Seven Brides: Daisy Part 27

"Not where exactly, just that it will be below Albuquerque."

"They can't change the route to the west side of the river?"

"It'll cost them twice as much to do that."

A slow smile spread over Regis's features. He leaned back, put down the cigar, and took a swallow of his brandy. "Then I've got every last one of the d.a.m.ned b.a.s.t.a.r.ds who tried to close me out of the deal."

"Who?" the other man asked.

"The five richest men in Albuquerque after me. I don't look much like it, but I got mixed blood in me. They don't like that, so they tried to squeeze me out and keep all the profits for themselves. They bought up all the land around the proposed depot. They plan to sell it for a fortune once the railroad arrives."

"But how is buying up more ranches going to hurt them? They'll still own the land in town."

Regis's fist slammed down on the table. "If I own every piece of land between Bernalillo and Albuquerque, not one G.o.dd.a.m.ned train can enter that town until I say so. And I won't say so until they hand over half that deal."

"Suppose they hold out against you?"

Regis's face hardened into cruel lines. "There's no man alive who's done that."

Next morning Tyler found it hard to say good-bye. His feeling of awkwardness wasn't helped by the formal atmosphere of the sitting room. Hen and Laurel had remained in their bedrooms, but he still felt they were looking over his shoulder. Laurel had pinned Daisy's hair up in a tight bun. Tyler like it better in loose curls.

Tyler knew Daisy was in better hands with Laurel, but he felt he was abandoning her. Daisy looked like she felt the same.

"I'd better be getting back," he said. "The snow's melting, and it doesn't look like we're going to have any more storms."

"I hope you find the biggest gold deposit in New Mexico," Daisy said with a lost-puppy look.

"A medium-sized one will do," Tyler said, trying not to feel like a heel. "I'll come by to see you when I'm in town again." That was a stupid thing to say. She'd probably be married by then, and her husband wouldn't want him about.

"That would be nice. I'd like for you to meet the Cochranes."

Hen and Laurel came out of the bedroom. "You'd better get going if you're going," Laurel said, giving each of them a rather penetrating glance. "You have a long way to go, and Daisy and I have lots of shopping to do." Hen helped Laurel into her coat.

"I'll walk down to the livery stable with you," Hen offered.

Tyler hadn't expected that -- wasn't sure he welcomed it -- but it was impossible to get rid of Hen when he made up his mind to something.

"Will you see Zac?" Daisy asked.

"I doubt it."

"If you do, wish him luck for me. It's stupid to want to be a gambler, but tell him I hope he wins enough money to buy his own river boat."

"I imagine George will have something to say about that," Laurel said as she pulled on her gloves.

"I hope he won't try to stop him," Daisy said. "Zac may change his mind later on, but he'll never do it if his brother tries to make him."

"That's a lesson he learned with the rest of us," Hen said.

Tyler wondered if Hen included him in that, but he didn't much care. He was caught between a strong desire to escape to the mountains as fast as possible and an equally strong desire to stay. Despite her engagement, he would like to know for himself that Daisy was going to be all right.

Be honest. You want to check out her fiance. What are you going to do if you don't like him, tell Daisy she can't marry him?

He'd better get himself out of town before he did something disgraceful. Daisy wasn't his responsibility. He'd probably be something of an embarra.s.sment to her, something she would have to explain, and right now he couldn't think of any explanation her fiance was likely to find acceptable.

"You sure you'll be all right?" he asked once more.

"Of course she will," Laurel a.s.sured him. "Now go." She pushed him toward the door.

There was nothing left for Tyler to do but leave. He and Hen walked together in silence until they reached the boardwalk.

The church, blazing white in the sun, dominated the Plaza. The streets overflowed with constant streams of wagons, carriages, horses, burros, and pedestrians. Men wore sombreros with tall crowns and draped their bodies with brightly-colored serapes. Ladies wore full dresses and enveloping shawls.

The Plaza was the place of rendezvous for every public purpose, housing markets, religious processions, and a camping place for travelers. Peddlers were everywhere, hawking wares in the center of the plaza and occupying porches in front of the business houses where they spread piles of fruit, vegetables, cheese, pinon nuts, and leaf tobacco. Vendors took over the hitching racks, using them to hang meat carca.s.ses -- both wild game and mutton. It was hard to find a place to tie a horse or mule. Gamblers roamed about with cards in hand, hoping to entice someone into a fast game of three card monte. Almost every store, whether it specialized in dry goods or bakery goods, sold liquor by the bottle over the counter.

"Did Zac head for New Orleans?" Hen asked as they headed west along James Street.

"That's what he told Daisy."

An edgy silence.

"I hope you find the gold."

"Thanks."

Another long silence until they reached the stable. Tyler paid a man to fetch his mule and burro. "You don't have to stay," Tyler told Hen. "It won't take but a few minutes to saddle up."

"I think you're making a mistake leaving," Hen said.

"I'm not."

"You're just going to have to come back to finish it."

"There's nothing to finish."

Hen flashed a rare smile. "It's a shame we're such a stubborn family. If we weren't, maybe we could learn something from each other's mistakes."

"It would be a mistake to stay."

"See you in a week or so."

"I can't possibly find . . . " Tyler stopped, realizing Hen was referring to Daisy, not the gold. "I hope everything goes well with Laurel," he said and turned to go inside the livery.

Tyler was angry at Hen. He was having enough trouble without him making things worse. But Hen never considered anybody but himself. Sometimes Monty. He never seemed to think what he said to his brothers might actually do more harm than good.

Be honest, Tyler thought to himself, you're just as bad. The fact that you're upset about it just goes to show what a sad state you're in. Determined to put this last week and all its questions and uncertainties behind him, Tyler saddled the mule, strapped the pack on the burro, and headed out of town. But he couldn't shake the feeling Hen had been right. He would have to come back. He had unfinished business to settle.

