“And, Anthony,” Louisa said, “I think you’ll find the feeling is returned.”
Pa snickered behind them, adding to Tarah’s humiliation. So much for understanding.
“Dell,” Cassidy admonished.
Tarah planted her hands on her hips and struggled to maintain her composure. “Now hold on, Louisa Thomas. Who do you think you are to speak for me?”
Completely unintimidated, Louisa lifted a brow and smirked. “Come now, Tarah. We’re all being honest here. If I can humiliate myself with the truth, why can’t you? And if the truth be told, all this is your fault to begin with.”
Tarah gasped. “Mine? You just admitted it was yours.”
Her slim shoulders lifted. “I’ve changed my mind. If you had let Anthony know how you feel about him in the first place, you would have been the one to go with him on all the picnics and horseback rides. And you would have come with him to the dance instead of me. Then all of this could have been avoided. But you have your pride, don’t you?” She smiled up at her escort. “Shall we go, Tom? I think I’ve done all I can do here.”
Tarah watched them leave arm in arm. Her mind whirled, trying to absorb the shocking revelations of the past few minutes. Anthony loved her? But what about the lessons she had learned about letting God direct her life? Was it even possible that Anthony was hers all along? Then it struck her. She had let him go, and God had given him back. It had been a hard lesson to learn, but she knew she was stronger spiritually as a result than she ever could have been without learning to surrender her will to God’s.
Her anger drained away as she turned slowly and caught her breath at the intensity of Anthony’s gaze. He stepped forward and took her hands, and everything and everyone present faded away.
Pa cleared his throat, making them both jump. “I still expect you to court my daughter properly, young man.”
“Yes sir,” Anthony said without removing his gaze from Tarah’s.
“Then I suppose we can go now. Unless you want us to stay, Tarah?”
“No, Pa. You can go.”
“Ladies?” he said, turning to Cassidy and Mrs. Greene. “Shall we return to the dance?”
Tarah could hear them laughing as they strolled away, but she didn’t care. All that mattered was knowing Anthony shared her feelings and that her love for him was part of God’s plan all along.
She stared at him, not daring to speak for fear it had all been a dream that would float away if she broke the silence.
Anthony searched her face, his warm hands still enclosing hers. He drew a ragged breath and tightened his grip. “Do you love me?”
“Do you love me?” Tarah whispered.
Anthony’s lips curved into a wry grin. “I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks how much I care about you.”
“You have?”
He nodded. “Remember me telling you I’d do anything for you? I even offered to marry you, but you didn’t think I was serious. I love you.” He paused. “Now you. Was Louisa speaking the truth?”
Heat rushed to Tarah’s cheeks. She dropped her chin and nodded. “Yes, it’s true.”
Releasing a sigh, Anthony pulled her closer.
Tarah met his gaze head-on and held her breath.
“I want to ask you to marry me. Do you think your pa would give his blessing without a courtship? Because I’m willing to wait however long it takes, but I’d prefer to be married as soon as the parsonage is built.”
Amusement washed over Tarah, and she tilted her head to one side, a grin tugging at the corners of her lips. “Have I ever told you how Pa and Cassidy met?”
A frown furrowed Anthony’s brow. “No. Do you want to tell me right now?”
Tarah giggled and nodded. “My pa placed an advertisement for a wife. Cassidy answered, and they married less than three weeks later with no courting whatsoever. And I’ve never seen two people more in love. Have you?”
His lips twitched. “Now that you mention it, I haven’t.”
“So you see, I don’t think my pa or Cassidy will raise any objections to our marriage.”
“Are you saying yes?”
“Yes, Anthony.” Tarah closed her eyes as his head descended, and she knew this time she was going to be kissed. At the first touch of his lips on hers, Tarah wrapped her arms about his neck. The gentle caress sent shivers down her spine as she gave herself over to the heady sensations filling her for the first time.
Just as Anthony drew her closer and deepened the kiss, a sudden thought popped into her mind. She gasped, tearing her mouth away. He drew back immediately as her eyes flew open.
“What is it?” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I should never have been so forward.”
“No, Anthony. Of course I welcomed your kiss. It isn’t that.”
“Then what is it, sweetheart?”
Tarah drew a steadying breath and regarded him frankly, feeling her heart racing within her chest. “When I marry, Laney and Ben come with me. And I don’t want a man who puts up with them but secretly resents them. They need a good man in their life—someone who will love them. Otherwise, they’d be better off with no man at all.”
Relief washed over Anthony’s face, and he smiled, pulling her close once again. “I know those children are part of the deal. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. But do you think they’ll want me in their lives?”
“I think so. Ben idolizes you already, and Laney’s coming around.”
“That’s a good thing,” Anthony said with a teasing smile. “‘Cause I don’t stay where I ain’t wanted.”
