Promise me tomorrow (33 page)

"Yes, Aunt Rusty."

"Thank you, Chase," Clayton said as they stood.

"Yes, thank you, Mr. McCandles," Jackie added.

Chase had also come to his feet. "You're welcome. If you need anything at all, you need only ask."

Thankfully Chase did not miss the significance of Rustys orders to his son, and as Quintin led Jackie and Clayton from the room, he hung back with Quintins companion. She watched her parents leave with their small escort and turned to find Chases eyes on her once again.

"Is everything all right, Katherine?"

"I think so."

"Did you need something?"

"Only to ask you a question."

Chase gestured with his hand and indicated one end of the davenport. He took the chair nearest her after she'd seated herself.

"Mr. McCandles, may I assume that you'll tell me if something is wrong; that is, if youre not pleased with me or my performance?"

"Absolutely," he said without a moments hesitation. "Has something made you think I was unhappy?"

Rusty moved her hands restlessly, clearly uncomfortable with mentioning what was on her mind. She was grateful when Chase understood.

"Is it because I stared at you just now, or because of what happened in town?"

"A little of both, I guess," she said softly, eyes on her lap, feeling very embarrassed.

She had turned her head just enough so that Chase was given a perfect view of her right ear. It was as bright as a cherry. The conversation in Boulder, the one with Rusty and her mother, came flooding back to him. The temptation to say something very warm and personal to her right now was strong, but he pushed it away.

"I owe you an apology, [Catherine," Chase began instead, and Rusty looked at him. "I'm simply horrible when it comes to telling someone they've done well. I'm more than willing to point out mistakes, but my inner attitude of 'no news is good news' doesn't help anyone know when I'm pleased. You're doing a wonderful job. I'm delighted with the changes I see in Quintin and the way you've helped me."

Rusty nodded, pleased that he was not upset with her, but there was more. "And our words in town—" she began, "are you upset with me over that?"

"I'm not upset with you, but I still don't know how I feel about it," Chase admitted. "You seem comfortable wandering around town at will. For the most part it's very safe, but I'm just not sure you're as cautious as you need to be."

"I'm not completely without fear, Mr. McCandles, but I can't let it control me. Too many times in my life I've been afraid of things, and I wanted to do better this time. I want to stand up to anyone who might threaten me and not cower in fear."

Rusty found Chase sitting next to her almost before she saw him move.

"Please tell me you're not going to do that, Katherine. Please tell me it's just a thought and not a plan. Please tell me you'll yell for the police as you said you would."

He was very close, his head bent so he could speak directly into her face. She met his eyes and wondered why she never noticed what a dark brown they were.

"Katherine?"

"It's not a plan," she said, pulling her mind back to the present subject. "And I would never do anything foolish, but I do wonder how I could do better than I did in Makepeace."

"Katherine," Chase returned, working to keep his voice calm, "my imagination does crazy things when you make statements like that. I picture you walking into some alley, just to take on anyone who might be loitering there."

"I wouldn't do that," Rusty said calmly.

Chase sighed. He still hadn't scared her, which in truth is what he'd hoped to do. He admitted as much and watched Rusty's chin go into the air. It looked as if they were headed into another battle.

"You were trying to scare me?" She was outraged.

With one long finger, Chase pushed Rusty's chin back into place. He then addressed her with maddening calm.

"You have a very nice chin, Miss Taggart, and you can point it at me anytime you like, but before we start shouting at each other, will you please tell me you understand the severity of this issue? By your own admission you tend to be impulsive, so will you please tell me you're not going to take it into your head to confront the next man who acts improperly toward you."

"All right," she agreed, still sounding as if she was searching for another method. "If I decide to stand up to someone, I'll make sure you know."

"That's nor exactly what I meant," Chase replied, realizing what he had said.

"Well, it's the best I can do." The stubborn look was back on her face.

"No, it isn't," Chase argued. "You can tell me you're not going to do this at all."

"Are we headed into another huge fight?"

"No, but I want to make sure you don't end up helpless in an alley again."

