An engaged woman imagining another man’s kiss was wrong.
An engaged woman pining all night for the kiss she’d thought she’d almost gotten was incredibly wrong.
What if he’d meant to kiss her before Cash came barging in? Good thing he had though. She’d had to remind herself constantly on the way here that marrying anyone other than August or Royal would not help her situation. She’d found seed corn missing this morning, and her dog hadn’t even bothered to alert her to an intruder, likely because he was becoming used to Royal skulking around. He’d probably even brought the dog a treat considering how Skippy turned his nose up at the scraps she’d tossed him this morning.
Or maybe Royal had sent over one of the hands who used to work for her. Skippy would’ve run straight to Doc, Darrell Black, or Michael Fastwell.
So much for loyalty—from either her former ranch hands or her dog.
She had to marry August. An almost kiss didn’t automatically lead to a doomed marriage, right?
Hearing a door slam and human voices down the hall, she slipped inside the classroom.
Harrison lowered the book, still squinting. “Hello, Charlie.”
“How’d you know it was me this time?” She’d thoroughly washed the balm off her hands and put on some of Momma’s flowery lotion before leaving the house.
His smile slanted in a way that made her heart buck. “The way you walk.”
Oh, Lord, get his glasses here today. My heart can’t take his smile any longer without hope for anything more.
“I’m glad you’re here early. I need you to write some things on the board.” He shoved a paper toward the edge of the desk. “I wrote it down, and I’ve twice tried to put it on the board but can’t keep my lines straight. They end up crossing each other.”
So his smile hadn’t been because he was happy she was here, but because she could do his writing for him. Stupid heart. The scolding she’d given herself last night over how she’d leaned in for a kiss he shouldn’t and probably didn’t want to give her hadn’t stuck.
The thought of kissing her probably hadn’t even crossed his mind. His poor eyesight had misled her imagination. There was no reason other than bad eyes for a man to get close enough to kiss her—well, except marrying her for her land, though August had yet to even try a peck on the lips. But he surely would soon.
She shivered and rubbed her arms before picking up Harrison’s notes and a piece of chalk.
“Are you cold?”
“Why would you think I was cold?”
“I’m not completely blind, Charlie. You rubbed your arms and made a shivering noise.” He scooted his chair back. “I’ll shut the windows.”
“Don’t bother.” She put a hand on his shoulder to push him back down.
“So Cash was right.” A deep roll of a man’s voice boomed behind her.
And now a real shiver took over her body and made her hair stand up on her neck. She whirled around to face Royal, putting her right hand against her hip—not that she’d carried her gun to school. But she should have. “What are you doing here?”
“My little brother told me you two were cozying up to each other.”
Harrison’s chair screeched. “We are not.”
“Why would Cash tell you anything about what I’m doing?” She crossed her arms against her chest. “I ain’t none of your business.”
“Oh yes you are. Did you really think August could keep his plan to marry you secret from me?”
She bit her lip. She’d definitely thought August would keep that secret—hadn’t he said so when he brought over the cattle last week? What would he gain by telling his brother—other than trouble?
“But Cash doesn’t know about August. He still thinks I’m interested in you.” Royal spat. “I’ve never been interested in you.”
No. Just my land. Just like August. She glanced at Harrison. The last thing she needed was for Royal to expose her sham of a betrothal to the one person in town who might half care what happened to her.
“Now, Royal, this is no time to belittle others, especially your future sister-in-law.” Harrison slid in between her and Royal, his arms cocked on his hips as if he’d defend her—even though he couldn’t see his own toes. “I know you thought picking on her was fun in grade school, but I will not tolerate that in my classroom or we’ll have to go outside.”
“I don’t even have to touch you, Gray. All I have to do is tell the school board you’ve been smooching and that’s the end of you.”
“That might get female teachers fired, but I doubt they’d care so much with me. And it’s an empty threat considering I haven’t been kissing anyone.”
“You denying what Cash saw?”
“Yes.” Harrison nodded, and Royal took a step forward.
She pushed her way in between them and poked Royal in the chest. “Tell Cash to get his eyes checked.”
Royal jabbed her back in the shoulder. “And you . . .”
Thankfully Harrison couldn’t see how hard Royal had poked her. She didn’t know what would happen if the two of them started a wrestling match ten minutes before class. The school board might not fire Harrison for kissing, but they might for fighting in front of students.
Royal prodded her again. “I find it interesting that when I asked August if he knew where you were and what you were doing, he said you’d be at your ranch, like usual.”
She swallowed, but she didn’t have to explain herself to Royal. “I don’t answer to August—and surely not to you.”
“I’m sure my brother will love to hear that.” Royal backed up and measured her with a haughty glare. “August isn’t going to marry you once Cash and I tell him what you’re up to. He might not be the sharpest stick in the woodpile, but he ain’t so ugly he has to settle for a woman like you.” Royal stormed away and slammed the door, which bounced back open.
She huffed, picked up the chalk and notebook paper, and stalked over to the chalkboard.
Harrison came closer, scratching his chin. “Aren’t you worried about August backing out on you?”
