Adam handed Evangeline up to the seat of the small buggy and she thanked him as she tucked her skirts under her and took up the reins.
"I'm disinclined to let you drive all that way alone. Why don't you wait a few minutes; I'll go saddle my horse and tie it on the back. It won't take long."
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Cartwright, but…"
"Please, won't you call me Adam? I think we can do away with formality now."
"Well…perhaps but…all right but then you must return the consideration and call me Evangeline." She smiled at him.
"Sounds fair. Evangeline—it's musical in its sound—it has the sound of the wind through the trees."
"You are the lover of poetry, aren't you, Adam?" She looked s askance at his tendency to romanticize; that was the way she saw it. Evangeline wasn't used to such flowery compliments from Frank Branson. As a form of praise, he would only quote Proverbs and their praises: "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies," and warn her that "Favor is deceitful and beauty is vain." But Evangeline wanted to be told she was beautiful and wanted a man to desire her, for him to want her in his bed for more than procreation—for mutual delight and pleasure. Adam Cartwright stirred those feelings she valiantly tried to suppress and brought them bubbling to the surface.
"I can appreciate beauty in any form—whether it be the music of words, the beauty of nature or the form of a woman."
"You make me blush."
"It only makes you lovelier."
Evangeline sat for a moment, the reins still in her hands. "Mr. Cartwright…Adam, I tend to mistrust flattery as well as flatterers. I am unsure about you and your sincerity as every woman loves to hear she is beautiful and made to feel desired. I'm sure you know that."
Adam grinned. "I assure you, I am sincere and if you don't believe me—that my compliments on your beauty aren't genuine, when you get home, look in your mirror and see yourself as I do."
Evangeline was still dubious but smiled. "Good night, Adam—oh, I almost forgot. Will you and your brother come for dinner tomorrow?"
"If you promise your father won't fill us with buckshot."
Evangeline laughed again and Adam's chest swelled with emotion. Evangeline Rigby was a lovely young woman and she touched him with her sincerity and vulnerability. "I promise. 7:00 tomorrow evening. Perhaps we can all put our heads together and help your brother."
"7:00 it is," Adam said. She smiled again and then snapped the reins. Adam stepped out into the street to watch Evangeline's buggy as it rolled down the street. He still felt uncomfortable about her returning home alone. With a sigh, he finally turned to go back into the hotel and was surprised to see a well-dressed man blocking his way; Adam wondered how long he had been there. He shouldered the man aside to pass but the man reached out and grabbed Adam's arm. And suddenly Adam knew he was facing Dr. Frank Branson and that the issue was the lovely Evangeline Rigby.
After a few minutes, Adam returned to the table looking troubled.
"What happened, charm boy? Miss Rigby not let you kiss 'er and run your hands all over 'er?"
"Shut up."
"What's eatin' you?"
"I was watching her buggy leave and was going to come back in when a man came up and grabbed my arm."
'You're kiddin'" Hoss stopped eating.
"No, I'm not. It was Frank Branson, the good doctor. Seems he didn't like my talking to Evangeline, told me to stay away from her. He also said he knew who I was, that I was the brother of the man who had killed her sister and intimated that I wanted to do away with Evangeline in the same manner as her sister. It was all I could do to keep from busting his face."
"Glad you didn't. You sure you don't want any of this?" Hoss gestured towards Adam's plate.
"No, I don't. Help yourself." Adam sat silently then rose. "I'm going to escort Evangeline back home. I don't like her going all that way by herself."
"Now, Adam…"
"Here." Adam peeled off some bills and then tossed them on the table. "That'll cover everything." Adam picked up his hat and strode out.
Hoss continued to eat but he felt uneasy. Then he sighed. Adam was Adam and there was nothing to be done. Besides, Miss Rigby really shouldn't be out by herself at night. If things went as they had in the other towns, as they had nine years ago in Virginia City there would be four more killings before they stopped and one could easily be Evangeline Rigby.
~ 0 ~
The livery stable was two doors down from the hotel and Adam hastily saddled his horse and left town heading toward the Rigby's. It took about 10 minutes at a brisk canter before Adam could discern the carriage on the road ahead. Had she been on horseback, Adam knew he would have lost her as she could have cut through the countryside instead of following the road. The buggy suddenly went faster and Adam realized that Evangeline had heard him or seen him and was frightened so he called out to her. The buggy slowed and then stopped. Adam pulled up his horse beside her.
"Adam, you frightened me."
"I'm sorry. I just couldn't let you drive all this way alone. Let me tie my horse to the back." Adam was soon beside her on the seat and took the reins from her; they were soon on their way.
"I suppose I should thank you—and I do. But it's really not necessary."
"You said you were frightened. I could have been anyone so I think that makes my point."
Evangeline said nothing, only looked at Adam's determined profile. A thrill ran through her and she blushed, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. She realized she wanted a man like him, a man of passion and feeling, a man who would grab her and kiss her and perhaps—but she dared not even think of it. She smoothed her skirts and sat up straighter.
"Since you're out this way, do you want to see Agua Negre Creek? It's not someplace one would go except for a reason, especially this time of year when it's running so quickly—quite tumultuous water. It's not really a creek except in late summer and early fall but it's not a river ether."
His heart started pounding in his chest and he broke out in a sweat. Adam silently chided himself. He knew that the prediction from the carnival fortuneteller was bogus—no one could see into the future, there was nothing such as predetermination and even if there were, it was beyond human ken. A man made his own decisions and suffered the consequences and although, he knew he could predict how his family—his father, brothers and even Hop Sing, would behave, would react, in certain situations, that was just familiarity with their patterns of behavior—there was nothing otherworldly in it, nothing occult, just past behaviors determining future behaviors.
And yet he felt the air thicken about him; his head clouded. He felt almost as if he couldn't swallow, his throat closing. He blew out his breath and Evangeline turned quickly to look at him and Adam was glad it was dark.
"Shouldn't we get you straight home? You don't want to worry your father."
There was an awkward pause and Adam could see from the corner of his eye that Evangeline was watching him closely.
In a soft voice she replied, "Yes, I suppose I should go home. My father hasn't been sleeping well and he might awaken and be upset I'm not there. He doesn't need anything else to worry him or destroy his peace."
"And yet you still want us to come to dinner?" It was both a statement and a question.
Evangeline laughed lightly and Adam smiled—she was lovely and it had been quite a while since he had felt so comfortable with a woman. Then he relaxed even more when she slipped her arm through his and they rode the rest of the way to the Rigby house in silence; Adam felt a peace descend on him.
