Shaking his head, Tobias gazed at her, as he squeezed her arms. “Jane, what are you saying?”
“She should have been home after school today, Father, but she wasn’t. If I had a dinner date with a handsome man, I’d have tried on every dress I owned and played with my hair.” She flushed, as she met her father’s momentarily amused gaze. “But she wasn’t there. Are you certain she’s all right?”
Tobias frowned. “Why wouldn’t she be?”
Jane shrugged. “I don’t know, but I thought I should tell you.” She stood on her toes, kissing his cheek. “Love you, Father.” She slipped from the room to return to her nearby home with her husband, Ben.
Tobias raised a hand to his cheek, always overcome by her easy affection and avowals of love. He closed his eyes, thankful for not having squandered his second chance with her. With a sigh, he turned off the stove, yanked on his outerwear, and departed his warm home in search of the recalcitrant Alvira. Why had he thought she’d want to have dinner with him?
Over the past few weeks, their friendship had continued to grow, as they ventured out on short walks or as he visited her after school to ensure no tasks needed to be completed. She’d yet to discover him leaving her treats, although he suspected she knew it was him. Their conversations were fun, lighthearted, and filled him with hope.
When he’d invited her to supper, he’d heard her gasp and, at first, had worried it meant she was offended. Instead he thought he’d seen fear and delight in her gaze. Had he been mistaken?
Shivering once outside, he tugged his scarf more firmly around his neck and trudged through the freshly fallen snow in the direction of the small cabin reserved for the schoolteacher. In reality, it was a lovely small home, with a pleasant front room and a nice-size bedroom in the back. Facing south, it was always warmed by the sun, even in winter.
Approaching her door, he saw a light on inside. Battling disappointment that she had forgotten their engagement, he knocked on her door. When she yanked it open, her eyes lit with anger and her cheeks flushed, he froze. “I’m sorry to have disturbed you.”
“Tobias!” she gasped, her hand reaching forward to latch onto his arm. “Oh, what time is it?” she cried out, as she patted at her dress. “I can’t find my watch, and I know it’s late. Am I late?” She pressed a hand to her forehead, as she stilled, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath. “Forgive me. I’m out of sorts.”
“Might I come in?” he asked.
“Please,” she whispered. “Did I miss supper?”
He waved his hand at her question, wholly focused on her and her unsuccessful attempt to conceal her distress. “Are you well? Do I need to find Helen or the doctor?”
She gaped at him, before huffing out a laugh. “Oh, Tobias, thank you,” she whispered, as her hand clasped his arm for a moment and gave it a squeeze. “I don’t need a doctor, unless they can give me something to calm my rage.”
“Who hurt you?”
Alvira paced away from him, her long turquoise skirts swirling around her ankles. “No one hurt me, Tobias,” she murmured, “although you don’t know what it means to know I have a champion.” She smiled shyly at him, before turning away for a moment. “I’ve had a battle of wits against brawn, and wits failed. It infuriates me.”
“Who would dare threaten you?” Tobias asked in a soft but lethal voice.
With a sigh, she turned to face him again, her eyes filled with resignation. “Is supper still edible? I’m quite hungry, and I find I’ve no desire to be alone just now.”
He smiled and nodded. “Fetch your coat, darling,” he murmured, blushing at the endearment, although his eyes shone with sincerity. “It’s cold tonight.”
“I’m a fool to go out in such weather,” she murmured, as she peered out a window.
“I’ll walk you home later.” Winging out his arm, he winked at her. “Come. Supper should still be warm in the oven and hopefully not too overcooked. If it’s inedible, we’ll go to the café and see what Philomena has cooked for tonight.” When she looped her arm through his and leaned ever-so-slightly into his side, a tightness in his chest eased. He caught a whiff of her elusive scent—lily of the valley mixed with pine—and he closed his eyes for a moment at the pleasure it wrought.
Soon they were back at his home, and he ushered her inside. His chest caught at her delighted smile, as she saw the fine china and the linen tablecloth.
