Chasing the Sunset(41)

She woke each morning afraid that this would be the day that he would tire of her, and vowed to make the last day with Nick count. So she threw herself into loving Nick, surprising him with gifts, with her body, with the extent of her passion . . . but always something was held back, and it chafed at her. And if Nick thought her manner was a bit too frantic, if there seemed to be an air of desperation fueling her passion, it went unremarked.

And for his part, Nick was afraid. He was afraid that Maggie would stop loving him; he was afraid that her passion for him was merely a by-product of being thrown together for months. He was afraid that she would decide that she preferred Duncan after all. The big man was a frequent visitor to the farm, and Nick was careful to be friendly to him, but fear ran under the surface of his skin like magma under the crusted top of a volcano. He shied away from the vocalization of his feelings for Maggie. He did not even say it to himself, for fear that even thinking it would somehow ruin their affair. The depth of his passion for her seemed bottomless; he drifted on, just happy at the end of the day that he would wake up beside Maggie at least one more time.

They continued Maggie’s riding lessons; she was a good student. She liked the horses and quickly lost her fear of them. The horses soon realized this in the instinctive way that animals had, and her riding improved so that she was soon competent enough to ride any horse on the place. Nick still insisted that she wear the trousers while she rode, and his hands slid all over her whenever he got close. He whispered in her ear about all the ideas those tight breeches gave him, and their riding lessons usually culminated in a long, satisfying session in bed.

October gave way to November, bright leaves turning dull and falling off the trees to lie heaped in great piles under the forlorn, skeletal remains. The wind whistled and blew hard from the north, blowing in the cold, blustery weather. Indian summer was gone, with its warm, brilliant days full of false hope of putting off the inevitable cold, and then winter was full upon them. The sudden drop in temperature was stunning. Frost was on the windowpanes every morning; you could see your breath when you dared the wind to venture outdoors. Maggie shivered in the mornings when she put her toes out from underneath her warm coverings, and Nick often talked her into staying there for a while.

They could have gone on like that forever, falling into a comfortable routine that in truth

did nothing but disguise their fears from each other, if Nick’s cousins had not suddenly arrived in an unscheduled visit.

Early one morning a carriage rumbled down the drive, and Kathleen peered intently out a side window, then let out a scream of pure delight. Maggie peeped over her shoulder and saw a stylish young woman dressed in a lush blue velvet dress with a matching cloak stepping out of the vehicle. She was followed closely by a slender young man with his arm in a sling who was most certainly a relative, so close were they in looks. They both were dark-haired and dark-eyed, with long, coltish limbs and defined features. The woman turned to say something to him, smiling indulgently, the feather that topped her fashionable hat drooping down and caressing the corner of her wide mouth.

“It is Joanne and Ronald, Nick’s cousins! Oh, I have been longing to see them for ages!”

Kathleen very nearly jumped up and down with delight. She tore off her apron and flew out of the house to throw herself into the grasp of the laughing young man. He clutched her tightly in his one-armed embrace, Kathleen pressing her face into his chest. The woman said something to their driver, and only then did Maggie notice that it was Duncan who sat on top of the driver’s box, his horse tied onto the back of the vehicle.

Maggie saw a look on his face that made her study him speculatively as he watched Kathleen press a vehement kiss to the cheek of the other man. Kathleen next grabbed the taller woman in a hug that must have threatened to crack her ribs, and they held each other in an embrace that held nothing of artifice.

She followed Kathleen outside to greet them more slowly and certainly more circumspectly, arriving in time to hear a whoop of joy coming from the direction of the stables. Nick, too, had seen their visitors and he came now at a fast lope, a wide grin creasing his face.

He swung his female cousin up and around, and she gurgled a laugh in a husky, pleasant voice, the feather that topped her hat bobbing wildly. Her hands with their well-kept nails caressed his face lovingly, making Maggie think of her own work-worn skin. She hid her hands in her skirt, shame-faced, as she came slowly down the steps.

