Page 67 of Cloaked in Beauty

“Did you sleep any?” Her long auburn braid fell over her shoulder as she peered up into his face, concern etching lines across her forehead.

“I rested.” He smiled, but she didn’t seem appeased by his nonchalance. So to stave off any more questions in that direction, he steered the conversation to more practical matters. “I don’t want you to wear your hood today.”

The red cloak had served as a blanket of sorts for her last night, and she reached down to where it had pooled atop her bedroll and drew it up against her front like a shield. “Why not?”

He remembered the story her mother had told him about how Letty had felt safe in her little cape and hood when she’d escaped the fire as a child. He suspected she hadn’t completely outgrown that attachment, but he needed her to understand that the very thing that made her feel safe might be what attracted danger.

“I’m not sure how last night’s shooter found us, but if he’s been watching us for any length of time, he would have noticed your hood. He might have reported that detail back to your uncle. While the hood shields your face, it’s also very memorable. Rusty stands out as well, but I can’t really do anything to disguise him, so disguising you will have to do. If they are looking for a young woman in a red cloak, we’ll need to turn you into a young boy in a flannel shirt.” He took his hat off and dropped it onto her head. “It won’t fool anyone up close, but if you tuck your hair up into my hat and wear the spare shirt I’ve got in my saddlebag, it might suit our purposes from a distance.”

Her fingers trembled a bit as she let go of the cloak and reached up to straighten the hat on her head. “I guess I should have kept those rag-bin trousers from the bunkhouse.”

Oh, how he wanted to take her in his arms. To hold her until the fear dissolved from her eyes.

“Lord willing, it will only be for two days,” he said instead. “We’ll make Huffman by late afternoon. I’ll stop in town long enough to wire your mother’s brother. He’ll have a closed carriage waiting for us at an old stagecoach stop a few miles northeast of Houston. The carriage will protect your identity from there into the city, and then you’ll finally be reunited with your mother.”

He thought to give her something positive to cling to so was surprised when the lines in her forehead deepened. “What about you? Where will you be?”

“Nearby. I promise.” Likely surveilling Drake Radcliffe. “I’ll not leave until I’m sure you’re safe.”

“But you will leave. Won’t you?”

Philip sighed. This was a bigger conversation than they had time for, but he’d not dismiss her question. She deserved honesty from him, even if he could make no promises.

“I care about you, Letty. A lot. But I can’t let myself get distracted by thoughts of a future we may or may not share when there’s so much at stake in the here and now. Once things are settled, we will discuss the future. I promise.”

And, Lord willing, she’d not hate him for what he had to say.

31

“Do you see the carriage?” Letty lay sprawled on her belly at the top of the hill, a hand shading her eyes as she studied the shallow valley below. A dilapidated building listed slightly to one side. A weathered corral stretched behind it, composed of lopsided fence posts and fallen rails that made it clear no horses had made their home there for decades.

Philip lay next to her, field glasses held to his eyes. “I think so.” He pulled the binoculars away from his face and handed them to her. “Look at the right edge of the building. I saw something tall and black. Could be the rear of a carriage. Won’t know for sure until we get down there.”

Letty’s heart beat fast and heavy as she adjusted the lenses to focus on the dark spot Philip had pointed out.

They’d made it. Just one short carriage ride and she’d see her mother again. Her stomach churned as the longing she’d carried inside her since childhood swelled and mixed with the questions and doubts Grandmother’s assurances had never quite dispelled.

Would she recognize her mother after all these years? Or would she be a stranger? What would they talk about? Would she view Letty as a child or respect her as a woman? And what of Rusty? Would her mother let her keep him? Proper ladies of wealth and prestige rarely had room in their lives for untamed things. Like wolves . . . and the unconventional daughters who befriended them.

Blinking, she straightened her focus from its inward bent to gaze outward through the field glasses. Finding the back of the old stagecoach inn, she shifted her gaze to the right until she spotted the black protrusion. She strained to see the wheel that should be visible, but an overgrown bush of some sort at the side of the building blocked her view. It didn’t matter. Instinct told her it was the carriage her mother had sent.

Memories of the last carriage ride she’d taken surged through her mind in painful waves. The fire. Sitting in Mama’s lap in the dark carriage. Mama telling her she’d have to hide somewhere far away. Without her.

Letty lowered the field glasses and rested her hand on Philip’s arm. She needed connection. Courage. Calm. Philip provided all three. Just by being there.

But how much longer would he be at her side? He said he’d not leave until he was sure her uncle couldn’t hurt her, but everything would change once they reached Houston. Would she even see him? Or would he keep his distance, as was fitting for an employee? But he wasn’t an employee to her. He was the man she loved. The one person besides Grandmother she truly trusted. At this moment, Letty had more faith in Philip than she did in her own mother. After all, how could she trust a woman she no longer knew? A woman she’d had no contact with for fifteen years?

Philip covered her hand with his, and his eyes found hers. “It’s going to be all right.”

He smiled, but a sadness lurked in his gaze, one that matched the pinching of her heart. As if he, too, regretted that their time alone together was coming to an end. Odd that his sadness should bring her hope, but it did. Hope that his feelings for her might be just as strong as hers for him.

“You’re an incredible woman, Letty. I’ve seen you rise to every occasion imaginable these past two weeks, and I have no doubt that you will rise to whatever occasions await you on the other side of that carriage ride.”

His words warmed her heart and ignited a determination within her to live up to his expectations. Yet nowhere in those beautiful, encouraging words was there a picture painted of him being by her side.

She squeezed his forearm. “I need you to promise me something.”

Philip’s expression grew serious, and he shifted slightly to face her more fully. “Name it.”