Bertie (Pendleton Petticoats Book 6) Read online

  As he rode up Aundy and Garrett’s lane, he smiled at the pasture full of sheep grazing contentedly to his right. In the rolling pastures to his left, he took note of the fat red and white cattle. At the top of the lane, he watched a new horse prance around the corral by the barn, tossing his head and checking out his surroundings.

  He left Mud at the barn and walked to the house, tapping on the kitchen door. Stepping inside, his friends surrounded him as they offered birthday greetings.

  “Gotcha!” Garrett slapped him on the back and grinned. “I knew you wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the new horse.”

  “No, I couldn’t, but I sure didn’t expect a party. I never told any of you today was my birthday.” Riley accepted the glass of icy lemonade Garrett handed him.

  “Oh, a little birdie told us.”

  Riley glanced over his shoulder at the girl who monopolized his dreams and most of his waking thoughts, regardless of how hard he tried to put her out of this mind. She grinned at him and held up a glass of lemonade in toast.

  He tipped his head to her then turned to accept the well wishes from the ranch hands that filled the kitchen.

  Aundy ushered them all into her formal dining room where they crowded around the table and enjoyed the feast she and Bertie had prepared with all of Riley’s favorites.

  From the conversation going on around the table, evidently Aundy and Garrett did something similar for each of the hands on their birthdays. She prepared their favorite meal and Garrett gave them an envelope with a generous cash bonus inside.

  Riley felt incredibly fortunate to have ended up in Pendleton. No one had celebrated his birthday since his father died. To have these people go to such effort on his behalf touched him deeply and left him profoundly grateful for their friendship.

  Once the dinner dishes were cleared away, Bertie and Aundy returned to the dining room carrying a chocolate layer cake topped with candles.

  Bertie set it in front of him and smiled. “You have to make a wish, Riley, and blow out the candles.”

  He’d never had a cake with candles before, although he’d attended a few parties as a youth where people indulged in the tradition. “Why don’t you blow them out for me, Bertie?”

  “Nope. It must be the birthday boy. Go ahead. Make a wish.” The eagerness on her face and the appealing light in her eyes made him want to haul her onto his lap and kiss her senseless.

  Rather than give in to his longings, he closed his eyes and made a wish from the depths of his wounded heart then blew out the candles. Everyone clapped and whistled. Dent grumbled about getting wax all over his piece of cake, but grinned as he said it. Garrett carried in a bowl of vanilla ice cream to go with the cake.

  “Just so you know, Aundy about wore my shoulder out cranking the handle to freeze the ice cream.” Fred rubbed his shoulder and accepted the cake and ice cream Bertie handed to him.

  “My stomach and I both thank you.” Riley grinned at Fred then dug into his cake. He knew Bertie made it because chocolate treats seemed to be her specialty.

  The group visited for a while and the hands even helped clear the table then disappeared outside for the evening.

  Garrett invited Riley to go check out the new horse he’d purchased and they walked outside to the corral while the women finished the dishes.

  Bertie had dried her hands and removed her apron when Garrett returned to the kitchen alone. She glanced around him, expecting Riley to accompany him.

  “Where’s Riley?”

  “Heading home, I guess.” Garrett slid the cover off the cake and cut himself another piece, barely aware of Bertie tossing the apron in her hand toward a hook and racing out the door. She lifted her skirts with both hands and ran across the yard. Riley had swung into the saddle and started up the trail behind the barn when she caught up to him.

  “Riley!” Bertie pressed a hand to her side, trying to catch her breath. She dared a man to run wearing a corset with skirts and petticoats hampering their every step.

  He glanced over his shoulder and turned Mud around. “What are you doing, Bertie?”

  “You left before I had a chance to give you this.” Bertie stuck her hand in her skirt pocket and pulled out a small box wrapped in white paper and tied with a navy blue ribbon.

  Riley swung off Mud and stepped next to her. He studied the box, so neatly wrapped, sitting on her outstretched hand. “You didn’t need to get me anything. The party and cake were more than enough.”

