Chapter Three

It was several hours later before there was a knock on her door. Penny rose from the arm chair and walked to the door. She pulled it open to find Patricia standing there. "Are you hungry? Supper is ready downstairs." Before Penny could reply, Patricia's eyes glanced up and down. "You may be a bit overdressed."

Penny bit her tongue hard. She ran her hands over her green satin dress with black lace trim. The sleeves came to just below her elbow and the neckline was modest but not high. She loved her dresses. And they were her dresses. She had made them all by hand and had worked very hard to do so. Patricia knew that but her sister had always thought it was pointless and perhaps even vain of Penny to wear such things. Penny saw it differently. Wearing these dresses  made her feel proud that she had created something so beautiful and regal even with the nothingness she'd been born into.

"Nonsense. I look just fine."

Patricia simply nodded and turned quickly leading Penny back downstairs and into a large dining room. Penny was nervous. These were more people who would judge her, compare her to her sister, and find her lacking. More people she would have to guard herself from.

Four people were already seated there, though they quickly stood when Penny walked in. Luke was the only familiar face. Penny's eyes fell on a woman who had to be Luke's mother. It was clear she had Mexican heritage somewhere. She was dark-haired, dark-eyed and had a lovely tanned complexion. Her smile was friendly as she greeted Penny. "Hi sweetheart. My name is Carol. You've already met Luke. This is my husband Ed and my daughter Maggie."

Penny let her gaze first travel to Ed. He was tall with thinning blond hair, dark eyes and a big mustache. Her eyes went to Maggie and widened. Never before had Penny met a girl who dressed that way. She was wearing a men's button up shirt and a pair of trousers. Dirt and dust from working on the ranch was streaked across her clothes. Her golden hair was loose beneath the stetson hat on her head and it was a mess of tangles and curls.

"Hello," Penny greeted with a tight smile. "You're home is lovely."

Carol motioned toward the table. "Please have a seat."

Once everyone was seated, Carol motioned toward the chicken, mashed potatoes, sweetbread and beans she had prepared for dinner. "Please help yourself, Penny. We're pretty relaxed around here."

Penny was truthfully very hunger after having eaten nothing since breakfast. She went about preparing a plate, only half paying attention to the conversations going on around her.

Her attention rose a bit when Ed looked over at Luke. "Where in the world is Gregory?"

Luke's response was a shrug. As if on cue, footsteps announced someone entering the dining room. Ed scoffed. "Well, there you are. Why are you late?"

"I got busy working."

Penny turned to look at Gregory. He was blond like his father but he wasn't nearly as tall. His facial features were soft and full, lacking any sort of ruggedness. He wasn't bad looking but he wasn't her type—not that Penny had spent much time thinking of her type when it came to appearance. Penny wasn't much of a catch in the looks department herself.

"Penny this is Gregory Anderson," Patricia announced brightly. "Gregory, this is my sister Penny."

Penny felt Gregory's eyes travel over her and she felt his disappointment as if it were a punch to her gut. It was written all over his face. She was much less than he'd been expecting. Not that she could blame him—he'd been expecting Patricia to have a sister who was as beautiful as she was.

Penny forced a smile to her face as she hardened that wall she kept around her heart and emotions. "Hello Gregory. It's nice to finally meet you," she said, forcing herself to be polite. Carol seemed so kind and Penny did not want to upset her by being rude in her presence.

"Hello Penny," Gregory replied, as he sat down and quickly began fixing himself a plate. He never even spared her another glance as he tore into his food. "Pa, the east pasture is ready for the herd now. We got those fences fixed."

Penny busied herself with eating her meal, though inside she was confused. It was clear that Gregory was no more interested in her than she was him. Did that mean she would get to go home? Or would her family still expect her to marry him? Penny sighed inwardly. She knew the answer to that. Her parents probably didn't care if they ever saw her again.

The family carried on conversations around her, discussing things that Penny knew nothing about. Cattle, horses, round-ups.... The discomfort of her situation was nearly overwhelming.

"Luke," Carol spoke up. "Where is Ace?"

Luke rubbed the back of his neck and didn't meet her gaze. "We saw him in town. I think he had..uh.. other plans for dinner."

