The 12 Brides of Summer Novella Collection #3

by Margaret Brownley

  “I’m sure Mo will like that,” she said, and the slightest smile touched the corners of her mouth.

  “I miss you,” he said.

  The smile died, and a look of panic took its place. She pulled her hand from his and backed away. “Don’t say that!”

  He took a step forward. “Why not? It’s true.”

  He heard her intake of breath. “I—I better go back inside.”

  He nodded but then something strange happened. It was as if his hands had a mind of their own. For suddenly he reached out and pulled her into his arms. Before either of them had a chance to recover, his lips claimed hers. And, just like that, she kissed him back.

  Holy mackerel. It felt like he was floating on a cloud. Jumping Jupiter. The kiss was every bit as wondrous as he’d imagined—every bit as sweet and gentle. Every bit as tender and warm.

  All too soon it ended. With a look of dismay she pushed him away. That’s when the full impact of what he’d done hit him.

  “I’m sorry. I had no right—”

  “Go,” she whispered. “Just go!”

  He spun around and stopped in his tracks. Maizie stood a short distance away. Judging by the look on her face, she’d been there awhile. Eyes rounded, she let out an ear-piercing scream—just before attacking him with pounding fists.

  Chapter 10

  Marilee didn’t dare show her face at church on Sunday. Ashamed by what had happened, she was even afraid to step foot out of the house. The gossip mongers were probably having a field day. It was like living through the Boston scandal all over again.

  Why, oh, why did she let Jed kiss her? What made matters worse, she had kissed him back. Of all the stupid things to do. But all she could think about at the time were the delicious sensations his lips unleashed. His kiss had touched a part of her that only music had been able to reach. Nothing—not even the thought of playing in a full symphony orchestra—had made her feel the way Jed made her feel.

  She clutched her hands together and closed her eyes. “God, forgive me. But if I had it to do all over again I would still kiss him back.”

  On Monday Mo returned just like he always did. He barked and scratched and barked some more, wanting to be let in.

  Marilee pressed her head against the door but didn’t open it. “Go away, Mo. Go home.”

  Having Mo under her roof was just too painful. He only reminded her of Jed and how much she missed him.

  She should never have gotten involved with him. Mrs. Pickwick had warned her about his womanizing ways. But did she listen? No, she didn’t! The nerve of him, using her to cheat on poor Maizie.

  She palmed her forehead. Now her name was mud. Already she’d lost several students because of one unguarded moment of ecstasy.

  Mo whined and barked and scratched some more, but then all was quiet. She cracked the door open. Mo was nowhere to be seen.

  Closing the door, she leaned against it before sliding to the floor and promptly bursting into tears.

  Curly shook his head and leaned against the door frame of the blacksmith shop. “Tell me again how you happened to take one woman to the dance and ended up kissing another.”

  “I’m not really sure myself,” Jed said. He wasn’t proud of what he’d done. He had no right to even think about another woman until the issue with Maizie had been resolved. He thought it had been resolved.

  Curly’s forehead crumbled. “I never thought you could hurt Maizie like that.”

  “I didn’t mean to.” Jed raked his fingers through his hair. When did things get so out of control? “It was the last thing I wanted. I told her plain out that the two of us had no future together. The only reason I took her to the dance was for old time’s sake. That’s what she called it. How was I to know she told everyone we were a couple again, hoping that would make me change my mind?”

  Curly rolled his eyes. “Sounds like you have no better luck handling women than you do your dog.”

  “Yeah, well, don’t forget it was Dyna who got me into this mess in the first place.”

  “One thing is obvious,” Curly said. “You have it bad for the piano teacher.”

  Curly didn’t tell him anything he didn’t already know. “Yes, but it would never work out,” he said, though it pained him to admit it. “Marriage would be a disaster.” He pointed to the pile of tools on his workbench. “I’m a slob. I like to go fishing and hunting and. . .” He shook his head. “I can’t even sit on her furniture without causing mayhem. And her bed. . .”

