Lyle snuggled in between the two of them. The boy had been especially well behaved since Josiah’s return, more than happy to be at his father’s side.
For a moment, Josiah let his imagination run with the image, the three of them in the buggy, the day sunny and happy, all of them dressed in finery, everything perfect, full of love. But it was just for a moment, and Josiah knew more than anyone that the idea of them as a family was just a fantasy.
All he had to do was convince Pearl of that.
CHAPTER 20
Pedro, the manservant on the Fikes estate, met Josiah and Pearl at the door.
The house was grand, not far from the governor’s mansion in both distance and style—smaller, but still impressive. The deceased Captain Hiram Fikes had spent little time on the estate when he was alive, and Josiah knew little of the history, how the house had come into being and whose money had financed it, but he secretly suspected that the captain had married into money. If that was the case, then the past might be a predictor of his own future, one of the reasons, among many, that he felt incapable of courting Pearl.
Captain Fikes had obviously been uncomfortable with his marriage arrangement, since he’d had a secret relationship with Suzanne del Toro, “Fat Susie,” purveyor of soiled doves and a savvy businesswoman of ill repute in Little Mexico, and spent so much time away from the house and estate on official Ranger business.
There was little to convey the captain’s unhappiness based on outside appearances. The house was made of brick and had four white columns that held up a gabled roof over a two-storey portico. It looked as if a view had been important, since the grand house looked out over a calm meadow, with a pond nearly in the center of it.
It was by the pond where Josiah had first encountered Pearl the previous spring, had felt an attraction to her even though he was still grieving for his own lost family, and had kissed her more by accident than on purpose, unlike what had just happened. This kiss had been no accident—it was like the long awaited arrival of sunshine after a horrifying storm. He could bearly stand to be near Pearl without touching her in some way or another.
There was acreage to the estate, though Josiah did not know how much. There were two barns full of equipment and a bunkhouse for plenty of hands to plant and harvest crops, tend to the horses and other livestock, mostly a nice herd of cattle.
If the estate had been far out in the hill country, it might have qualified for a ranch, albeit a small one, but inside the confines of Austin proper, Josiah doubted it held that classification.
On his last visit, he had accidentally spied Pearl and Pete Feders in a heated conversation behind one of the barns, and it was there that he witnessed Pearl rejecting Pete’s offer of marriage. This return to the estate was uncomfortable for Josiah, especially when he factored in the obvious dislike the Widow Fikes held for him, even though he never could figure out why she disliked him so much.
“It is good to see you again, Ranger Wolfe,” Pedro said.
The manservant was an inch or two taller than Josiah and was one of the most refined Mexicans that Josiah had ever encountered. He was dressed in traditional garb, a black frock coat over a highly starched white shirt, black string tie with perfectly equal bows, and flawless black pants void of lint or creases. Pedro looked like a mortician, except that he wore white gloves.
The Mexican spoke without much of an accent, and Josiah had learned previously that the Widow Fikes had sent Pedro back east to some highfalutin college for an education before assigning him permanently to his manservant duties. Pedro essentially ran the house and most all of the business activities on the estate, as far as Josiah knew.
It had been less than a year since the death of her husband, so the Widow Fikes was still officially in mourning, still wearing the heavy dress some women called weeds. Word was, the widow barely left her bed on most days, and when she did, it seemed her goal in life was to make everyone who crossed her path as miserable as she was.
“Yes, it’s good to see you again, too,” Josiah answered.
“The chance of your survival seemed grim,” Pedro said.
Pearl stood silently by Josiah’s side. Lyle was sitting in the buggy. A tall windup grandfather clock ticked behind Pedro. Somewhere in the distance a campfire burned on the estate, the smell of fresh cooked steak wafting on the breeze. Probably one of the hands that worked for the Widow Fikes.
Josiah nodded. “I assure you that my survival was in serious question, Pedro. I feel lucky to be standing here on your doorstep.”
“Miss Pearl, your mother has been worried about your absence,” Pedro said. “She was going to send for you, but I convinced her to allow for more time.”
“She noticed I was gone?” Pearl’s tone was sharper than normal, and Josiah recognized and remembered the tension that existed between Pearl and her mother. Pearl favored Captain Fikes in demeanor and attitude, which meant, unfortunately for her mother, that she had a mind of her own.
Josiah looked over his shoulder and checked on Lyle. The boy was sitting stiff as a board in the buggy, just like he had been instructed to do. Satisfied, Josiah turned his attention back to Pearl. “Thank you for looking after Lyle, after all the trouble I’ve caused you. I don’t know how I can ever thank you.”
Pearl locked her gaze on his and would not look away. She had an expectant look on her face. “Well,” she said, “perhaps you can come for dinner once you get settled at home. Pedro, see that it gets done. We have a party planned for tomorrow. Set another place.”
“But your mother . . .” Josiah protested.
“My mother will be on her best behavior. Trust me. It is time we had some life in this house. Being away from it has done me a world of good. Visitors for Mother will be the tonic for what ails her, whether she knows it or not.”
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Josiah murmured.
Pearl smiled, then stepped away from Josiah and pushed inside the door, her eyes locked on Pedro this time with the same steely, demanding glare she had favored Josiah with.
“I am serious, Pedro. There will be no discussion with my mother—she will not cancel this invitation without my knowledge, do you understand?” Pearl said.
“Yes, Miss Pearl, I do.”
Pearl nodded in approval and disappeared behind Pedro, into the flickering shadows of a grand entrance, without another word or glance toward Josiah.
Josiah’s mouth went dry.
Pedro exhaled. “I will have the buggy tended to, Ranger Wolfe. There is no need for you to keep your son out in the night air any longer.”
“I’ll be on my way then.”
“I will send word when all of the proper arrangements for this dinner have been made.”
“I would rather you didn’t.”
Pedro cocked his thick black right eyebrow at Josiah. “You do not find Miss Pearl attractive?”
“The fields between us are broad,” Josiah said. “Our lives are very different. I’m just a common man, and I really don’t know the ways of her world. Or yours for that matter.”
“Miss Pearl is more common than you think, Ranger Wolfe.”
“There’s nothing common about Pearl Fikes,” Josiah said.
Pedro chuckled. “Perhaps you are right. But nonetheless, I will expect to see you in attendance at the dinner. I do not wish to encounter Miss Pearl’s wrath anytime soon.”
Josiah knew that it was of little use to protest. “Thank you, Pedro,” he said, turning to leave.
“Ranger Wolfe,” Pedro said, in a deep, commanding tone. “You need to watch out for yourself. There are people who care about your well-being . . . as well as your demise.”
Before Josiah could respond, Pedro stepped back and closed the door solidly, almost in a slam. It echoed in Josiah’s ears like the first beat of a war drum.
The comment created more questions but also confirmed his suspicions that there was more to the events of