Anthony’s head descended once again, and his lips captured Tarah’s, muffling the sound of their laughter.
Laney’s Kiss
Dedication
For my sister, Sandy.
Your strength of character amazes me.
Your ability to consistently achieve your goals inspires me.
Your humanness humbles me.
In all of your strengths and weaknesses—to God be the glory for making you who you are.
All my love,
T
Chapter 1
A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
PROVERBS 16:9
1879, Kansas
Laney Jenkins glared at the man sitting tall astride a gelding as red as its master’s hair. “One more word, and I’m going to flatten you, Luke St. John.”
She could admit she was a little dusty from the trail, and who wouldn’t need a bath to wash away the smell and grime after two weeks of herding cattle? But that didn’t give Luke any right to insult her.
A shrug lifted his well-muscled shoulders. “I stand by what I said. You’re as dirty as you were the first time I laid eyes on you.” Luke’s lazy grin infuriated Laney all the more. “I remember you walked into the school looking and smelling like you’d just had a tumble with a herd of pigs.”
Laney’s ire rose, and she clutched the leather reins, fighting for control over her raging emotions. She felt grimy from driving the cattle to Abilene, tired from her turn at keeping watch last night, and her behind ached from day after day of sitting on the hard seat of the supply wagon.
She hated the trip more each time she made it. Going along with Papa Dell and the ranch hands had started out as an adventure, but she would have stopped after the first drive if not for Luke suggesting she was too much of a tenderfoot to endure the hardship. Now, enduring the hardship was a matter of principle.
But she’d made her point once again, and home was only a few miles away. She longed for a leisurely hot bath, a home-cooked meal, and a good night’s sleep in her own bed. She certainly didn’t need Luke’s insults. Nor would she stand for them.
“Luke,” she said slowly, warning thick in her voice. “I mean it. You hush up, or I’m going to knock you off that horse and give you a sound thrashing.”
“I doubt you could,” he challenged, his grin firmly planted on his freckled face. “Besides, when are you going to start acting li
ke a girl? Or do you even know how?”
“I—you—” she sputtered. Oh, why could she never come up with a good retort to put him in his place?
“Close your mouth before you swallow a bug,” Luke baited.
“That’s it!” Laney shot from the wagon seat, propelled her body toward Luke, and knocked him from his horse. His startled cry gave Laney more than a little satisfaction as they landed together on the rain-deprived earth. Ignoring the pain in her left leg, she held on to his shoulders and rolled, waiting for an opportunity to whale the daylights out of him. In a flash, he overpowered her. He straddled her, pinning her hands to the ground with his palms.
“Stop it,” he growled, his green eyes flashing mere inches above hers. “You know I can’t hit you back.”
“You couldn’t get close enough to hit me, Luke St. John!” She glared up at him.
The corners of his lips twitched at her ridiculous statement. Something akin to a growl gargled in her throat, and she kicked fruitlessly against the ground beneath her heels. She gave a violent twist, trying to free herself.
“Cut it out.” Luke pressed harder on her hands, his face screwed up in disgust. “I don’t know what’s got into you lately. You can’t even take a little teasing anymore.”
“Maybe I’m just sick of you,” she spat. “Ever think of that?” Being this near to Luke, feeling his warm breath on her face, was too achingly close for comfort. If he didn’t let her up soon, she’d most likely do something stupid like throw her arms around him and declare her love right then and there.
“I’ll let you up if you promise to stop acting so ignorant and get back in the wagon.”
“Sounds like a good idea.” A shadow fell across them, accompanying the stern voice. Laney glanced up to find Luke’s tall, lean pa astride his mount. Brows furrowed, he glared down at his son. “Get off of her. I didn’t raise you to manhandle women.”
Luke’s face reddened, making his freckles pop out even farther. He stood and reached down for Laney.
Laney grasped his hand and felt herself being hauled upright. The thick tension passing between father and son felt almost tangible, and guilt pricked her.
“It was my fault, Papa Dell. I—I took offense to something Luke said.”
Dell glanced sternly at Luke. “What have I told you about the way you speak to Laney? I’ve half a mind to let her give you a sound whipping.”
Luke slapped his Stetson hard against his thigh. Laney cringed, knowing his action was more from frustration than the need to dust off his hat. Now he’d be madder than ever. Mad at her.
With his eyes as cold as emeralds, Luke pressed his hat against his chest and gave her an exaggerated bow. “I apologize from the bottom of my heart, fair Laney. I should never have suggested you aren’t the epitome of ladyhood.”
Laney wasn’t sure ladyhood was even a word, but the implication hit her full in the stomach. Heat rushed to her cheeks. She clenched her fists and swept a sideways glance at Papa Dell. No. She’d better not tear into Luke right now, or she’d get the same scolding he was getting.
“We can do without the sarcasm,” Papa Dell drawled. “Now mount up, and let’s get home.”
