Desert Moon Read online

Granny’s gnarled hands lay still in her aproned lap. “I pray every day you will be.”

  Remorse filled her, mingled with anger. “I thought you liked Phillip!”

  “He is courteous, charming, and utterly godless.”

  “That’s not fair!” Honor’s white face had waved battle flags of color. “After all, I met him in church.”

  Granny suddenly looked old. “Anyone can go to church, Honor. If he hasn’t trusted the Lord Jesus Christ in his heart, his going to church doesn’t mean anything.” Granny’s next words ran like a prophecy. “I believe that someday you will accept our Lord, who has waited for you so long. I don’t know what it’s going to take to make you see you can’t outrun God. When you do, if you are married to an unbeliever, your life will be misery.” She softly quoted, “‘Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for—’”

  “‘—for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?’” Honor finished bitterly, noting the surprise in Granny’s eyes. “Oh, yes, Granny, I know 2 Corinthians 6:14—you’ve made sure I know scripture well. Too bad it just ‘didn’t take.’” She ignored the pain in Granny’s face. “I’m going to wait for Phillip Travis. Besides, if God does catch up with me, there’s no reason He can’t catch Phillip, too.”

  In the following weeks, when no letter had come, Granny never mentioned Phillip. Neither did Honor. A new fear had touched her. If Phillip were dead she would never know. Should she write Casa del Sol? No. Phillip had not gone home before being shipped overseas. They wouldn’t know she existed. Phillip had said he had one brother and seemed disinclined to say more, so she hadn’t questioned him.

  So long ago! Almost another lifetime. In the years since she first met Phillip she had been too busy and harried to meet other eligible men. Since coming to the Stones she had never gone to church. Granny was gone. She would not be a hypocrite. It couldn’t be that her half promise to wait for Phillip had haunted her, could it?

  In weakness of spirit, Honor faced it squarely. Ridiculous as it might seem, she had been bound to Phillip Travis. Until she knew for sure he was dead, she had not been able to accept another in his place.

  Finally the excitement of the trip and the fresh air did its work. Honor could stay awake no longer.

  She was awakened by a broad ray of sunlight crossing her room and Heather standing by her bedside.

  “Miss Honor, just see!”

  Heather’s face was barely visible above the largest bouquet of flowers she had ever seen, eyes sparkling as Honor protested, “There must be a mistake! No one would be sending me flowers.”

  “It says H-O-N-O-R,” Heather pointed out proudly, glad to show off her newly-gained ability to recognize letters.

  Honor took the flowers from her small charge and put them on the table. American Beauty roses, a wealth of them, catching the sunlight into their depths, filled the room with fragrance.

  “Great Scott!” Laurene Stone had wandered into Honor’s room. “Where did those come from?” She looked at Honor suspiciously.

  “I don’t know.” Honor’s clear gaze met Mrs. Stone’s. “Oh, here’s a card.”

  Have breakfast with me, or I will

  think you haven’t forgiven me

  for running you down. I’ll be in

  the lobby whenever you’re ready.

  Phillip

  Honor could feel her face heating as she silently passed the note to Mrs. Stone.

  “Who is Phillip?”

  “Phillip Travis. He knocked me down when I was coming upstairs last night. I met him a few years ago when he was stationed in San Francisco.”

  “Phillip Travis! Not the one who owns that fabulous ranch here in Arizona with some Spanish name meaning sun?” New respect shone in Mrs. Stone’s face. “How did you ever meet him?”

  “He came to church with a group of soldiers. I suppose they were lonely for home.” A reminiscent smile curved Honor’s finely carved lips.

  “Well, what are you waiting for? Get ready and meet him for breakfast.”

  Honor’s memories faded. “I can’t do that! He’s here with a group. Besides”—she smiled at Heather—“we have all kinds of things to do today.”

  “He can join us for breakfast. I’m sure Ben will enjoy meeting him. Get Heather ready, and we’ll meet downstairs as soon as possible.” Mrs. Stone ended the discussion by sweeping out the door.

