Leather and Lace (Gold Sky Series Book 5) Read online

  “Have a good time, darling.”

  Mary raised her hand in farewell, a genuine smile, the first to grace her lips in quite some time. “Enjoy your meal, Mama!”

  Sarah James raised an eyebrow at her daughter’s sudden cheeriness, but the woman said nothing and in a moment she had swept into the crowd of bankers. Mary watched in fascination as her mother introduced herself to the man she had chosen, one hand extended to him while the other was pressed demurely to her chest. The man rushed forward to instantly take her mother’s hand and that was all Mary allowed herself to watch before she turned on her heel and set off down the avenue. She was certain her mother’s plan for the man would proceed as she willed it. There was no sense in wasting her precious free time to witness it.

  Mary walked forward with a smile on her lips. She was free. Well and truly, if even only for an hour.

  “What to do, what to do?” she mused, swinging her hands happily. She turned to look down the avenue and saw the public square bursting with activity. Townsfolk were hurrying to and fro with full arms and hands. An assortment of tables and benches stood in the normally neat and tidy square. A stage was being built at the center of it, the red maple tree planted there, though small, served as the perfect backdrop.

  She took a step forward, eyes on the workers quickly putting together the stage, her mind on what sort of music she might hear that night if she was able to talk her mother into an outing. If her time with the new banker went well, Mary wagered she had as good a chance as any to convince Sarah James that a town event would be just the thing to celebrate her new introduction to ‘a gentleman of means.’ Surely the pair would need a place to celebrate their acquaintance, plus there was the added benefit that her mother could--

  “Excuse me, miss.” A voice interrupted Mary’s scheming and she turned with a start.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

  Because you were laying plans to get your way, like your mother.

  Her cheeks burned bright at the voice that was growing louder by the day. What if it was right? What if she was every bit her mother’s daughter and prone to schemes and well-crafted plans? What if the girl she had been under her father’s care had been nothing more than a figment of circumstance, and not who she truly was?

  “No trouble. I have a habit of appearing unexpectedly.” The speaker, a woman, a whole head taller than she and solidly built. The woman had a neat bob, her chin length sleek blonde hair framing her face prettily. She had wide brown eyes, full lips and a dusting of freckles that lent an air of sweetness to a woman that otherwise seemed anything but. There was a look to her that spoke of strength. The simple outfit of work trousers and a white work shirt made of thick durable material rolled up her forearms, thick leather work gloves covered her hands and a red bandana hung from the woman’s neck perfectly setting off her blonde hair. If Mary was to wax poetic she might even liken the woman to the Montana frontier.

  Raw. Beautiful. Wild.

  “I just, ah, need to get past you to the stage there, miss.” The woman held up the bundle of lumber in her arms and Mary jumped to attention. Here she had been gawking like a love-struck girl, while the woman had been trying to go about her business and with a load of lumber no less!

  “I apologize. I was dawdling. Awful habit of mine,” Mary explained, hurrying to get out of the woman’s way and she winced when the beautiful blonde fixed her with a curious look. “And now I’m blathering on as well. I--can I help?” Mary offered when she could think of nothing else to say. She should be silent and leave her to her work but wished with her entire being to stay close to the woman.

  She watched with bated breath as the woman walked past, head high and arms strong. She turned her head to look at Mary, a wide smile on her full lips. They were blush pink like the roses in the family garden in Texas. How she used to love those fresh cut flowers before the summer wilted them.

  “You are a lady. I could not ask you to dirty your hands, miss.”

  “I am no lady,” Mary laughed, and against her better judgment, fell in to step behind the woman. She could be bothering her; Sarah James would be quick to point out that Mary certainly was, but until she was told so she could pretend that the woman enjoyed her company.

  “I have a nose for ladies, and you are a lady. Frontier is an odd place to find one as fine as you.”

  “You’re a lady, too.”

