by Karen Kirst
“If you like.” A moment later he nodded toward the far end of the porch as they climbed the steps. Lowering his voice, he said, “Speaking of reading your books…”
Adelaide followed his gaze to find her mother seated in one of the rocking chairs. Her shawl was falling from her shoulders but she seemed far too absorbed in what she was reading to notice that or note their approach. Adelaide tilted her head for a better look and found that the book was, indeed, one of her works. Rose startled when Chris greeted her, then turned the book over to hide the cover before offering a bright smile. “Y’all are back earlier than I expected. How was the party?”
“Lovely.” Adelaide smiled as she sent a pointed glance to the book. “What have you got there?”
Rose bit her lip. “I have a feeling you already know. You don’t mind me reading it, do you?”
“Of course not.”
“Good, because I read all the others and it would be a shame not to finish this one.”
“You…what? When?”
“Chris lent them to me. Well, lent is a generous term. You know how I had Chris’s room when we stayed at his apartment? He had all of them on his bookshelf, so I started reading them then. He was kind enough to let me continue borrowing them. I bought this one myself at the mercantile. I thought it was about time I did something to support your writing. I see Chris has been doing it all along.”
Chris shrugged. “Not intentionally.”
Confusion filled Rose’s eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I didn’t know Adelaide was Joe Flanders until she told me a couple of weeks ago. I guess I just have good taste in books.” His dark blue gaze captured Adelaide’s. “Women, too, apparently.”
Adelaide pulled in a sharp breath as her heart somehow managed to simultaneous flutter and melt. For a moment, she was absolutely certain that she was going to swoon. No. She wouldn’t even think it. She was not the swooning type. However, between Chris’s obvious determination to continue being wonderful and her mother’s sudden show of support, Adelaide didn’t know what to do with herself.
Chris placed a hand on the back of Adelaide’s waist and kissed her cheek before stepping back. “I’ll leave y’all to discuss good ole Joe. Is Everett around?”
Rose shook her head. “He’s at his newly acquired newspaper office setting up the printing press. He tried to explain what that would entail but it sounded pretty technical so I thought it best not to get in the way. Adelaide and I are going to help him arrange his office tomorrow.”
“Well, that’s exciting. I’ll drop by tomorrow and help out if that’s all right.” Chris sent a warning look to Adelaide and preempted her words with his. “I know I don’t have to, but I want to. Tell Everett I said hello. I think I’ll head over to the mercantile to see if my parents will let me take over for them and close out. Y’all enjoy the rest of the evening.”
Adelaide returned his parting wave, then took the chair beside her mother. Nervousness seeped into her stomach along with a hefty amount of trepidation. Even so, she couldn’t help but nod toward the book. “I’m afraid I’ll regret asking this, but now that you’ve read my books, what do you think of them?”
Rose’s smile was soft and genuine. “They’re riveting and well written. I’ve had a hard time putting them down. Don’t look so skeptical. I truly mean it. You are very talented.”
“Thank you.” As much as she’d longed for her mother’s approval concerning her writing, she’d never truly believed she’d receive it. She was glad for it. Yet, now that she had it, she found it actually didn’t change much. Writing was still something she enjoyed doing. It was something that she’d started doing for Chris and had continued doing for herself. It had become a part of who she was—a part that she’d never been ashamed of despite her mother’s request that she keep it quiet. If only Adelaide had the temerity to apply that commitment to other areas of her life—such as her relationship with Chris. Actually, that was exactly what she had been doing. She was under no illusions that her mother approved of their courtship, but that hadn’t stopped her from continuing to spend time with him. Perhaps Adelaide was slowly making progress, after all.
“I know it may not seem like it to you, but I’ve given a lot of thought to what you said back in Houston, about how I tried to make you over into a socialite. I suppose that is what I did. But I thought I was giving you the best chance at a secure future. I realize now that the future I was trying to arrange for you might have kept you secure but it wouldn’t have made you happy. You’re happy here in this town, writing these books and spending time with your friends. That is enough for me.”
Adelaide searched her mother’s eyes, certain this conversation couldn’t be headed where she suspected it was going. “Ma, what are you saying?”
Rose reached over to stroke Adelaide’s cheek, something she hadn’t done since Adelaide was a little girl. “My darling, you will always have a home with me and your pa if that is what you wish. I’m sure he will leave you a sizable inheritance to see to your needs after we’re gone. Your future comfort is secure. You needn’t marry unless you are certain it would make you more content than you are right now.”
“You…you wouldn’t mind having a spinster daughter?”
“I wouldn’t have a spinster daughter. I’d have a daughter whom I love dearly staying with me. There is nothing wrong with that.”
“Does that mean no more matchmaking?”
“No more matchmaking.”
“And you approve of my writing?”
Rose nodded. Adelaide couldn’t believe it. Her plan had worked. She’d convinced her mother to let her live in peace as a spinster and as an author. She’d dreamed of that life for so long. She couldn’t deny it still held a certain appeal for her. It promised her heart a chance at safety, control and seclusion. Yet to choose that life would mean abandoning her chance at an even older, dearer dream.
