The Lady and the Texan Read online

  His dictatorial tone stung, and Amanda lifted her head to give him a cool, disdainful look. “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you. If I choose to stay here, I will. I have much work to do. There’s the suffrage movement and the—”

  “Little lady”—Jack was deliberately condescending as he spoke—“you are an unmarried female. As such, you are bound to do as you’re told. Your father wants you home, and that’s the end of it. It would be best if we just got you back to your grandmother’s house so you can start packing.”

  Amanda glared at the arrogant male who was trying to tell her what to do. He was a prime example of just why women needed the franchise! Women were intelligent and perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. They didn’t need men! They were men’s equals in every way. . . .

  She paused at that thought and realized that this Jack Logan had bested her in one area. He was physically stronger than she was. She supposed she had to give him credit for that, but otherwise she refused to give him credit for anything.

  “Mr. Logan—” she began calmly.

  “Yes, Miss Taylor?” His tone was mocking as he regarded her across the carriage.

  “If I go back to Texas with you, and I do mean ‘if’, it will be because I have chosen to go, not because you’ve forced me. I will not be bullied—”

  “Miss Taylor,” Jack interrupted her. “I don’t care how you come to your decision to go home. I’m just here to make sure you do it and that you get back to your daddy all safe and sound.”

  Amanda gave a defiant lift of her chin as she glowered at him from across the carriage.

  Jack managed a wry smile at her seeming capitulation, but he wasn’t amused. If Dan had warned him about what a hellcat his daughter was, he might have had second thoughts about agreeing to take on the job. He might have just stayed drunk in a nice quiet saloon somewhere in West Texas. Surely, that would be preferable to babysitting this wildcat, but it was too late now. He’d made a promise to his friend, and he was going to keep it—with or without Amanda’s cooperation. And right now, watching her as she scowled at him, he wasn’t sure which way it was going to be.

  “How did you know where to find me?” Amanda finally asked after a long period of silence. She’d told her grandmother that she was going to be at a friend’s house, yet somehow he’d managed to track her down at the saloon.

  “It wasn’t easy, considering you lied to your grandmother about where you were going to be and what you were going to be doing tonight.”

  “I didn’t lie to her!” she protested, thinking ‘lie’ was an awfully strong word for just not telling the whole truth.

  “She thought you were spending the night at your friend Bethany’s house. I’d say that was stretching the truth more than just a little bit. I mean, I think your friend is probably being taken off to jail right now,” he drawled. “And she’ll probably be there a while . . . maybe until morning. How do you think your grandmother would have felt about having to go downtown to bail you out?”

  “Grandmother doesn’t approve of my interest in the women’s movement, so I thought I would save an argument between us by just not telling her everything.” Amanda tried to make the reason for her omission sound noble.

  Jack gave an expressive shrug of his shoulders. “Call it what you like. The fact is, it took a while to find you.”

  The thought that he’d had trouble gave Amanda a small sense of satisfaction, and a slight smile played about her lips. “How did you manage to do it?”

  “Bethany’s servant gave me the information I needed.”

  A sudden wave of guilt washed over Amanda as she thought of her friend, who was probably locked up in jail right now and was no doubt worrying about her. Bethany probably thought something terrible had happened to her, but there was no way to get a message to her.

  Jack saw the change in her expression and knew what she was thinking. “I wouldn’t worry too much about her or your other friends. You all knew what you were getting into once you entered the place with your axes.”

  She gave him a fierce, defensive look. “I’ll have to go see her tomorrow. I want to make sure she’s all right and let her know that I’m safe.”

  “There won’t be time. You’ll have to send her a note.”

  “What do you mean, there won’t be time?”

  “We’re sailing for Galveston tomorrow afternoon.”

  “That’s ridiculous! I won’t do it!”

  “You will.”

  “My grandmother will never go along with this!”

  “She already has. We met earlier today. I told her what I had come to do. She was in complete agreement.”

