Christmas in Whispering Pines

by Scarlett Dunn

  Clay tried to think of small talk on the way to town, but he was out of practice courting a woman. Most of his conversation was asking her if she was cold. It seemed like an inane question since he could see her shivering. He briefly thought about putting his arm around her and pulling her close. As far away as she was sitting on the seat, he didn’t think that would be a good move unless he wanted to lose an arm. Even though there was some space between them, he could still smell her perfume. She smelled delicious. His wife didn’t wear perfume. No—he’d promised himself he wouldn’t think about Violet tonight.

  Finally arriving at the hotel, Clay quickly ushered Emma into the restaurant. He chose a table near the blazing fireplace, and moved it even closer to the fire. “You should be warm soon. I’ll take the horse to the livery and be right back.”

  He hurried to the livery and then ran back to the hotel. There were a few diners entering the restaurant, but it looked as though the crowd would be thin tonight.

  She’d watched him as he walked back into the restaurant. He was tall, and while she wouldn’t consider him thin, he wasn’t overly muscular. Something about the way he moved, the way he noted everyone around him, told her he was a man keenly aware of his surroundings. And that made her think there was more to this man than she knew.

  After the waitress brought the coffee Emma ordered while waiting on Clay, she looked at him and asked, “Why did you invite me to dinner?”

  “Shouldn’t I have asked?” While Clay was not accustomed to such a straightforward woman, he liked her candor. In fact, he admired her for asking what she wanted to know without resorting to feminine wiles.

  “I know some of the church members didn’t approve of you seeing my performance. I would think I’m the last person you would want to be seen with.”

  “Maybe I wanted to get to know you,” he replied, surprising himself with his revelation.

  She stared directly into his warm amber eyes. He was a confident man, and a man who wouldn’t hesitate to be truthful. “Do you?”

  There it was, Clay thought. Time for truth. But what was the truth? She was the one who intruded on his dream with his wife. He didn’t understand it, but somehow he knew it was important. He hadn’t taken the time to think through what he was willing to reveal tonight. Someday maybe he’d need to tell her everything, but he didn’t think the time was right. “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  Clay picked up the cup of coffee the waitress delivered at some point. He took a sip, stalling for time while he thought about how to respond. “I’m not sure why. Do you need to know right now?”

  Emma considered his question. Granny had always told her she was too impatient. “I don’t suppose I need to know this minute.”

  Clay leaned a bit closer to her, placed his hand over hers, and lowered his voice. “Why did you accept my invitation?”

  For the first time in her life, Emma knew what it felt like to blush. When his warm hand touched hers, she felt a shiver all the way down her spine. “Do you need to know this very minute?”

  Clay grinned at her. “I don’t suppose I need to know this minute.”

  Emma was lost in his mind-boggling smile. Why did Rose always have to be right? He was so devastatingly handsome, he took her breath away. She couldn’t stop looking at his mouth. What would it feel like to be kissed by him? Oddly enough, she wondered if he had reservations about kissing a woman since he was a pastor.

  She’d never asked Granny if her grandfather had taken her breath away. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t need to ask. She remembered the way her grandparents looked at each other. It was a look that said theirs was a deep, loving union, with a shared intimacy that can only happen when two souls are destined to be together. Was Clay a man who could look at a woman like that? Had he looked at a woman like that in his past? Had he been in love?

  Though they chitchatted throughout dinner, neither one was at ease. A nervous tension filled the air, yet, they didn’t want the dinner to end. It was Emma who mentioned it was time to leave due to the late hour. “I think they are ready to close. Perhaps we should start home.”

  Clay looked around the room, and was surprised to see they were the only two people remaining. “Yes, I think we should.”

  Reaching the lobby, they saw it was snowing harder than before they’d arrived. “I guess this means I will have to stay the night,” Emma said.

  Clay agreed, and they walked to the desk where Emma registered. The clerk handed her the key, but Clay took it from him. “I’ll walk you to your room.”