“Oh, Tobias,” she whispered, her blue eyes sparkling with pleasure. “Thank you.” She leaned into his side and rested her head against his shoulder for a fleeting moment, before she released her hold on him and moved into the room.
After helping her from her cloak and hanging it near the door, he shucked his coat and hat and urged her to sit. “Relax,” he murmured. “You’ve had a long day.” He found thick cloths and pulled open the oven. “Ah, the chicken might be slightly overcooked, but I believe it is still edible.”
He turned toward her, his smile broadening as he saw her watching him with fascination. “What is it?”
“You’ve worked as hard as I have today. I never expected you to cook for me, when you invited me for supper.”
He flushed and shrugged. “I’ve lived on my own for many years. I learned to take care of myself.”
She fiddled with the spoon at her place setting. “Is it proper for just the two of us to be eating dinner alone? Won’t it cause unwanted gossip?”
Tobias grimaced. “Unfortunately it might. I had thought to invite Ben and Jane to ensure propriety, but I wanted time alone with you. Time not in the café, with others listening and watching.” He paused, as he gazed deeply into her wide eyes. “Does that offend you?”
“No,” she whispered, “although I should be concerned about my reputation. I don’t want to lose my standing in town.”
He nodded solemnly. “I can take you home now, with a plate of food.”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t want to be alone, Tobias.”
He shivered at the husky note in her voice and the sincerity in her gaze.
After serving the roasted chicken, potatoes, and carrots, he set a basket of sliced bread between them. “Enjoy,” he murmured, as he sat across from her.
She took a bite and moaned with pleasure. “I can see why you wouldn’t go to the café, when you can cook like this. It’s delicious.” She grinned at him, as she dug into her supper.
Clearing his throat, he said, “For a long time I wasn’t welcome at the café, Alvira.” He met her shocked stare and nodded. “Until last year, I was a bitter, miserable man, and I tried to make everyone around me as unhappy as I was.”
She set down her fork and knife, paying full attention to him. “I know what that is like,” she murmured. “I’ve never fully belonged. I know what it is to be on my own.”
Shaking his head, he said, “Don’t exonerate me, Vera.”
Her blue eyes glowed, as she stared at him. “I want to know more, Tobias. I do.” She paused, her gaze locked with his. “For tonight I want to enjoy your company. Let’s worry about the past and what might come some other day.” She swallowed at the silence between them. “Is that all right with you?”
He nodded. “Yes, Vera, it is.” He let out a deep breath. “I want you to know me. All of me. I wasn’t a good man.”
She squeezed his hand and smiled. “I’m coming to realize that who you are now is more important than who you were then.”
He stared into her eyes for long minutes, mesmerized. He broke the silence, whispering, “I pray you continue to mean that when you learn more about me.”
She smiled, dropping her gaze to focus on dinner. Her mind blank of anything else to say, she blurted out, “The townsfolk will gossip about us having supper together.”
He grimaced and nodded. “A few will. There are always those who are uncharitable.” He looked at her. “I have no desire to harm your reputation, Vera. I should have insisted we eat at the café.”
She smiled and gripped his hand. “I gave
the town enough to focus on today, without them worrying where I had my evening meal.” She smiled wryly at him when he looked at her with confusion. “Tommy and his friends refused to fill the woodbox, as had been agreed, and we had words. I escorted Tommy home to speak with his father, and it was unpleasant.”
“Unpleasant? That man’s ornerier than a wolverine with his leg caught in a trap.” He scowled. “I wish you hadn’t gone there alone.”
“Toby, I alone must have some authority. If I need a man’s presence to give what I say authority, then I might as well leave town now.” She flushed and shrugged.
“Toby,” he murmured.
Ducking her head, she peered up at him through her lashes. “I don’t mean to offend. It’s how I’ve come to think of you.”
“No, I like it.” Reaching forward, he gripped one of her hands and squeezed it. “What I don’t like is you endangering yourself by being near a man such as Tom Whitlock. What did he do?”