  “You are so—” Amanda was seething at his high-handedness. “You have the audacity to—”

  He cut her off. “To what? Carry out your father’s expressed wishes?” Jack’s smile was confident. “He made it clear to me that he wants you back home as quickly as I can get you there. I don’t intend to disappoint him. We’re leaving tomorrow.”

  “But I won’t even have time to say good-bye to anyone.” She gave a slow shake of her head. She should have realized that her father would react this way.

  “You have until noon tomorrow. That’s when we’ll be leaving for the docks.”

  Amanda fell silent. She was going home. It looked as if there was no way out of it.

  For a moment, she considered running away that night, but thoughts of her father forced her back to reason. She loved him. If he wanted her to come home, she would. Perhaps after they’d had a chance to talk, he’d understand why she’d gotten involved with the suffragists. And then, if he did come to understand, he wouldn’t stand in the way of her returning to resume her work. That was the hope she clung to as the carriage drew to a stop before her grandmother’s impressive, three-story brick home.

  Amanda was suddenly nervous at the prospect of facing her grandmother, especially if Jack Logan was with her. She had not deliberately lied to her about her whereabouts, but as unscrupulous as Logan seemed to be, he just might tell all to her grandmother, and that was one confrontation she wanted to avoid on this, their last night together. She prepared to get out of the carriage as quickly as she could, hoping to dismiss Logan with a quick, but firm, good-bye.

  “Well, we’re here. Thank you so much for your help. I’ll see you—”

  Jack moved to block her exit from the carriage. “Allow me to escort you inside.”

  Amanda wanted to scream. Instead, she gritted her teeth and managed a tight smile as she sat back to await his descent. “Of course.”

  “It wouldn’t be proper for me to just drop you off,” he drawled as he climbed out of the carriage and turned to help her down.

  Amanda met his gaze and saw the knowing look in his eyes. She wanted him gone. He had already proven he was no gentleman. Why was he putting on an act now? She wondered if he’d ever done anything “proper” in his life.

  Resigned to suffering his company for at least a few more minutes, she put her hand in his to allow him to help her down. His grip was warm and strong, and she suppressed a shiver at the contact. Certainly her reaction was just because she found him so totally irritating, and not because she thought him handsome or attractive or anything. She pulled free of his touch as soon as she was on the ground and swept proudly away from him, her head held high.

  “Grandmother . . . I’m back,” she called out as she entered the house.

  “Amanda . . . Did that nice Mr. Logan come in with you?” Margaret Randall called from her parlor.

  “Oh, yes. Mr. Logan’s right here.”

  Margaret emerged from her sitting room to greet them. “Thank you so much for seeing my granddaughter home, Mr. Logan. You are truly a gentleman.”

  “It was my pleasure, ma’am,” Jack answered. He smiled as he glanced at Amanda.

  Amanda was hard put not to glare at him hatefully in return. She wondered how her grandmother could be so fooled by him. Talk about not lying to her grand
mother! She just hoped he’d leave, and soon.

  “And how was Bethany tonight, dear?” Margaret asked.

  Thinking quickly, she made sure she didn’t lie as she answered, “Bethany was disappointed at the way things turned out. We had great plans for the evening, and she was distressed when I had to leave early with Mr. Logan.”

  Jack couldn’t help himself. He could tell how carefully Amanda was phrasing her words, and he wanted to put her in her place. “Yes, it was difficult dragging Amanda away from her friends as I did.” He saw the angry challenge in her eyes and smiled easily as he went on. “But there was little time to spare—”

  Margaret nodded sadly. “I’m upset, too. I can hardly bear the thought of Amanda leaving me so soon. We have so little time left together.”

  “And I still have to pack,” Amanda added quickly, wanting him to be on his way. “Mr. Logan, thank you again for escorting me home.”

  “Shall I meet you here at the house tomorrow or shall we rendezvous at the dock?”

