In Love's Territory: A Western Historical Romance Read online

  “I’ve got you,” Edward said. Kate now realized that Mark had only started down the drive to give himself room to turn around; she could hear that they were now off the gravel and going over the grass, headed up the hill along the narrow strip that ran between the farmland and the forest.

  Kate tilted her head way back; there was the smallest gap between the kerchief and her cheek, and she could see a sliver of green as they rolled past the cornfield.

  “No peeking now, Miss Taylor,” Becky said, and Kate lowered her head. “We’ll be there shortly.”

  So if it’s not in the house, and it’s not at the Tiltons’, then it must be…a picnic. She sat up a bit straighter. Well, that might be nice. There wasn’t much else on the farm besides the acres of crops; they were almost certainly headed for the creek. It would be perhaps a bit more rustic than she was expecting, but the more she thought about it, it sounded like a fine idea. They would sit on blankets by the side of the stream, in the shade of the tall tree that grew there, and they’d have a nice country lunch. It sounded delightful.

  Her dark mood of the morning dissipated entirely, evaporating in the warmth of the late afternoon as they went. In a few minutes she felt them turning to follow the bend in the path, and she knew that they were now in sight of the creek.

  “Well, would you look at that,” she heard Carter murmur.

  “Don’t say anything, now,” Mark said. “Let’s keep it a surprise.”

  In another couple of minutes Kate could hear voices, and then the gurgle of the water as it flowed over the rocks on the streambed.

  “Happy birthday, Katie!” she heard her father call.

  “Thanks, Papa,” she said. “Can I take this off now?”

  “Yep, I think so,” he said.

  She almost couldn’t believe her eyes. The grassy area beside the creek was her favorite place on the farm, but she had never seen it like this. Makeshift tables and benches had been put up using sawhorses and planks; the tables were covered with platters of food, drinks and vases of fresh wildflowers. Brightly colored cloth streamers hung from the lowest branches of the tree, slowly fluttering in the breeze. A large sheet cake covered in creamy white frosting was on one of the tables, and she could see that “Happy Birthday Kate” had been written in piped icing.

  “This is amazing!” she said. “And here I was thinking you were taking me to the Tilton farm!” she said as she took Edward’s hand and got down from the wagon.

  “It was all Sam’s idea,” Becky said. “He had us out here since eight this morning getting things ready. He even had Jake up in the tree hanging streamers.”

  “This cake is unbelievable!” she said as she approached it to look more closely. It was as finely detailed as any she had ever seen back home.

  “I got it from Larson’s Bakery over in Dodgeville,” Thomas said. “It was a bit of a drive, but they say that he makes the best cakes in the county.”

  “Well, it sure looks like it,” Kate said. She gave her father a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Papa.”

  “Don’t thank me. Like Becky said, it was Sam’s idea; I was just the delivery man.”

  Kate turned to Sam, who was standing a bit back from the others, his hands in his pockets and a small smile on his face. “Sam, thank you for arranging all this,” she said. “I couldn’t have asked for a more delightful surprise.”

  “No problem, Miss Taylor,” he said. “I’m glad you like it.”

  “You know, this food ain’t getting any warmer,” Mary said.

  “You’re right, Mary,” Kate said. “Let’s eat!”

  Kate didn’t know how they had accomplished it in secret, but Mary and Becky had gone all out for the dinner. The platters were full of every delectable thing she could have asked for: grilled steak, pork chops, green beans, sweet corn, and more. A huge bowl of Mary’s buttermilk biscuits was covered with a cloth to keep them warm, and Kate had to restrain herself from dumping the whole bowl onto her plate. By the time she finished taking just a little of everything that looked good, her plate was already full and she was sure she’d have no room for cake afterwards.

  After everybody had been seated, her father went to the stream and pulled a bottle of sparkling wine out of the water where he’d left it to chill. He carefully unwound the wire cage and started to ease the cork out of the bottle.

  “Careful, Dad,” Mark said. “Don’t point that at anybody.”

  “Remember when he hit Mrs. Greely last New Year’s Eve?” Jake asked, turning to his brother.