  The blonde grinned and set down the load of lumber she was carrying beside the frame of the stage. She pulled off her gloves and gave them a shake, slapping them against her thigh.

  “What is your name?” she asked, eyes lowered purposefully on her gloves.

  “Mary. Mary Sophia James.”

  “That’s a beautiful name.” The woman raised her eyes to Mary’s. “The kind made for beautiful ladies.”

  Mary blushed. Her heartbeat quickened in her chest at the words, and if she was not mistaken there was a gleam of something familiar in the woman’s warm brown eyes that beckoned her forward. She knew that look, the furtive, quiet, but telling look of a woman noticing her.

  How she had dreamed of finding that look in the one she wed.

  The woman tucked her gloves into the pocket of the trousers she wore. “My name is Alex. Alex Pierce.”

  Mary’s brow furrowed. “Alex?”

  “Short for Alexandria. My mother had an unhealthy love for all things Egyptian, you know, as all upper-crust women of her age and predilection were want to do.”

  Mary laughed and nodded, remembering her own mother’s craze over the beautiful Egyptian items many of their peers had shown off in their homes. Her father had forbidden it, firmly deciding the lot of it was theft, much to her mother’s dismay.

  Mary had always thought her father right, but now that she was looking upon Alex, she was glad that the craze had led to one thing of beauty. Alexandria suited the woman in front of her so perfectly she could think of no other name so beautiful. She looked away quickly and smiled, willing the adoration she felt welling up in her to abate.

  “Your name is lovely. I am happy to make your acquaintance.”

  Alex gave her another smile and inclined her head. “And I am happy to make yours Mary.”

  “Call me, Minnie.” The request fell from her lips faster than she could process it and she blinked in shock at herself, though Alex paid no mind to it and nodded.

  “Minnie, then. Are you new to town? I’ve not seen you around I’m afraid.”

  “Yes, I am. I only arrived a few weeks back.”

  “Are you alone?”

  Mary shook her head. “No, I am here with my mother. We are looking at settling in the area.”

  “Curious place to think of settling. Two ladies on their own in a place like Gold Sky.”

  “How do you mean?” Mary asked as she tucked her hands behind her. There was a knowing tone in Alex’s voice that caught her attention and she leaned forward waiting for the woman to continue speaking.

  “People come to Gold Sky to escape their past. To get away from whatever bad is holding them down in the normal world.”

  Mary’s mouth dropped open at Alex’s no-nonsense words and clear reading of her situation. But how did the woman know she was running, or rather being dragged by her mother, from her troubles?

  “You sound as if you know from experience,” Mary observed, and Alex raised a shoulder in a shrug.

  “I do. I’m no different than any seeking refuge from their past. Gold Sky is my escape, same as most here.”

  “Same as me?” Mary asked. She held her breath waiting for Alex to respond. The blonde tucked her hair behind her ear and ambled forward with a curt nod.

  “Of course, same as you. We are all in search of a safe place to land, and Gold Sky is that for me. Must be something mighty big for you and your mama to come alone. Perhaps someone?” Alex rocked back on her heels, that same knowing tone in her voice but this time it had Mary rushing to answer.

  “Not my Papa. He’s long
gone, he passed,” she said.

  Alex’s eyes widened slightly. “I’m sorry for your loss. A loss like that can force a move...is that what prompted your search for a new home?”

  “In a way,” Mary hedged. She clasped her hands and dropped her eyes much preferring the sight of her shoes to the earnest look in Alex’s eyes. If she looked too long, she might say a good deal more than she should to a stranger. That would not be a good idea. No matter how beautiful they were.

  “We need a new home and this place is as good as any,” she finished when Alex continued to look at her with brown eyes she knew saw far too much.

  Alex hummed. “Fair point. The town is quite hospitable to all people, no matter their lifestyle.”

  Lifestyle. Now that piqued her interest. “What do you mean by that?” Mary asked.

  “I mean to say people are free to live as they choose here. Free to love and live as they choose. Free to be the person they wanted but were never allowed to be where they came from.”

