Chapter Five #3
"I am here to call on you, Amanda," he stated. "I was hoping you would join me for a trip into town. I thought we could have lunch at the Hotel, and then I will bring you home." He was pleased when her green eyes lit up with pleasure.
"I would love to go, Rob. If you don't mind waiting a minute or two, I'll change my dress and get ready to go."
"Take your time," he said politely.
"I'll ask Goldie to bring you some coffee," she said with a smile and then hurried off. It was only a couple of minutes later when the housekeeper entered the parlor, carrying a tray with coffee and a plate of cookies.
"Thank you, Goldie," he said politely.
"I think you'll do for Missy," Goldie stated frankly, and then left the parlor.
Rob enjoyed his coffee and a cookie, but it was obvious to Amanda that he didn't expect her to return so quickly. He jumped to his feet and said, "You look lovely, Amanda."
"Thank you," she said, blushing. "I wanted to make a better impression today than I did the last time I saw you."
"The problem with the pants is that they showed too much, and I do not want other men looking at you and fantasizing what it would be like to possess you."
Rob knew he was being blunt, and he was not surprised when Amanda's eyes widened in shock at his words.
"Men think differently than women do, Amanda. You are a beautiful young woman and wearing those tight britches makes men think you are not a lady. You may behave the same way, but cowboys do not always take the time to think before they react. Your Father should have explained this to you,
and I did not come here to embarrass you, but since you brought it up, I wanted you to know why I reacted as I did."
Amanda nodded, unsure of what to say. Fortunately, Rob was as anxious as she to change the subject. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yes! I am looking forward to going into town. It's been weeks since I've been anywhere. Papa didn't think it was safe and he hasn't had time to take me. This is a real treat, Rob. Thank you for asking."
"It is a treat for me, too," he told her as they walked out the door and down the steps to where he parked the buggy. He helped her take a seat and then climbed up beside her and took the reins.
"Why did you leave England, Rob? Don't you miss it?"
"I miss family, of course," he answered.
"I miss seeing my nieces and nephews, and my sisters. I also have a brother, and it is nice to have an ocean between us. We do not agree on anything," he said with a grin.
"It is a personality issue, but it makes family gatherings tense when we are in close proximity of each other. As for why I left; I was bored, Amanda. I did not want to go into the military, which is traditional for the second son. I was not cut out to be a minister, either.
I decided to come over here and see if I could find something I would enjoy doing for the rest of my life. I finally settled on ranching."
"You sound like Papa. He said he knew he was 'home' when he saw this land the first time."
"Your Mother did not like it here?" He was curious.
"No. She couldn't handle the loneliness out here. Mama needed to be surrounded by people. She was used to servants, and out here she had to do everything herself. She and Papa fought a lot, and she eventually took me and ran away to Boston."
"How do you feel about being here now that you are living here?"
"I like it, Rob," she confessed. "When I first arrived I was determined to hate the ranch and the people on it. I was prepared to hate Papa, too, and I was awful to him at first. I am ashamed of that now."
"Your Mama taught you to feel that way. You had to see for yourself that Matt is a great guy."
"He should have come after us," she surprised him by saying. "Mama wasn't happy without him, and I think she was hurt that he didn't come for us and drag her back home. She never said anything, but looking back now, I remember some things that I did not understand at the time."
"You were a child, Amanda. Do not be so hard on yourself."
They talked of many things on their drive into town and they joked and laughed, too.
Rob was having a great time, and he was pretty sure that Amanda was, too.
He pulled the buggy to a stop in front of the Mercantile.
"If you would like to do a bit of shopping, Amanda, I have some business to handle at the bank. I will return in a few minutes, and when you are finished, we will have our lunch."
"That sounds fine, Rob. Don't rush. I will enjoy looking around." She wanted something appropriate to go riding in. She looked at bolts of fabric while she waited her turn with the proprietor.
"Miss Chambers, what can I do for you today?" Ted asked, and it was obvious from his manner that he was only being polite because he had to be. Amanda knew it was her own fault. She'd criticized everything in the mercantile the first time she came inside, and insulted Ted in the process.
However, before she could answer the man, another woman came to the counter and roughly shoved her aside. Amanda lost her temper and declared, "I was here first. Wait your turn."
The other woman turned on her and pulled out a knife.