Last Promise Read online

* * *

  As soon as the entire family reached church, Luke looked around for George Granville. Almost every Sunday George arrived at the same time they did, but not today. Once inside, Luke looked at every person in the pews, but still no George. He didn’t pay attention to the preacher’s sermon, his mind kept going back to the beautiful woman he’d met yesterday. Finally, the last hymn ended and everyone filed out of the church. Colt stopped to speak with the preacher at the door, and Jake grabbed Luke by the arm and pulled him aside.

  “What are you looking for, little brother?”

  “I was looking for George Granville.”

  Colt walked up behind them and overheard Luke. “Why are you looking for George?” He’d also noticed his brother’s lack of attention during the sermon.

  “I had something to ask him.”

  “Well, I imagine he’s at the hotel. Come on, the family’s having dinner there,” Colt said.

  The men preferred to eat at home, but Colt liked to surprise the ladies with a dinner in town when they had the time. Victoria hadn’t been out of the house much since little Tate was born and it was a treat for her.

  The ladies and boys joined them, and Colt took the baby from Victoria. “Are you ladies ready to go to the hotel?”

  “Yes,” Victoria and Promise answered together.

  “Mrs. Howe makes a delicious apple dumpling,” Promise said.

  “Your apple pies are better,” Jake told her.

  Promise stood on her tiptoes and kissed her husband’s cheek. “You eat so many you are going to turn into an apple pie one of these days.” It pleased her that he still preferred her cooking.

  Luke took the twin boys by the hand and led the way to the hotel. As soon as they entered the restaurant, Luke spotted two young women who had been vying for his time, Emma and Lorraine, sitting on the other side of the room. He glanced at Jake and told him he’d be right back.

  Jake glanced across the room and knew what his brother was up to. “Don’t take too long, we want to order before midnight.”

  Luke approached the table and removed his hat. “Hello, ladies.”

  “Please join us, Luke,” Emma said.

  “Thanks, but I’m having Sunday dinner with the family. I just wanted to come over and say hello.”

  “Are we going to see you at the church social at the end of the month?” Lorraine asked.

  “I’ll see you before then. You are still planning to come to dinner next week, aren’t you?” Emma was excited that Luke had accepted her dinner invitation. Everyone thought Sally Detrick had her hooks in him and no one else stood a chance.

  Luke was so busy flaunting his charms to Emma and Lorraine that he didn’t notice Mary Ann Hardwicke walking from the kitchen. She stopped to place some plates and silverware on top of the sideboard, and saw Luke conversing with two ladies just a few feet away. She thought she would apologize to him for mistaking him for a hotel employee, but when she heard his conversation with the women, she changed her mind.

  “Emma, I’m looking forward to dinner next week, and I promise, honey, I won’t be late. And yes, Lorraine, you can count on me to be at the social. I won’t forget and I promise I’ll show both of you ladies a good time. We’ll dance the night away.”

  Mary Ann rolled her eyes at his comments, thinking every time she saw him he was making promises to show women a good time. Mr. McBride was a lothario of the worst kind. Her uncle might be friends with the man, but she didn’t want to have anything to do with him.

  “We heard about your day at the lake with Sally. Was she really wearing only her shimmy?” Emma asked.

  Luke couldn’t believe Sally would have confided in two of the town’s biggest gossips about their day at the lake. He leaned over and whispered, “I never kiss and tell, ladies.”

  “Emma and I like to swim in the lake, why don’t you take us?” Lorraine asked.

  Lorraine’s implicit meaning wasn’t lost on Luke. “Maybe next time.”

  Mary Ann’s mouth dropped open. She didn’t know what was most disturbing: the seducer’s behavior, or the lack of propriety by the women fawning all over him. She turned from the sideboard and hurried across the room before he saw her.

  Mary Ann’s uncle intercepted her as she neared the McBride table. George introduced her to the family, and after an exchange of a few pleasantries, Mary Ann left to check on the ladies cleaning the rooms upstairs. She was taking her new position at the hotel very seriously, determined not to disappoint her uncle.

