What an interesting sunset rain and cloud formation, but it has nothing to do with the sample chapter of Sweet Liberty that I’m posting today. I would say that this chapter is at least a PG-13 rating, just so people know.

Now I need to get back to work on editing. I tell you, I just don’t take time for “me things” anymore. I really need to focus on that, because I’m a notorious “yes” person.

Today is Chapter 12 of Sweet Liberty. I hope you enjoy it.

 

Chapter 12

 

They arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina, at nearly two the following afternoon. Nate insisted on making reservations at the nicer of the two hotels in town, but it only had one single room and one double available. After renting Libby the single room for three nights, he rented the double for Will and Ross.

At the same time, he paid the clerk an extra three dollars to have a hot bath set up in Libby’s room as soon as possible. Then he requested a piece of paper, pen, and ink to write a note for the man to leave in Libby’s room. Accepting the note, he assured Nate that Libby would have a hot bath waiting for her in about twenty minutes. Thanking the man, Nate left.

Outside, he noticed Libby browsing in the window of a nearby dress and millinery’s shop. He wandered up to Will, who stood outside the hotel waiting for him. “I rented two rooms, lad—one for Liberty, and one for you and Ross.”

“Me and Ross!” Will exclaimed. “You don’t expect me to sleep in the same room as him, do you?”

“I do, and I expect you to be civil.”

“I’d sooner sleep with a rattler,” Will mumbled, “and take my chances on being bit.”

Nate chuckled. He felt the same way, but he couldn’t encourage Will to act like that. To hide his feelings, he continued as though Will hadn’t complained. “I’m going to rent a room at the other hotel. I want you to see that Liberty’s satisfied with hers, then you can come to my room. I have a few things I want to discuss with you. But before you do that, I need you to stall Liberty for a while.”

“Why?” Will asked curiously.

“Her room’s not quite ready. Why don’t you take her into that mercantile store and let her browse. The clerk said it would be about twenty minutes.”

“All right. And then I can come to your room?”

“Absolutely,” Nate said as he started toward the other hotel. “We have to make some plans.”

After making his own reservations at the other hotel, Nate took the wagon and the few belongings on it to the livery stable. There he also asked where he could sell his few furs.

***

When Ross went inside the hotel, he noticed a bathtub being carried upstairs. Announcing himself to the desk clerk, he added, “I want that tub taken to my room.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” the clerk replied politely, “but the baths for your use are on this level. That bath is for a very special guest.”

“Would that guest be royalty?” Ross asked. “Or possibly a member of the presidential family?”

“Neither, sir.”

“Then I demand equal treatment. I want a tub sent to my room. I do not bathe publicly.”

“I would suggest, sir, that you either find a hotel that will cater to your whims—something we don’t have in Charlotte—or you can go dirty. Or you can go to the public baths and bathe there. Those are your choices, sir.”

“Let me talk to the owner of his establishment.”

“You are, sir. Do you have a complaint about the service?”

“I have a complaint about your attitude. I am a doctor, and I deserve your respect.”

“I’m sorry, Dr. Ross, but I give my respect to people who are polite. I give it to men like the one who rented the rooms for you and your companions, then thanked me after paying the bill in advance. If you offered me fifty dollars to have a bath set up for you, I’d go without the money.”

“So that’s it. You want a bribe. Is that how the person that tub is for got his privileges?”

“As a matter of fact, that individual did give me extra money,” the owner admitted with a bright smile. “But I’m doing it because he was a kind, respectful man—not because of the money. Now if you’ll excuse me, you have your room key, and I have work to do.”

Abruptly ending their discussion, the owner of the hotel turned his back on Ross.

***

Libby blushed when the owner passed her the key to her room and told her to have a pleasant evening. Something in his eyes gave her the impression that he knew a secret about her. But she could think of no possible reason, until she opened the door of her room and caught the light scent of lilac. Nate had conspired with the owner to give her a surprise! But when she glanced around the room, she saw no flowers.

Across the room, a maid smiled and announced that she was there to help her undress for her bath. Although thrilled that Nate would go to such lengths to please her, Libby didn’t like people seeing her undress.

“Thank you for offering,” Libby said with a smile, “but I’d rather do it in private.”

“If that’s what you want, miss,” the maid replied. “Do you want me to help you get dressed later?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Libby replied. “I’m going to bed when I’m done. But thank you, anyway.”

“Mr. Gray—that’s my boss—told me I’m to see that you’re comfortable. You sure you won’t want me?”

“Right now I can’t think of a thing more comfortable than a hot bath and a soft bed. Mr. Gray is certainly interested in making his guests happy. I didn’t know hotels gave such excellent personal service.”

“Mr. Gray don’t usually, either. The man who rented this room gave him an extra three dollars just for the hot bath. Mr. Gray told me he thinks the man’s sweet on you. He decided to give you extra treatment to help him out.”

