Genevieve was standing in the center of the crowd on the opposite side of the bandstand, watching the Clayborne family-the four brothers side by side, Emily and Isabelle leaning back against their husbands. Their expressions were comical, but she thought Adam's was the most revealing. Like his brothers and his sister, he was smiling, yet every time Harrison tried to hit a high note and missed, Adam would visibly flinch.
They were all such good-hearted people and so very loyal to one another. They were united now in giving Harrison their encouragement and support, and though it was apparent from their forced smiles that they thought the music was terrible, she knew they would cheer him when he was finished and never admit to any outsider that the sound had been less than perfect. And that was what family was all about.
God, how she envied all of them. She longed to walk across the dance floor and stand in front of
Adam and lean back against him. She wanted to belong to his family, but most of all, she wanted to be loved by him.
It was a fool's dream, she told herself. She whispered a good-bye in Mama Rose's direction, and then turned and walked away.
Chapter Four
The party didn't wind down until after midnight. Riders with fiery torches lighted the way back to Blue Belle for those guests who lived in the nearby town and wanted to go home. The guests from Hammond stayed overnight. They slept on cots in the parlor and the dining room, filled the bunkhouse, and spilled out onto the porch. Cole gave up his bed to the Cohens, and Adam let old man Corbett sleep in the bunk bed he'd used all week. The brothers weren't inconvenienced, for they much preferred sleeping outside under the stars, away from the crowd.
Adam left at dawn the following morning with three hired hands to round up the mustangs grazing on sweet grass down in Maple Valley, and he didn't return to Rosehill until late that afternoon.
Cole was waiting for him on the front porch. He handed Adam a beer and sat down on the top step.
He didn't waste time getting to the news. 'Genevieve's gone.'
Adam didn't show any outward reaction. He took his hat off, tossed it onto a nearby chair, and sat down next to his brother. He took a long swallow of his drink and remarked that it was damned hot today.
'You look tired,' Cole remarked.
'I am tired,' Adam replied. 'Have all the guests gone home?'
'Yes, the last of them left around noon.'
'When are you leaving for Texas to bring the cattle up?'
'Tomorrow.'
Several minutes passed in silence. Adam stared at the distant mountains and tried to ignore the unease he felt about Genevieve. As soon as Cole had given him the news, his gut and his throat both tightened up on him. Why had she left so abruptly, and why hadn't she told him good-bye? Maybe he shouldn't have hounded her with questions, but damn it, she'd let it slip that she was in trouble, and he had naturally wanted to find out the particulars so that he could help. No, he decided. His few questions wouldn't have made her so skittish that she would pack up and leave.
The telegram had to be the reason she'd taken off. He remembered the fear he'd seen on her face after she'd read the wire. He should have gone to her then and demanded that she confide in him.
He let out a loud sigh. He knew then what he was going to have to do and was already getting angry about it.
'Hell,' he muttered.
'What?'
'Nothing. Did Genevieve say good-bye to anyone?'
'No, she didn't tell anyone she was leaving. She just took off. Mama Rose is up in arms about it. She says it isn't like Genevieve to leave without saying her thank-yous. She says she's a well-bred young lady with impeccable manners. I think Genevieve was spooked by that telegram,' Cole added. 'But Mama Rose thinks you chased her away.'
Adam rolled his eyes heavenward. 'Genevieve must have left with some of the guests last night. She's too smart to go off on her own.'
'Maybe so,' Cole allowed. 'It's odd though. She was supposed to ride with the Emersons to Salt Lake, and they aren't leaving town until tomorrow.'
'Maybe they decided to leave earlier.'
'In the dark? They're old, not crazy. Besides, they were here last night.'
Adam's unease intensified. Had she gone off on her own? The possibility sent chills down his spine. No, she wouldn't have done that. She was too intelligent to do such a rash, irresponsible thing. She would surely be aware of the danger a woman alone would face in the wild. Women were hard to come by in some of the more remote areas, and pretty women like Genevieve were considered prizes for the taking by some of the less civilized mountain clans.
Cole was watching his brother closely. 'You don't seem too broken up over her leaving,' he remarked.
Adam shrugged indifference. 'It's her life. She can do whatever she wants.'
'What if she took off on her own?'
'There isn't anything I can do about that.'
Cole smiled. 'It isn't working, Adam.'
'What isn't working?'
'Your I-don't-give-a-damn attitude. You're trying to act like you aren't worried about her, and we both know you are.'
His brother didn't deny it. 'I wish I knew what was in that telegram. Whatever it was scared her. Maybe someone close to her got sick. That would scare a woman, wouldn't it?'
'That would scare a man too,' Cole said. 'You don't think she's in any kind of trouble, do you?'
'It can't be anything serious. I was pretty sure that there was something wrong, but she denied it. She looked me right in the eye and told me she didn't need any help. She said it was just a minor inconvenience.'
'You think she was telling you the truth?'
'About her problem being a minor one? Yeah, I do. She's led a real sheltered life, and I can't imagine she has any real serious problems.'
'I think Genevieve's real smart, but even smart people do crazy things when they're scared.'
'Such as?'
'Riding out at night all alone.'
Adam refused to believe that she would take such a chance. 'I'm sure she got a ride with someone.'
Cole didn't argue with him. 'Maybe you ought to go into town and have a little talk with Clarence. You can be real intimidating when you want to, and I'll bet you could get him to tell you what was in that wire.'
'If he tells me, he'll lose his job. Wires are supposed to be kept confidential.'
'So?'
Adam shook his head. 'Clarence is too ethical.' He spat the words out as though they were foul. He stood up, grabbed his hat, and headed for the door. 'I've wasted enough time.'
'Where are you going?'
'Back to work as soon as I change my shirt. I'm going to be up half the night catching up on all the paperwork, and tomorrow I've got to start breaking in the mustangs so we can sell them at the auction next month, and I-'
'You're going after her, aren't you?'
Adam gave his brother a look that suggested he wanted to punch him for asking such a stupid question. 'What do you think?'
He didn't stay outside long enough to hear Cole's answer. He went upstairs to his room, stripped out of his shirt, and washed the dirt and grime off. He could have sworn the scent of lilacs was on the towel he used, but that was the only reminder that Genevieve had occupied his room.
