Page 3 of Beyond Montana's Sky
“Now, I’m curious as to why you’re going into Hardy’s.” He crooked his elbow in her direction. “Allow me to escort you.”
Edith gave his arm her most haughty stare. “Don’t let me stop your drinking or card playing or….” She remembered the saloon girls, and her voice trailed off, scandalized by her own thoughts. Of course, she couldn’t possibly voice such a thing, even if he already had. Ladies weren’t supposed to know about prostitutes.Although, of course, we do.
Mr. Driscoll raised both eyebrows. “Or?” he asked in a polite tone.
But the wicked gleam in his eyes told her he knewexactlywhat she’d been thinking. With a shake of her head, Edith wrenched open the saloon’s door. “Never mind!” She sailed through. Once inside, she inhaled the smell of smoke, unwashed men, and alcohol and wished she’d held her breath.
The men seated at the round tables playing cards, and the two standing at the long wooden bar in front of Mr. Hardy stopped to gaze at her with curious or predatory stares. All except for the one at an empty round table whose head was pillowed in his arms. He’d apparently passed out, and his hat hid his face.
Edith didn’t recognize any of them and realized she’d need to add another category of men she didn’t know to the loggers, prairie farmers, and isolated hunters—men who frequented Hardy’s Saloon.
She sniffed in disdain.Not that I’d want to make their acquaintance.She did, however, wonder if they’d received wedding invitations.Well, if they haven’t, I’m not about to pursue the omission.
Edith refused to meet anyone’s gaze, yet she couldn’t help but remain conscious of Cai Driscoll behind her. A shiver went down her spine, as if he’d placed a hand on the small of her back, and the hair on her neck quivered from the brush of a calloused finger over her skin. Oddly, he hadn’t touched her.
From the second table, Sheriff Granger glanced at Edith, her gray eyes assessing. The lawwoman frowned, laid down her cards, and stood, pushing back her chair and winding around the other two tables to stop in front of Edith. She was dressed like the men around her—trousers and long-sleeved shirt. Her vest was leather with a badge pinned to the front.
“Mrs. Grayson, is something wrong?”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“This isn’t the place for you.”
“I’m aware of that, Sheriff.” She stiffened and fought to keep tartness from her tone. The lawwoman didn’t deserve Edith’s ire, which rightfully belonged to the man at her back. Nor did she wish to alienate the sheriff. “I’m here to give Mr. Hardy an invitation to my brother’s wedding. I left the one for you, Mr. Red Wolf, and Walter on the desk at the jail.”
An unexpected smile gentled the sheriff’s customarily stern expression. “Maggie Baxter and her baby Charlotte are the best things that could happen to your brother. She’s definitely brought out Caleb’s softer side.”
Although Edith didn’t like the lawwoman’s familiar use of her brother’s name—really, she couldn’t wait to return to Boston and more proper manners—she couldn’t help but agree with the sentiment. “Mrs. Baxter and dear Charlotte are a most welcome blessing for our little family. But you know what I mean. You have Walter now,” she referenced the sheriff’s newly adopted son.
Sheriff Granger nodded. “A child changes everything. Haven’t quite wrapped my mind around being a mother.”
“That sentiment will come.”
Witnessing her serious brother fall head over heels for mother and child had been quite an astonishing experience. But newborn Charlotte also grabbed Edith’s heart with her miniature hands.Who would have thought I could love a child who wasn’t my own blood?
Ben, too, had fallen victim to the baby’s sweetness. He doted on the child like a besotted big brother. Seeing them together made Edith long to give her son a sibling. At age thirty-six, she wasn’t too old, provided she found the right husband in the next year or so.But in Boston, of course.
Not for the first time, the idea of leaving her brother, Maggie, and that sweet baby cost Edith a pang.But this move is for Ben’s sake,she reminded herself for the umpteenth time.
And mine, too, of course. I can’t wait. Really, I can’t.
The sheriff gave Edith a penetrating glance before turning her attention to Mr. Driscoll. “Glad you’re here for Ahab, Cai. Was hoping not to have to haul him to jail to sleep off his bender.”
Edith tried not to stare at the man but as if mesmerized, she couldn’t help watching.
“Appreciate that. I was worried about him.” He looked at Ahab, and his eyes hardened, stretching lines in their corners. He shook his head just a bit, as if tossing off a thought, and he strode over to the unconscious man, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder.
The unexpectedness of Cai Driscoll’s compassionate expression made Edith uncomfortable.What else about him might be…well, loving?
“Ah, Ahab.” Mr. Driscoll shook his head. He glanced from the sheriff to Edith. “I knew when he didn’t come home to the ranch, I’d be making a trip out here.”
“I’m sure the journey is a familiar one,” Edith said tartly.
Mr. Driscoll glanced at her with a hint of censure in his eyes. “Ahab received word yesterday that his sister died. His only living relative.”
Shame froze her in place, and she didn’t know what to say or how to apologize. Edith knew people thought her haughty, which she didn’t mind.Acting unkindly, though, is a different matter.“I’m sorry for his loss,” she said stiffly, knowing the inadequacy of the expression. Caleb had been her rock since Nathaniel’s death. “A brother and sister relationship can be very important.”
His expression softened. “I remember.”