  “That was nothing.” Bertie extended her hand and smiled at Riley in such an endearing manner, he wondered if the delightful girl might completely melt his heart.

  Slowly removing his gloves, he tucked them into his pocket then took the box from her, untying the ribbon. He handed it to her and she stuffed it into her dress pocket, nearly wiggling off one foot to the other in her enthusiasm over his gift.

  Just to tease her, he removed the paper with painstaking care, folding it into a tidy square and sticking it in his pocket along with his gloves.

  Bertie looked like she was ready to rip the box out of his hand and open it herself. Finally, he pushed up the lid and sucked in a breath at the sight of the watch nestled on a bed of blue velvet.

  “Bertie. I… I can’t accept this. It’s too much, too nice.” Riley held the box out to her.

  She pushed his hand toward his chest. “No, it’s not. It’s just right.” Bertie clapped her hands together and bounced on her toes. “Go on, look at it!”

  Riley lifted the watch and examined it. A broad grin creased his face when he noticed the mule etched onto the outside of the case. He opened the lid and admired the fine workings of the watch, then closed it and stared at the mule. “It’s perfect, Bertie. Absolutely perfect.”

  “I told you it was just right!” Her eyes twinkled with happiness and love. Riley couldn’t mistake it as she gazed up at him. Plainly, it was there for anyone to see. “Do you really like it?”

  “It’s the best present I’ve ever received, Roberta Elizabeth. The very best.” Riley put the watch back in the box and slipped it into his pocket then threaded his fingers with Bertie’s. “Want to walk with me a while?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” Bertie leaned her head against his arm as they strolled up the hill and along the trail next to the fence heading toward Riley’s place. “Were you surprised by the party?”

  “Completely.” Admittedly, Riley had no idea what awaited him when he agreed to stop by and see Garrett’s new horse. “Did that horse really arrive today?”

  “Yes, he did. Garrett arranged his delivery right after lunch, although I think he originally planned to have him arrive next week. A few telephone calls and the promise of an apple pie got the horse here a few days early.”

  “I’m touched Garrett would sacrifice one of those apple pies to coerce me into coming without telling an all-out lie.”

  Bertie laughed. “You know Garrett. He wouldn’t lie to you, even for the purpose of getting you to come to a birthday party in your honor. Did you have a good time, Riley?”

  “I did. It was the nicest and only birthday party I’ve ever had.” He stopped and folded his arms around her. “Thank you for making today so special, Bertie.”

  He gave her a sincere hug. One that was safe to give a dear friend. However, what he wanted to do, wished he could do, was kiss her — drink from her pert, pink lips until the vast thirst he felt for her was quenched.

  Bertie pulled back and glared at him. “Riley Walsh, do you or do you not hold any affection for me?”

  Caught off guard by her question, he blurted out the truth. “Of course I do, Bertie. How could you not know that?”

  “Because you don’t tell me how you feel. Most of the time you ignore me, acting all brooding and sullen. Other times, you’re fun and flirty, teasing me mercilessly.” Bertie stepped so close to him the lace on the front of her dress pressed against his chest. “I need to know if you truly care for me, and not as a pest or a substitute sister o
r a nice little friend.”

  “Yes, Bertie, I care for you.” Riley’s restraint unraveled faster than he could grasp the wispy threads. “I’ve cared for you since the first time I saw you. I may not have said anything, but I’ve shown you, in a hundred ways, how much I care for you.”

  “Then why haven’t you done this?” Bertie reached up and pushed back his hat then pulled Riley’s head down to hers, blending their lips together in a kiss that began as something innocent and tender.

  Passion and yearning quickly overrode what little sense Riley had left. He took control of the kiss, wrapping Bertie in his arms and lifting her off her feet. His mouth laid claim to hers, savoring the luscious softness of her lips. Nothing had ever tasted as sweet as her kisses.

  Her fingers caressed the back of his neck and threaded into his hair as she moaned in pleasure. Riley deepened the kiss, lost in a euphoria he never hoped to experience in his lifetime. From her response, Bertie felt every bit as consumed by their ardent exchange as he did.