  Honor stared openmouthed after her employer’s wife. Well! It certainly made a difference whom she knew. Mischief briefly touched her face, but she busied herself arraying Heather in a charming red dress then quickly got ready herself. She hesitated, trying to decide what to wear, then firmly pushed aside the party dresses and settled for another shirtwaist, sparkling white and crisp. Her brown hair had been brushed and shone by the time she and Heather descended the stairs.

  The Stones were already there, seated in a sunny corner. So was Phillip. Honor couldn’t help the soft color that mounted to her hairline as she joined them.

  Laurene Stone showed no traces of ill health this morning. “Honor, as you can see we went ahead and introduced ourselves. It’s so important making good contacts right away when one goes into a strange land.”

  Honor disciplined a laugh at Mrs. Stone’s implications. She didn’t dare look at Phillip. But a few minutes later she raised her head. “Thank you for the roses, Mr. Travis.” In the time since she had learned Phillip really was an important person, she had also decided it had better be “Mr. Travis.” She had no right to presume on former friendship.

  Phillip would have none of it. “Make it Phillip, all of you.” His glance included the Stones but returned to Honor. “Perhaps I’d better introduce myself a little more, Mrs. Stone. My brother and I own a cattle ranch just north of Flagstaff. He actually does most of the work, but I—”

  “A real ranch? With cowboys?” Heather broke her usual silence around strangers, with a frankly hero-worshipping look.

  “Real cowboys.” His smile at the little girl was endearing. The next moment he leaned toward her. “Miss Heather, how would you like to visit that ranch when you leave here?”

  “Oh, Daddy, Mama, could we?”

  “Really, Mr. Travis—Phillip.” Ben Stone’s face was dark with annoyance. “We have barely met. Heather shouldn’t have hinted.”

  “I didn’t hint, Daddy. He ‘vited us.” Heather’s lip trembled, and her clear eyes filled with tears.

  “That’s right.” Phillip had never been more charming. “I really mean it. Casa del Sol is a sprawling hacienda with room for a dozen people. We love company. Our housekeeper, Mama Rosa, likes nothing better than cooking for a houseful.”

  Honor was amazed at how quickly Mr. Stone capitulated. “If it isn’t an imposition. I really have always wanted to visit a working cattle ranch.” He grinned. “My doctor told us to get out-of-doors. I’m sure he’d approve!”

  “Then it’s settled. Whenever you’re ready to leave the canyon, let me know. I’ll go on ahead and get ready for you.” He turned back to Heather. “We even have ponies just your size.”

  She smiled delightedly as he added, “Oh, by the way, you must take the mule trip into the canyon while you’re here.”

  “Not I!” Laurene Stone threw her hands up in mock horror. “I’m going to spend my time right here in this lodge. Some of our San Francisco friends are coming, and we already have bridge games arranged. The rest of you can take care of the outdoor life.” She lifted one shoulder daintily. “I’m sure my husband and Honor will want to go. I can keep Heather with me.”

  “Oh, Mama!” Heather’s face fell with disappointment. “Can’t I ride a mule?”

  Again Honor was impressed by Phillip Travis’s quick evaluation of the situation. He leaned across to Heather once more. “Those mules are pretty big, Heather. How about riding down the trail with me? I’ve been several times, and it’s always a little lonely on the mule’s back. You can fit in the saddle just in front of me.�
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  Mr. Stone looked worried. “Are these donkeys safe?”

  “Not donkeys, sir. Mules. Our donkeys are smaller and known as burros, or ‘Arizona Nightingales.’” Phillip laughed. “You won’t believe it when you hear them bray. The mules that go down in the canyon are trained beyond belief. The trainers flap slickers at them, do everything in the world to startle them before they are even allowed on the trail.

  “You know, the little burros have been given a rather unique legend.” An unusual softness crept into his voice. “It is said Jesus put a cross on the back of each burro as a reward for service. The old prospectors believe it. If you look at a burro’s shoulders, you’ll see that cross. Some are plainer than others, but there is a more or less distinct marking on every burro’s back.”

  He paused, smiling again. “Our burros have saved countless lives. They are not only good pets but also a prospector’s best friend. They are also sturdy. Now mules are different—ornery. Wait until you get on a trail edge and your mule decides to reach over the side to chomp grass. I do believe the good Lord created them with a sense of humor!”

