Chapter 16
“So what do you think of the house?” Sunshine halted in the covered archway of the courtyard. The few age spots and wrinkles on her face only added to the woman’s elegance, and it was obvious she lived up to her name, because she’d been bright and warm.
“It’s lovely. Very lovely.” Even in the shade, Hyacinth could feel the heat of the afternoon wafting on the breeze, and she had the sudden longing for cool Rocky Mountain air.
More than that, she missed Violet and wished she could talk to her sister about Beckett and how much he’d hurt her earlier today when he’d been so willing to set aside their marriage the first opportunity he had.
Sunshine scanned the tropical trees and flowers that were artfully arranged inside the courtyard along with benches and tables centered around a fountain. “It’s yours now.”
“I would never presume that.”
“Well, you should.” Sunshine’s voice was positive and filled with kindness. “I’ve moved to the house in town so that you and Beckett can live here and hopefully soon fill it with your children.”
The poor woman thought Beckett had come back for good. Hyacinth wished she could tell the truth about her marriage of convenience to Beckett. But she’d promised Beckett she would act as though their marriage was real, and she wouldn’t betray him now.
The only thing Hyacinth could do was remain amiable and pretend she and Beckett were considering settling down at the Double T.
“You don’t have to move out,” Hyacinth insisted. “It looks like there is plenty of room for all of us.”
“With twelve bedrooms, I’d say there is most certainly room. But . . .” Sunshine’s voice softened. “I know what it’s like to be newlyweds, and I wanted to give you and Beckett plenty of space and privacy.”
Hyacinth could feel the flush rising into her face. “Thank you, Sunshine. You’re very kind. But Beckett and I don’t need this much space and privacy.” They didn’t need any. “We’d really like for you to stay here at the ranch. It’s your home.”
She hadn’t talked to Beckett about it, but she was confident he’d feel the same way.
Sunshine’s smile dimmed, and her face seemed to cloud. “The truth is, it’s been lonely here without Sargeant, even after all these months since his passing.”
“I’m sorry.” Hyacinth grasped Sunshine’s hand.
The woman gave her a grateful look. “I don’t know if I’ll ever stop missing him.”
“Beckett told me the two of you really loved each other.”
“Sargeant was my world.” She spoke wistfully. “Without him, I feel like part of me is gone.”
Hyacinth squeezed her fingers. “That sounds like a wonderful marriage.” A little bit like Sterling and Violet’s.
Sunshine straightened her shoulders and smiled again, seeming to shake off the melancholy. “I saw the way Beckett was looking at you, and I have the feeling you’ll have that kind of marriage someday too.”
The way Beckett was looking at her? As if he wanted to strangle her? Hyacinth almost laughed, but she bit back her sarcasm. “Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“It doesn’t take luck, dear.” Sunshine began to lead her down the covered, open-sided hallway. “Having a good marriage never just happens by luck. It takes a great deal of work and effort and sacrifice.”
Reverend Livingston had said almost the same thing on their wedding day—that building a loving marriage didn’t happen by chance but took intentional effort.
Well, a good marriage to Beckett certainly wasn’t going to happen if they annulled the marriage, which was beginning to look all too likely.
Hyacinth didn’t care, though. She didn’t want to be married to a man like Beckett, who was so unpredictable and clearly didn’t care about her enough to make things work between them. Honestly, she would rather go back to Colorado and marry a steady man like Mr. Gray, who would cherish her.
As Sunshine entered the sitting room, Hyacinth paused at the soothing beauty that met her. The wall of open windows allowed in a breeze that was ruffling the sheer white curtains. White furniture was decorated with bright serape pillows and blankets, adding spots of color to the room.
Sunshine led her to a table near the windows. A vase of white roses graced the center, and several small platters of food were waiting—one with different cheeses and sausages, one with fruit, and another with small croissants and biscuits.
Hyacinth was hungrier than she’d realized, and the fresh food was just what she needed.
A servant also brought them tea and orange juice.
While they ate, Sunshine asked Hyacinth more about her life and family.
Hyacinth avoided talking about the problems with her father’s gambling and how it had eventually destroyed their family.
Instead, she focused on the positive things—the different places they’d lived, the adventures they’d had, and the love she’d had for her mother and sister.
Of course, Sunshine asked about how she and Beckett had met, and Hyacinth told the story of Sterling and Violet’s first failed wedding day, her encounter with Beckett in the barn that day, and how their first impressions of each other hadn’t been favorable.
She also shared about the happier second wedding of Sterling and Violet and how she’d been living at the ranch with her sister ever since and had gotten to know Beckett over the past months.
“For a long time, we didn’t get along very well,” Hyacinth admitted as she peered out the window at Beckett, who was talking with a man who looked enough like Beckett that he had to be his brother Rodrigo.
Beckett was standing at the corral fence with one boot hooked into the bottom rung and one arm slung over the top while Rodrigo straddled the fence. Together, they were watching a fine thoroughbred circling the corral with a young rider on his back.
“I bet Beckett was teasing you until you went crazy.” Sunshine finished taking a sip of her juice.
About to bite into another delicious orange slice, Hyacinth paused. “Yes, how did you know?”
Sunshine laughed. “Because that’s the way Beckett always was with the girls he liked. He didn’t know how to talk to them or relate to them, so he teased them incessantly.”
Hyacinth opened her mouth to respond but then closed it. All along she’d assumed that she annoyed Beckett. But what if Sunshine was right? What if he’d taunted her because he’d actually liked her?
It couldn’t be true.
And what other girls had Beckett liked? He’d made it seem as though he’d always been single and not interested in having relationships.
