Chapter 6

Pauline stood on the bank in stunned silence while she stared at Aiden’s broad shoulders as he sat with erect casualness in the saddle while riding away.  It was clear he was just as much at home in the saddle as he was out of it; if not more so.

What just happened?  She didn’t know whether she should chase after him and demand he go with her to the house to face her parents or turn her back on him like he had done to her. 

She wasn’t used to men not giving in to her desires and wishes. She certainly never imagined a man would love her and leave her.  Yet, that’s exactly what it looked like Aiden Kennedy was doing. 

She bit her lip nervously.  Had she been a fool?  Had she given up her virginity to a gun slinging cad who had no intention of making an honest woman of her?  Would she be sent off to marry the Texas toad as a soiled woman?

What made matters worse was that, despite the fact that he was a crass cad, she felt love for Aiden Kennedy. If she couldn’t get him off her mind before this, she knew she’d never be able to do it now.  She’d felt his touch, enjoyed his kisses, and blended with him in a magical way that only a husband and wife should do.

It was crushing to think that he’d tricked her into letting him use her for his pleasure.  She hoped she was wrong and that he’d show up at her house during respectable visiting hours and ask for her hand in marriage.  If he didn’t, would she have the right to be angry for his trickery?  She’d initiated things between them with her kiss, after all. She did it with a single thought in mind. To trick him into deflowering her so that she wouldn’t have to marry the Bar J&K owner.  Was his trickery any worse than her own?

With a heavy sigh, she gathered up her fishpole and her catch for the day.  She hoped she didn’t look as different as she felt as she made her way back home. 

The sun was high enough in the sky to make her worry about getting back into her room without running into a staff member who wasn’t in on the secret of her little morning fishing expeditions or, even worse, her mother. 

She slipped into the kitchen and Bess immediately signaled for her to hide in the recesses of the post-dawn shadows. When she spotted their ancient, stuffy, pinched-faced butler, Arnold, entering to collect her father’s morning tray, she understood why.

“What kept you?” The robust sized cook asked anxiously when all was clear. Pauline wasn’t sure if the beads of moisture on Bess’s ebony skin was from the heat of the kitchen or worry.  “I thought for sure they’d come asking for you and I’d have to make up some lie.  You know how the lord hates lies.”

Pauline produced the goodly haul of fish she’d caught before Aiden showed up. “I had an excellent morning’s catch.”

 Bess’s thick, broad smile reached her dark brown eyes as she accepted the fish and took them to the kitchen sink. “This will feed a lot of hungry mouths.  Thank ya, kindly.”

“Has mother awoken?” Pauline asked.

“Susan came for her tray five minutes ago,” Bess replied.

Pauline sighed.  Getting past her mother’s room to her own wouldn’t be an easy feat.  Her mother had the eyes of an eagle and the ears of a rabbit.  She could see and hear things that the normal human found impossible to detect.

Bess pulled the bell that summoned Mary Anne.  She appeared, nervously, only moments later.

“Fetch some clothes for Miss Pauline and take her to my room to dress,” Bess said as she quickly put the fish in a sack and handed them to a young boy who’d mysteriously appeared for them. The clothes on his back looked more suited for cleaning rags than body coverings; emphasizing the impact her little fishing expeditions had on those less fortunate.

“That’s a great idea!” Pauline said with enthusiastic gratitude.

“For this one time, only,” Bess said sharply as she returned to the stove to stir the bubbling grits.

Pauline slid across the kitchen and kissed the old cook on her plump, black cheek before scurrying to the room off the kitchen that Bess called ‘home’.

The hours between the time Pauline dressed in secret to the time when she could show her face in the parlor to accept visitors dragged on.  Her nerves were frazzled to the point she was visibly shaking as she joined her mother with her needle point.  It made it impossible to make a perfect stitch and even harder to keep from drawing blood from her tender fingertips.

When the note arrived announcing Aiden Kennedy’s intention to visit, she could hardly contain her joy.  He wasn’t a cad after all. He was going to ask for her hand in marriage, like a gentleman.  A broad smile consumed her face as she hummed her favorite tune.

“I’m happy to see you are in better spirits today,” Josephine said after she’d given Arnold instructions to take to Bess in preparation for Aiden’s visit.   “Mr. Kennedy has sent word he will be arriving to discuss a change in your travel plans with your father.  It appears your trip will be delayed.”

“What?” Pauline gasped. Why would Aiden send word of delaying her trip? If anything, he should be saying the trip would be no more because he was claiming her for his own.

“I can only tell you what his note states.  It appears Mr. Kennedy has something important to attend to which will delay his taking you to Texas by a few days,” Josephine replied.

“I can’t believe it,” Pauline scowled.

Josephine looked at her daughter with confused curiosity.  “Yesterday you were determined to keep from marrying the… what did you call him?... oh yes, the Texas toad, yet today you act disappointed to have your trip delayed.  I really don’t understand you, child.”

Pauline was devastated.  Her handsome gunslinger was a heartless cad after all.  He was probably making up an excuse to get out of having to take her to Texas.  She imagined he returned to town and immediately wired his resignation to Angus McCann and was going to tell her father they’d have to wait for his replacement to escort her to Texas.

After experiencing what it was like to make love to someone you were attracted to and had feeling for, -the fact that he was a cad didn’t erase the love she had for him- Pauline was certain she would never be able to allow Angus McCann to bed her.  In fact, she wouldn’t be able to allow any man to bed her after being with Aiden.  She knew this in her heart of hearts. 

Marrying Angus McCann was absolutely out of the question. Her mother had insisted that she’d eventually get used to Angus and may even like the man, but she knew differently. Whether it was his intention or not, the handsome gunslinger had ruined her for other men. He’d stolen her heart and she had nothing to offer anyone else. 

She slipped out of the parlor and returned to her room.  She’d gambled with the gunslinger and lost. She saw no other option but to run away.

Summoning Mary Anne, she confided her intentions to her and made the offer for her to go along.  Mary Anne hesitated, but finally agreed to join her. She had family in St. Martin Parish.  She suggested they go there until they could come up with a more solid plan for the future.

It was easy to get out of the house. All she did was make up the excuse that she was going shopping for a new hat.  Since her mother and father were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Aiden Kennedy, they paid her little mind.  What was more difficult was getting the valise she’d had Mary Anne pack past them. She decided to confide in Bess and have her solicit the help of the ragged young boy who’d fetched the fish that morning. He was to leave her valise on the bank near her fishing spot. 

Although unhappy with her plans, Bess had always found it difficult to deny Pauline. Now was no different.

It was not uncommon for Pauline to drive herself to town with Mary Anne acting as escort, so no one took any notice of it when the driver pulled the carriage to the front of the house and relinquished his seat to her. They took their usual route until they were far enough away from the plantation house that no one would notice they’d changed direction.

The valise was just where it was supposed to be.  Pauline hopped down from the small phaeton and rushed to collect it.  Her eyes darted to the place where Aiden only recently made love to her. Tears welled in her eyes as she thought of how she’d fallen for the charms of such a wolf.  She could never return to this creek that had given her so many happy hours of peace and pleasure before Aiden came along.  It was tainted now by the wolf in sheep’s clothing.  It was officially dubbed Wolf Creek in her mind and would remain so forever.