“How kind of them both.”

“Tell you what. I’ll come back in about an hour and a half to see if maybe you changed your mind.”

“That would be fine. Thank you.”

The maid thrust her hands into the pockets of her apron. “Oops. I almost forgot. I was supposed to give you this note.”

“Is it from the owner?” Libby asked, accepting the paper the maid extended toward her.

“I didn’t read it, but I don’t think so. I think it’s from the man in trapper clothes who checked you in. I saw him writin’ somethin’, anyway. He’s a handsome gent, if you don’t mind my saying so.”

Libby blushed. “He is, isn’t he. Unfortunately, he’s become very arrogant because of it.”

“All I know is that he acted like a gen’leman when I seen him at the desk. And Mr. Gray never gives such good service to anybody he don’t think is a gen’leman. I’ll be leavin’ for now. Have a nice bath.”

“Thank you,” Libby said as she watched the maid leave. Alone, she opened the folded paper to read the note:

 

My sweet Libby,

Have a pleasant, relaxing bath. You deserve it. When you’re done, put on your prettiest dress. Tonight, we’re going courting.

Admiringly,

Nate

 

Anger sparked within her. Again, he demonstrated arrogance by assuming that she would let him court her. Then the anger subsided as the aroma of lilac-scented bath broke through to her consciousness. Again, he confused her by showing kindness and understanding.

As she stepped into the warm water, she wondered if her conception of arrogance was what Nate considered confidence. He certainly was right about her accepting his invitation. And the hot bath put her in the mood for an evening with an attractive man.

Smiling, she settled down into the water.

***

When Will joined Nate, he continued complaining about the room arrangements. “I don’t want to sleep with Ross, Nate. Why can’t I stay here with you?”

“Because I have plans for the evening. Besides, I’m used to being alone. I prefer it that way.”

“You gonna … Are you going to see a whore tonight?” Will asked conspiratorially. “Is that why you aren’t staying at the same hotel? You don’t want Libby to know, right? That’s probably a good idea. She wouldn’t like it.”

Nate chuckled. He’d completely forgotten that seventeen-year-old boys had minds that dwelt on one topic. “Actually, I’m courting a lady tonight. That’s why I want you to room with Ross. I want you to keep him from roaming around Charlotte.”

“You’re going to court Libby?” Will asked hopefully.

“If she agrees.”

Will reached into his pocket and pulled out some neatly wound-up white ribbon. Holding it out to Nate, he said, “Libby asked me to get this for her. She wasn’t going to buy it, but she changed her mind. I’d wait to take it to her, though. She’s probably taking a bath right now. At least, that’s what she planned.”

Nate grinned. “That’s probably exactly what she’s doing. I had a hot bath set up in her room, which was why I had you stall her. What I have trouble understanding is what was so hard to decide about buying that little bit of ribbon. It couldn’t have cost that much. It’s nothing more than plain white, satin ribbon. Why should she have trouble deciding whether to buy a yard or two?”

“It wasn’t the ribbon,” Will explained, his surprise evident in his voice. “It was the brooch.”

Confused, Nate stared at Will. “What brooch?”

“The one she fell in love with, of course.”

“You aren’t making any sense, Will,” Nate complained, shaking his head. “You went back to get the ribbon Libby wasn’t sure she wanted to buy. How, all of a sudden, does a brooch fit into the story? You’d better start from the beginning—and tell me everything.”

“I thought you knew everything about women,” Will said with a grin, “but you sure don’t understand Libby. I took her into the mercantile store like you told me to. That’s where she saw the pin. She got all excited about it, too. She kept saying how beautiful it was. Damned if I understand why, though. It wasn’t even fancy like my ma’s were. It was just a green oval stone on a gold oval background. I admit it was pretty, but it sure wasn’t beautiful. Anyway, Libby knew she couldn’t buy that brooch, so she thought about buying the ribbon instead. But she decided she didn’t need it. By the time we got back to her hotel room, she’d changed her mind and sent me back for it.”

“So she fell in love with the brooch,” Nate translated as he nodded, “but knew she couldn’t afford it. She only bought the ribbon because she needed to buy something.”

“Why the hell would she need to buy something?” Will asked in astonishment.

“Because she’s a lady.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Leon always told me not to buy anything unless it was absolutely necessary. Why would he tell Libby it’s all right to do it?”

“He may not have,” Nate explained. “Sometimes ladies buy things to make themselves feel better. That’s probably exactly what Liberty did. She’s been pretty upset since Flossie left …”

“She was upset long before that, Nate. She’s been upset since you left.”

“All the more reason to buy herself a present.” Nate grinned again. “And it’s all the more reason for me to buy her a present. I got a very good price from my furs a while ago, so I can afford that brooch.” Grabbing Will’s arm, Nate said, “Let’s go buy a beautiful lady a beautiful present.”

