your time then.” He kissed the tip of her nose, wished her goodnight, and walked off leaving her laughing.
“Someone’s happy,” Fliss commented as Tilly let herself into their room.
“Yes, I am.” She hung up her jacket and kicked off her shoes. “Tomorrow just can’t come fast enough.”
“Better switch that light off then.” Fliss already had her head down and Tilly quickly followed suit.