  “The dock,” she answered before her grandmother could say anything.

  For a moment, Jack thought she might be be trying to get rid of him quickly just so she could find a way to avoid returning to Texas. But he knew he couldn’t stay there all night keeping an eye on her. Mrs. Randall knew Amanda was supposed to go with him by her father’s orders, and he would rely on her influence to see that her wayward granddaughter showed up on time the following day. He left the sailing information with them and arranged exactly where to meet.

  “Good night, ladies.” He looked straight at Amanda as he added, “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

  “Good night, Mr. Logan,” Margaret said.

  “Yes, good night,” Amanda said, all too happy to close the door behind him.

  She almost sagged back against the closed portal in relief and sighed out loud when he was gone. However, with her grandmother standing there, she had to act as if absolutely nothing unusual had happened that night.

  Getting Logan to leave had been hard, but now came the really difficult part. Amanda had to face her grandmother and say good-bye. She followed her into the parlor and sat down next to her on the sofa.

  Chapter Two

  Amanda could see the disapproval mirrored in her grandmother’s expression now that they were alone and she knew a sinking feeling in her heart. Margaret Randall was a society matron, a woman of high standards who expected all those around her to live up to her expectations. In her grandmother’s opinion, Amanda had failed miserably.

  Not that she hadn’t tried to please her. Amanda had wanted to make her proud. She’d studied hard and made good grades. She’d minded her manners and achieved a certain social polish that had satisfied her grandmother, at first. But once she’d heard Susan B. Anthony speak at a suffrage rally, Amanda had been so inspired that nothing else had mattered except working with the women who were trying to get the right to vote.

  “This episode of yours has proven quite upsetting to your father and me, Amanda,” Margaret began, broaching the subject that could no longer be avoided. “Being expelled from school is just the latest in a series of things you’ve done that have caused us concern.” She gave a disgusted shake of her head.

  “I had hoped that when Papa found out, he would understand and let me stay here and keep up my work with the suffragists.”

  “No! I will not stand for you associating with those women any longer!”

  “Those women, as you call them, are trying to make life better for us,” she began, making sure that her tone was courteous and respectful. She wanted to explain to her grandmother once more the freedoms that would be theirs if they were given the franchise. As it was now, women were almost fully under the control of men, and that had to be changed.

  “This attitude of yours is precisely the reason why I believe your father is correct in demanding you return home.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Amanda was disheartened as she realized her grandmother would never change. Margaret Randall thought the world a fine, orderly place. It saddened Amanda that a lot of the resistance to the suffragists’ efforts came from other women.

  “Enough about that now. We have more important things to consider. I have arranged for a proper hired companion to accompany you on your journey.”

  “I’ll be fine, Grandmother. I can take care of myself. I don’t need a chaperone.”

  Margaret grew indignant as she dictated, “You are Amanda Randall Taylor of the Philadelphia Randalls. You are an unattached young woman. You cannot and will not travel alone across this country with a man who is not your husband or a relative!”

  Amanda remained quiet, knowing better than to argue with her grandmother when she used that tone.

  “Her name is Miss Eileen Hammond, and she will be arriving here in the morning to meet you and get acquainted before you sail.”

  “She can be ready to travel that quickly?” Margaret met Amanda’s gaze squarely. “Your father wrote a few weeks ago that he would be sending someone to escort you home. I interviewed Miss Hammond then, and she agreed to take the job.”

  “I see.” Amanda was shocked that her grandmother had known all this time that she was being sent back home and had said nothing to her.

  “Miss Hammond is a lovely lady. I’m sure the two of you will get along famously.”

  “Yes, Grandmother.”

  Margaret studied her headstrong granddaughter and saw the look of sadness in her eyes. Amanda was a beautiful girl—smart, capable and a quick learner, just as her mother Marissa had been. But unlike Marissa, there was a wildness about Amanda, an untamed quality that had defied all her attempts at civilizing. True, Margaret had learned how to control the wild streak most of the time, but now, with all this suffragist madness and being expelled from school . . . Well, it was more than Margaret could handle.