  “Your niece is absolutely lovely,” Victoria said to George.

  “She is widely regarded as the beauty of London,” George replied.

  “Is she staying in Promise long?” Victoria asked.

  “Unless her father comes after her, she says she’s planning on making this her home.”

  Before the women could ask more questions, Colt spoke up. “I think Luke wanted to see you about something, George.”

  “Where is Luke, I haven’t seen him?”

  Jake pointed across the room. “He’s over there flirting with the ladies, where else?”

  George smiled. “If only I could be half as popular with the ladies.” He gave a knowing look to Colt and Jake and added, “Not to mention his stamina.”

  “Would you tell him I’m going to order for him in two minutes?” Colt was hungry and tired of waiting on Luke to return. As long as there were women to impress, Luke might be gone for hours.

  “Certainly.”

  “That was an odd response,” Promise said.

  “What was odd?” Colt asked.

  “George said his niece was staying unless her father came for her. He made it sound as if her father might not be keen on her being here.”

  * * *

  “Luke, your brother said you wanted to see me,” George said.

  “Excuse me, ladies.” Luke pulled George a few feet away so the women couldn’t hear his conversation. “I wanted to ask you about a young woman who registered at your hotel yesterday.”

  George chuckled. “You must be referring to my niece. I just introduced her to your family. She told me about meeting you.”

  “Your niece?” Luke wasn’t expecting this news. His eyes flickered to the table across the room, but he didn’t see her.

  “Yes, my niece, Mary Ann. I hope she didn’t offend you by thinking you were employed at the hotel.”

  “Not at all.” Hearing George was her uncle put a whole new twist on things.

  “What did you want to ask?”

  Luke didn’t directly answer the question. “Did she travel from England all alone?”

  “Yes, I wasn’t aware of her plans to come here. It’s probably a good thing as I would have been worried to death. She experienced a few harrowing situations along the way.”

  Luke couldn’t believe it, a pretty little thing like her traveling all the way from England alone. She had to be scared to death. In his mind, it would have been surprising if she hadn’t received some unwanted attention since she was so beautiful. That probably accounted for her wariness around him yesterday.

  “She wanted to apologize to you about yesterday.”

  “That’s not necessary; no harm done.”

  “I told her no man could be angry with someone so lovely.” George started to walk away, but he remembered Colt’s request. “Your brother said he would be ordering for you in two minutes.”

  Luke laughed and headed to the table. After they ordered dinner, Victoria told him about meeting George’s niece while he was off flirting with Emma and Lorraine. “She’s a very lovely woman.”

  “I saw her yesterday,” Luke informed them.

  “And you don’t have a dinner date yet?” Jake asked him.

  Luke wasn’t about to admit to his brothers that the woman they were discussing had absolutely no interest in him. “No, I really didn’t get the chance to spend any time with her.” That was sort of the truth; he didn’t spend the amount of time he’d wanted to when they were alone in her r
oom.

  “Was this before or after the fight with Clyde?” Colt asked.

  “After.” Maybe she was repulsed by his appearance yesterday. That thought gave him hope.

  “I hope we get the chance to know her better, I would love for her to meet Mrs. Wellington and hear all about her journey,” Victoria said. She thought her surrogate mother would enjoy the opportunity to speak with one of her countrywomen.

  “Mrs. Wellington would enjoy a visit with her,” Colt agreed.

  “We should invite her to dinner,” Promise said.

  “Did you know she traveled all the way from England alone?” Victoria directed her question at Luke.

  “That’s what George told me.”

  “I can’t believe she traveled all that way unchaperoned,” Promise said.

  Victoria told Luke about George’s comment regarding Mary Ann’s father, and Luke recalled Mary Ann’s response when he asked if she was staying a long time. The entire time Luke was eating, his eyes remained fixed on the staircase hoping she would come back downstairs. Just as they were about to leave the hotel, his wish was granted. As soon as Luke spotted her on the staircase, he told his family he would catch up with them at the livery.