Frowning, Will warned, “I doubt Libby’ll take it if she knows it’s from you.”

“I’ll mount that obstacle when I come to it.”

After purchasing the emerald and gold brooch, Nate asked the female clerk if he could leave it there until later. He wanted to bathe, get a haircut, and change clothes before he delivered the ribbon and pin; and he certainly didn’t want to leave it in his room unattended.

***

A soft knock on the door startled Libby from her nap. That had to be the maid returning, so she shouted, “Come in!” instead of asking who it was.

The door creaked as it opened. Behind the screen in the corner, Libby splashed as she clamored out of the tub while saying merrily, “I’m glad you came back. I fell asleep and lost track of the time. Would you please hand me the blue dressing gown on top of my valise? I forgot it.”

Although she heard movement, she didn’t hear the telltale rustling of the maid’s skirts. That was odd. Earlier the woman’s clothes had made quite a bit of noise. Surely, they still would. And the woman had been talkative earlier, whereas now she said nothing. Then, to her horror, a buckskin-fringed sleeve appeared beside her. The hand at the end held her robe.

Libby gasped. “Nate!”

“That’s right, Miss Libby,” he replied. “Would you rather I wait outside until you’re dressed? I don’t mind, and it would seem less brazen of you to greet me fully clothed instead of wearing only your gown. So, which will it be? Shall I leave until you’re dressed or talk to you as you are?”

“You don’t need to leave, Nate—not after all the traveling we’ve done together. I’ll be out in a second.” As she slid into the robe, she noticed a glint on it. Quickly tying the sash, she stepped from behind the partition. In the sun-lit brightness of the room, she examined the pin with wide, disbelieving eyes. “Do you know how this got on my gown?”

“It was there when I got here. I assumed it was always there. I must admit, though, I thought it rather strange that you would wear such a lovely piece of jewelry on a dressing gown.” He paused then added, “Perhaps you have a secret admirer.”

Libby laughed. “A secret admirer? That’s nonsense. I’m much too old for such childishness.”

“Now that’s nonsense. No woman is ever too old for a secret admirer, especially a woman as attractive as you.”

“How flattering you are this afternoon. Could there be a reason for it? And could there be a reason that you’re even here?”

“There’s a very good reason that I’m here—two of them, in fact. Number one is that I brought you the ribbon Will picked up for you. The second reason is to see if you got my note. Did you?”

“I did, and I was very angry that you assumed I would agree to court you simply because you dictated it.”

When Libby paused, Nate coaxed her to finish. “But you intend to agree, don’t you. I can tell by the look in your eyes. You think you can hide behind the cool façade of yours—and you probably can in most circumstances. Or should I say with most men? But you can’t with me. I can see right through that stone wall.”

“Oh, you can? All right,” she challenged, “tell me exactly what you see.”

“I see a woman who’s beginning to let her emotions show. Maybe not to the point of not holding them back at all, but to the point that it’s noticeable. You’re angry as hell right now. You’re thinking that I’m a conceited, arrogant son of a bitch because I have the audacity to claim that I understand your thoughts and how they work.”

As he spoke, disbelief seeped into her, and she could feel her expression change. Now Nate would be able to see how she was reacting inside, but she was powerless to conceal her emotions. How could he possibly know so much about her?

“What you said about being angry with me because of my assumption was true,” he granted. “You were angry—until you sank into the nice, private, hot bath I had set up here. At that moment, of course, you could hardly turn down the invitation of the man who did such a wonderful thing for you. Naturally, I planned it that way. Don’t get angry again, either. I only wanted to assure one evening in your company, not as traveling companions but as a gentleman courting a lady. I’ll be leaving for the mountains the day after tomorrow. Since we’ll be parting company, I wanted this one night to remember you by. I wanted something more than what we had on the trail.”

“Why are you going to the mountains when winter is so close?” Libby asked, struggling to keep the disappointment from her voice. “You’ll get stranded up there.”

“That’s exactly what I intend to do, Miss Libby. Hopefully, I’ll come to my senses and realize that leaving you is the best thing I’ll ever do in my life. As of now, I’m having a hard time convincing myself of it. I suppose courting you this one time is the worst thing I can do, but it’s important to me. Please tell me that I was right, that you’ll accept my arrogant-sounding invitation to dinner and a moonlit stroll outside of town.”

“I don’t know, Nate.”

“I wish, sweet Liberty, that I could say I bought you that brooch to sway your decision, but I’m afraid I can’t. I wish I could tell you that I bought it because I thought you deserved something as lovely as you, but I can’t do that, either. All I can do is ask you to accompany me for the evening. Will you, my sweet?”