Ed tossed his fork down on his now empty plate. "If that boy gets himself tossed into jail again, I won't be the one to bail him out. Sheriff Potter will just have to ship him up to Amarillo."

Carol's gaze was sharp as it cut into her husband. "I'm sure Ace isn't getting into any kind of trouble," she stated. "And that isn't something that should be discussed at the dinner table, in front of a guest."

Ed simply nodded at his wife, appeared a bit sheepish and laid his hand over hers as if in apology.

"Well that was a great dinner but I gotta get back to work," Gregory stated as he stood up.

Ed shook his head. "I'm sure it can wait until morning."

"Nope, gotta get it done tonight." With that Gregory was out of the room before anyone could stop him.

"Did I used to be that obsessed with working?" Luke questioned.

 Maggie nodded heartily, stealing the last bit of chicken from her brother's plate. "Yep, at least until you took that trip to the city and came home with a pretty woman."

Luke smiled as he wrapped his arm around Patricia's shoulders and kissed her temple. Penny felt her heart ache a bit. She wondered what her life would be like if she could know that kind of tenderness and love?

Penny quickly thanked Carol for dinner and then excused herself, making her way back to her room. Tears were once again falling as she shut the door. She cursed them as she swiped at her eyes. Penny rarely cried and blamed the stress of the weeks of traveling, the new surroundings and her parent's betrayal.

Of course Patricia had found love and happiness. What man wouldn't want Patricia? And what man would want Penny. The answer was none. Not only was Patricia beautiful, but she had somehow come out of their situation while still maintaining her openness. Something Penny had lost.

After slipping from her clothes and into her nightdress, Penny slid beneath the covers and turned out the light. Maybe, if she tried really hard, she could find a way to give this home a real chance. Tomorrow would be a new day, and hopefully, a better one.

***

"Ed, honey, I know you mean well with all this talk of marriage but are we really being fair to Penny?" Carol asked as she sat at her vanity in their bedroom and brushed out her dark hair.

Ed glanced her way from the washbasin where he was shaving. "What do you mean?"

Heaving a sigh, she turned to face him. "I mean, Gregory obviously has no interest in her and was quite rude, which I'm going to speak to him about. But he has no interest in marriage just now."

Ed ran his razor over his jaw. "If you ask me, it was Penny that was rude. The girl didn't speak to any of us."

Carol grabbed her small jar of moisturizing cream and threw it at her husband. It bounced off his broad back and earned nothing but a chuckle from the man. "Edward, she was nervous! Her entire world has been turned upside down. You know she went through terrible times in her childhood. Patricia has told us the stories."

Carol shivered as she remembered some of the things Patricia had told them. But as bad as Patricia had it, she swore that Penny had it worse. It seemed that Patricia's parents had favored her and Penny had always been the most neglected one.

"I know, dear," Ed soothed.

"And, Penny deserves to know that this is her home now, regardless of whether she marries our son."

"Do you honestly believe what her parents said in that letter?" Ed asked, wiping shaving cream from his face with a hand towel. "Do you really think they just sent the girl away to live a life with strangers while they go make their own life somewhere new?"

Carol shrugged a shoulder. "Patricia seems to think they were serious. She would know more than I would."

"It just seems so hard to believe." Ed sighed as he walked to his wife stood behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders and watching her face in the mirror. "Let's give this a chance before we break her heart with that kind of news. Perhaps they both just need a bit of time to open up and get to know one another."

Carol still wasn't convinced, however, she wasn't in any hurry to let Penny know she'd been abandoned with nothing except what belongings she had brought along in that trunk. Letting out a long breath, she nodded. "Okay. We'll give your idea a chance." She met his gaze in the mirror. "However, when all this blows up in your face, I will be standing there with an 'I told you so'."

Ed chuckled, pulling Carol to her feet and leading her to the bed. "I would expect nothing less."

They curled up together beneath the covers, Carol's head resting against his chest and listening to the steady beat of his heart just as she had for nearly thirty years. "You and your schemes.. I dread seeing what ideas you have for finding Montgomery and Maggie spouses."

A deep chuckle rumbled beneath her ear. "They may be a bit more difficult," Ed admitted, placing a tender kiss to her head. "But don't worry, dear. I'll think of something."