  Emma waited until they were far enough away from the clerk so he couldn’t hear their conversation. “That may not be a good idea.” She gave a slight incline of her head toward the clerk. “Someone may get the wrong impression. You know the damage wagging tongues can do.”

  Clay nodded. He walked back to the clerk. “Jimmy, I’ll be back down in a minute, so would you have the restaurant slice me a piece of that apple pie to take home with me? And would you have someone take some warm water to Miss Langtry’s room, and anything else she might need? She didn’t plan on spending the night in town, but the weather has forced her to do so.”

  “Yes, sir,” Jimmy replied.

  Clay reached for Emma’s elbow and escorted her up the staircase. Reaching her room, Clay opened the door and stuck his head inside to make certain it was empty. He turned to her and placed the key in her hand. “Keep your door locked. The hotel is safe, but you don’t want anyone walking into the wrong room by mistake.”

  “Thank you for a lovely dinner.” She’d been tense during dinner, and that in itself was a unique experience for her. She’d dined with a prince and hadn’t been nervous. The attraction she was feeling was uncharted territory for her.

  Clay leaned over slightly, and Emma thought he was going to kiss her. He looked into her eyes and the anticipation mounted. Emma could almost feel his lips on hers, but instead of kissing her on the lips, he took her hand in his and brought her fingers to his lips. His lips lingered on the back of her hand for seconds longer than anyone watching would deem appropriate. “Thank you for accompanying me to dinner, Miss Langtry.”

  If she’d dropped into a puddle at his feet at that moment, she wouldn’t have been surprised. He completely overwhelmed her senses. Granny had mentioned how charming he could be. “Good night.”

  “I will see you in the morning. Perhaps we can have breakfast before I take you home.”

  “Seven?” Emma managed to ask.

  “Yes, ma’am. If you need anything, have someone come and get me.”

  * * *

  Emma had a restless night. She hadn’t been able to get the charming Clay Hunt out of her head. She could tell he was nervous at dinner, just as she was. It made sense they would both be tentative around each other. After all, they were the most unlikely pair, and she’d certainly never expected to be so attracted to him.

  She got up early to dress for breakfast. The clerk was nice enough to bring her some items for her toilette last night, but unfortunately she was wearing the same dress. She scolded herself for not packing a bag last night. Few people were in the restaurant last night, but her red dress was certain to attract a lot of attention in the light of day. She prayed the snow would prevent people from venturing outside to breakfast at the hotel.

  Her excitement at seeing Clay this morning was building as she left her room and headed to the restaurant. When she reached the doorway leading to the restaurant, her excitement quickly disappeared. She spotted Clay seated at a table with a woman. Even though the woman’s back was to her, she recognized Leigh King. Emma felt her temper rising. She wasn’t going to interrupt their conversation, so she decided she would go back upstairs to retrieve her cloak and walk to the livery. She wondered why he’d invited her to breakfast as he obviously had other plans. Why didn’t he just invite Mrs. King to dinner last night too?

  Clay saw Emma just as she turned from the door. “Emma. Wait.” Within seconds, he was by
her side. “Didn’t you see me?”

  “I see you are busy,” Emma responded.

  Remembering Emma’s reaction the last time he’d stopped to talk to Leigh, he wanted to avoid any misunderstanding. “She happened by my table, and I invited her to join us.”

  “Us?” Emma stopped abruptly and Clay nearly ran into her. She started to point out that he was sitting there alone when the pretty widow happened by, but she forced herself to be civil. “I’m really not hungry. I’m going to the livery.” Emma didn’t consider herself a particularly attractive woman, and certainly next to Leigh King she knew she couldn’t compare. She briefly considered Clay might be using her to make Mrs. King jealous. Maybe he wanted her to think he was much in demand by the opposite sex. She grudgingly admitted that would be out of character for him. She regretted not cancelling their dinner, no matter what Granny said. Well, no matter. She was going home, and it wouldn’t be necessary for her to be in his company again.

  “Why are you going to the livery?” Clay asked.