Alvira huffed out an aggrieved breath, calming when she saw the genuine concern in Tobias’s gaze. “He puffed out his chest and said that, if I was such a feeble woman and couldn’t control a few innocent children, then perhaps I’d chosen the wrong profession. That his son didn’t have to do anything he didn’t want to do and that I had no right to order him about like a servant.”
She rubbed at her head. “I don’t understand. At the last meeting, it was decided which children did which chores, and Mr. Whitlock agreed for his son to help fill the woodbox. Tommy is one of the stronger boys.”
Tobias sat back in his chair, his gaze assessing, as though understanding all she said and all she implied. “Ah, he’s strong enough to believe he can bully you into backing down. Because he’s turning into a brute like his father.” At her embarrassed nod and the flush on her cheeks, he swore under his breath. “What more did Tommy do, Vera?”
She closed her eyes before admitting, “He tried to strike me, but I ducked. He ended up twirling himself in a circle and landing on his bottom.”
“Tommy tried to strike you?” Tobias said in a low, lethal voice. At her faint nod, his hand gripped hers, and his eyes shone with rage. “How dare he?”
“I’ve had insolent children before, but never one so full of rage. Never one I actually feared.” She shivered. “I don’t like him, Tobias, although I should have compassion for him, as I suspect Tommy’s life at home is hard.”
“Aye, it’s hard, and young Tommy is learning his lessons well from his father.” He paused, as he thought about their conversation. “Old Tom Whitlock will agree to whatever the MacKinnons or those with authority say. He’s a coward, who only feels powerful when he can then act the bully. He will see you as weak merely because you are a woman. And try to prove himself strong because of it.”
“Traits and beliefs he’s passing down to his son,” Alvira said, with a hint of bitterness. At his nod, she said, “I’m uncertain what to do.”
“Speak to the members of the school board. There’s no love lost between any of us and the Whitlocks.”
“Us?” she asked, with a furrowed brow and a little shake of her head.
“It’s led by members of my family and friends. They’re fair.” Tobias smiled. “And Old Tom’s been purchasing too much on credit lately. He’ll learn there are repercussions for not showing the schoolmistress the deference she is owed.”
“You will?” She fought a sudden onslaught of deep emotions and blinked away tears. “I’m not used to anyone being concerned about my well-being.”
“Well, perhaps you need to accustom yourself,” he murmured in a gruff voice. “For I care, Vera. I care.”
Sitting in absolute stillness, the dinner in front of her forgotten, Alvira lost herself to Tobias’s gaze and the depth of his emotions. In that moment, all that mattered was Tobias, the passion and tenderness in his gaze, the overwhelming desire she felt to know more and more about him. The feeling that, with this man, she would be safe.
She let out a stuttering breath, as she gave a quick shake of her head and broke eye contact. Pushing on the table, she stood and stumbled toward the door. “I … I should go,” she said in a breathy voice, having difficulty forming a coherent sentence, as she felt like everything in her world had been turned upside down.
“Vera?” Tobias murmured from directly behind her.
He stood close enough that she could feel his warmth, and, when he gently rested a hand on her shoulder, she shuddered. She wanted more. Oh, God help her, she wanted more. No longer could she keep the blinders on and believe teaching was all she needed. Not now.
“Toby,” she whispered, her voice nearly strangled from her overwhelming emotions. Turning to face him, she shivered with all these feelings roiling through her and met his gaze.
“Shh, sweetheart,” he whispered. “Everything is well. You’re safe, and I’ll walk you home.” He frowned, as he looked at the table. “Although you didn’t eat much.”
She shook her head. “I’m not interested in food right now.” Her hand reached forward, her fingers grazing his. “I should go.”
Neither of them moved, as they stood like pillars, frozen in place, staring at each other. Finally Tobias took a tiny step away. “Let me help you into your cloak. I’ll walk you home.”
Alvira relished his solicitude, leaning into him again, inhaling his intriguing scent of sandalwood cologne, with a note of sweat and the subtle hints of a few spices he’d sold today. She sniffed, turning to lean in closer with her eyes closed. “Mmm.”