  “Oh.” Mary swallowed hard and looked up at her. “And what truth were you allowed to live in Gold Sky that the world denied you before?”

  “My right to love who I choose,” Alex replied. Mary blinked and looked towards the other woman. They were still standing beside the stage, but now Alex moved away from the structure, away from the other workers and Mary was powerless to stay where she was. Wordlessly she followed behind Alex, straining to hear the other woman when she began speaking again.

  “Do you really want to know?” Alex asked, her voice was gentle and soft. Words measured.

  “Yes, of course,” Mary breathed as they came to a stop a fair distance away from the hustle and bustle of the town square. They were alone now, at the far end beside the church where it was quieter. It was a pretty little church, painted white with windows framing the double doors, a steepled tower held a bell that Mary knew rang sweet and true. Alex ambled towards the steps and dusted off the bottom with a sweep of her work gloves.

  “Would you care to sit?” she asked, gesturing towards the step.

  Mary smiled at her. “Thank you,” she murmured, taking her seat. She had not been treated so kindly since society had estimated her in possession of a large fortune. It did more than its fair share to kindle a warmth in her, one that was entirely aimed at Alex, and Alex alone. When she sat, the other woman came forward and sat beside her on the step. They were still far enough apart that they were respectable to any that looked upon them, though Mary had found women often were able to skirt the lines of respectability because theirs was a love not many recognized. An attraction such as that was allowed to exist under the guise of friendship and a closeness particular to women. But any who knew where to look knew different.

  Mary was one such person. She prayed Alex was as well.

  When they were settled and quiet for a moment, Alex began speaking. “I came to Gold Sky out of necessity,” she said. ‘I was not born to a family as accepting as I would have hoped. Though by the same measure I expect I am not the daughter my family hoped for.”

  Mary frowned and turned to look at Alex. The blonde was staring straight ahead, her eyes on the workers still setting up in the town square. There was no image finer than the sight of Alexandria Pierce’s profile warmed by the glow of the early afternoon sunlight, even with her beautiful features as somber as they were.

  “I am interested only in the fairer sex, and that is a wrong my family could not forgive.”

  Mary’s back straightened with a snap. “A wrong? What do you mean to say? It is not something you can control or choose, it just is.”

  A smile spread over Alex’s face and she turned her head to look at Mary. “Oh, I know that. Glad to know you think so too. It is not us that are ignorant, but our families.”

  Mary crossed her arms with a shake of her head. “It isn’t fair. None of it is fair, and they expect us to simply pretend that nothing is--” her words stopped and she blinked, realizing what she had been saying, what secret she had just exposed to a near stranger. “I mean to say that in theory,” she said weakly.

  Alex hummed. “In theory, yes, but something tells me it isn’t all theory for you. Is that why you’ve come to Gold Sky?” Warm brown eyes met Mary’s green at the question, and she twisted her hands in her skirts.

  “No, not, I mean not…” her voice trailed off and she winced, sucking in a deep breath at her jumbled explanation. “I mean that it isn’t just that,” she finally finished.

  Alex leaned back elbows braced on the step behind her. “So it is that, at least partly then?”

  “Well, ah, yes. It is, but Mama isn’t so concerned about that. She was convinced I would marry well in spite of my desires. She’s far more concerned about another matter altogether.”

  Alex pursed her full lips. “And what might that be?”

  Mary shook her head and twisted her hands together. “I can’t say.”

  “Whatever it is, I assure you it is not as shameful as you think. You are not a bad person, no matter what people have led you to believe.”

  Mary laughed bitterly and looked away. “You scarcely know me, and I, you. Just because I am taken with you does not--”

  “You’re taken with me?” Alex abandoned her relaxed pose and sat up to face Mary. “I suspected as much.”

  “Yes, if you must know, and I am not ashamed of it.”

  “That’s right fortunate as I find myself equally taken with you, Minnie.”