Daisy and Laurel returned to the hotel from a full morning of shopping. Daisy wore a hat specifically chosen to hide her lack of hair. She carried several packages under each arm. Several more had already been delivered to the hotel. Still, more were to come. A porter relieved Laurel of her packages at the door.

"I'll never be able to repay you for all of this," Daisy said for the hundredth time as she entered the parlor and gratefully set her packages down.

"Don't worry about it," Laurel said as she slipped the porter a few pesos. "Hen needs to find ways to spend his money."

"I wish he would give some of it to Tyler so he could build his hotels. He doesn't want to work in a bank. I'm not even sure he likes living in that cabin." Daisy helped Laurel out of her coat.

Laurel settled down on the sofa with a tired sigh. "Tyler has plenty of money. All the brothers do."

Daisy stared uncomprehendingly at Laurel. "But he said he didn't have any money. Zac stole what little he had to pay his way to New Orleans." She draped Laurel's coat over the back of a chair and sat down herself. She was worn out.

Laurel laughed. "Zac could never stay within his allowance."

"Allowance?"

Laurel poured cocoa from a pot on the table next to her. She handed a cup to Daisy. "All the Randolph property is held jointly," Laurel explained, "ranches, banks, companies, stock -- everything. The brothers draw an equal share from the income. I believe Zac's is being held in trust until he's twenty-five, but he and Tyler have just as much as anybody else. Except Madison. He's got several business ventures of his own that seem to make money faster than the national mint."

Tyler was rich, and he hadn't told her.

"Tyler has this bee in his bonnet about being worthy of his place in the family." Laurel poured herself a cup and settled back. "When his brothers wouldn't sell some of the family holdings to give him the money for his hotels, he broke with his family. I could hardly believe it when Hen opened the door and there stood Tyler. We haven't seen him in more than a year."

Daisy's head was spinning. Tyler had told her none of this. After her babbling about Philadelphia and her rich grandfather, he must think she was a fortune hunter. Beyond that, she had ridiculed his ideas. She hadn't meant it the way he had apparently taken it, but it was too late now. He wouldn't come back to Albuquerque.

She knew it was best -- she'd decided that long ago -- but she regretted she couldn't see him just one more time to make him understand.

Make him understand what? You try to make him believe you don't care for money just when you've found out he's terribly rich, and he'll never believe anything you say ever again.

They became aware of shouts and running feet outside. A door down the hall slammed.

"Jordy and Adam," Laurel informed her. "At the ranch they'd be on their horses. Here they have no way to work off their excess energy except on each other. Hen tried to get me to leave them at the ranch, but there's n.o.body who can control them except Hen or me. Hen, actually. They do what I ask because they know Hen will take the skin off their hides if they don't. They walk in awe of him."

Daisy could understand that. She was a little in awe of him herself.

"I'm going to lie down for a while. We'll tackle those dresses when I get up."

Daisy had taken over the bedroom Tyler and Hen had shared the night before. She was grateful for the chance to be alone before her thoughts overwhelmed her.

Chapter Eighteen.

"You don't like the dress?" Laurel asked. It was the middle of the afternoon, and she was on her knees in the sitting room pinning a wide boarder to the hem.

Daisy snapped out of her reverie. "It's beautiful. Of course I like it." They had found only one made-up dress in the whole of Albuquerque that, with the addition of a border, fit Daisy. Material for two simple dresses had been sent out to be made up by the next day. Three dresses of more complex design were promised within five days.

"You don't look like it."

"I'm sorry. I was thinking."

"And not about your father."

Daisy reacted guiltily. "How can you tell?"

"I once despaired of Hen loving me or wanting to marry me." Laurel smiled. "I felt like you looked just now."

"I don't suppose it'll do any good to deny it, but it's so foolish. He's not at all the kind of man I want for a husband."

Laurel laughed heartily. "I swore up and down Hen Randolph was the last man on earth I'd marry. I told him to stay away. I tried to drive him off. I even tried to run away from him. None of it made any difference. When you love somebody like you love Tyler, nothing else matters."

"He doesn't love me."

"Turn. Are you sure?"

Daisy rotated about forty-five degrees. "He never said he did, and he couldn't wait to get back to his mountains."

"You mean he's running away. All the Randolphs do that."

"Why?"

"They believe they're const.i.tutionally unsuited to marriage. They practically have to be hogtied and dragged to the preacher. Turn."

Daisy rotated again. "I wouldn't marry anybody who had to be forced into it."

"I exaggerated, of course," Laurel admitted, sobering. "But they do resist beyond what's reasonable. But once they're convinced, you're stuck with them for life."

She smiled in a manner that made Daisy feel wildly jealous Tyler didn't feel about her the way Hen obviously felt about Laurel.

"Hen says it's their family history. I think it's the responsibility. My first husband was quick to marry, but he got himself killed and left me to bring up my son alone. Hen was so aware of his responsibility he tried to hide. Rose and Iris said their husbands were the same way. Now help me up. You'd never believe I climbed a mountain canyon every day while I was carrying Adam. Turn around slowly so I see if I got it even."

"I don't think Tyler will ever marry," Daisy said, circling slowly. "He doesn't need anybody."

"I think you're being too hard on him. He was the first brother to show up when he thought Hen might be in trouble."

"But you said you hadn't seen him since then."

"That's true," Laurel admitted. "Take off the dress."

As soon as Laurel unb.u.t.toned the dress, Daisy pushed it off her shoulders, let it fall to the floor, and stepped out of it. She picked up her old dress and put it on.

"I thought he liked me at one time, but now I believe it was only because we were locked up together. He would have felt the same for any other woman." Daisy did up her b.u.t.tons.