“This is about Chris, isn’t it? You want me to stop seeing him.”
Rose smiled. “In a town this small, it would be utterly impossible for you not to run into him, so not seeing him isn’t a practical option.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I do.” Rose was quiet for a moment. She continued slowly. “I’ll not ask you to end your courtship—mostly because I’ve seen what little impact that request has had on you in the past. Whatever happens between the two of you is your decision.”
Adelaide shook her head. There had to be a catch. There was no way her mother could be leaving this decision up to Adelaide. Then again, it always had been Adelaide’s decision, hadn’t it? Well, it had been ever since Adelaide had reached the legal age to marry without her mother’s consent. Yet, this was the first time Rose had ever acknowledged that. Now that she had, Adelaide found herself leaning forward, seeking her mother’s opinion. “But, you still think marrying Chris would be the wrong decision.”
“I do, and you know why.” Rose tilted her head. “What about you? Do you still think you’ve made the right decision?”
She had until a few minutes ago. Actually, that wasn’t true. She’d been having doubts all along. Adelaide bit her lip as she stared in the direction Chris had gone. “Britta was at the housewarming party today. She spent the whole time flirting with Chris’s brothers in an effort to make him jealous.”
“Did it work?”
“He said it only made him angry.”
Rose lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Well, anger and jealousy often go hand in hand.”
Adelaide sighed. “I know.”
“There are other telltale signs. Did he seem distracted by her or was his focus mostly on you?”
Without a doubt, Chris had seemed distracted. Though, surely, that was simply because he’d been concerned about protecting his brothers. Adelaide frowned and decided to focus on the other side of the equation. “You know her better than I do. What is her problem? Why can’t she respect the fact that he is courting me?”
“From her perspecti
ve, you’re the one who isn’t respecting the fact that he was promised to her.”
“He may have been promised to her by his parents, but he made his choice and chose me.”
Rose shrugged. “She thinks she can change his mind. I have to admit that I’ve encouraged her to try.”
Adelaide stared at her mother in disbelief. “Why would you do that?”
“If Chris is the kind of man who’s easily swayed in that way, wouldn’t you rather know it once and for all? Wouldn’t it be better to find that out now before you allow your feelings to deepen any more than they already have?”
“I suppose.” Adelaide shook her head. “I only wish I had more of a fighting chance. Britta is so pretty. She has a way about her that makes men take notice. I’ve never been that way. I don’t even know how to flirt.”
Rose reached over to take Adelaide’s hand. “I want you to listen to me, Adelaide, because this is a lesson I had to learn long ago. Love shouldn’t be a competition. People’s affections can’t be stolen. A man has to want to stray for you to lose him. It has nothing to do with you lacking something that she has or vice versa. It all comes down to his lack of commitment to you and your relationship.”
“So, you’re saying there’s nothing I can do?”
“I’m saying that you don’t have to change who you are to try to attract him. He knows that you’re interested in him. That should be enough.”
“And if it isn’t?”
“Then maybe it wasn’t meant to be.”
Adelaide slid her fingers into her hair and let out a sigh. Now she was really confused. She cared for Chris. As Sophia had once said, she probably always would on some level. Yet, she’d be risking so much if she gave him her heart. Her mother was offering her approval of the life Adelaide had thought she wanted—never marrying and finding contentment without the perils of romance.
She couldn’t deny the common sense of her mother’s words even though her instincts said that she should do everything within her power to fight for Chris. He’d told her she didn’t have to. At least, that’s what she’d thought he was trying to tell her before he’d suddenly rushed off to find his brother at the party. She wasn’t so certain now.
What if the fears and doubts she’d been having were more than simply a culmination of her own insecurities? What if they were a warning?
She shook her head. She didn’t want to believe that. Maybe she was being foolish, but she wasn’t ready to give up yet. She was already on her guard so there was really nothing more to do besides see how things played out. Eventually she was going to have to make a decision about exactly what kind of future she wanted for herself. She could only hope that when the time came she’d be strong enough to do what was best.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
A knock sounded on Chris’s apartment door late that evening. He took one look through the peephole out into the alley and heaved a sigh. Stepping out the door, he locked it behind himself and immediately set off down the stairs. “Come on, Britta. I’ll walk you back to the boardinghouse.”
An offended huff sounded behind him. He glanced back to find her glaring at him in the moonlight. She lifted her chin as she ever so slowly followed him down the stairs. “In Norway it is customary to greet your visitors and invite them in before escorting them home.”
“In Peppin, women do not show up unaccompanied at a bachelor’s house at nine o’clock at night.” He frowned when laughter filled her eyes. “What is so funny?”
She tilted her head. “You called me a woman.”
“So?”
“You try so hard to treat me as a child. Now, suddenly, I am a woman. That is funny.” She switched to English. “Listen, I’m not here to argue with you. I simply want to talk.”
He reached up to catch her arm when she tried to step backward. Warning filled his voice. “Not in my apartment.”
She froze and peered down at him. “I honestly can’t tell if you’re being a fraidy cat or just a stickin-the-muck.”
