Hidden Fires

The brown striped curtains at the window had been pushed aside to let in the sunlight. The bed had been neatly made with a spread that matched the curtains. There was no sign of disorder around her as she crossed the decidedly masculine room toward the bureau. She carefully lowered the stack of shirts onto its glossy surface and was turning to leave when something caught her eye.

Apparently Jared had emptied his pockets onto the top of the bureau the night before. She studied the items curiously. A tortoiseshell pocket comb. Did he ever use it? she asked herself with a fond smile. Coins of every denomination. A roll of bills. She recognized his pocket watch with its gold chain. Three pieces of paper, doubtless receipts of some kind, each folded neatly in two. A key ring with six brass keys. A tiny box of matches. And—

Her heart stopped for a moment. When it started again, it beat so rapidly that she covered it with her hand, enfolding her watch in trembling fingers.

There, winding its way through the other items, glaringly out of place, was a slender, blue satin ribbon. A ribbon much like the ones which laced through the chemises that Mrs. Gibbons had made for her before her wedding. Much like the one she had lost only a few weeks ago, the night Jared had undressed her and put her to bed.

She didn’t know she had spoken his name until the soft, wondering whisper vibrated through the still room and jarred her out of her stupor. Just as well it did, for she heard the bathroom door down the hall opening. Spinning around, she stared at the door through which he would walk any moment. She mustn’t let him see her!

She dashed toward the door opening into the bathroom connecting to her room and pulled it open. She had just closed it after her when she heard him enter his room. He was humming softly, quite unaware that he had caused an emotional avalanche in the breast of his young wife.

Chapter 16

Olivia, your bountiful table never ceases to amaze me,” beamed Parker Vandiver. He had eaten several helpings of traditional Thanksgiving food, and was enjoying one last glass of wine.

They were sitting at the table in the same arrangement as on the first occasion the Vandivers had taken a meal with the Locketts. Olivia and Carson sat at either end, Parker and Jared on one side, Lauren and Kurt on the other.

“Yes,” Kurt chimed in. “Everything was delicious, made even more enjoyable by the beautiful company.”

The hand wrapped around Jared’s wineglass clenched, the knuckles turned white, and Lauren was amazed that the glass didn’t shatter under the pressure.

She moved away from Kurt, his presence at her side becoming more unbearable each minute. Since they had taken their chairs at the table, his thick, heavy thigh had pressed against hers, and he used every opportunity to lean toward her, touching her in some way.

She hadn’t lost her aversion for the Vandivers. Both father and son repelled her with the brutal strength apparent in each move of their husky bodies. Their polite conversation and demeanor, she was sure, stemmed from some secret ulterior motive.

She was grateful to Carson when he suggested they retire to the parlor for coffee, thereby relieving her of sitting next to Kurt.

“We were sorry we missed you when we visited Keypoint, Mrs. Lockett,” Kurt said as everyone was seated in the formal room. Lauren had taken a chair next to the fireplace, forsaking the couches for fear that Kurt would sit beside her.

Lauren didn’t want to lie and say she was sorry she had missed seeing them, too. Not knowing what else to say, she replied truthfully, “Jared and I went on an outing that day.”

No one noticed Olivia’s shocked face, for Jared was saying caustically, “It was our honeymoon, remember?”

Kurt maintained his poise. “Yes, so it was. Did you like life on the ranch, Mrs. Lockett?”

“It was a different experience for me, Mr. Vandiver. I enjoyed the uniqueness of it.” While she responded to Kurt’s question, she was remembering the night before with a pang of wistfulness. She had felt so close to her husband for the first time. What had happened since then to make him cold and unapproachable? Because it was a holiday, she had worn a new dress in a violet-gray shade of georgette, knowing that the color highlighted her eyes. If Jared had taken note of her appearance, he hadn’t deigned to comment.

“You obviously like ranching, Jared.” Parker studied him shrewdly.

“Yes,” Jared retorted shortly and went to the sideboard. He poured a large glass of whiskey and walked to the wide windows, staring outside, his attitude one of total indifference to the rest of them. Yet all through dinner, his mood had been one of constrained violence, and Lauren was apprehensive.

“I’ve never had the time to learn the ins and outs of ranching. Maybe you could teach me all about it sometime, Jared.”

Jared took a swallow of his drink. “I’ve never had time for the ins and outs of school teaching, Mr. Vandiver. If you want to learn about ranching, I suggest you learn the way everyone else does—by trial and error. That’s the way Ben did, and it seemed to work for him.” He turned on his heels and fixed Parker with a menacing stare. “And learn to ranch some place other than Keypoint,” he warned.

“Jared, how rude!” Olivia chided him. “We’re business partners with the Vandivers now.” She smiled reassuringly at Parker.

“Not in ranching we’re not.” Jared tossed down the last of the whiskey and turned to the window, putting his back to them again.

An awkward silence descended over the room. Olivia fidgeted with her coffee cup. Carson covered a pretend yawn. Lauren looked bleakly at Jared. She knew he felt that Keypoint, his true love, was threatened by these unscrupulous men.

“I, for one, am looking forward to the groundbreaking ceremonies,” Carson interjected heartily. “We’ve arranged festivities for the entire population to enjoy. It should be quite a celebration.”

“That’s the spirit, Carson,” Parker agreed. “We want the townspeople to know that this railroad is something they can all be proud of.”

“Will you be going to the ceremonies, Mrs. Lockett?” Kurt asked.

Lauren floundered. “Well, I suppose so.” Then she added, “With my husband, of course.”