  “For a buckboard to go home.” She turned from him and started to walk away. “Good morning.”

  He reached for her arm and pulled her to a halt. “I brought you to town, and I’m taking you home.”

  She glanced toward the restaurant, and saw the woman waiting for him. “Once again, I think you have a prior engagement. She is waiting for you. I am not.”

  Realizing she was angry with him, Clay released her arm. He didn’t know what to say, so he remained silent as he watched her walk away.

  After she retrieved her cloak from her room, she returned to the desk to settle her bill.

  “Pastor Hunt took care of the bill last evening,” the clerk told her.

  “You can give Pastor Hunt his money back. I will pay for my room.”

  “He thought you didn’t bring money with you,” the clerk explained.

  Emma figured Clay had said as much to the clerk to keep him from gossiping. “Well, I did bring my money, and here you go.” She pulled money from her reticule and placed it on the counter. After she settled with the clerk, Emma didn’t spare a glance into the restaurant. She headed for the door of the hotel, but she thought she heard her brother’s voice coming from inside the restaurant. She turned around, walked back to the doorway of the restaurant and peeked inside. Sure enough, there was Frank leaning over the table shouting at Clay.

  “You stay away from her!”

  “Frank, this is the pastor,” Leigh said. “Why are you so angry?”

  “Shut up, Leigh,” Frank said.

  “But, Frank . . .” Leigh stopped when Frank turned his icy eyes on her.

  Clay stood, and being several inches taller than Frank, he hoped Frank would think he was threatening enough without a pistol. “Frank, why don’t you calm down and have a seat?”

  “I’m telling you to stay away from her. If you’re man enough, we can settle this in the street right now.”

  Emma decided she’d heard enough. Frank had just called Clay out, and she couldn’t let this continue. She hurried to the table and said to Clay, “There you are. I’ve been waiting to leave. Are you ready?”

  Frank glared at Emma. “The pastor is busy right now.”

  Clay didn’t know why Emma was intervening when she’d just made it perfectly clear she didn’t want to be near him. He reached for her elbow and pulled her to his side, and away from Frank. “Frank, I told you I don’t carry a weapon. I have no reason to have a gunfight with you.”

  “I’ll lend you a gun. Come on, Preacher, you don’t want to look like the coward you are in front of the ladies.” Frank’s eyes darted from Leigh to Emma. “I guess you must fancy yourself as some kind of ladies’ man.”

  “It’s not like that, Frank,” Leigh said. “He invited me to church services. He was making me feel welcome here. I’m lonely when you’re not here.”

  Frank ignored Leigh and glared at Clay. “What’s it going to be, Preacher?”

  “As I said, I have no reason to fight you, Frank. Mrs. King is telling you the truth. I invited her to our services, nothing more.” Clay watched Frank’s every move. He didn’t trust him for a second, but he wasn’t going to be goaded into a gunfight.

  “It’s like I thought, you’re a coward,” Frank said.

  “Frank, I don’t care one way or the other what you think of me. And Mrs. King is invited to our services anytime she wants to come.” Seeing how angry Frank was, he feared for Leigh’s safety. He turned his eyes on her. “You don’t have to go with him.”

  Leigh’s gaze darted from Frank to Clay. She found it exciting that Frank was so jealous. The preacher was a handsome man, and she liked him. More than liked him. She wouldn’t mind taking up with him when Frank wasn’t around. She certainly didn’t want Frank to kill him. “Let’s go to my room, Frank.”

  Frank grinned, but he wasn’t looking at Leigh. “How can I turn down an offer like that, Preacher Man?” He gaze slid to Emma. “Looks like you found yourself a real brave man.” He reached for Leigh’s hand and pulled her through the restaurant.

  Emma cast a glance Clay’s way, but he was watching Frank and Leigh walk upstairs to her room. Emma walked away without another word.

  Clay followed her out to the sidewalk. “Emma, I’ll get the buckboard.”