She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug and started writing. “I doubt Royal will tell him we were kissing, so—”
“But we weren’t kissing!” Harrison’s forehead furrowed.
“Right.” The chalk cracked and fell from her hand. She leaned over to pick up one of the broken pieces. “Who’d ever want to kiss me?” She muttered under her breath. “Absurd.”
Why was she getting so upset over the truth? Wasn’t she happy they’d not kissed? He’d have ruined her upcoming wedding. “What’d you say?” Maybe he’d misheard her.
“Nothing.”
“So you’re not worried about August?” Surely no man would be happy about his fiancée kissing another, but was Royal right? Had she not told August she was helping him? If she’d helped him in secret because she thought August would be jealous, he wouldn’t like the news Cash would surely spread.
“No, if Royal really thought he could talk August out of marrying me with hearsay, he’d not have bothered to come here and threaten me. I don’t know how he learned that August and I were marrying, but if he thought your kissing me—”
“But I wasn’t kissing—”
“Fine, you wouldn’t be tempted to do something so distasteful, I know—but Royal doesn’t.” She waved her hand angrily and went back to the awful chalk scratching. “But if he thought our kissing would work in his favor, he would’ve told August.” She stomped back to the other side of the board. “He only figured he’d found another way to try to bully me into giving him my property. Didn’t work.”
“He’s trying to bully you into giving him your property?” The man deserved someone to flatten his nose—again. He’d have thought Royal would’ve quit harassing Charlie years ago after she’d broken his nose the second time. Too bad he’d not gone ahead and broken his nose a third time a minute ago.
“Yes, he has and still is. That’s why I’ve got to marry. I can’t keep the pl
ace running much longer with him stealing my animals, ranch hands, equipment, and keeping anybody new from working for me. Once a bully, always a bully.”
He’d forced himself not to shove Royal out of his room earlier to keep from starting a fight.
He shouldn’t have been so nice.
“But why marry August? Can’t you turn Royal in to the authorities?”
“It’s my word against his. The only other people who know what he’s doing is his family, and no Whitaker turns in another Whitaker. Besides, offering my ranch hands better pay to work for him isn’t exactly illegal.”
She seemed too blasé about this. Reverend McCabe had wondered why she was marrying. A week ago he’d have said her reasons for marrying didn’t matter to him as long as she wasn’t being pushed . . . but maybe she was being pushed, just in a different way than he’d expected. “So why August?”
“As I said, the Whitakers look out for themselves. The family ain’t going to let Royal ruin August’s livelihood. And since he knows for certain what his brother’s been doing to me, if Royal continues, he can turn him in.”
“Why not marry some other man?”
She grumbled at her chalk, which had broken in her hand again. “Who’d have me?”
He wiped his hands against his trousers. “Surely someone other than August and Royal.”
“I’m twenty-five, Harrison. No man’s ever been interested besides Royal. I had to ask August myself.”
She was wrong about no man ever being interested. He hadn’t been the only one slightly enamored with her back in school. “I’m sure someone else—”
“Don’t bother trying to make me feel better about myself. I’ve accepted my lot. Besides, Royal wouldn’t stop harassing me if I married any other ol’ Joe. He’d keep bullying until he put us both under.” She threw down her chalk stub and searched for a larger piece. “No, I have to marry a Whitaker, but it sure won’t be Royal.”
He snatched away the only big piece of chalk she’d yet to break. “Listen. I’m sure there are other men who’d consider you, Charlie. You’re strong, courageous, clearly love your mother, and are good with children. I’ve seen you.” If he had his glasses, he could’ve seen whether or not she believed him by the expression on her face.
Of course, if he hadn’t broken them she wouldn’t be with him right now. Maybe this was why God and the reverend wanted him to visit her earlier—to explain that she wasn’t as undesirable as she thought, that she had options beyond marrying into the Whitakers. Taking her by the wrist, he pulled her away from the board. “It’s just . . . you’re a little intimidating.”
She tugged back. “I still have a paragraph to write.”
“You can finish after everyone arrives. They won’t have to copy it until later in the period anyway.”
“Please.”
Why did she sound like she was about to cry? He’d given her a compliment. Maybe she hadn’t heard him since she was so intent on breaking his chalk. “There are plenty of admirable things about you that most men see, they just . . . Well, you’ve got to be more approachable.”
“I have no time left to be approachable.” She huffed. “I’m doomed anyway. When I tried to impress you with the gun thing, I did the exact opposite. I’m hopeless.”
“You never did tell me yesterday why you wanted to impress me.” He scrunched up his face and attempted to make out her expression.
“You were smart.”
He shrugged. “Like that makes up for my eyesight.”
“Sure it does. You were willing to help everyone learn. Teaching has always been your gift, and I’m glad you pursued it. Just like I have to pursue my gift. If I had to give up my farm, what else would I be good for?”
“There are other farmers in this county besides the Whitakers who’d be happy to have a wife with your talents.”
“None of them own the house my father built.”
“Well, no.” The property obviously meant a lot to her, but was it worth marrying for convenience?
“You’re just feeling sorry for me, so save your breath. I worked all my life to shoot better, spit farther, climb higher, and all that did was make me your enemy. If you’d truly admired those skills, you’d have told me before today.”
