“I received a telegram from him this morning. He says he has news for us and will be back in a few days, assuming the weather holds. I hear the storms have been bad north of us, and it’s caused some delays with the trains.”
“Is Frances safe?” Doris asked.
“Even if your brother wasn’t watching her like a hawk, that Nick Reynolds always seems to be in her company.” Marshall helped himself to another roll.
“And how is that appropriate?” Judith couldn’t help asking. It was simply another society rule the youngest Lancaster sister seemed determined to cast aside.
“There’s nothing untoward in their relationship,” Doris said without a hint of doubt. “Frances views him the same way she does Luke. In fact, when we first arrived here last spring my brother gave Nick the responsibility to watch over her. He’s taken her under his wing just like a younger sister. He left one behind in Texas. From what he’s said, he misses her a great deal, and Frances helps to fill that emptiness.”
Judith barely prevented herself from sniffing in distain, something Marshall had chastised her about too many times since she’d come from New York. Until he’d brought it up, she hadn’t known she was doing it. It had been something she’d picked up from her friends.
“It still isn’t fitting for a lady,” Judith said.
“My sister is fond of saying—and firmly believes, I might add—that society’s rules are merely the methods men used to control women. She also says we’re five years into a new century, and it’s time for women to be in charge of their own lives.” Doris gave a soft laugh. “She can’t wait until she’s twenty-one and can vote. That alone will keep her in Wyoming.”
Judith shook her head.
“You don’t think women should vote?” Marshall asked with a frown. “William Bright, the man who introduced the bill in Wyoming said something along the lines of his wife being as good as any man, that she was definitely better than convicts and idiots.”
Judith gave her brother a flat look, and he laughed.
“Don’t like the comparison to convicts and idiots, huh? Well, I happen to agree with him. I’ll even go further to say women are better than men in many things. I’ve had to work with plenty of stupid men, believe me, but they’re allowed to vote. Why not you ladies?”
“I’ve never thought about it,” Judith said, considering his words. “It’s not ladylike.”
“Are you saying it’s not ladylike to use your brains?” Marshall asked. “I will pit your intelligence against almost any man I’ve met.” Marshall reached over and patted her hand. “Don’t short-change yourself. It might not seem like it, but we Westerners are driving this new century.”
“Perhaps.”
“I’m sure it’s a wise decision to have you and Luke organizing the Christmas Fair,” Marshall said.
Judith didn’t respond. She hadn’t needed the reminder she’d be working with Luke, but her brother’s comments had given her pause. Was she short-changing herself and her role in this burgeoning community? Did this still-wild countryneedwomen who challenged the rigid social structure found in the East? She wasn’t sure she was comfortable with the idea of Frances Lancaster as a role model for women of the future.
Judith rubbed her temple. She was getting a headache.
5
As Luke rode to the Circle B Ranch for his meeting with Judith, he wasn’t sure what to expect. He hadn’t missed her expression when he’d first suggested the “manly” events, as the ladies of the society had taken to calling them. It had been obvious Judith hadn’t approved.
After he’d been commanded by his brothers-in-law and Abe to represent the men on the committee, Luke had spoken with Doris about what his approach should be. All his sister could say was Judith was likely offended by the events because they didn’t fit what she considered a cultural event. If Judith was going to resist the events, he didn’t want to waste his time.
Culture. Sophistication. Those were things he couldn’t imagine coming to Lilac City for a very long time, if ever. Not at the level Judith was used to and seemed to want. His thoughts drifted back to the Thanksgiving meal, when he’d gained insight about her. Was her dissatisfaction because she refused to let go of her former life and the people who’d rejected her?
He gave a rueful chuckle. As a rancher, he hadn’t had a need for deep thinking about that kind of thing and certainly not about a woman.
A gust of wind drove a chill as cold as a knife down his back, and Luke shifted his collar. Dang, but it was going to be a miserable winter if it continued like this. He’d lost another two head of cattle. With wolves already preying on the herds, what would February be like?
The light from Marshall Breckinridge’s large house gave off a warm and inviting appearance, making the cold seem to cut through Luke’s coat even worse. He took the road to the barn and turned his horse over to one of the hands there before trudging through the snow to the house.
Doris must have been waiting for him because she opened the door even as he was still stomping his feet.
“Come in. Come in.” She tugged him inside and shut the door. “Whatever were the two of you thinking to plan a meeting on such a terrible night?”
“I didn’t have time to do it during the day.” Luke gave his sister a hug, and she took his hat and scarf.
“Hang up your coat. Judith is in the parlor waiting for you with some hot coffee.”
Luke rubbed his hands together and strode to the room where the monthly teas had been held during the summer. The warmth of the day he’d brought Doris to help now seemed like an eternity ago. It was a shame they couldn’t capture the summer weather for days like today.