“Why do you always confuse me, Nate?” she asked. “You were right about the bath making me agree. But you’re so sure of yourself—and of me—that it’s frightening.”

Nate stepped close to her and gently caressed her shoulders. When he rubbed his thumbs up and down her neck, a chill raced down her spine and made her shiver involuntarily under his touch. He moved closer still.

“You haven’t answered yet, my sweet.”

“I’m afraid to,” she admitted in a near-whisper. “I’m too confused. One second you infuriate me with your manners; and the next, I’m bewitched by your power of persuasion. I honestly don’t know how to react to you. Why do you cause such confusion in me, Nate? Hiram certainly doesn’t.”

“That’s because Ross is a damned idiot, and you know it.”

“But he has a respected profession. I have yet to hear of a respected trapper.”

“Let’s not talk about Ross, my sweet. I’m here to convince you to be my companion tonight.”

“I want to, Nate,” she admitted, “but I’m afraid to agree. I’m afraid to let you see any reaction in me. Can’t you understand that?”

“I understand completely, my sweet.” He lowered his head toward hers as he spoke. “You’re afraid to show your feelings. That’s all right, too, because I know you like me almost as much as I like you. What’s wrong with one night together? We could make a beautiful memory to hold in our hearts for the rest of our lives.”Libby was about to speak again when Nate’s lips met hers. His arms slid around her to hug her to him. Still moving slowly, Nate backed up. Suddenly, he stopped and, with a swift movement, swept the valise to the floor. Then, almost simultaneously, he lifted Libby and laid her on the bed. As he kissed her, she felt the weight of his body move the mattress and heard the wood slats groan as he lay down beside her. Not once did he break his strong, almost demanding kiss.

Afraid of the feelings of desire swelling within her, Libby struggled in his embrace. Her robe fell open, exposing one moderately-sized, perfectly-formed breast. Oh, no! Now he would see her partially naked.

But the notion was fleeting. Crushed to him, she experienced a sensation so completely new that she sighed contentedly. Unable to resist, she returned his embrace.

The moment she relaxed, Nate’s hand slid up her side and sought out her breast. He drew in a deep breath when his large hand came to rest on her nakedness. His hand squeezed her breast tenderly.

Even greater pleasure burst forth in Libby. Something happened inside her that made her want more. Something changed in her body that made her want him to lie atop her, to cover her body with his. She moaned softly behind his lips a moment before his tongue passed into her mouth.

 

An unexpected knock at the door shocked Nate back to reality. Releasing Libby, he scrambled from the bed and stared down at her nudity. He reached out for her slowly. To his surprise she didn’t recoil from his approaching hands, so he pulled her robe together. Offering his hand to help her up, he grasped her wrist and pulled her to a sitting position.

The person rapped again, and Libby shouted, “One moment please!” Then she turned to Nate and gazed up at him sadly. Her face was hot with a mixture of desire and embarrassment. “You must think me very brazen, Nate.”

“To the contrary,” he replied. “I’m ashamed of myself for forcing my attentions on you. As a lady, you deserve better treatment than that. I sincerely apologize. I only wish there were some way I could make it up to you—some way I could show my regrets in a constructive manner.”

“Maybe there is.”

“Tell me what it is, Miss Liberty. I want to make amends.”

“The person knocking is probably a maid the hotel owner told to help me dress for courting this evening, but I don’t know how long I have to get ready. When will you call for me?”

Nate couldn’t restrain his astonished excitement. “You mean you’ll still go with me after what I did?”

“I will. But you might want to pay for a woman who can satisfy your desires first. I mistakenly encouraged you, but it won’t happen again.”

“You can be equally sure that tonight I’ll remember I’m with a lady, not a whore. You can also be certain that I won’t be seeking satisfaction from any woman—a prostitute or not. That would be very ungentlemanly of me. I’ll call for you at seven, my sweet.” Taking her hand in his, he kissed the back of it softly. “Until then, remember our parting moments, not the heated moments of a few minutes ago.”

Turning on his heel, Nate hurried to the door and opened it. To his surprise, Ross stood in the hallway. Nate stared at his rival in shock, not knowing how to explain his presence in Libby’s room—or even if he should.

While Nate blocked Ross’s entrance, the shorter man stared at Libby for several seconds. Then, returning his gaze to Nate, Ross glared at him a moment before hitting him squarely and soundly on the jaw, exclaiming, “You, hypocritical bastard!”

Stunned by the unprovoked attack, Nate reeled across the room. He smashed into the dressing screen and tried to regain his balance by twisting to grab hold of it. As the partition toppled, so did Nate. The screen fell against the tub of water and crashed into pieces, but did little to cushion Nate’s descent. He hit his forehead at eyebrow level on the edge of the tub. It tipped over and spilled onto the floor. Not fully aware of his actions, Nate instinctively picked himself up, clutching his hands into fists.