  Her heart squeezed at the casual drop of her name. Minnie. She found she loved the sound of the name on Alex’s lips.

  “I like the way my name sounds coming from your mouth,” she confessed. The admission made Alex’s cheeks flush and the woman chuckled, the low and slow sound of it making Mary’s toes curl in her boots.

  “Never had a lady tell me something pretty like that.”

  “I told you before. I’m no lady.”

  Alex rested her hand in the space between them. She moved it then, to the side, hand sliding until it was nearly brushing the edge of Mary’s skirts. “Liar,” she said, but her voice was light and teasing, the sound of it making Mary smile.

  “For some reason I do not guard my words with you,” Mary said. “Scarcely an hour and I’ve already told you a secret.”

  “And I you. Concerning, isn’t it?”

  “Truly, but you already knew that, didn’t you?” Mary asked. She was never this...direct, hadn’t been in quite some time and she liked the feel of it. Like an older worn and loved coat, a favorite that she had lost track of and that she had now found. She reveled in the familiar feel of it.

  “I did, I did,” Alex admitted with a grin and a wink. “I would be lying if I didn’t admit I hoped for such a secret when I first saw you, but the second secret is a different matter altogether.”

  “Ah, yes...that.” Mary smiled ruefully. “I should guard my words, but it has been a long time since I have been able to speak so freely. I feel more myself and that is because of you. Thank you, Alex.” She looked down to where Alex’s hand still rested beside hers and hesitated before moving it closer.

  “My pleasure, Minnie.” Her hand inched ever closer until their pinkies touched and Mary sucked in her breath. “You can keep talking to me. I’ll not breathe a word of it to another soul.”

  “Why would you do that for me?”

  “Because once upon a time, someone did that for me, and it made me who I am.” Their pinkies slid against the other in a gentle stroke. Mary’s hand tensed at the gentle brush of Alex’s finger, but she relaxed a moment later and scooted closer to her.

  “I’m pregnant,” she whispered, voice thick with emotion. “My mother brought us here after I proved inept at securing a marriage to the father.” She frowned and sighed quietly. “I never did understand men very well, but that is...to be expected.”

  “Men are challenging. Women are not.”

  Mary smiled at the gentle stroking of Alex’s finger against hers. It was soothing in the very best
way and it kept her talking when she knew she should have kept her mouth shut.

  “I don’t know about that. I’ve known quite a few challenging women in my time, but they do come with less...complications,” she said, her free hand coming to rest on her stomach.

  “You don’t have to keep running. It doesn’t matter if you have the baby.” Alex paused and swallowed. “Do you wish to keep the baby?”

  “Yes, with all my heart,” Mary answered in earnest. “The father meant nothing to me, not in any sense of the word. I did what I did because of my mother.”

  “Your mother?”

  Mary gave a quick nod, just a tilt of her chin but it was a nod all the same. “Yes, my mother. She has certain expectations for me and for us. She thinks Gold Sky will be a new place for us to start over but in order for that to happen--”

  “You need a husband.”

  “Yes.” Mary bit her lip. “It’s a complicated thing.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Alex replied, and she moved until she was covering Mary’s hand with hers. Alex’s hand was warm, gentle, and most of all strong. She could practically feel the strength radiating from Alex and into her from that simple point of contact. Mary sighed in relief welcoming the grounding touch. She turned her hand up so that they were touching palm to palm.

  “Why do you say that?” she asked.

  “If you need to be married that’s one thing, but why must it be to a man?”

  Mary’s eyebrows rose in surprise at the question. “Because I am only allowed to marry a man?” she asked in some confusion, but from the snort Alex gave her she wondered if there was another solution she had not considered.

  “Not in Gold Sky. You know of its accepting nature, yes?”

  Mary blinked in surprise. She had heard stories of the town’s progressive stance, knew firsthand from seeing the way people lived here. Why there was even a woman with two husbands! But what did that mean when it came to her and her situation?