Sunshine wiped her mouth on her napkin. “From the way you’ve been watching him out the window for a while, I’m guessing you teased him back for the same reason? Because you liked him and didn’t know how to relate to him in another way?”
Hyacinth dragged her attention away from Beckett. She hadn’t been watching him for a while, had she? She most certainly hadn’t teased him back because she’d liked him.
“We’ve learned to relate in other ways now,” Hyacinth offered. “He’s actually very easy to talk to, and we can communicate about almost everything.” During the long hours of traveling together, they’d had endless time together, and he’d proven to be a good conversationalist.
“That’s lovely. But it’s okay if you still tease or disagree or even argue. It’s a normal part of marriage and keeps things from being too dull. It also makes the apologies all the sweeter.”
“Of course.”
“Most of the fights and apologies with Sargeant ended in the bedroom.” Sunshine’s smile crooked up on one side.
Oh my. Hyacinth dropped her gaze to her plate, scandalized by the insinuation. She wanted to deny that her fights with Beckett would do the same thing. Because they most certainly wouldn’t. But she caught her lip with her teeth and bit back the protest.
“Don’t mind me, dear.” Sunshine laughed lightly again, obviously sensing Hyacinth’s discomfort. “I’ve lived around cowboys for too long and sometimes speak too freely.”
“I’ve been told I speak too frankly, so don’t hold back on account of me.”
Sunshine pushed back her plate and studied Hyacinth openly. “In just the little time I’ve spent with you, I can see you’re perfect for Beckett.”
“I am?” The question slipped out before Hyacinth could stop it.
“Yes, absolutely.” Sunshine smiled. “Truthfully, I always worried he would pick just anyone and wouldn’t allow himself to experience love because of his pa’s infidelity. But I guess I was wrong.”
Hyacinth almost choked on the grape she was chewing on.
The kindly woman wasn’t wrong. Beckett hadn’t really cared who his wife was, had chosen Hyacinth because she was convenient.
He’d made no mention of love as part of their arrangement.
When she had asked him about love, he’d changed the subject.
Maybe Sunshine was right that his pa’s infidelity had jaded his views on marriage and love.
Hyacinth swallowed then fumbled for a response. “Beckett has never talked favorably about his pa.”
“I can’t blame him. Waverly Thorpe was a scoundrel if there ever was one.”
Hyacinth wanted Sunshine to share more details about Beckett’s father. Maybe knowing about the past would bring greater understanding of Beckett. But as bold as Hyacinth was, she didn’t want to put pressure on Sunshine to share private things about Beckett that he wasn’t ready to reveal.
“If the fellow was such a scoundrel, why did Sargeant go into business with him?” That question was safe enough, wasn’t it?
Sunshine sat back in her chair and peered out the window at the distant grassy horizon that seemed to go on forever. “Sargeant and Waverly were actually childhood friends who emigrated together from England. Their fathers gave them both inheritance money they could invest in a steamboat business.”
“So they came to Texas?”
“Originally the two started a business in Louisiana on the Mississippi. But after the Mexican War, they decided to move to an area that didn’t have as many steamboats or as much competition. So they picked the Rio Grande.”
“But they started a ranch instead?”
“No, they operated their steamboat business first. As it became more lucrative, they began buying up land and started the Double T. Sargeant oversaw most of the building projects and the day-to-day operations, while Waverly traveled and continued to buy more land and expand the ranch.”
“Sounds like they worked well together.”
She shook her head. “By that point, they weren’t getting along. Waverly had mistresses in every town in southern Texas.”
“Oh my.”
“Maybe not quite every town. But after Waverly’s wife died, he no longer cared about hiding his indiscretions.”
“That’s sad.” No wonder Beckett despised his pa.
“On her deathbed, she asked me and Sargeant to raise Beckett. He was only three years old at the time.”
“And his pa didn’t mind?”
Sunshine released a mirthless laugh. “He hardly ever looked Beckett’s way. He only started showing interest in him when he was old enough to be useful. And that last year, he cajoled Beckett into participating in a lot of the fighting that was going on around here due to the rustling.”
“Beckett told me a little bit about the Peeler’s War.” He hadn’t revealed much, but enough to know that all he’d witnessed had traumatized him and gave him nightmares.
“It was a dangerous and terrible time that was made worse because of Waverly’s cruelty and lawlessness.”
“I’m surprised Sargeant put up with that.”
Sunshine sighed. “That’s because Sargeant was such a kind and loyal person. But even then, during that last year, Sargeant was working with Mr. Dickinson to end his partnership with Waverly.”
“He couldn’t find a way?”
“The contract they’d signed long ago bound them both to the ranch, so that neither one of them had the ability to sell out their portion. Of course, once Waverly was murdered, Sargeant let the matter go because Waverly’s part of the ranch went to Beckett.”
Beckett’s pa had been murdered? Hyacinth glanced outside again toward the corral. Beckett was still with Rodrigo at the fence, watching the horse. Even if Beckett had hated his pa, the murder couldn’t have been easy.
Hyacinth’s heart pinched at the new revelations about Beckett’s past and his pa.
Sunshine scooted back from the table and stood. “What’s important is that Beckett is finally back and now the ranch is all his. I know he’ll run it the way Sargeant did and take good care of the land and people.”
Hyacinth pushed away from the table hesitantly. “The ranch isn’t Beckett’s yet. Not until he meets the requirements in Sargeant’s will.”
Sunshine waved a dismissive hand. “He’s already here, so the biggest battle is won.”
Hyacinth opened her mouth to contradict the woman, but then she closed it. Little did Sunshine know that the battle had only just begun and that they might all come out as losers in the end.