“Hey, Webb! I didn’t know you were here!” Doyle strode forward, glad-handing him. “I’ll take you for a ride and show you how Ford’s invention works. It’s the first one of its kind in these parts. I got it—”
“Later.” The invitation was curtly rejected as Webb took the man by the arm and propelled him toward the dance floor. “Those drylanders think you’re their friend, so they trust you. All five of us are going over there, but it’s up to you to convince them to let us dance with their women.”
“I don’t know if they’ll listen to me.” Doyle pulled back.
“You’d better hope you picked up some of Wessel’s smooth talk” was Webb’s reply. “Kreuger’s the ringleader, so don’t waste your time speaking to anyone else.”
Halfway across the dance floor, they were intercepted by a slim, quiet man about their age. The badge pinned on his jacket identified him as the new sheriff of Blue Moon. His attention was centered on Doyle Pettit, although he had taken in the rest of them and marked them in his memory.
“Mr. Pettit, I’m hoping you aren’t thinking about starting any trouble,” he said calmly.
“I merely intend to speak to them as a friend. I don’t want trouble any more than you do, Sheriff,” Doyle insisted with an expansive smile.
But the sheriff looked at his companions to ascertain their intentions. Webb’s level gaze didn’t avoid the silent probe. “We’re going over there looking for peace. If it turns out the other way, it won’t be our doing.”
“You stated yourself plain.” The sheriff nodded and moved away, satisfied that his duty was done for the time being.
When they started forward again, Webb searched the silent-growing band of homesteaders until he found Franz Kreuger, The man’s chin was already aggressively thrust in their direction. Webb’s attention was distracted by the couple standing next to Kreuger. The couple was Lilli Reisner and her husband. The hardening knot in the pit of his stomach told him he had known all along the two neighbors would be together. He realized that subconsciously he had been counting on it.
10
When Lilli recognized Webb Calder approaching them with Mr. Pettit, a hint of excitement threaded her nerves while a shaft of apprehension caused her to dart a quick look at Stefan. Seeing the wariness and suspicion in his expression, she was glad she hadn’t told him of the visit Webb had paid to their farm. Stefan had spent so much time in the company of their neighbor, Franz Kreuger, that his attitude toward cowmen had hardened. She didn’t think she could have convinced him that Webb had been only trying to forewarn them of the problems they would face, not threaten them. Besides, it had been an unsettling meeting in other ways, so it had seemed best not to mention it.
The beat of her heart picked up its tempo as Mr. Pettit stopped in front of their neighbor. Before the dance started, it had been the general consensus among the homesteaders not to associate with the brash and noisy cowhands and thus avoid the unpleasantness that had marred many other occasions in town. At first the cowboys had been so polite and respectful with their invitations to dance that Lilli thought Stefan and the other men had misjudged them. But their increasingly loud and taunting remarks were confirmation that the menfolk had been right.
Still, Lilli didn’t want to include Webb Calder in the same category with the other half-wild cowboys. If there was no warmth in the way he regarded Franz Kreuger, then perhaps it was because he was shown none. Her female vanity was pricked by Webb’s failure to give her even a passing glance. She hadn’t expected him to ignore her. It stung a little. Lilli shifted her attention to Doyle Pettit, eloquently appealing to Franz Kreuger to persuade the homesteaders to change their minds about the cowboys.
He was summing up his argument. “After all, Mr. Kreuger, we have all gathered here to celebrate our country’s independence,” Doyle Pettit reasoned. “On this special day, I think we should put aside petty differences and join together in the festivity here. I will personally vouch for the conduct of all the members of the ranching community present and assure you their behavior will be above reproach. If any of your womenfolk would care to dance with the cowboys, I promise they will be treated with the utmost respect.”
“And if they aren’t?” Franz Kreuger challenged with open skepticism.
“You have my word on it.” Webb issued the cool reply before Doyle Pettit could speak. “The word of a Calder means something around here, Mr. Kreuger. If any of the boys step out of line, they will personally answer to me.” He paused a split second. “Do we have your permission to ask your ladies to dance?”
“I am not a big, important man like you, Mr. Calder. I am just a wheat farmer.” The modest disclaimer from Franz Kreuger was issued with a trace of contempt. “I can say you have permission, but that does not mean there is a woman willing to accept such an invitation.”
His response was a subtle way of indicating his attitude hadn’t changed. The granting of permission was mere lip service that Lilli considered rude and unwarranted. One look at Webb’s tightening mouth revealed that he viewed the response in the same light. His request had been reasonable and proper. She was irritated that it had met with such discourtesy from her o
wn kind. After all, Webb had been willing to meet them more than halfway. The gesture should have been reciprocated, not rejected.
She took an impetuous step forward, leaving Stefan’s side. “I will,” Lilli asserted, seeing Webb’s head come up as his gaze jumped to her. “I’m sure Mr. Calder can be trusted to keep his word.”
Webb’s cool expression didn’t alter, but his dark eyes were warm and approving, glinting with some disturbing force. Lilli felt the restraining hand Stefan laid on her shoulder and turned her head slightly in his direction.
“It will be all right, Stefan,” she insisted in a low murmur, but he didn’t remove his hand.
She was angry with him for being so unreasonably protective of her. If Stefan objected, she couldn’t openly defy him. It would shame him in front of all of his friends. Lilli felt torn by a sense of duty to her husband and the knowledge that her offer to dance was the proper response to ease the rising animosity between the two factions.
As she waited for a sign from Stefan, she looked back at Webb. He seemed to sense her conflict. His attention swung to Stefan as he removed his hat in a gesture of respect and held it against his chest.
“With your permission, Mr. Reisner, I’d like to dance with your wife,” he stated calmly.
Her respect for him was raised another notch by this action. Webb Calder had taken the decision out of her hands and placed it in her husband’s, indicating he would abide by it and not assume on Lilli’s impulsive action. Therefore, there would be no occasion for her to defy her husband’s wishes. She silently prayed that Stefan would be as magnanimous as Webb Calder was.
Stefan’s large fingers tightened briefly on her shoulder, then relaxed to slide away. Lilli was proud of him at that moment. She beamed a quick smile in his direction, then placed her hand on Webb’s arm and let him lead her onto the dance floor.
His hand fit naturally to the curve of her slender waist, his fingers spreading on her back. Her hand was warm and small inside the grip of his as Webb held her less than an arm’s length away. She was lithe and graceful, following his steps with ease, as if they’d danced together many times before. Her arms and throat had a sun-golden beauty, while the mass of auburn hair crowning her head gave the impression of stature. For a moment, the vitality of her utterly destroyed his self-possession.
Around them, other homesteaders had relented and given their daughters permission to accept a cowboy’s invitation to dance. Not many of them, but enough to show the majority was weakening. Webb had no interest in the possible trouble he’d averted. All his attention was on the girl in his arms.