  Honor’s eyes sparkled. Had she been wrong about Phillip and his friends? He spoke so easily of the legend and the good Lord’s creation. He was quite a man. The man for her? The thought was enough to fill her face with a shine and set her heart pounding.

  The rest of the meal passed swiftly. Heather’s laughter rang out at the witty remarks of Phillip, who seemed to take delight in talking with her. When they finished he said, “I don’t want to intrude, but since I do know the canyon, would you consider taking me on as a guide?”

  Even Honor was touched by the wistfulness in his question, and the keen glance of Mr. Stone seemed to be weighing Phillip’s sincerity.

  “I really mean it. My crowd has been here so often the thrill is gone. It will be like seeing it for the first time, showing you everything there is to see.”

  “We would be happy to have you with us for whatever time you have free,” Mr. Stone told him.

  “Then I’ll be with you all the time!” His dark eyes twinkled. “Just wait and see!”

  Phillip became the perfect host. First he introduced Laurene to several avid card players he knew. By the time her San Francisco friends arrived, she was already part of a well-established circle that widened to include them. Her reaction to the Grand Canyon had been a shiver and, “What a terrible hole in the ground!” Then she settled into a daily routine of sleeping late, breakfasting in bed, and meeting with friends for cards, followed by a leisurely preparation and donning of exquisite gowns for dinner each night.

  Ben Stone lost his paleness in the hours he spent outdoors. Sometimes with just Heather, more often as part of the foursome with Honor and Phillip, he radiated happiness. Once when Honor found him alone on the canyon rim as sunset threw mocking banners into the sky to reflect on the panorama before them, she tried to thank him.

  “I am the one in debt, Honor.” He waved into the ever-changing shadows of night creeping toward the canyon. “I didn’t realize how I needed to get away—until I used you as an excuse to come!” A look of reverence shown through his level gaze. “No one could look on such a scene and not believe in a Creator, could they?”

  “No, Mr. Stone.” But he had already turned back to the canyon, now murky in its depths, leaving Honor feeling she had been forgotten.

  Honor was free for a time each afternoon when Heather took a nap and after she had gone to bed. Phillip gradually filled those moments until it became a usual thing for him to be waiting when she came down. Several days after they arrived he asked her if she would walk with him. Something in his look stirred her. The afternoon was bright. Birds called, and squirrels ran along the canyon edge, looking for bits of dropped food.

  Honor’s hand trembled as she dressed carefully and brushed her bright hair into waves. Was the pale blue dress too fussy? When she had told Phillip the clothes were “made over,” he had covered his surprise by commenting how clever she was with a needle.

  As they skirted the outcroppings of rock to find a quiet place in full view of the canyon but not the hotel, Honor noted how quiet Phillip had grown. Was there some significance in this particular invitation?

  “Honor, will you be my girl?”

  She was speechless.

  “I mean it.” He doggedly forced her to look at him, compelling with his eyes. “You know I was in love with you in San Francisco. I even asked you if you would wait for me. Don’t you remember?”

  She could only remain silent, unspoken words dying on her lips.

  “I know I treated you shabbily, going off and not writing after I promised. But Honor, I’ve had a lot of time since then to consider.” He looked deep into her eyes. “I love you, Honor.” Without asking permission he caught her close and tried to kiss her.

  She sprang back. “Why did you do that? Why did you have to spoil everything?” Vexation steadied her trembling lips. “We barely know each other!”

  “Don’t you believe in love at first sight?”

  She wanted to shout no, but couldn’t do it. She remembered the feeling she had had when they first met, the same feeling that had intensified beyond belief since meeting him again at the canyon. “How can I take you seriously? You don’t even know me, not really.”

  “I know you well enough to know I’m going to get ahead of Mark and Jon.” His jaw set stubbornly. “I saw how they watched you, even the night you came. I’m putting my bid in first.”

  “I’m not up for grabs, you know.”

