All you have to do is walk right in there and the shop assistant will take care of everything, thought Cat to herself. It didn't help. She looked at the outside of the dress shop as if it were a stepping stone to the gallows.
"There ain't nothin' to it. You've just got to take the first step," said Hoss. Cat looked at him with a worried expression. She must have been out of her mind to ask for help from a bunch of male cow hands. Yet Hoss had eagerly suggested she go to town to be measured and fitted for a new dress when Cat hinted she might be finally attending a dance.
"It was a nice idea, but I think I've changed my mind. I'll go check on those supplies we were waiting on."
Cat started to climb out of the buck board to scurry away, but Hoss grabbed her determinedly and pulled her in the general direction of the lady's apparel store. Amazing how much strength he had when he wanted to, Cat thought grimly. She resigned to her fate as Hoss led her inside.
It was a nightmare! Bolts of cloth, undergarments, hats and fine attire adorned the space. Two well-dressed lady customers stood at the counter looking through a basket of buttons.
As Cat entered, the ladies turned and gave her a surprised look. Cat wanted to run. She couldn't go through with what Hoss had planned for her. Give her a cattle stampede any day. She wasn't Cinderella material.
At that moment, a refined looking middle aged lady came out from the back of the store.
"Ah, Hoss, I see you've brought Miss De'Maine in for her fitting."
"Yes, Ma'am, just like you said." Hoss shoved Cat forward like a lamb to the slaughter.
"You can make her beautiful, can't you Mrs Dalton?" asked Hoss not too confidently.
"I see what you mean." The woman walked around Cat slowly, examining her intensely. "She'll need a lot of work. All this tanned skin." She clicked her tongue in a scolding manner. "This will be hard to conceal. It could take more time than I first thought."
"Don't worry about the bill, Ma'am, Me and the boys are chippin' in."
"Hoss, I told you I'm paying for the dress," snapped Cat.
"Now Cat, we had an agreement. You do the barn chores for a whole month and I pay for your fittin's." Hoss jutted his chin with determination. "You can pay for the dress if you insist, but I'm still going to make sure you have some fancy extras!"
Cat sighed. It was her own fault. Hoss could be just as stubborn as his older brother could.
"How about I do the chores anyway without going through with this foolish idea?"
"Oh no, you're not getting out of it that easy. I want to see you all prettied up."
Hoss frowned with determination; almost as if he knew it was for Adam's benefit. But he couldn't know about Adam's invitation, could he?
Cat had been so careful not to reveal her true reason for wanting to attend the dance. She didn't think Adam would have mentioned to his family that she was to be his partner. He was always so private with his movements and intentions.
Cat sighed with resignation. There was no point arguing. It wasn't such a big deal anyway, was it? She just wanted to go to a dance without looking like she'd just crawled out of the back of a bunkhouse, that was all! She looked at the woman and decided to give in.
"Okay, what do you want me to do?"
"This fitting will take at least a couple of hours or so. We'll need to do another at the end of the week and then one more next Tuesday. By then, I should have to make only minor adjustments."
"You'll have it ready by the dance?"
"Oh yes. Mr Cartwright, you can run along now."
Yes, Ma'am, said Hoss quickly."
"Now Cat, let's undress you and see what kind of a figure you have hiding underneath all that buckskin!"
Hoss went beet red and scurried out of the shop.
Cat winced. It was going to be a long two weeks!
"Tomorrow night's the big night, the fall round-up dance," Hoss said as Cat tried to concentrate on her chess pieces. He was sitting on the edge of the hearth in the parlor of the main house, and Cat was seated in a brown leather chair alongside it. The chessboard lay between them on a wooden table.
"I don't even know if I feel up to going. This wrist is still giving me trouble." Cat faked a pained expression and flexed her arm.
"Oh yeah, and I suppose that's because you were lifting full water buckets with it this afternoon."
It seemed Hoss wasn't about to be fooled quite so easily. If she couldn't trick him, she certainly wouldn't be able to fool Adam.
"Thing is Cat, seeing as you're not goin' with anyone in particular, I thought you might be able to help me out."
Cat looked suspiciously at Hoss. What did he mean and how much did he know?
"You see, Cat, he's sweet on this real haughty young gal," explained Little Joe from the dining table where he was supposedly doing his homework. "He wants to make her jealous so she'll agree to let him court her."
"I hardly think I'd be the one to make any girl jealous," said Cat dryly.
"Oh, I don't know, big brother seems quite taken with you," said Hoss in a low tone so Joe couldn't hear.