  “It’s not easy for me to let you go back to your father.”

  “I know. I’m going to miss you very much.” Margaret grew teary-eyed as she embraced Amanda. “I love you, Amanda. I hope you know that, and I’m going to miss you, too.”

  They embraced warmly.

  “Well, we’d better go upstairs and see to your packing. We don’t have much time.” She rang for the servants as she contemplated all they had to do before noon the following day.

  Miss Eileen Hammond arrived at the Randall home right on schedule the next morning. When Amanda met the petite older woman for the first time, she knew Eileen Hammond was her grandmother’s idea of the perfect chaperone. “Tiny, but mighty” was the phrase that came to mind as Amanda was introduced to her. Barely five feet tall, Eileen had silver hair and a sharp-eyed gaze that Amanda was sure missed nothing. As upset as her grandmother was with her, Amanda had been afraid that she might be stuck with a chaperone with a sour personality. The twinkle in Miss Hammond’s blue eyes had relieved her of that fear, and although Amanda wasn’t looking forward to the trip, at least her companion promised to be a friendly, good-natured one.

  “Good-bye, Grandmother,” Amanda said as she hugged her one last time in the foyer. Their bags had already been loaded on the carriage, and Miss Hammond was waiting for her outside.

  “My darling—” Margaret’s voice was tear-choked. “

  Be careful, and write to me as soon as you get home to your father, so I know that you’re safe.”

  “I will. I promise.” Tears burned in her eyes as she pressed a kiss to her grandmother’s cheek. She loved her with all her heart and hated to leave her.

  “Good. You are the light of my life, Amanda. I’m going to miss you more than you’ll ever know.”

  “I’ll miss you, too, Grandmother. Take care of yourself.”

  They embraced one last time, and then Margaret touched her granddaughter’s cheek in a gentle caress.

  “I told Miss Hammond to keep an extra sharp eye on you and keep you out of trouble, since I won’t be along to do it. She’s assured me that you’re in good hands.”

  Th
ey shared a loving smile, and then there could be no delaying any longer. Amanda hurried outside to the waiting carriage. Her tears fell unheeded as the driver helped her inside and closed the door after her.

  Miss Hammond had already taken her seat, and as Amanda settled in next to her, she gave her hand a reassuring pat. “It will be all right, my dear.”

  “I’m going to miss her,” she said softly as she waved to her grandmother from the carriage window.

  The driver climbed aboard and took up the reins, urging his team onward.

  Amanda watched until her grandmother had disappeared from sight and then turned away from the window and sat back. She drew a deep breath and finally faced the reality of the day—she was going home to Texas.

  “Are you excited about the trip, Miss Amanda?” Eileen asked. She was thrilled to be making the journey, having never been farther west than her native Pennsylvania. She imagined that the young woman she was accompanying would be glad to see her father again.

  Amanda hesitated before answering, unsure of her real emotions. “It will be good to see my father,” she said honestly. “But I’m not looking forward to the actual trip.”

  “You’re not? Why? The ship we’re sailing on is quite modem from what I understand. It should be most comfortable.”

  “Oh, I’m not worried about the accommodations, and if it were just the two of us making the trip, I’m sure we’d have a fine time together. But this Jack Logan who’s escorting us . . . Well, he is not my idea of the perfect traveling companion.”

  “Oh, really? Your grandmother spoke highly of him this morning. He sounded rather nice from her description.” Eileen wondered what had transpired between the two to make Amanda dislike him so.

  “I found him to be high-handed and arrogant. The less time I spend with him, the better.”

  “Maybe we can just stay in the cabin for most of the trip and try to avoid him,” Eileen suggested, thinking he must be quite awful for Miss Amanda to react this way.