  His mouth twisted in an odd smile. “You think I don’t know that? I’m twenty-nine years old, Honor Brooks. I’ve known a lot of women. You think I can’t tell the difference between real and imitation? You’re what my grandmother calls ‘a real lady.’ There aren’t many of them around these days.” He pushed back a lock of hair. “I don’t want second best.”

  From the corridors of memory came Honor’s own words, I’ll never settle for second best. It brought hot blood to her face. “I’m sorry, Phillip. You have your friends. I’m here working a vacation job. I’m not looking for a summer romance.”

  “And you think I am?” A surge of color filled his own face. He gritted his teeth, obviously trying to control anger as he gazed across the canyon, seeming to find in its depths strength to calm himself. “What right have you to judge me? I’ve waited all my life for a girl like you—and that’s what you are, a girl, in spite of being almost twenty-four, as you told me. I’ll wager you haven’t lived those twenty-four years without getting some knowledge of human nature. I fell for you when I first met you. Then with the war and all, you slipped back into memory.” His voice deepened. “Then I came here—and found you. When I picked you up from the floor I fell for you—hard. I’d begun to think I’d never find the girl I wanted to marry. Sure, I’ve had all kinds of girls and women, even considered marrying a few of them, but never did. Men have ideal women, too, you know.” The mobile mouth curved in a smile. “If you can honestly tell me you felt nothing when I picked you up, I’ll apologize and get lost.”

  Honor couldn’t speak. Only the strength of his hold kept her from falling. When he had spoken of wondering if the “right” person would ever appear, she had identified with him in a quick rush of sympathy. Was her heart trying to tell her something? Was she stubbornly refusing to listen? Had Phillip really been searching—for her?

  “You can’t do it, can you? Then think about this.” Gently he drew her to him, kissing her on the lips. Startled, she broke from him like a shy fawn and fled back the way they had come, only to be followed by his exultant cry, “I’m going to marry you, Miss Honor Brooks—and you’re going to like it!”

  When she reached her room she was breathless. Tears stood in her eyes, brilliant, refusing to fall. Futilely she bathed her hot face, demanded of her image, “How did he dare?” Yet the gentle touch of his kiss stayed on her lips even after she had furiously scrubbed them. The walls of the room she had found so char
ming now closed in on her. She must get free. She caught up her sweater and slipped out, carefully checking the lobby to make sure she was unseen. In her walks between El Tovar and the canyon rim, Honor had noticed a secluded spot. She headed for it. Would the canyon reach out to her, slow her whirling emotions?

  “What if he meant it?” Honor gazed into the chasm, unaware of anything except the lingering pressure of Phillip’s lips on her own. “I love him!”

  A cloud flitted across the sun, sending a curious mist to the canyon. To Honor’s excited fancy Granny’s face seemed to float there with accusing eyes. Her warning about marrying any unbeliever rang in Honor’s heart. With it came the memory of Phillip as he had been that first night in the dining room—surrounded by smoke and the tangy odor of liquor. Her heart quailed. In spite of not acknowledging Christ as Lord, Honor abhorred cheapness, and to her, smoking and drinking fell in that category.

  “But Phillip was not smoking or drinking,” she protested brokenly. The mist disappeared, and her rebellion burst its bonds. All Honor’s accumulated misery during the hard years gathered in one great force, just as the massive clouds overhead mustered forces to batter the earth. She sprang to her feet. “I will not give him up! I know now I loved Phillip even when he told me good-bye. It’s been there all the time. That’s why I have felt bound.”

  A crack of lightning followed by a burst of cannonlike thunder halted the words, striking fear into her heart. She would not bow before it. “Where were You when I gave You a chance, God? Where was the love You told of in those verses I learned when I promised to try and know You better if You’d spare Keith? Or when I begged for a job and only got one by chance? Everything I’ve ever loved has been taken away. I will not give up Phillip!”

  She raised her face in defiance, as if to challenge the very storm itself. It had increased in intensity, pelting the earth with raindrops the size of hailstones, kicking up dust and turning it to red mud. “If Granny was right, if misery is ahead—” she caught her breath at the possibility and again hardened her voice “—I’ll pay the price for the happiness I’ll have in between.”