  He stopped at the landing, blocking Mary Ann’s path. “Hello again.”

  Reaching the last step, Mary Ann’s gaze swept to his hips, noticing he was absent his gun today.

  “Mr. McBride.”

  “So you’re George’s niece?” He liked her yellow dress and he really liked the way it hugged her curves.

  “Yes, I am.” She hesitated, not really wanting to engage in a conversation with him, but she needed to apologize. “Please forgive me for thinking . . . well . . . that you were in my uncle’s employ. He informed me of my mistake.”

  Luke, never one to waste what he saw as an opportunity, said, “I know how you can make it up to me.”

  Mary Ann was surprised by his response. “Excuse me?”

  Luke moved an inch closer. She was still on the second step so they were nearly at eye level. “You can make it up to me by having dinner with me.”

  Mary Ann backed up a step. “Certainly not. I’ve apologized, and you, sir, if you were a gentleman, would accept.”

  Luke arched his brow at her. “Who said I was a gentleman?”

  His comment really flustered her. Her uncle had said the McBride brothers were fine men, and his brothers appeared to be gentlemen when she met them. They even stood to greet her, but this McBride brother was something else altogether. “I should have known by your behavior yesterday that you are certainly not a gentleman.”

  What in Hades was she talking about? He thought he was the perfect gentleman in her room yesterday. He’d prided himself on not even trying to steal a kiss. He usually worked faster than that. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  She narrowed her silver eyes on him. “Brawling in the streets. Real gentlemen don’t behave like common ruffians in England.”

  God had definitely blessed her in the beauty department, but she might be lacking in common sense. She must think him a real country bumpkin. Well, she had another think coming. “I suppose I could have demanded satisfaction for insulting a lady and killed him in a duel for his bad manners.”

  Did he really think those two women he was sashaying around were ladies? She’d seen the way they put their hands all over him. She arched her perfectly shaped little eyebrow at him. “Ladies? I assure you they haven’t a nodding acquaintance with the word!” With that said, she presented him with her back and promptly marched back upstairs.

  Chapter Four

  Luke was so busy at the ranch it prevented him from going back to town for over a week. He’d even been forced to cancel his dinner with Emma on Friday night. He hoped by Saturday night he would have time to go to dinner at the hotel in hopes of seeing Mary Ann. After his last encounter with her he might just be a glutton for punishment, but he was confident he would eventually charm her. He’d yet to meet a woman he couldn’t win over. In his mind he saw himself having a nice dinner, of course he’d ask her to join him, and then, if he played his cards right, she’d invite him up to her room. If the night didn’t turn out as he planned, he would head to the saloon and play some poker with the men and then . . . well, he’d see what he had the energy for after that. Either way, he was going to enjoy his Saturday night.

  * * *

  Mary Ann spent the week at her uncle’s side learning the hotel business. Her nights were occupied with writing to merchants in France where she had once shopped, to place orders for her inventory. True to his word, her uncle had men build shelves and paint the space. He’d even supplied her with a display case that he had stored in the hotel. She’d visited the mercantile and purchased some dress forms to display her garments. Things were going along quite nicely, and she was eager to have her little shop open.

  Mary Ann was behind the front desk when her uncle approached. “Mary Ann, Mrs. Howe has taken ill and I had Eb see her home and fetch the doctor. I don’t know what we will do about the people already coming in for dinner. The maids have left for the evening, and Eb doesn’t know the first thing about cooking. It’s Saturday night and that is our busiest time.”

  “Shall I give it a go, Uncle?” Mary Ann had never cooked a meal in her life, but she felt certain it couldn’t be that difficult. She was more than willing to give it a try.

  George was skeptical; he wasn’t sure Mary Ann had ever stepped foot in a kitchen. “Do you think you could handle the cooking? We could have a large crowd.”

  “Certainly. When Eb returns he can take the orders and I shall see to the preparations.”

  George was pleased with her willingness to pitch in and help. “If you are certain you can handle it, I will keep an eye on the desk and help Eb in the dining room.”

