This Savage Heart by Patricia Hagan Read Free Book Online Page B

looked on Julie, and that Julie refused to spend the money for it. Myles, bless his generous heart, had gone and bought it for her, explaining that after trading two of his horses and one of hers for oxen, there had been money left over.
    It was a beautiful dress. Slip-on, puffed sleeves were fashioned to taper from her elbows to her wrists, and the points were meticulously embroidered in gold cord. The skirt was full and hung in thick drapes, a new style from Paris, which did not demand hoops—for which Julie was grateful. Hoops, as well as other fashion items, were unimportant and had no place on wagon trains.
     
    The next day, an hour before the dance, Julie stood before the oval mirror and beheld the vision she was. The gown was of midnight-blue velvet, and the delicate gold thread embroidery around the bodice accented her black hair. She had labored for hours with a borrowed curling iron, twisting her long tresses into delicate spirals that graced the tops of her bare shoulders. Tiny ribbons that matched the dress were entwined in the curls.
    A soft knock on the door brought Julie out of her reverie, and she heard Teresa’s voice.
    “Oh, you’re beautiful!” Teresa exclaimed, clasping her hands in admiration as she stepped inside. “Julie, I always did think you were the prettiest woman I ever saw, and now I know I was right!”
    “Teresa, you’re prejudiced,” Julie said, laughing. “You look lovely, too, Teresa. You did a marvelous job on that dress.”
    Teresa looked down at her loose-fitting gown of soft pink wool. “Are you sure you can’t tell where I let out the seams? I don’t mind looking pregnant, but I don’t want to look awkward, either.”
    Julie reached out to adjust the white ribbon and bow Teresa had fashioned under her bodice to conceal the seam marks. “You do have talent with a needle, Teresa.”
    “Uh-oh!” Teresa’s eyes grew wide, and her hands flew to her swollen stomach. “The baby just kicked me. What am I going to do if my bow starts jumping up and down?”
    They looked at each other and giggled, delighted, but the moment was spoiled by the appearance of Arlo Vance in the open doorway.
    “I hope I’m not early,” he said.
    Julie’s elation faded. She had told him she would meet him downstairs, in the lobby. Dear heavens, he was ornery, bent on doing things his way without regard for what anyone else wanted. “It’s all right, Arlo,” she told him in a tight voice as Teresa looked on, puzzled. “But I did tell you I would meet you downstairs.”
    He stepped inside and flashed a wide grin, his eyes raking over her possessively. “I knew you were going to look real pretty, honey. I wanted to escort you downstairs, to let everyone know you’re with me.”
    Julie bristled. But, not wanting to make a scene, she told Teresa she would see her downstairs and then she allowed Arlo to lead her through the door and down the narrow, dimly lit hallway.
    “This hotel is a dump,” Arlo remarked with a condescending air. “Why didn’t your brother put you in another one?”
    She looked at him sharply. “Myles got rooms we could afford, and I see nothing wrong here, anyway. It’s clean.”
    “Why didn’t you tell me money was a problem?” he asked her pointedly. “I would be glad to put you up at my hotel. It’s a nice place. No ballroom, but the rooms are bigger and furnished with newer things.”
    “I wouldn’t dream of such a thing,” she gasped, astonished. “Really, Arlo—”
    “Shhh,” he hissed. “We’re about to make our grand entrance.”
    Standing at the top of the stairway, she could see that the lobby was already crowded. From the adjacent ballroom came the sounds of instruments being tuned. As she listened, she heard something that made her gasp with horror. Arlo leaned over the railing and yelled, “Hey, all you ladies and gentlemen down there! I want to introduce you to the prettiest girl in the state of Texas—Miss Julie Marshall.”
    Julie wanted