  He was talking to her back, because Emma didn’t slow down; she continued to march down the sidewalk. “That’s where I’m going right now. No need to trouble yourself.”

  Clay caught up with her in a couple of strides. “I am not going to let you go home in this weather alone. I don’t know why you are so angry with me. And I didn’t need you to come to my defense against your brother.”

  Emma stopped and faced him. “In case you haven’t heard, my brother is dangerous. I believe I heard you say you didn’t carry a gun.”

  “That doesn’t mean I can’t handle the likes of Frank Langtry.”

  Emma arched her brow at him. “Do tell. How do you stop a bullet?”

  Clay clutched her elbow in his firm grip and urged her toward the livery. He had no intention of standing on the sidewalk having this discussion for all to hear. “Frank is mostly bluster.”

  “Of course. That explains why everyone is afraid of him. You know what Frank did to Rose, and that he is most likely responsible for the death of our younger brother. How do you think you can protect yourself from him?”

  “I’m not a woman he can intimidate.”

  She had to agree with him there. Yet she didn’t see how he would defend himself if Frank wanted to shoot him.

  Chapter Eleven

  The ride to the ranch was a dismal affair. Emma wasn’t talking, and Clay didn’t know what to say. He’d told Emma the truth; Leigh King did walk by his table, and he’d planned to introduce her to Emma when he’d invited her to sit with him. It was obvious now that it wasn’t the wisest decision he’d ever made. It troubled him that the steps he’d taken to get to know Emma better had been sidetracked. But he couldn’t ignore the fact that he wanted to help Leigh if he could. He preferred to believe he wasn’t drawn to her because of her resemblance to Violet. Like Violet, Leigh was young and sweet, and vulnerable to the evils of the world. Clay felt it was his responsibility to help Leigh realize that she was making a mistake to waste her life on a man like Frank Langtry.

  They were just a few miles from town when Clay heard a horse coming, riding up fast behind them. He pulled the buckboard to a halt, and turned around, expecting it to be Frank.

  It wasn’t Frank, but the young man from the telegraph office. He reined in beside the buckboard and handed Emma a telegram. “I thought I saw you leaving the livery. I knew I could catch you.”

  “Thank you.” Emma reached into her reticule to find some coins for the young man, but Clay beat her to it. After he tossed a coin to the messenger, the young man turned around and rode away.

  “You don’t have to pay my way,” Emma told him.

  “I know, Emma. I didn’t know if you had money with yo
u last night, so I paid for the room. If you think I don’t recognize you are a successful woman, you are incorrect in your thinking.” He hadn’t been able to sleep last night for thinking about Emma. His interest in her made no sense. She was a successful woman, making more money than he would ever make as a pastor. What could he possibly have to offer her? And why was he thinking about her when he wasn’t ready to be in a relationship?

  Emma read the telegram and shoved it into her reticule.

  “I hope it’s not bad news.” He wondered if she’d received word from that prince who was coming to America to court her.

  “No bad news. Carlo says we have another performance on Saturday in Denver.”

  “I’d like to see another performance. Would you allow me to take you to Denver?” Clay waited for a reply, but she said nothing. It’d been so long since he tried to figure a woman out that he thought he’d forgotten how. Maybe he should just ask why she was so upset with him. “Do you want to tell me why you are so angry with me?”

  His question got her attention. She whipped her head around to face him. “The best I recall, the other night when you were trying to woo Mrs. King, you were rude enough not to even say good night to Morgan. He’d gone out of his way to come back to town for the service even after he’d worked hard all afternoon after we got home from Denver. He was kind enough to invite you to dinner, and you didn’t bother to even say good-bye to him. You were too busy talking with Mrs. King. Just like this morning. I came downstairs and found you with Mrs. King again. Perhaps you invited the wrong woman to breakfast.”

  “Why should I not invite a woman to sit when she passes by my table? If you had joined us, I planned to introduce you. I think you would like her. And I was not trying to woo her.”

  “That is what it looks like to everyone else.” Emma knew she sounded petty, but at the moment she didn’t care.