Rusty stopped. The word "helpless" got her attention like nothing else could. She had been utterly powerless with her back against that building and those men in front of her, and it was not something she wanted to repeat.

"I won't do anything rash."

'Thank you." Chase sat back, knowing she was good as her word. He also had to lighten this conversation—talks with Rusty that went along this vein were going to result in someone's heart failure: his.

"I'm relieved," he added. "For a minute there, I thought I was going to have to resort to blackmail."

Since he'd moved back from the edge of the davenport and was sitting right next to her, Rusty had to turn in the seat to see his face more fully. He was looking very pleased with himself.

"Blackmail? What would you use?"

"Oh, just a little information about a certain woman whose ears turn red when she's embarrassed."

Rusty smiled. "You wouldn't."

"I would." He shook his head in mock severity. "I wouldn't have any choice. A man has to do what he has to do."

Rusty bit her lip to keep from laughing. "You're shameful," she finally accused.

"Not at all. Like I said, I wouldn't have a choice."

"In that case, I'll just have to wear my hair down for the rest of the summer."

"Now, that would be a shame."

The warmth and extra softness of his voice made Rusty stop and study him. Chase looked right back. It was the first time Rusty saw it: interest—pure, straightforward interest that Chase McCandles did nothing to hide. Emotions surged through the small redhead, who found she couldn't speak; neither could she look away. Not knowing if he'd moved too swiftly or not, Chase was just as silent.

It was some minutes before Rusty could find her voice to tell Chase that she had to check on Quintin. If she had looked panicked, he would never have let her go, but the sweet smile she gave him before she left the room did his heart a world of good.

"This is the bed," Quintin told Rusty's parents his little face very serious. "And this is the mirror." Quintin pointed to the large mirror over the dresser.

"Thank you," Clayton smiled down at him. "It was nice of you to help us find things. Do you ever come in here and look out the window, Quintin? You can see a long way."

The little boy joined Clayton at the lacy curtains.

"That's town. That's Colorado Springs."

"It looks nice. Do you go there often?"

He nodded. "With Aunt Rusty and sometimes my father."

"That must be fun."

Quintin fell silent then, and Clayton knew he needed rescuing. "Thank you for showing us, Quintin.

"You're welcome. I have to find Aunt Rusty now-"

"All right. We'll see you later."

Clayton waited for him to walk out the door and then closed it softly.

"Oh, Clayton," Jackie breathed as soon as they were alone. She had parked herself by the footboard of the bed until Clayton could give her the layout of the room. "If he's half as darling as he sounds, Rusty must be in love with him."

"He is very cute," Clayton told her without hesitation. "And I'm sure you're right. I'm half in love with him, and I just got here."

"Tell me, Clay." There was a catch in Jackie's voice. "Was I just hearing the voice of my first grandchild?"

Clayton came to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her. He bent close to her ear and said, "Yes."

"Oh, Clayton," she cried as her husband held her.

"Did you hear anything this time?"

"Not yet." She sniffed and felt for her hankie. Clayton found it for her. "Tell me what you saw."

"He can't keep his eyes off of her. Its more obvious than it was in Boulder, and now she looks back at him. I was open to being wrong until Quintin came in and Rusty held him in her lap. I could see that Chase's heart had gone into his eyes. He could hardly look away."

"Do you think Rusty realizes?"

"I'm not certain. Something tells me the relationship between Chase and Quintin is better, and that's going to go a long way in getting Rusty's attention."

Jackie took a deep breath. "I knew when she moved to Manitou that we wouldn't be around to watch something like this happen, but it's so hard not to be here, Clayton."

"Yes, it is, but I can tell you she looks wonderful, and we know from her letters that she's thinking well and trying to deal with the surprises that come up. What else can we ask for?"

"You're right. Instead of being thankful that we're here now, I'm complaining about not having her all the time!"

Clayton pressed a kiss to her forehead, but Jackie lifted her face. Clayton was more than happy to oblige, and several more minutes passed before either one remembered that Jackie still needed to know the layout of the room.

37

"Did you get my letter?" Clayton quietly asked of Chase soon after dinner that night.