  Curly’s eyebrows shot up and would have reached his hairline if he had one. “What about her bed?”

  “She won’t even let Dyna on it. What chance would I have?”

  “It seems to me that you’re concentrating too much on your differences and not enough on your similarities.”

  “What similarities? What are you talking about?”

  “You both like music.”

  Jed shook his head. “I’m not even in the same country as she is, music-wise.” He’d never even heard of Mozart and Chopping—or whatever his name was—before he met her.

  Ignoring the comment, Curly continued. “You share the same dog, and most important of all, you’re both Christians. Sounds like the perfect match to me.”

  “Try telling that to Marilee. She won’t even talk to me. Said she refused to be a party to breaking Maizie’s heart.”

  Curly shook his head. “You sure are in the doghouse.”

  Jed blew out his breath. He was in the doghouse all right, in more ways than one. Already he’d noticed a drop in business because of what happened at the dance. Since Marilee was part owner of the dog, he hadn’t felt right about claiming the reward money. But the way things were going, he might have to collect it just to stay afloat.

  A knock sounded on Marilee’s door early that Saturday morning. Upon finding Jed on her doorstep, she tried closing the door but he jammed his foot in the threshold.

  “I have nothing to say to you,” she said through the crack.

  “I just want to know if there’s a problem with Dyna.”

  She frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “He didn’t show up at the shop yesterday.”

  She yanked the door open all the way. “Yesterday? He should have returned home on Monday.”

  Jed’s eyes widened. “What?”

  “I sent him home on Monday.” She covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, no! You don’t suppose—”

  He stepped inside the house. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

  “But what if he’s injured?” She clutched her hands to her chest. “Or was run over by a wagon. What if—”

  “We’ll find him,” he said. “Someone must have seen him.”

  She gazed up at him, her eyes burning. “It’s all my fault.”

  “It’s nobody’s fault,” he said, his voice low. He wrapped an arm around her and murmured in her hair. “Dyna has a mind of his own. You know that.”

  She ducked from beneath his arm. His very nearness confused her, and right now all she could think about was Mo. Oh, God, please let him be all right.

  Jed shuffled his feet, tugged his hat down low, and almost knocked over the lamp again. “I’ll go find him.”

  “Wait.” She grabbed her gloves and hat. “I’m going with you.”

  Chapter 11

  Jed drove the horse and wagon up and down the streets of Bee Flat with Marilee by his side.

  “Mo!” she called, cupping her hands around her mouth.

  “Dyna,” he shouted.

  He drove clear out to the Webber farm to the west and the Anderson flour mill to the east. They rode past fields of newly harvested wheat and acres of mile-high corn. Sunflowers grew in wild abundance alongside the road, the dark bonneted faces turned toward the sun. Sheep grazed next to a woolen mill, and cows lounged beneath a grove of cottonwood trees.

  Neither of them mentioned Maizie or the dance. Today was about finding their dog.

  No one had seen either Mo or Dyna and,
as the day wore on, Marilee grew more distraught. Jed reached over to squeeze her hand.

  “We better get something to eat,” he said. Already the sun was playing footsies with the horizon, and neither of them had had a bite since morning.

  She moistened her lips and nodded before pulling her hand away. A squeezing pain filled his chest as he drove back to town.

  They stopped at Aunt Lula’s Café, but neither he nor Marilee felt much like eating. Since it was too dark to continue the search, he drove her home and walked her to her front porch.

  In the soft glow of moonlight, she looked even more beautiful than usual. “Better get some sleep,” he said, his voice husky.

  “You, too.”

  He lifted his hand to her cheek, and her skin felt cool beneath his touch. “Marilee—”

  She backed away, warding him off with a shake of her head. “You’d best go.”

  Jed had unharnessed his horse from the wagon and started toward the wooden staircase in back of his shop leading up to his living quarters when he heard a familiar bark.

  Heart leaping with joy, he spun around just as Dyna came shooting out of the dark. The dog jumped up on him, tail wagging so hard his entire body swayed from side to side.

