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What was she to do?
He hadn't said another word. He just left her there to figure it all out.
Dear God, what was he going to do, just leave her here? Well, she guessed it served her right, for wearing that stupid, beautiful dress.
It was late, and the room was rented, and he was gone, so she went to sleep in the beautiful bed that night, alone. She didn't blame the man for being mad. She didn't blame him for what she'd done either.
She knew she was fired; he didn't have to tell her. Maybe in this big, booming town, she could find work to get her back home. After all, there were always floors to scrub.
The next morning, she was up bright and early before dawn, and she went into the other room and put her clothes on. This time she put her riding clothes on as she was sure she'd be going home, or at least far from here. There was a silver brush on the counter in front of the round mirror. She brushed her hair.
She stuffed her gown and carefully folded the beautiful dress and put it in the other valise and picked them up and started for the door.
But just then, he walked in bolder than brass, giving her a second glance. "Where did you think you were going?"
"I was about to leave, naturally." She replied. "I didn't think you were coming back. I realize this is all my fault, and I'm sorry, and I'll just go back home and forget about it."
"Leave, like hell, lady. We are legally married; you can't just forget about it. We're in this together. We are legally married, and you know it. I'm not about to let you walk out of here yet."
"Look," she came toward him with a guilty expression on her face. "I understand I should have spoken up sooner, that was my mistake. But I still don't understand how you could confuse the two of us. I mean, do I look that much like your fiancée?"
"No, but she had dark hair and I thought it was just a bad picture of her."
"You've never seen her?" Trudy turned her head in question.
"No, we corresponded for two years, is all."
She let out a huge sigh. "Well, I guess that explains that." She hadn't put her bags down. "I'm sorry, you don't know how sorry. I really needed that job. But you grabbed me and kissed me and whirled me off to the church. Then there were all those people staring and smiling at the church and the preacher was suddenly saying the words over us, and you nudged me, and I heard you say, repeat after me. And I did. The church was so beautiful, it must have cost a fortune to arrange such a thing."
"I guess I did rush you," he admitted his face mirroring her admission. "And you're right, it did cost a small fortune."
She stared into his handsome face, his galvanizing glance sending her a warning. "You certainly did rush me, why do you think I fainted? It didn't dawn on me what had happened until it was way too late."
"Did you faint or was that another ploy?"
"Another ploy?" Now he had her going, he thought she planned this. He had no idea what kind of temper she had. "Now you look here." She came to stand right in front of him, bowing up to her full five feet two inches, her neck craning to look at him. "I came here to cook for you and your men. As I remember, you sounded rather anxious to get a cook, and I'm damned good at my job." She rasped, prattling on. "But you took control of me at that station. And you wouldn't shut up long enough for me to tell you that you had the wrong woman."
He looked at her for a moment, as though considering her words.
He shut up for a moment and paced the small distance between her and the door. "Priscilla was due in today, that's why I had the wedding all arranged. She insisted in her letter that she fully expected a wedding before she went to the ranch. I told her it would all be arranged. And it was. I saw the beautiful dress you were wearing, and I assumed you wore it for the wedding, and that it had been a terrible picture of you."
He just kept talking, again. She'd never known a man to talk so much.
"I'm sorry, I really am, and this is quite a mess, and I'm sure a bit embarrassing for you! And myself, I might add."
"To say the least," he shook his head. "I haven't been myself since I decided to propose. I've been a wreck is what I've been."
"You were having doubts?" Her head twisted in question.
"Well I've never been married."
"Neither have I." she barely uttered.
She looked at him as he sat on the edge of the bed now. She could see his discomfiture. It was obvious he was trying to figure out how he made such a mistake.
"Surely we can have this all annulled before she gets here!" she stood at the end of the bed staring at him.
"It's too late for that."