  “That was an accident,” Thomas said. “Mostly.” He aimed the bottle upwards and pushed the cork out, sending it flying high over their heads into the field behind. He quickly went around and poured the wine, then returned to his place and lifted his glass.

  “I can’t believe that we were blessed with you nineteen years ago! There have been four perfect days in my life, four days when I was happiest,” Thomas said. “One was the day I married your mother, and the other three were when you kids were born.” He paused to look closely at Kate and her brothers.

  “You know, Katie, I’ve said many times how proud I am of you,” Thomas said. “And the same goes for all my kids,” he added, turning to Mark and Jake. “I’m so proud of you, in fact, that it’s difficult for me to even make a toast like this without getting all worked up.” He paused to take a deep breath.

  “Aw, here we go,” Mark muttered.

  “Well, before I embarrass myself or anybody else, let me just say that I love you and I wish you the happiest of birthdays, Katie.” He raised his glass to her and drank along with the other guests.

  “Thank you, Papa,” Kate said.

  “If you all don’t mind, I’ll make another toast,” Carter said, standing and raising his glass. “To Katherine Taylor on her birthday,” he said, smiling broadly at Kate. “Here’s to many more.” He took a sip from his drink and set down his glass, drawing a small square package out of his jacket pocket. “I brought you a gift,” he said, reaching across the table to hand it to Kate.

  “Edward, how thoughtful,” she said. The package was wrapped in paper and string, and she carefully undid the wrapping to reveal a small box. When she lifted the lid, she found two silver earrings; the small hoops felt heavy for their size and were etched with an intricate, scrolling design.

  “I sure hope you like them,” Carter said. “I had those custom made just for you. Sterling silver.”

  “They’re beautiful,” she said. “Now if Mineral Point had more places I could wear them to, we’d be all set,” she added, and a ripple of laughter went around the table. “Thank you.”

  “Actually, I brought you a little something too,” Sam said, rising from the bench. He went to one of the wagons and returned in a moment with a long, narrow package tied with string, which he handed to Kate. “I hope you like it.”

  “Sam, this is so sweet of you,” she said. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

  “I know, but I wanted to do it,” he said, ignoring the stare that Carter was throwing his way.

  Kate untied the package and pulled the paper away to reveal a red silk parasol. “Sam, this is lovely,” she said. She opened it to reveal an Oriental dragon and flowers, delicately printed in gold on the crimson silk.

  Jake let out a low whistle. “Pretty fancy,” he said.

  “They said this is the latest design,” Sam said. “I figured it was something you could use when you go on trips into town, or if you take a walk out here to the creek.”

  “It’s perfect,” Kate said. “This is just what I needed. Thank you, Sam.”

  “And we got you something too,” Mark said, pulling a wrapped bundle from underneath the table. He came around and handed it to Kate, who pulled away the string and paper to reveal a hand-tooled leather-bound book.

  “Mark, this is gorgeous,” she said. She flipped open the cover to the title page. “Oh, how wonderful! I never did read David Copperfield. ”

  “Well, I hope you like i
t,” he said. “I know you’ve been kind of bored around here lately. That’s from me, Dad and Jake, by the way.”

  She quickly stood up and kissed him on the cheek. “It’s terrific,” she said. “Thank you everybody. Now I think we should all eat before the food gets absolutely ice-cold.”

  As everybody began to eat, she sat down again and turned to Carter. “Aren’t these nice gifts?”

  “Yeah, very nice,” he said, staring past her.

  “So thoughtful.”

  “Very, very thoughtful.”

  She followed his gaze to the other table, where Sam and the boys sat talking and joking.

  “Is something wrong?”

  Edward now looked at her, his eyes searching hers. “Everything’s fine,” he finally said. “Now let’s eat.” He turned his attention to his plate; in a moment, Kate did the same.

  After the delicious meal and a nearly-too-large slice of cake, Kate felt like she needed to move around a bit, and she stood up to stretch. Apparently she wasn’t the only one with the idea; the boys also got up from their bench, then Jake went to the wagon and returned with their fishing rods.