  Jed ran his hands through the dog’s fur. “Where you been, boy, eh? I’ve searched high and low for you.”

  “He’s been with me.”

  Jed lifted his gaze just as Curly stepped out of the shadows and into the yellow haze of the street lamp.

  “Where’d you find him?”

  “I didn’t. He found me.”

  Jed straightened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “He showed up on my doorstep last Monday.”

  “Monday!” Jed pushed Dyna down. “You had him all this time and never said a word?” He stared at his friend, incredulous. “You knew Marilee and I would be out of our minds with worry. What were you thinking?”

  Instead of looking apologetic or regretful, Curly shrugged. “Don’t blame me. Blame Dyna. He’s a cow dog. He has herding instincts.”

  Jed’s temper snapped. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Bringin’ critters together is what he does best, and I’d say he’s done a good job of bringin’ you and that pretty music teacher together. If you didn’t take advantage of his disappearin’ act then you’re a bigger fool than I thought.”

  “What are you talking about? Take advantage. Why would I do such a thing?”

  “Because that fella with a bow and arrow sure buggered you up. I mean we’re talking big time.”

  Jed opened his mouth but denial stuck in his throat. “I don’t want to hear this.” He didn’t need Curly or anyone else telling him what he already knew. He took the stairs two at a time with Dyna at his heel. He opened the door to his place and struck a match to light the lamp.

  Curly walked in uninvited. “You might not want to hear it, but it’s true. I can see it in your face. Nothin’ makes a man look more miserable than love.”

  Jed wasn’t sure that’s how he looked, but it sure in blazes was how he felt. “It doesn’t matter. It would never work out.”

  “You keep saying that.”

  “That’s because it’s true. She has a whole lot of book learning. Me? I didn’t even finish sixth grade.”

  “So? Stay away from topics that require five-dollar words.”

  Jed grimaced. Vocabulary was the least of his problems. “Do you know who she was engaged to marry, back in Boston? A US Senator.” God knows, even her scandals were high class. Most scandals involved money or sex, but not Marilee’s; hers concerned no less than a symphony orchestra and a member of congress.

  Curly shrugged. “She didn’t marry him, did she?”

  “No, but she would have had he not lost the election.”

  “If that’s what’s bothering you, then run for office. I hear tell that they’re looking for someone to run for dogcatcher—too many dogs running around loose,” he said with a pointed look at Dyna. “You’d be a shoo-in.”

  “I’m not running for dogcatcher.”

  “Well, you gotta do something. Otherwise you’re gonna lose her fur good.”

  Jed sighed. “I’ve already lost her for good. She made it perfectly clear that she did not want to hurt Maizie more than she already was.”

  Curly made a divisive sound with his mouth. “You can forget about Maizie. After the fiasco at the dance, the new doctor took her home, and they’ve been cozying up ever since.”

  Jed’s eyebrows rose. “Are you saying that Maizie and the doctor—?”

  “Yep. It sure didn’t take her long to get over you, did it? What is it they say about out of sight out of—?”

  Jed’s mind whirled. With Maizie out of the picture, he was free to. . .what? Mope around? Follow his heart? Continue his lonely life? The last thought moved him across the room. “Stop yakking and help me with this.” Jed scooted the well-worn couch away from the wall.

  Curly frowned, but he grabbed hold of the other side of the couch. “Why in tarnation are we moving furniture? And watch my back—”

  “Quit complaining. You told me to do something and that’s what I’m doing.”

  Early Monday morning, a rap sounded at Marilee’s door. She glanced at the tall clock. Normally this was time for Lucy Dillon’s piano lesson, but her parents fired Marilee following the Dog Days of Summer dance scandal.

  She opened the door and blinked. Was that a couch? On her front lawn? She leaned forward for a closer look. It was a couch all right, but what was that awful piece of junk doing there?

  She stepped onto the porch. Seeing Jed, she froze, as did her heart. “What is the meaning of this?” she managed to squeak out. “Why is this. . .this thing in front of my house?”