Cat felt the blush creep up her face. "I can't accompany you, Hoss. I already have . . .an escort," she whispered.
"Ah ha, so he did ask you, huh?"
"Just play chess!"
"Sure."
"Hey, you two cookin' up a plan there?" called Little Joe.
"Nope, none of your business baby brother," said Hoss with a satisfied smile that soon faded.
"Check mate!" Cat sat back and Hoss looked down at the board, outraged. Little Joe chuckled madly.
"She's got you again, Hoss. I made that only, let's see..." he looked across at the grandfather clock. "Only twelve minutes."
"Well, why don't you try her on then, if you're so smart?" Hoss folded his arms and leaned back.
"Sure!" Joe started to get up, then a warm, rich voice sounded from the front door.
"I wouldn't bother if I were you, Cat. You'll defeat him before he sits down. Besides, he's got to finish his homework. I promised Miss Jones you'd concentrate on your school work this year."
Cat's cheeks flamed more. Adam had arrived home and set about pulling off his hat, black gloves and chaps - in that order.
"But I might be able to give you a run for your money," he continued, surprising her.
She watched him strip off his various items of clothing from out the corner of her eye, as he aimed a smug look at Joe who hated being told what to do by Adam or anyone else.
The removal of his chaps for some reason caused a wild reaction in the pit of her stomach. She'd witnessed men doing that task a hundred times, but somehow Adam's movements caused her to feel hot all over. She recalled the day they'd got their chaps tangled together. Heat claimed her cheeks as she turned away and reset the chess pieces.
"Don't open your mouth too soon, big brother." Hoss got up and stretched his arms above his head. Cat looked away from both of them. "She's mighty good at this game."
For the last few nights, Hoss had been giving Cat a few basic barn dancing lessons. Afterward, he'd invited her into the house to play checkers and chess, but Adam had been away.
With Cat on restricted duties, she hadn't seen a lot of him since her accident with Rebel. He'd been busy working on the round up and preparing for the fall drive. She'd done light duties around the main buildings, both keeping tack up to the crews and assisting with Rebel's recovery.
Adam walked over to the fire and took Hoss's place on the hearth. "Best of three. Loser rides drag," he said as he looked up and gave Cat a mischievous arch of his brows. Her skin tingled as he looked at her. Why did he seem more and more handsome to her, especially when he was in a good mood?
"Loser rides with the tenderfoots for how long?" she asked.
"A week."
She frowned. He was so sure of himself. "Three days," she countered. Cat wasn't stupid. Adam had a very sharp mind, and she was out of practice. Besides, in recent weeks her brain hadn't managed to function very well whenever he was close by.
"Got you rattled already?" Adam rubbed his hands together and turned the board around so he had the black.
Cat lost the first game in just under half an hour, but the second took much longer to decide. Hop Sing played host and fetched coffee and cake for everyone.
One by one the Cartwright household gave up waiting for a result and went to bed. Cat struggled hard with her concentration. Adam was a very good chess player as she suspected he would be.
Over two hours later, long after the rest of the family had retired, Cat lay down her king. She was finally cornered.
"I concede," she sighed.
Adam, who'd shifted to sitting on the rug with his long legs stretched out under the coffee table, looked up at her with triumph.
"Never thought you'd admit defeat."
"I don't usually, but " She looked down at the board where only three of her pieces remained standing. " It's kind of obvious."
"Good game. You had me on the run there for a while," Adam said as he packed away the pieces. It was quiet in the cozy room except for the crackle from the fire. Even Ben had turned in by this, although he too had enjoyed watching them play from his red leather chair.
"I'm rusty. I used to play with my father."
Adam looked up with keen interest in his face. "Tell me about him."
She looked into the fire, debating silently whether she wanted to talk. In the end, she admitted she did. Somehow with Adam, talking about her family didn't seem so scary. "He was a big tall man, almost as big as Hoss. Handsome, strong and very opinionated." Cat watched for a reaction, but Adam stayed impassively quiet. "He was French. He and Maman both were. They came out to America from the Loire region of France before I was born."
Adam nodded; the look on his face told her he was slotting a piece of her puzzle into place.
"Do you speak French?"
"Yes, although I'm rusty now. He taught me to speak it when I was younger, but Papa insisted on speaking English most of the time. He said if we adopted a new country, we should adhere to it's ways."
"And you have brothers," he prompted.
"Yes, four." Cat turned away and took comfort in the jumping flames. "I . . .had four brothers."
She felt the intensity of Adam's gaze but he didn't press her.