  “You’re going fishing at my birthday party?”

  “Aw, come on, Kate,” Jake said as the boys walked toward the stream. “As long as we’re here anyway, no reason to waste the opportunity.”

  “Miss Taylor, do you want to play graces?” Becky asked.

  “You have the game of graces? I haven’t played that in years!” Kate said.

  “Come on, it’ll be fun!” Becky went to one of the wagons and reached behind the seat, pulling out four wooden dowels and a hoop decorated with ribbons. “Do you want to go first?” she asked, handing two of the rods to Kate.

  “No, I’m out of practice,” Kate said as they walked out away from the tables to give themselves some room. “You go first.”

  Becky walked out farther into the grass and, holding both rods in one hand, slipped the hoop over them and then took one dowel in each hand. “Are you ready, Miss Taylor?” she called.

  “Go ahead.”

  Becky crossed the rods and let the hoop slide down a bit until it was resting at the point where the dowels crossed each other. “Here we go!” she said, and quickly whipped her hands out in either direction, pushing the hoop up and off the rods in a flash. It shot into the air, the ribbons trailing behind, and flew directly toward Kate, who caught it easily on one of her dowels.

  The others clapped and shouted as Kate set the hoop up for the return flight. Her aim wasn’t quite as good, but Becky was quick on her feet and dashed over to her left, stabbing the wobbly hoop through the middle before it fell to earth. Their exchanges started out unevenly, with the hoop gliding softly and perfectly through the air for Becky, while diving and swooping like a cross-eyed goose for Kate. Soon, however, Kate began to improve and shortly they were both sending the hoop back and forth like experts.

  Between the exercise and the warm weather, however, Kate soon began to tire. “Becky, I’m going to take a break,” she said, catching the hoop and sending it back one last time. “I need to catch my breath.”

  “Aw, come on, Miss Taylor,” Becky called. “Just a little bit more.”

  “No, I’m winded,” she said. “Let’s see who else would like to play.” She turned and looked for Jake, but he was already wading into the stream, fishing rod in hand. “Edward, how about you?”

  He stared at her for a moment as if she had completely lost her wits. “I’m afraid I’ll have to pass,” Carter said. “I’m really not dressed for that.”

  “Oh…well, sorry, Becky,” Kate said.

  “I’ll play with you, Becky.”

  Kate turned to see Sam get up from the bench. “Let me show you all how this game is supposed to be played,” he said, taking the rods from Kate and heading out into the field. Whether intentional or not, Sam’s performance made Kate’s look positively masterful at first. He caught Becky’s hoops effortlessly, but when it came time to return them, he sent half of them flying off into the corn and the other half bounding across the ground toward the stream.

  After a few minutes of jeers and catcalls from Mark and Jake, though, Sam seemed to get the hang of it and soon the hoop was soaring between him and Becky with ease.

  “There you go, Sam!” Kate called. “Now you’ve got it!”

  “Yes, good work, Sam,” Edward muttered. “You’ve mastered a little girls’ game.”

  “Edward, it’s all in good fun,” Kate said as she turned to him. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to play?”

  “No, thank you,” he said. “It’s really not something I care to try.”

  “Suit yourself,” she said, turning back to watch.

  As the sun dropped down toward the horizon, there was more cake, more wine, more partners for Becky to play graces until she herself got tired and was replaced by Thomas, who promptly lodged the hoop in the tree. It was just as well. By that time everybody had eaten and drunk their fill, and between the dying light and the mosquitoes, it was time to head back to the house.

  The boys returned from the creek bearing their fishing poles and, in Jake’s hand, a bucket. Water sloshed over the rim as he walked.

  “What are you doing with that? Isn’t the well water good enough for you?” Kate asked.

  “It’s my fish,” he said. “Take a look.”

  The others crowded around to see, and sure enough, a small trout was twisting and wriggling in the water.

  “You sure that’s the fish? Looks like the bait,” Sam said.

  “I didn’t see you catch any,” Jake said. “I just don’t know what to do with it.”

