“I surely will.” Her cheeks flushed a becoming pink in the twilight.
Crockett grinned and walked over to join his brothers. If he did ask Jane to marry him, his goal would be to put that smile on her face every single day.
The empty barnyard brightened in the twilight, with a bonfire at each end. While everyone finished up their dessert and the musicians tuned their instruments to Hays’s fiddle, Jane helped the other women put away the leftovers and return the dishes to their owners.
When the music began, she looked around for Crockett, but she didn’t see him. She pushed down her disappointment. He’d said a dance, not the first dance.
To her surprise, Chisholm was the Hart brother who approached her first. He doffed his hat and gave a slight bow.
“Miss Jane, would you dance with me?”
“I—” She looked around and saw Chisholm’s wife, Caro, dancing with her father-in-law, who seemed to be enjoying it immensely.
“I suppose so. Thank you.”
She let him take her hand and lead her to the edge of the area where the dancers swirled. He put his hand on her waist, and Jane lightly laid her left hand on his shoulder.
“Thought it might be the best way to talk without anyone overhearing,” Chisholm said softly as the music flowed about them.
“Oh.” Jane felt her color rise and glanced about quickly for her father. He was over near the depleted refreshment table, talking to a couple of the ranchers. He held a tin cup in his hand, and he looked cheerful. Jane hoped no one had slipped in a bottle or a flask, but she supposed that was too much to ask in a mixed gathering like this. If Pa got drunk, she would just have to deal with him later.
“About the Louisiana banknotes,” Chisholm said.
Jane whipped her attention back to him. “Right.”
“You heard about the robbery at the State Treasury in Austin?”
Jane squinted up at him. “Well, yes, but that was a long time ago.”
Chisholm nodded. “Part of the money that was taken was in Louisiana banknotes.”
“But … if one of the robbers hid it in our cave, why didn’t he come back for it? Or spend it before now?”
“Too recognizable.”
They moved with the music, and Jane took special care not to touch him more than was necessary. She stumbled a bit, and Chisholm grabbed her arm to steady her.
“All right?” he asked.
“Yes. Sorry. I’m not a very good dancer. I haven’t had much practice.” In fact, the last time she had danced was at an end-of-the-year school program, when she was fourteen and the pupils performed a square dance for their parents and the townsfolk.
“Doesn’t matter,” he said with a grin. “I haven’t told anyone else about…” They passed close to Mr. and Mrs. Mortenson, who were dancing much closer together than they were. Chisholm lowered his voice. “About what you told Crockett.”
Jane nodded.
“Is it all right with you if I show the sample to my boss?”
The back of Jane’s neck prickled, and her throat felt dry. Why did this prospect scare her? She knew. If the money was from the robbery, the most likely suspect would be her pa. What if he was arrested? And if the word got out—which it would—their ranch might be overrun with people looking for more of the loot.
“If people find out,” she began.
“I’ll be discreet,” Chisholm assured her.
“I … suppose you have to.”
“It’s the best and quickest way for me to find out more about it. If it is from the Treasury robbery, it would be the first of the money recovered since that night. It could be important.”
Jane’s legs felt like sticks of firewood as she moved in time with the music. “I’ll have to trust you.”
“Yes. You trusted Crockett, and I hope you can do the same for me. I’ll do all I can to make sure your family isn’t hurt, Jane. If it does implicate someone local…”
“You mean my pa.”
His mouth flattened into a sober line. “Well, yes. Or a neighbor. But it could be that someone who fled Austin stashed it there when he realized he couldn’t spend it freely. It might be someone who’s long gone.”
The song ended, and they stopped moving and clapped. Suddenly, Crockett was beside them.
“Time for my dance, Janie?”
“Oh. Yes, I guess.” She looked at Chisholm.
“I think we’re done,” Chisholm said with a smile. “Don’t fret about this, Miss Jane. Let us handle it.” He nodded to his brother and walked away, toward where his wife was standing with her sisters-in-law, fanning herself and laughing.
“You all right?” Crockett asked.
“I think so. It’s a little off-putting.”
He nodded. “If you don’t want to dance … Would you like a drink?”
“I’d love some of that lemonade, but then I’d like to dance, Crockett. If you can stand my clumsiness.”
“I saw you dancing with my brother. You weren’t clumsy.”
“You lie, but I’ll forgive you.” There. She’d managed to flirt with a man, another first for Jane Miranda Haymaker.
Someone threw more wood on the nearer bonfire, and Crockett’s eyes reflected the flying sparks.