"They were like you and your brothers are with each other. Men to admire. To me, they were good, honest men. I loved them. One was my twin brother."
"Are they all . . . passed?"
"Yes." Cat wasn't ready to tell him how she'd lost them. She hoped he wouldn't push her.
"What about your mother?"
"She died when I was about three, in childbirth."
"The baby too?"
She nodded. "I would have had a little sister."
"I'm sorry."
"Doesn't matter now. None of it matters. They're all gone."
"Can you talk about what happened?"
Cat sighed and thought about dredging up the terrible sequence of events of five years earlier.
"No, not . . .yet. Maybe one day." She forced the memories in. She looked up and into his eyes. They locked their gazes and Adam's softened.
"I understand."
She knew he did.
"It's late, I should let you get to bed," he said gently.
She looked across at his kind expression and almost lost herself in it. "Oh, yes." She stood up and stretched. "I guess I'll dream about my three glorious, dusty days at the back of the herd," she said to lighten the mood.
"Don't feel too badly. You might even up the score before then."
He stood up in front of her and for a moment, their eyes caught. Adam's hazel ones twinkled in the light of the flickering fire. The tender side of his personality shone through. Her stomach fluttered with his closeness.
"Ready for the dance tomorrow night?" he asked as his hand captured her fingers gently.
"I . . .I'm not sure."
"How are the dancing lessons going?"
"I'm not. . . haven't . . ." Cat's protest petered out. He knew more than he appeared to.
"I'm looking forward to it, and to dancing a nice, slow waltz with you." He winked and drew her hand up to his mouth. He lightly kissed her palm.
"Goodnight," she said softly. "Thanks for the game."
"Goodnight."
Cat's palm tingled where he'd kissed it. The anticipation of the weekend ahead was almost too much. Nerves jumped inside her like frogs in a skillet. She decided to make a quick exit.
"Wait." Adam followed her to the door.
"Yes?" She turned as she reached the doorknob.
"I just wondered...I mean, how's your wrist healing?"
"It's still a bit sore." Cat hoped he might want to kiss her goodnight, or was that too wild a suggestion?
"Then I'd better help it along." He lifted her other hand, the bad one, and delicately kissed first her fingers, then her palm and then her wrist. The tender pulse point jumped to life and Cat shivered visibly.
Spooked by her strong reaction to him, Cat tugged her hand free and hastily retreated out the door.
"Goodnight," he said huskily as she crossed the yard.
"Night," she offered in a dry, nervous tone. She wouldn't get a wink of sleep thinking about the slow dance that Adam had promised her.
"I'm sorry, Cat. He wanted to tell you himself, but he had to ride out before dawn."
Cat felt like a fool, a plain, ugly fool at that. Adam had never really wanted to take her to the dance. Why would he? Now he'd backed out.
"I understand, Hoss. These things happen."
"He had to go to the rail head. The lumber contract was in trouble "
" I said, I understand. I didn't care if I went with him anyway. I planned on going alone all along," she lied.
"I was hoping you wouldn't want to do that."
She looked up into Hoss's blue eyes.
"What I mean is, that offer I made you last night about going with me was real. I've been trying to get Betty-Sue's permission to call on her. She's the girl from the bakery in town."
Cat nodded weakly, numb inside.
"Anyhow, I need to make her jealous so she'll agree to see me. I was kind of hoping, seeing as how Adam won't make the dance now "
" I don't think so. I might just skip this one out."
"But you've got that new dress and all, and I'd sure appreciate it."
Cat felt lower than she'd ever felt. Adam could've told her himself if he wanted to back out of their arrangement. Using some problem with a lumber contract as an excuse not to go to the dance with her hurt more than she cared to admit. Why had he bothered to seem so keen about it? She swept the disappointing feelings into the corner of her mind where she kept all the others.
He was probably also worried about how she'd be turned out. And why not? She felt concerned herself. Well, no need to worry any more. He wouldn't be there. What did it matter if she looked like something the cat had dragged in from the barn?
Feeling flat and devoid of joy, she might as well agree to help Hoss. After that, she'd concentrate on thinking about going home. She'd paid good money for Mrs Dalton to make a dress for her. After the drive, she'd be leaving the Ponderosa and Adam far behind anyway. She'd be going back to Arizona to face her demons all alone. She'd do best to remember that.
"Okay, I'll go to the dance with you."
Hoss smiled, patted her head like an obedient puppy and walked off grinning.
Cat sighed. It was time to go into town to be dressed and prepared for the dance. Something she'd secretly been looking forward to all week.
Not anymore.