  “Give it here,” Becky piped up, holding out her hand. “I’ll cook it for you tomorrow.”

  Jake eagerly handed over the bucket. “Great! Thanks a lot, Becky.”

  While the staff remained behind to clean up, Edward drove Kate and her family back in one of the wagons, and she lingered on the porch after her brothers and father had gone inside.

  “Well, I hope you had fun today,” Edward said, taking her by the hand and pulling her aside so that they couldn’t be seen from the hall.

  Kate let herself be enveloped in his arms. “It was lovely,” she said, resting her head against his chest. “I actually can’t remember a better birthday.” She raised her mouth to his, and kissed him gently, savoring his lips against her own.

  “I’m happy to hear that,” he murmured. “And your earrings? You really liked them?”

  “I really did,” she said. “They’re beautiful. All of my gifts were so nice.”

  “About that,” he said, stepping back a bit and taking her hands in his. “I’m not happy with Sam giving you a present like that.”

  “What? I thought it was lovely. And very thoughtful.”

  “No, I mean I don’t think it’s appropriate for him to be giving you a gift like that in the first place,” Carter said. “And it’s not appropriate for you to use it.”

  “You want me to give it back to him?”

  “I don’t care what you do with it. Give it back, throw it away, I don’t care,” he said. “I just don’t want to see you with it. It’s insulting.”

  “Edward, it’s only a parasol,” she said. “It’s not like he gave me anything romantic. Certainly nothing like the earrings you gave me.”

  “I think I made myself clear.”

  “Okay, if it means that much to you, I won’t use it,” she said. She reached up to lay her hand against his cheek. “But I wish you wouldn’t feel that way.”

  The creak and rumble of the old wagon coming down the hill interrupted them, and Kate stepped back slightly.

  “I should get going,” Edward said. He kissed her on the cheek and lingered a moment, his skin warm against hers. “Happy Birthday, Katherine.” He hugged her quickly and then went down the steps to his carriage, driving away just as the staff arrived in front of the house.

  Sam put on the brake and helped the women down from the wagon. They q
uickly unloaded the leftovers, dirty dishes, linen and other items from the party, parading in and out of the house on their way to and from the kitchen. Kate held the door for them as she gazed out into the evening; Edward had already disappeared from sight by the time the staff was finished and Sam returned outside to move the wagon.

  “Good night, Miss Taylor,” he said as he climbed into the seat. “I hope you had a good time at your party.”

  “It was the best,” she said. “Thank you, Sam.” Kate stepped inside the house and glanced down at the table in the foyer. Mark had placed her gifts there, and she took another moment to admire the parasol before opening the front closet and placing it high on the shelf.

  She walked down the hall to the kitchen, surprising Becky in the middle of her third piece of cake for the day.

  “Becky, when you’re finished, I need your help upstairs,” she said. “Good night, you two.”

  “Good night, Miss Taylor,” Mary and Sarah said almost in unison as they bustled about, putting things back in place; Becky simply nodded, trying to swallow the huge bite she’d just taken.

  While Kate waited for Becky to come help her undress, she moved to the window and stared out. Darkness was arriving in a hurry; the sky had now revealed a star or two, and she could see shadows moving about in Sam’s cabin.

  A floorboard creaked behind her and she turned to see Becky, who closed the door and went to the bureau to retrieve Kate’s night clothes.

  “Are you really going to cook that fish for Jake?”

  “Well, they say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” Becky said as she helped Kate out of her dress.

  “When it comes to Jake, that’s the truth,” Kate said. “Get Mary to show you how to bake her pies, and you’ll have him wrapped around your little finger.” She could see the color rise in Becky’s cheeks. “You know, when I first arrived on the farm, I actually thought that you and Sam were sweethearts.”

  “Me and Sam?!” Becky threw her head back and laughed heartily; it was the first time Kate had seen the girl let loose like that and it looked good on her. “I’m sorry, Miss Taylor, but I don’t know where you got that notion,” Becky said. “I am fond of Sam, don’t take me wrong. He’s been like kin to me, but nothing more.”