Page 60 of Texas Splendor
Following their nightly ritual, she went to their bedroom, slipped into her nightgown, crawled into bed, turned down the lamp, and waited. She heard her husband walking the perimeter of the house as though he loathed giving up another day. He joined her a little sooner than he had the night before. Pressing a kiss to her temple, he drew her into the circle of his arms.
As she lay there, listening to his breathing, knowing he was giving as much as he could without dishonoring his vow, she cursed the night she’d extracted a promise from him.
Chapter 11
Loree glanced at her reflection in the mirror. The yellow ribbon at the end of her braid looked incredibly childish, even if it had been a gift from Austin. She yanked it from her hair and dropped onto the bed, pulling the ribbon through her fingers, over and over.
Austin had gone to Houston’s as soon as he’d seen Dallas and his family arrive in their buggy, leaving Loree to finish getting dressed on her own. She didn’t want to embarrass him by looking like a little girl when they attended the play at the theater. Only she had no idea how to make herself look grown up. She heard the soft knock on her door. “Come in.”
Dee poked her head around the door. “How’s it coming?”
Loree held up the ribbon. “I just need to figure out what to do with this ribbon. I don’t want to hurt Austin’s feelings by not wearing it.”
Dee stepped into the room, and Loree wished she could come up with a plausible excuse to get out of going to this affair. Dee’s red gown complimented her pale complexion, black hair, and brown eyes, leaving her devastatingly beautiful. “Oh, I’m sure we can think of something to do with it. Don’t you think, Amelia?”
Smiling warmly and holding a large box, Amelia waltzed in behind Dee. Amelia’s golden hair was swept up into a graceful bouquet of curls. The green of her dress emphasized the green of her eyes. She looked radiant.
Dee pulled out the chair in front of the mirrored vanity. “Loree, why don’t you sit here?”
“Why don’t we put on the gown first?” Amelia suggested.
Incredibly embarrassed, Loree glanced at her best dress. “I am wearing my dress.”
Amelia walked to the bed, set the box down, and ripped off the lid. “I thought you’d want to wear the gown Austin ordered for you.”
Loree took a hesitant step forward. “What gown?”
With a flourish, Amelia pulled a rustle of lace and silk out of the box and held it up for Loree to see. “This one.”
Tears stung Loree’s eyes. The pale yellow bodice dipped down to form a V. Lace decorated the area between the V and ran up along the shoulders. A top skirt was split down the middle and pulled back, held in place with yellow ribbons, to reveal a pleated lace skirt beneath.
“Austin ordered this gown?” Loree asked, touching the soft material with awe.
“In a way,” Amelia admitted. “He told me you needed something to wear. He insisted it be yellow because you look beautiful in yellow—”
“He said that?” Loree asked. “That I looked beautiful?”
Amelia smiled warmly. “He said that. But not knowing how his taste in women’s clothing runs … and having had an unfortunate experience with Dallas’s tastes in women’s attire, I oversaw the dress maker’s efforts.”
“I had no idea—” Loree began.
“I think he wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Oh, it is.” “Why don’t you slip it on,” Dee suggested, “and then we’ll see about arranging your hair.”
Loree grabbed her braid. “I don’t suppose we could pile it on top of my head.”
“We can do anything you want.”
Austin sat in Houston’s parlor, sprawled in the chair, gazing out the window, wishing he could think of a way to get out of his family obligation.
The way Rawley was crunching his face, Austin figured he was searching for an excuse, too. Rawley dug his finger behind the collar of his starched white shirt, looking like he might choke at any minute. Then his face brightened. “I should probably check on the herd.”
Dallas shifted his gaze from the window and nodded slowly. “You probably should.”
Relief washed over Rawley’s face as he strode for the door.
“If the herd means more to you than your mother does,” Dallas added.