  Unexpectedly, reality penetrated the fog in his brain and he pulled back, setting her on her feet.

  Shutters dropped over his eyes and his mouth settled into a grim line.

  “Riley?” Bertie reached out to him, but he took a step back, bumping into Mud. The horse shifted and returned to munching grass, oblivious to the storm about to break loose around him.

  Thunder cracked overhead and Riley wondered if a lightning bolt might streak out of the sky and strike him dead. It would be nothing less than he deserved.

  Bertie grabbed his hand and held on, unwilling to let it go, to let him go. “Riley, don’t shut me out again. Talk to me. Don’t you know, you daft man, that I love you. I’ve loved you all summer, with my whole heart.”

  Uncertain how to go about shattering the heart she’d held out to him in her hand, he stared at her.

  “Riley! For goodness sakes, say something!” She peered into his face, frightened by what she saw there.

  Regret.

  Desolation.

  Depths of pain she hadn’t yet begun to understand.

  Her gaze lifted upward when thunder boomed again and she felt the first drops of rain touch her face.

  A squeeze to her hand brought her attention back to the man standing next to her. He traced his fingers across her cheek, along her jaw to her chin. His thumb grazed her swollen, just-kissed lips.

  “I love you, Roberta Elizabeth Hawkins, more than I’ve ever loved anyone.” Riley stepped closer to her, grabbing her upper arms in his hands. “But I can’t be with you. I can’t love you, Bertie, not the way you want and need to be loved.”

  “Why not?” Bertie’s tears mingled with the raindrops on her face. “Give me one good reason you can’t love me, Riley. Just one.”

  Riley dropped his hands and stepped back, raking a hand over his face before looking her in the eye. “I’m married, Bertie.”

  The air left her lungs at the same time the strength left her legs. She wobbled and would have fallen to the ground if he hadn’t caught her arms and held her upright.

  “Married? You’re married?” Unable to believe what he said, she shook her head in denial. “You told me your wife was dead.”

  “No, I said she was gone. My son is dead. Eugenia is gone. I never once lied to you, Bertie. I just didn’t tell you the whole truth.”

  Swiftly wrenching out of his grasp, she took a stumbling step back. “Stay away from me, Riley. Stay away and don’t you ever come near me again!”

  “Bertie, please hear me out. You need to know the rest of the…”

  Bertie clapped her hands over her ears and turned away from him, blocking out the sound of his voice. She ran back toward the house. Ran until her lungs burned and her side ached and she couldn’t catch a breath, wishing a hole would open in the earth and swallow her into oblivion.

  Nothing would ever, ever be right in her world again.

  Riley watched Bertie run toward the house, falling in the wet grass, ruining the pretty dress she wore.

  The betrayal and horror on her face when he told her he was married seared into his brain.

  He should have told her the truth months ago. He should have stayed away from her.

  Most definitely, he shouldn’t have fallen in love with her.

  Uncertain what to do, he stood on the hill with rain pouring down over him and watched until she made it back to the house.

  Even then, Riley stood in the rain with Mud bumping into his shoulder, letting him know he wanted to go home.

  Finally, he took the reins in his hands and walked home, defeated and more broken than he’d been in his life, even when he’d found the body of his son. The son his wife had murdered right before she disappeared.

  The next morning found him on Garrett and Aundy’s doorstep before the sun rose. He sat on the back step waiting for a light to flick on or sounds of one of them stirring before knocking on the door.

  The sun hadn’t yet crested the horizon when he heard water running and the rumble of voices. He stood and tapped on the door.

  Garrett opened it and eyed him warily. “Something we can help you with this morning?”

  “Yes. I assume Bertie shared what I told her last night, but I wanted to tell you what she refused to stick around to hear.”

  “Come on in.” Garrett pushed the door back and motioned for Riley to enter.

  Aundy stood at the stove, making a pot of coffee. With a disapproving glare, she motioned to the table. “Have a seat.”

  Riley removed his hat and glanced around. Thankfully, Bertie didn’t appear to be up or had chosen to hide in the other room when she realized who was at the door. He took a seat at the table and released a careworn sigh. “What did Bertie tell you?”