  “This. . .” Jed began, “is a solid piece of furniture.” He plopped on it and bounced up and down. “A man can sit on it without fearing for his life. Best of all, it will hold two people and even a dog all at the same time.”

  “Mo?” she whispered.

  He slanted a nod toward the horse and wagon parked in front of her house.

  She craned her neck for a better view, and her heart leaped with joy. “You found him!”

  “Actually, he found me.”

  Her hands flew to her chest. “Thank God!” Drawing her gaze back to Jed she frowned. “But that still doesn’t explain what this sofa is doing in my front yard.”

  “Oh, this.” He rubbed the back of his neck and gave her a sheepish look. “I have something important to say. When I talk I tend to need a lot of elbow room, and if I have to replace any more broken stuff I’ll end up in the poorhouse.” He patted a sagging cushion. “I was hoping that the second person it would hold would be you.”

  Her breath caught in her lungs. Why was he doing this to her? “I told you I can’t.” She swallowed hard. “Maizie—”

  He shook his head. “I just came away from seeing Maizie. She’s now being courted by the new doctor and gave us her blessing.” He waited for her to say something, and when she didn’t he added, “Maizie has known for weeks that it was over between her and me. She just didn’t want to believe it.”

  Marilee didn’t move; she couldn’t, for fear of waking up and discovering that none of this was real.

  “No matter what you might have heard, I don’t lie, and I don’t cheat. I also have no right to be here.” A muscle quivered at his jaw as he continued. “I don’t have much school learning, and I’m never gonna run for dogcatcher. I’ll probably tramp dirt on your rugs and forget to use a napkin. There’ll also be times I’ll come home smelling like a kettle of fish, and we’ll probably have to keep replacing lamps.” He drew his eyebrows together. “I’m not doing a very good job of selling myself, am I?”

  “You’re. . .you’re doing just fine,” she whispered.

  Eyes burning with intensity, he continued. “What I’m trying to say is that I love you. Don’t know how those Chopping or Bay-toven fellows would have said it. All I c
an tell you is that I love you to the Dog Star and back.”

  She stared at him, unable to find her voice. Did he say love?

  He rubbed his chin. “Do. . . Do you think you can make room in your life for a big oaf like me?”

  Her heart pounded, and she inhaled sharply. She’d avoided naming her feelings for Jed for fear it would only lead to another broken dream. But now the word love played across her heartstrings and reached into the deepest part of her soul. The music rose to such a crescendo that she had to run to keep up with the rhythm.

  And run she did, down the porch steps and into his arms. “Oh, Jed!” He fell back with a startled look, but that didn’t keep him from pulling her close and showering her with kisses. Or maybe she was the one showering him.

  “I love you,” she said when they stopped for air. “I love you more than Chopin and Schubert and Beethoven and—”

  Jed matched her declarations with a few of his own—all to the tune of Mo’s incessant barks.

  Reluctantly, Marilee pulled her mouth away from his. “Do you think Mo planned for us to be together?” she asked. It sounded crazy, but after everything that happened, not that implausible.

  Jed thought for a moment before shaking his head. “He might have brought us together, but I’d say that God was pulling the whiskers.”

  She laughed. “The God days of summer,” she murmured between kisses.

  She then drew her head back and called, “Come on, Mo.”

  The dog barked but remained in the wagon.

  Jed whistled. “Dyna! Come on, boy.” Still the dog refused to budge.

  She met Jed’s gaze. “What do you suppose is wrong? Why won’t he come?”

  “I don’t know. Unless. . .” Jed lifted his voice. “Dyna-Mo. Come.”

  This time the dog jumped out of the wagon, cut across the yard, and jumped on the couch, all wagging tail and slobbering tongue.

  Jed laughed. “So what do you say? Will you take this sorrowful looking piece of furniture to be your lawfully wedded couch?”

  She pretended to give the matter some thought. “Only if you and Dyna-Mo come with it.”