“Sure thing, Mr. Montana. Sure thing.”
Satisfied, Roman walked out into the street, but the bustle of activity that met his eyes stopped him short.
Many of the townsmen were busy scrubbing the fronts and sides of buildings. Women swept the boardwalks, washed windows, and planted bright red geraniums in barrels that decorated the sides of the street. A group of adolescents beat dust from carpets they’d carried out of various buildings. Even the children worked. Smiling and laughing, they raced around the street hanging red, white, and blue ribbons on every available post in the town.
Roman decided some dignitary was passing through. Or maybe it was the mayor’s birthday. Shrugging, he headed into the telegraph office and sent Theodosia’s latest message to her sister and brother-in-law. She wired Lillian and Upton whenever she had the chance, and when she couldn’t she posted letters. All her messages concerned her continued studies of oral meandering. Roman had no idea what oral meandering meant but decided it was too boring a subject to bother himself with.
Next, he visited the general store with a specific idea of what he wanted to buy. Fifteen minutes later, he bought a new rifle to replace the one he’d given Mamante, and also purchased another very special item. He had the storekeeper’s daughter wrap the item in yellow paper and tie it up with a bright red satin ribbon. With the rifle and the pretty box under his arm, he walked out of the mercantile, whereupon a young boy promptly handed him the daily newspaper.
One look at the headline not only explained the reasons for the townspeople’s efforts to spruce up the town, it sent foreboding speeding through him.
ENGLISH ARISTOCRATS ARRIVE TONIGHT!
“Ain’t that somethin’, mister?” an elderly man commented as he sat rocking in a chair beside the store door. “Lord, ain’t nothin’ like this ever happened in little ole Enchanted Hill. Did y’git to read the story yet?”
“No,” Roman gritted out.
The man rubbed his grizzled cheek and crossed his bony legs. “Well, as I understand it, some seven Englishmen got their heads together and decided they didn’t want to take some Grand Tour thing over there in Europe. Wanted to take a tour of our own Southwest instead, and once they got here to Texas, somebody tole ’em about Enchanted Hill. I reckon they’s a-comin’ to make a few wishes on the hill, jest like ever’body else does who passes through. Anyhow, they sent a real dignified committee ahead of ’em to see to their hotel reservations, train and stage schedules, and things like that. Them English ’ristycrats is all rich, y’know.”
Rich was not the only thing those English dandies were, Roman seethed. They were educated.Highlyeducated, just like Theodosia. And with seven of them coming, it was very likely that at least one would be tall, dark-haired, and blue-eyed. Wealthy as they were, they wouldn’t care about getting Theodosia’s gold, but they for damned sure wouldn’t refuse a string of long and passionate nights in her arms.
Dammit, he had to coerce her into leaving Enchanted Hill before she got a look at the newspaper!
He bolted back toward the hotel, raced through the lobby, and flew up the stairs that led to the rooms. When he reached his and Theodosia’s room, his palms sweated as he grasped the doorknob.
It wouldn’t turn until he exerted all his strength on it. Finally the door opened, and he saw her. She stood beside a table, upon which sat a bowl of apples, oranges, and several ripe lemons.
“Roman,” Theodosia whispered. “Have you seen this?” She held up the newspaper so he could read the headline emblazoned across the top of the page. “A hotel employee slipped the paper under the door shortly after you left. I—you—do you realize what this means?”
He knew exactly what it meant. She had the same thoughts about the aristocrats that he did. Nothing he did or said would keep her from meeting with the Englishmen.
But feelings he couldn’t understand, couldn’t name, made it imperative that he try.
He tossed his new rifle and the yellow box to the bed and drew himself up to his full height. “We’re leaving Enchanted Hill right now, and I don’t want to hear a word of argument.” He crossed to the closet and pulled out her trunks. “Get your things packed.”
“Roman—”
“For God’s sake, there’s a contagious disease spreading through town,” he lied desperately. “If we stay a second longer, we might catch it. Pack your bags.”
She stared at him. “What kind of disease?”
“Measles,” he blurted.
“I had a terrible case of the measles when I was seven. Therefore I am now immune to the disease.”
He stuffed his hands into his pockets, summoning more lies. “Yeah? Well, I’ve never had a single measle anywhere on me. But even if I had, these are rare measles, Theodosia. They just got discovered. Could be that those sickly Englishmen are the ones who brought these measles over here from Europe, so we’re leaving.”
Hope soared within him when she joined him in front of the closet. “I’ll help you pack your dresses.” He grabbed a few of her gowns from the closet, wadded them up, and stuffed them into one of her trunks.
“Roman, wait.” Theodosia stayed his hand as he reached for more of her clothes. “Please, let’s talk about this.”
He had no inkling of how to discuss his raging emotions. All he could understand was that Theodosia was not going to leave Enchanted Hill willingly. And he knew intuitively that if she stayed here, by tonight she would find the perfect man to sire the child.
Fury blasted through him like a horrible scream.
His silence deafened Theodosia to everything but the sound of his anger and hurt. She lowered her head and stared at his boots.
He didn’t want her sleeping with one of the Englishmen any more than she wanted to do it, she thought. And whywouldhe support such a thing? The intimacy they’d shared had resulted inherpleasure, but never his. He’d respected her refusal to allow him to make love to her, had honored her reasons for denying him.