  “That you professed to love her then admitted you’re married.” Garrett sat across from him, pinning him with a hard glare. “Don’t know how you do things where you come from, but around here, that’s wrong and not looked upon too favorably. Especially with someone as special as our Bertie.”

  Riley was glad Aundy and Garrett thought of Bertie as theirs. She needed a sense of family, particularly with Bobby wrapped up with his new wife. “Look, Garrett, I didn’t intend to love her, to fall in love with her. I tried not to. You both know I’ve done everything I could to stay away from her this summer.”

  “Then why didn’t you tell us you were married in the first place?” Aundy thumped a cup of hot coffee down in front of him and settled herself next to Garrett with a cup of tea.

  “Because I’m not exactly sure I’m still married and it isn’t a story I like to tell anyone.”

  Aundy and Garrett shared a confused glance then turned back to him.

  Garrett gave Riley a pointed look. “Why don’t you tell us the whole story and we’ll sort it out from there.”

  Riley nodded. “I told you about my Pa dying when I was fourteen. I dropped out of school and took over the farm. There were plenty of people determined to take it away from me, but Pa didn’t owe any money and he’d left a will, all nice and legal, that stated it belonged to me. I worked hard to keep it and get over my grief of losing him. The summer I was sixteen, a new family moved to town. They only had one child, a daughter my age. Eugenia was beautiful and spoiled and seemed to take a shine to me right from the start. I saw her every Sunday at church and it wasn’t long until her mother started inviting me to join them for supper a few times a week. One thing led to another and I married her that autumn.”

  “But you were only sixteen!” Aundy gasped and gave Riley a look of disbelief.

  “Life has a way of forcing you to grow up in a hurry when you’re on your own. I think you know a little something about that, Aundy.” Riley felt slightly mollified by her nod of agreement. “The thing I didn’t realize until I married Eugenia was that she might have been beautiful on the outside, but inside was a whole different matter. It didn’t take long to discover her parents were more than eager to hand her off to me. They packed up and left town
without saying a word about where they were going a week after we wed.” Riley leaned back in his chair and drummed his fingers on the table then took a drink of the coffee.

  After inhaling a deep breath, he continued. “Before I realized she was honest-to-goodness crazy, she came up in the family way. I’d never known someone who could be fun and loving one minute, and mean and hateful the next. It was like living with two different people most of the time. Not knowing the person I’d find when I came in of an evening from work kept me plenty upset, but who could I tell? Her parents didn’t want her and I had no one to turn to. Eugenia was my responsibility and she carried my baby.”

  “Oh, Riley.” Aundy reached across the table and patted his hand. “What happened?”

  “After Joshua was born, she got worse and worse until that mean and hateful person was there all the time. I’d caught her shaking and hurting Joshua a few times, so I started taking him with me. In the summer, I left him in the shade of a tree while I worked. By then, I’d moved out to the barn with Joshua and left Eugenia in the house. She didn’t cook or clean. Most of the time, she wouldn’t even get dressed or comb her hair. I looked into having her sent to an asylum, but she found out I was considering it. She threatened to kill both me and Joshua if I tried to send her away.”

  Stunned, Garrett and Aundy stared at him, unable to speak. Riley took another drink of his coffee and returned to nervously drumming his fingers on the table.

  “One night, I thought I heard something. I got up to find Joshua with his… he was…” Riley couldn’t speak around the emotion squeezing the air from his lungs and burning the backs of his eyes. He leaned back and stared at the ceiling for a long moment, trying to regain his composure.

  It had been three years since he’d told anyone what happened to his son. He felt Aundy’s hand on his again and swallowed hard.

  “She’d held a pillow over his face until he suffocated then ran off. The sheriff wasn’t any help. He kept hinting that I killed both Joshua and my wife, but hid her body to make it look like it was her fault. I had a friend who asked at every stage depot and train station for a hundred miles if anyone had seen her, but no one had. He finally talked the sheriff in a neighboring town into helping and they strung wanted posters all over a three state area. I know, because I rode every direction I could think of trying to find her.”