  * * *

  Luke had taken time with his appearance before he left home, making sure he had a very close shave and his boots were shined. By the time he arrived at the restaurant there were already a few diners sitting at the tables. Once he took a seat where he could see everyone coming and going, he heard one of the diners complain to Eb in a louder than necessary voice, “If I wanted my steak this rare I would have walked to the range and sliced a piece off its rear end while he was still moving.” The man shoved the platter back toward Eb. “I want rare, not raw.”

  “I’m sorry, I’ll take care of it,” Eb stammered. He grabbed the platter and headed back to the kitchen.

  George approached Luke when he passed his table. “Luke, I’m sorry but this might not be the best night to have dinner. Mrs. Howe is ill and my niece is trying to do the cooking.” He inclined his head toward the table where the complaining patron was sitting. “As you can tell, I don’t think it is going well.”

  Luke heard the murmurs of discontent from the other diners and he saw his opportunity. “Tell you what, George, you just keep it simple tonight. Tell everyone they are getting steaks and spuds, and I’ll lend a hand with the cooking.”

  “You can cook?” George didn’t think the McBride brothers looked like the kind of men who would ever need to cook their own meals.

  “I can manage to cook a good steak. I’m a bachelor who lived alone in the middle of nowhere.” He stood and slapped George on the back. “No worries. But remember, steaks and spuds, nothing else.”

  George smiled. “That’ll be fine. Almost everyone orders that meal anyway.”

  Luke walked through the kitchen door and came to a halt. Smoke was filling the room, and Mary Ann was leaning over the stove fanning something. Her hair was hanging in disarray, half up and half down, and her dress sleeves were pushed to her elbows. She certainly didn’t look as proper as the last time he had seen her.

  Without turning around she asked, “Eb, what do you need?”

  I need you, Luke thought. “I think I should ask what you need.”

  Mary Ann whirled around to see Luke standing in the doorway. She didn’t know what he wanted, probably to c
omplain about something like the other diners. She didn’t have time for him. “Not now, Mr. McBride, I’m busy.”

  “I can see that.” Luke put his hat on a hook.

  Mary Ann glanced back at him to see he was still in the room. “What?” Her tone wasn’t patient.

  “I told George I would help you out in here.”

  She whirled around to face him, and the look she gave him might have made a lesser man turn tail and run. “You what?”

  He walked beside her and glanced at the stove. “I’m going to help you out in here. First, let’s open this damper more.”

  She watched as he started opening latches he had no business opening. “What do you think you are doing?”

  He grinned at her. “You don’t want the whole restaurant to fill up with smoke, do you?”

  She shook her head, feeling every bit the fool. She had no idea why the room was smoky.

  “Now, we are going to cook steak and potatoes.”

  She stared at him like he was speaking in a foreign tongue. His face was mere inches from hers and all she could think about was how handsome he looked.

  Luke grinned. “Potatoes?”

  Collecting her thoughts, she pointed to the pot on the stove. “Eb boiled them earlier and they are ready to mash.”

  “Good. We need to add more wood to the stove to get the temperature up for the steaks,” Luke said as he turned and walked to the table.

  Mary Ann turned around and saw him lean over and untie the leather thong around his thigh. When his large hands moved to unbuckle his gun belt, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. She’d never seen a man remove an article of clothing, other than perhaps a jacket, certainly never a gun. There was something about his movements that almost seemed intimate, and she shouldn’t be watching. But it was such an utterly masculine gesture that she ignored her own commands.

  Luke was aware of those silver eyes on him. After he placed his holster over the back of a chair, he walked back to the stove. When she looked up to meet his gaze they simply stared at each other. He would give anything to know what she was thinking. He spotted a streak of flour on her cheek and when he brushed it off, her eyes widened in surprise. He wondered if she realized the top three buttons of her high-neck shirt were open. He wasn’t going to tell her since he was imagining his lips following that trail of buttons. Get control, he told himself. “Firewood?”