“What are you two doing here?” he cried. His smile dimmed somewhat when he saw Duncan climbing down from the driver’s box, clutching, of all things, what appeared to be one of Sadie’s half-grown puppies. “Duncan Murdoch,” he said flatly. “You sure do turn up here a lot lately.”

“Your cousins’ driver took sick, and when they brought him to the surgery, I offered to bring them out here. Ronald here has a broken arm, and Miss Joanne was not sure if she could handle these horses on her own.” Duncan looked at Nick calmly from under his battered hat, pushing it back a little on his broad forehead. “I had to come out this way and visit Mrs. Booker anyway. She is expecting an addition to their household soon, and I wanted to see how she was doing.” He handed the squirming young dog over to Nick. "And on the way, I just happened to run across this little rascal, and I recognized him. One of your pups, is he not? He is quite the wanderer. He was several miles from here when I found him."

"He must have followed the other dogs off when they went hunting again," Nick said with a frown and a shake of his head. "He’ll be a fine dog one of these days, if I can keep him at home long enough to train him. He keeps getting lost."

“It was the strangest thing," Joanne said, smiling up into Duncan’s face. "Doctor Murdoch was barreling along that path you call a road, when he suddenly stopped the carriage, jumped down, and ran off into the forest. He was gone for so long that I was just going to send Ronald off after him, when he showed up carrying that little dog. He said that he could hear him crying from his perch up on top of the carriage. He must have wonderful hearing. Tell Doctor Murdoch thank you, Nick," Joanne demanded. "Both for rescuing your mangy livestock and for bringing us out here. Just because you live out in the back of beyond is no reason to forget your manners."

"Thank you," Nick told the other man stiffly. "Appreciate it."

"And we thank you so much, too,” Joanne said sincerely. “I might have been all right driving all the way out here from Geddes, but it would have been a struggle, and my sense of direction is not always the best as I am sure you remember. We might have ended up back in St. Louis.”

“It was no problem, ma’am.” Duncan said, and nodded to Kathleen, who had one arm around Ronald’s waist. “That sure was a good pie you sent out to me yesterday, Miss Donaldson,” he drawled. His eyes twinkled at her and his mouth twitched just a little as he untied his horse from the back of the carriage. “Your mother told me that you had baked it especially for me. I sure do appreciate it.”

Kathleen went crimson with embarrassment. She had not known anything about any pie, and from the wicked glint in his eye, Duncan Murdoch well knew it. She cursed her mother for the thousandth time for her total lack of shame when it came to her matchmaking efforts on her behalf. He finished untying his horse from the back of the buggy, and swung his big leg over the side of the patient gelding. Kathleen thought that she would shrivel up and die of mortification when he winked at her.

“I really do appreciate that invite to dinner tonight, too,” he said, his sober, pious attitude belying the wink he had just given her. Kathleen did a slow burn, her murderous expression promising to pay him back for the teasing. “I did not think that I would be able to make it, but you will be happy to know that barring any emergencies, I have cleared my schedule. Please inform your mother of this if you will, and I will see you later tonight.”

Kathleen made a small noise of frustration in her throat, and all but stamped her foot at the big man. She would fool him, she thought, and a small smile creased her mouth at the thought. She would let her parents know that he was coming; she would send Tommy over with that message, and to tell them at the same time that she was spending the night here in order to visit with Joanne and Ronald. She could borrow something to wear to sleep in from Maggie or Joanne, and she would just give today’s clothing a good brushing out; it would do until she could go home tomorrow morning and get fresh, clean clothing. Her mother would be mad enough to spit, but she could fawn all over the irritating man without her presence just as well as she could with it.

Duncan made Kathleen a small bow from the saddle and tipped his hat. His gaze swept to Maggie and his expression warmed subtly, his white teeth flashing a sincere smile at her. Kathleen felt somehow piqued by that. “Maggie, it is good to see you,” he called. “I checked on those fox kittens yesterday, and you will be glad to know that they are doing well. They are nearly grown now, or they think that they are.”

Maggie laughed, and said that she would have to get out there and see them soon, before it snowed them all in. Duncan’s eye fell on the stony-faced Nick and he decided that he had worn out his welcome.