“I did find them impressive. You did things I only wished I could do. Things my stupid eyes made impossible. But then you humiliated me in front of my friends.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“I know this now, but at the time, all my feelings for you were dashed.”
“Your feelings?”
He closed his eyes and emptied his lungs. Him and his stupid mouth.
“You used to have feelings for me?”
He shook his head.
She tossed her chalk onto the board’s shelf and turned away. “Excuse me, I’ve got to—”
He swiped at her and barely caught her arm. “I didn’t have feelings for you.” He pulled her toward him despite her resistance.
“Of course you wouldn’t.” Her poor lips were pressed so hard together they were shaking.
“I still do, woman.”
She stilled.
“I still do.”
Admitting that hadn’t been as bad as he’d thought—freeing, actually. It didn’t make the feelings more sensible, but at least they were out in the open.
Her big eyes blinked up at him, and he could feel his lips trying to smile despite the glistening tear sparkling in the corner of her eye. All the fight had gone out of her—and him as well.
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as an excuse to touch her face, and she didn’t so much as move. He let that hand move to cup the back of her head, placed the other on her cheek, and tilted her head up as he leaned in for a kiss. Thankfully even with his bad depth perception he hit her mouth, and not too hard, but her lips were awfully stiff under his.
At least she wasn’t pulling away. He let his hand travel down her back to ease her closer and coax more of a response from her, maybe—
“Excuse me?”
His shoulders sagged, and he broke away, lifting his eyes to the ceiling. What was it with people and interruptions this week? He kept hold of Charlie’s arm despite her trying to tug away. “Yes?”
“I’ve got a package from Kansas City for Harrison Gray.” A thin man in dark clothing hesitantly stepped into the room.
Finally, his glasses. “That’s me.” He released Charlie, accepted the package, and gave the man a dismissive nod.
The courier looked over Harrison’s shoulder at Charlie and cleared his throat scornfully.
Harrison squinted to see if he recognized the man, but nothing about him seemed familiar. He turned back to Charlie. “Could you open this for me?”
She took the box and, surprisingly, said nothing.
Harrison frowned at the lack of footsteps and turned to see the delivery man still there. Why hadn’t he left? If the man knew him, he would have spoken up once he realized Harrison wouldn’t recognize him without his glasses. Maybe he needed a tip. Harrison searched for a coin in his pocket and gave it to him.
“Thanks. Good day, Mr. Gray. Charlie.” The man finally retreated.
Harrison squinted at the departing man. “You know him?”
“Yes.” She blew out her breath, handed him his unopened box, and jammed her fists against her eyes.
He fished out his pocket knife. He was tired of not being able to see enough to gauge what was going on inside her head. “What’s wrong?” He flipped open his knife and felt for the twine that blended in with the paper.
She wrapped her hands around the box and took it from him. “It’s no longer my word against Royal’s.”
He blinked. Even if he could see perfectly, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to figure her out. “What’s that mean?”
“The delivery guy was Lonnie Moore.” She sliced through the twine and peeled off the paper from the little crate. “He’s Royal’s cousin.”
“So?” A good quarter of the
town was probably related to the Whitakers. He jiggled the box top to get it to move out of its groove and fished out one pair of glasses.
“Whereas Cash saw nothing, I can’t tell August that Lonnie saw nothing.”
He rubbed his forehead. Evidently his feelings for her hadn’t changed her plans. Maybe he’d been wrong. Maybe she felt something for August, and he’d been too blind to see. Maybe that’s why she hadn’t kissed him back much. He opened the slim glasses case.
“August won’t marry a two-timer.”
Trying to unfold his spectacles, his jittery hands dropped them. Just what he needed to do—break them on the first day. He knelt to find them. “I didn’t mean to get you in trouble.”
“Are you going to marry me, Harrison?”
“What?” He blinked up at her. “Marry you?” This woman clearly wanted to be married posthaste.
“Yes.”
His mouth turned dry and his heart raced. He was on bended knee, but not for that purpose! “I . . . I only just kissed you.”
“Thanks a lot. Royal’s threat was just bark, but now it’s got teeth. As soon as August hears what Lonnie has to say, he’ll jilt me.”
He felt along the floor but couldn’t find his blasted glasses. “But maybe that won’t happen.” But what if August did jilt her?
Did he want that to happen? It certainly seemed she didn’t.
“But what if he does?” She bent over and snatched up something from under his desk.
No wonder he hadn’t been able to see where his glasses had fallen. “I don’t know. Perhaps it won’t matter to him.”
She thrust the glasses into his hand. “Right. No reason to be worried that August would care about a kiss that meant nothing.”
“Wait.” He stood and unfolded the temples.
But just as he slipped his glasses on and could see that her plain, white shirtwaist was actually printed, she was stomping out between two incoming students. He glanced at the clock and sighed. Even if he ran after her, what could he say in five minutes that would fix anything?
And how exactly did he want to fix things?
His shoulders slumped. What had he just done to her for a kiss that wasn’t even that great?
With This Ring? Page 26