Contract to Wed by Holly Bush

interested in any of it, I will
return it to Mrs. McCabe. I’m certain she’ll be able to resell it.” Jolene had
all three pieces in her hands and looked at Melinda. “It will sell very
quickly. Split skirts are all the rage, you know.”
    Melinda approached cautiously and touched the fine fabric
and fingered the leather boots. “I wouldn’t have to ride side-saddle in this.”
    “No, you would not, but you must learn to ride
side-saddle because all young ladies know how.”
    Melinda glanced in the open cupboard and back at Jolene.
“But I could still ride?”
    “I propose a compromise, if your father is agreeable,”
Jolene said. “I propose that you may wear your old dungarees and shirts in the
morning but before sitting down for luncheon, you must change into a dress or a
skirt and blouse after you have washed and used tooth powder.”
    “Can I change back after I eat?”
    “No. You may not. You and I will be in the school room, if
the Hacienda has one; otherwise, we will set one up. We will study arithmetic,
reading, and deportment. You will accompany me on some meetings that I have
with Maria and with the housekeeping staff. Then you will wash your face and hands
and join your father and me for dinner. If you wish to change into old clothes
in the evening sometimes, you may.”
     
    * * *
     
    “I still don’t like you,” Melinda
said to Jolene.
    Jolene’s brows rose. “I think you have the potential to be
an exceptional young woman, both in looks and knowledge, and you have keen
instincts. However, these outcomes are not guaranteed. The only ones in life to
achieve those results are the ones that work at it,” Jolene said.
    Max watched his daughter hang on every word out of Jolene’s
mouth. He knew why. Jolene was the only one at the Hacienda who did not
constantly gush and coddle Melinda. He’d seen Jolene watching Melinda from afar
and wondered what she thought of his daughter. Now he knew, and he realized
he’d never really thought of Melinda’s future in any terms but his loss. But
there was a position of responsibility that would be hers as she matured.
Grooming her to follow him had not been a reality to Max until he heard
Jolene’s description.
    Jolene handed Melinda the boots, skirt, and shirt. “Clean
underthings, please. After I have someone come up here and wash your hair.”
    Melinda looked up at Jolene and back down to the fringed,
tooled leather riding boots. She plopped down on the end of her bed. “I have to
wash my hair, too?”
    “Yes, you do,” Jolene said. “Your new flat-brimmed riding
hat with the turquoise studded hat band is not going to be placed on a head of
dirty, greasy hair. Your father paid a pretty penny for it.”
    “When do I start the school room?” she asked.
    Jolene looked at Max. “Unless your father has any objections
to these plans, we will start tomorrow.”
    He shook his head. “No objections at all.”
    Max escorted Jolene from the room and watched her glide away
down the hallway.

 
    Chapter Ten
     
    Jolene patted her mouth with her
napkin after they finished dessert. “I would like to arrange for an office for
myself, and there’s a small room just down the hall that is used for storage.
I’d like to have it cleaned out and use it for myself and for a classroom as
well. Will that be all right?”
    Max pushed back from the table and crossed his legs. Melinda
was in a dress, and her hair was combed and braided. She’d been sulking but
seemed to be in better spirits this evening. Seeing her in clean clothes,
dresses and skirts with neatly combed hair had proven to Max that Jolene had
been right, that it was time for her to begin to look and act like a young
lady. As usual, Jolene was stunning in a pale yellow gown that matched her hair
piled on her head. Dinner had been delicious, and Max was feeling content.
    “Isn’t that where Melissa’s things are?” Zeb asked.
    “I think you’re right,” he said. “I’ll have to go through
those