"Something this week? No, I didn't."

Clayton frowned. "I must have mailed it too late."

"Was there something you needed?"

"I don't want to presume upon your hospitality, Chase."

"I sincerely doubt that will be a problem."

Clayton nodded. "I wrote to Paddy to let him know that we would be here. I'm hoping he will bring Sammy over to surprise Jackie, but I'm afraid you'll feel like we've invaded."

"On the contrary, I've been trying to get Paddy and Sammy to visit for months. I hope they come and bring all the kids."

"Great. If they don't, we'll go ahead and make time to stop there on Monday before we go north. It means getting home later and spending less time with them, but Jackie hasn't seen Sammy for months."

"Well, I hope they come, and I assure you they are welcome. I'll inform Mrs. Whitley so she can prepare Mrs. Harding's room."

"They may not come, Chase. I don't want your staff to go to a lot of trouble."

"My housekeeper, Mrs. Whitley, will not feel that way. It's usually pretty quiet around here, and I know she likes company. *

"All right. I can also let Rusty know. She's always willing to help out."

It had not been Clayton's intention to play games with Chase, to look for some sort of reaction or set him up in any way, but the look that crossed the younger man's face at the mention of his daughters name was unmistakable—something was going on.

"I think Katherine and your wife are settled in the drawing room with coffee, Mr. Taggart," Chase said in a softer-than-usual voice. "Could I have a private moment with you?"

"Certainly."

Chase led the way from the dining room. The night was cool but comfortable, and he guided Clayton onto the veranda and out toward the gardens.

"You're pleased with Rusty's work, Chase?" Clayton asked almost immediately.

"Yes, I am. Quintin is having the time of his life. Until Katherine came I didn't realize that I'd been remiss on my son's behalf." The knowledge of this was still so new that Chase paused a moment. "Mrs. Harding meant well," Chase continued slowly, not wanting to sound unkind or cast blame. As Rusty had reminded him,
he
was Quintins father. "However, she never taught Quintin about life. Katherine is seeing to that, and her influence has been invaluable."

"That's great." Clayton felt proud of his daughter. "Rusty must have told me, but I can't remember—when do you expect Mrs. Harding back?"

Chase paused for a long time. The men were still walking, but Chase hadn't said a word.

"I don't want to ignore your question, Mr. Taggart, but could I ask one of you?"

"Of course."

Chase came to a stop. This was not a question he could ask while casually strolling along. "Would you object to my getting to know your daughter on a personal level?"

"No," Clayton replied without hesitation, "but I can't make assumptions where my daughter is concerned. Rusty's approval must follow my own."

"Of course. To be honest, I haven't spoken to her about this. I wanted to take more time—and when I did, I was going to ask her if she wanted me to check with you, but since you're here, I thought it might be all right to question you in person."

"I'm glad you felt free to do so, but I'm going to be direct with you, Chase. I feel there's no other way. Do you have marriage in mind?"

Chase took a deep breath, wanting to be wholly honest. "I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought of it, but at the moment I only want to know if Katherine would welcome my suit. I don't care for the thought that she might believe I'm just trying to secure a mother for Quintin, so I feel I must move carefully. Alongside of that is the complication of her living here. The last thing I want to do is make us an object of gossip."

Clayton couldn't have been more pleased with the man's reasoning. It was good to know that Rusty was in such careful hands.

"I appreciate that, Chase. Rusty's not been so sheltered that she wouldn't understand empty gossip, but your testimonies could be at stake. You'll keep us informed?"

"Yes, you can count on that. Does Rusty know that you've invited Paddy and the family?"

"No, but she likes surprises, and in no time she'll have some fun ideas in mind."

'That I can imagine. At times I laugh at your daughter's spontaneous nature, but I must admit there are moments when she scares me to death."

Clayton laughed. "She's been like that from the time she was a child. Her sister Clare was different. If Clare had seen that a pot was going to boil over on the stove, she'd have come for her mother or me. Rusty would simply remove the pot. It's so clear in Rusty's mind: If you see something that needs doing, you do it. At the same time you wonder why you never got the job done before."