“What are you doing?” he asked, a touch of humor in his voice.
“Learning about your day,” she said, her gaze meeting his. “You sold pepper and cinnamon.”
He smiled and nodded, his hand cupping the side of her cheek. “Yes, and tea and coffee and so much more.” When she leaned forward, as though searching for those scents too, he laughed softly. When she kissed his jaw, he stilled, his breath stuck in his chest. “Vera.”
“Forgive me. I’m never like this. I know better,” she rasped.
“No, stay,” he whispered, his head tilting down, as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, before peppering kisses down the side of her brow to her cheek toward her mouth. He moaned and pressed her into a small alcove by the door, protecting her from the peering gaze of any overly curious townsfolk. “Tell me to stop, and I’ll let you go now.”
“Kiss me,” she gasped, tilting her head back, so his nimble fingers could caress her neck. “Toby, please.” She arched into his caresses, her hand tangled in his soft hair.
With a groan, he lowered his head, his lips covering hers. He nipped and sucked at her, growling with approval when she gasped, and he could deepen the kiss. Tugging her ever closer, he pressed all against her front, relishing the feel of her. Breaking the kiss, he panted and continued to caress her, as she shuddered in his arms. His hands never stopped roving over her, bringing her pleasure wherever they touched.
“God, I want you, Vera,” he breathed, his words earning another shiver from her. “But not like this. Not like this.” He eased away from her. “You are a fine, respectable woman. I never meant any disrespect.”
She caressed his cheek, her eyes glowing with wonder, as she watched him turn his face into her palm. “I wanted this too, Toby.”
He cupped her cheeks and pressed his forehead against hers. “I have no right to ask for anything. But, if I could, I’d ask that you give us time, Vera. Give us time to let what is between us have the chance to grow and to become beautiful. Please.”
A tear cascaded down her cheek, and she nodded. “I want nothing more.”
Chapter 8
Three days later, Alvira heard a noise outside. She grabbed her shawl and eased open her cabin door. Her heart skipped a beat at the treat she saw on her doorstep but then started to gallop as she saw Tobias, about to slip past the side of the rectory. “Toby!” she called out, unable to hide the glee at finally having caught him. She clapped her hands and gave a small squeal in delight.
Her laughter bubbled forth, as he slid to a halt in the snow and turned to face her. When she saw the look in his eyes, one of ardent devotion and adoration, her breath caught, and her smile became even more radiant. “I caught you,” she said in a breathy voice.
“So you did,” he murmured, retracing his steps.
She bent, picking up the piece of chocolate cake. “You spoil me,” she said.
“Impossible.”
She bit her lip as she glanced inside. “It isn’t proper for you to come inside,” she whispered, shivering as a gust of wind blew. At his nod, she gripped his hand and tugged him into her small cabin. “I have a chore I need help with. Only a man can do it.”
“A chore?” he asked, looking around her tidy home, as he saw no project in need of finishing. A piece of paper on the table with a pencil nearby made him think of her preparing her week’s worth of lessons, while an overflowing bookcase was near her rocking chair. “You’ve made a home here.”
She nodded, setting her cake on the table. “Yes.” She pointed to her curtains. “I’m having trouble with the curtain rod.” She watched as he moved to stand on a stool and fiddled with it. When he stared at her in confusion, she murmured, “I’m having trouble keeping the curtain closed.”
He chuckled, yanking it so it covered the window. “Let’s see if it remains closed. I should probably stay here for a few minutes to ensure everything is in order.”
Smiling mischievously, she nodded, as she angled in his direction. “I was thinking the same thing.” Reaching forward, she traced the pocket on his waistcoat. “What should we do?”
“You minx,” he whispered, tugging her into his arms, as he lowered his head to kiss her. “Vera?” he murmured, pulling back, just before his lips would have touched hers.
“Please, Toby,” she gasped, arching back and standing on her toes. She ran her fingers through his hair, as she managed to kiss his jaw. “I’ve been dreaming of your kiss.”
Substitute Montana Bride: Bear Grass Springs, Book Thirteen Page 8