“The expression is stickin-the-mud.”
“Well, you would know, wouldn’t you?”
Chris narrowed his eyes. He’d walked straight into that one and couldn’t think of a single response. In fact, it was all he could do not to laugh. Britta seemed to sense it for she offered a self-satisfied smile, then brushed past him down the stairs to the alleyway. Glancing back up at him, she called, “Aren’t you coming?”
Chris joined her as she headed in the direction of the boardinghouse. “What do you want to talk about?”
“I wanted to thank you for the lecture I received from your parents this afternoon.”
“You’re welcome.”
She switched to Norwegian. “It was embarrassing. I cannot believe you told them I was flirting with your brothers. You could have come to me, spoken to me first. I would have listened to you. It was not necessary to involve your parents.”
“Britta, my parents invited you here. That means you are their responsibility—not mine.”
“I am responsible for myself.” She glanced away and shook her head before meeting his gaze again. “Your parents are not my parents. I do not need you to pretend to be my father, either. I have one of those back in Norway. You were…you were supposed to be my husband. For that reason, I respect your opinion. I care what you think. However, you have given up your claim to me which means I am free to flirt with whomever I please.”
“That may be true. However, if I see you flirting with more than one of my brothers, I am absolutely going to say something to them and my parents because I can’t see any honorable interpretation for your actions. I do not let people play games with my family. I protect them. I look out for them. That is who I am. That is what I do. I am not going to apologize for that.”
She stared at him for a long moment, then tilted her head. “Have you ever considered the fact that you might be taking all of this a little too seriously? You make it sound as though I was doing something indecent. I was only flirting.”
“And why were you flirting?”
“Because…” She trailed a hand down his arm, then frowned when he caught her wrist to still her progress. “Flirting is fun. I could tell your brothers were not taking me seriously, and I wanted to see if it bothered you. Obviously, it did—although not quite in the way I was hoping.”
“So you were trying to make me jealous.”
“Of course I was.”
He sighed. As much as she tried to convince him she was a woman, she still behaved and thought very much like an adolescent. “Listen, we talked about this before. We agreed to be friends.”
“I want to be more than that. I want what I was promised.”
“That isn’t something I can give you.”
“It’s because of Adelaide, isn’t it? If it weren’t for her…” Tears filled Britta’s eyes and she shook her head. “Don’t bother walking me home. I know the way.”
Chris didn’t try to stop her as she dashed off, knowing there was little he could do to make this situation easier for her. To be honest, he wasn’t entirely sure why it was so hard for her to understand. Yes, his parents had promised her his hand, but they really hadn’t had the authority to do so. He’d been honest with her and she’d seemed to accept that at first. She’d said herself that they barely knew each other. So why was she so dead set on marrying him? Or, at the very least, capturing his attention? He groaned at the realization that she’d managed to do exactly that for most of the day. She had distracted him from what should have been his main focus at the party—courting Adelaide.
Since he’d spoken to his parents and sorted things out with his brothers, Chris resolved that he wouldn’t waste another moment worrying about what Britta might do next. He’d much rather spend that time and energy thinking about the best way to go about winning Adelaide’s heart.
With that in mind, he was more than happy to begin the next day by heading over to the newspaper office. He arrived just as Everett was setting a ladder against th
e front of his newly purchased newspaper office. Rose and Adelaide stood on the sidewalk admiring the sign propped against the side of the building. Chris called out a greeting, then nodded toward the sign. “It looks like y’all have some very official business going on here at The Peppin Herald.”
Adelaide held out her hand to him. “Come and see it. Tell us what you think.”
“It looks great.” He took her hand and gave it a quick squeeze before glancing to Everett. “The black lettering is fancy, but easy to read. The white background will be a good contrast to the dark teal of the building. It also picks up the white accents of the windows and trim. Altogether, the effect should be eye-catching.”
Rose gave him a small but appreciative nod. “Spoken like a true businessman.”
“Well, my pa would be glad to know I’ve learned something over the years.” Chris stepped forward to test the weight of the sign with his free hand. “Yep, I figured it would be heavy. Ungainly, too. It’s probably going to take both of us to get it up there, Everett. Do you have another ladder? If not, I can grab one from the mercantile.”
Everett shaded his eyes as he glanced up at the building’s false front. “I have one, but it will probably be too short.”
“I’ll go get mine, then. Is there anything else I should get for you?”
“No. The sign maker left everything else I’ll need. I suppose I could have let him and his assistant put it up like they offered.”
Chris shook his head. “Where’s the fun in that?”
Everett grinned. “Exactly.”
“I’ll be right back.”
When he didn’t release her hand before walking off, Adelaide called over her shoulder to her parents, “Apparently I’m going with him.”
“You sure are,” Chris said as they fell into step on the sidewalk. “I want to talk you.”
Curiosity filled her spring-green eyes. “About what?”
“Well, it seems to me that most of the time we spend together is when we’re with our families. As much as I enjoy that, I was thinking it might be nice if we could spend some time with just the two of us.”