“Yes, Pa,” Luke mumbled.
With a satisfied nod, Papa Dell turned his horse and rode after the three ranch hands who appeared as mere dots on the horizon. Luke’s gaze followed his pa’s retreating form. Laney could see the struggle in his expression, and her heart went out to him, sifting the anger from her like a sieve. The two men often disagreed about the ranch. Luke complained that his pa was too set in his ways, and the older man always said there was no reason to change what had worked well for over twenty years. No one could deny that the St. John ranch prospered more than any ranch in the area, but Laney had to wonder why his pa couldn’t at least consider some of Luke’s ideas.
Clearing her throat, she reached out tentatively, then stopped short of touching Luke’s arm as he turned to her, eyes blazing.
“Get in the wagon, and let’s get out of here.”
That was the last time she’d try apologizing to him! “Well, you don’t have to be such an ol’ bear about it. It’s not my fault your pa rode back to check on us and caught you pinning me to the ground.”
“Which,” Luke said through gritted teeth, “I wouldn’t have been doing if you hadn’t knocked me off my horse in the first place.”
Hands on her hips, Laney stamped her foot and glared back at him. “You shouldn’t have suggested I don’t act like a girl.”
“Suggested? I’m saying plain as day you don’t act like a woman. Just look at you.” Reaching forward, he flicked her Stetson from her head.
“Hey!” Snatching at the air, Laney made a futile attempt to catch the hat before it landed on the ground. Leaving it, she glowered. “Wearing britches and a hat don’t make me no less a woman than a person in ruffles and petticoats.”
“I didn’t say you’re less of a woman. I said you don’t act like the rest of them.” He gave her a pointed look. “And you don’t.”
Narrowing her gaze, Laney sized him up. She cocked her head to the side. “What do you know about women anyway?”
Deep creases etched his brow. “Just forget about it, okay?”
“No,” she challenged. “I want to know. Just how do you think a woman is supposed to act?” The air between them grew still as she waited. What sort of woman was Luke looking for? Could she ever measure up?
He hesitated a moment, regarding her frankly. “You know, all soft and…womanly. I don’t know, Laney. Just let it be.”
“Womanly?” Dejectedly Laney glanced down at her faded britches and ripped shirt. Soft and womanly pretty much excluded her from the list of possible candidates for Luke’s affection.
He looked pensively toward the orange horizon, where the sun was making a final bow before disappearing into the night sky. A sense of foreboding coursed through Laney at the faraway look in his eyes.
“What do you mean by ‘womanly’?”
He shifted his gaze back to her, searching. Laney’s heart pounded in her ears at his uncharacteristically intense manner. He spoke slowly, thoughtfully. “A man wants a woman he can take into his arms and feel like she needs him to protect her.” Laney stiffened as a hint of the old teasing creased the corners of his eyes. “In all the years I’ve known you, you’ve never once even let me lead a dance.”
Laney smarted under his criticism and was about to retort when he strode forward and retrieved her hat from the ground. He towered over her tiny frame. The angry words fled her mind as he placed the Stetson gently atop her head and looked down into her eyes. “You’re a pretty girl, Laney.”
Laney’s hopes soared at his words and then sank as he continued. “But pretty isn’t all a man wants.” He smiled an almost bitter smile. “You don’t need anyone to take care of you. You can outride, outshoot, and outtrack most of the men living in and around Harper, and everyone knows it. A fellow doesn’t want a wife who’s more of a man than he is.” He laughed. “You’d probably expect your husband to scrub the floors and cook the food you shoot.”
His laughter was all the humiliation Laney could take. There was only one way to prove to him she was as much of a woman as any of the frilly, eye-batting, teeth-flashing ninnies of Harper out to trap him into matrimony.
With a determined lift of her chin, she took a step closer until she stood mere inches from him.
“What are you doing?” Suspicion thickened his tone, and he moved back.
Silently she took another step forward without breaking his startled gaze. Then before she could change her mind or he could get away, she inched her arms upward until they clasped behind his neck.
“What do you think you’re—”
Without a word, Laney rose up on her toes and kissed him full on the lips. He stood motionless for only an instant, then his arms encircled her waist, pressing her closer. Laney’s senses reeled as her plan backfired and Luke took control. His mouth moved over he
rs until she clung to him. When he gently released her, they stood for a moment, gazes locked, chests heaving.
“Do you want to tell me what that was all about?” Luke asked, visibly shaken, but scowling as if he hadn’t responded to the kiss.
Laney stepped back.
“Well?” he asked.
“D–don’t ever say I’m not a woman again!”
Giving him no chance to respond, she spun around on the heel of her boot and stomped to Luke’s horse, Rusty. She mounted the gelding.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m sick of that wagon.” She glared down at him, daring him to try to stop her. “You take it to the ranch. I’m going straight home.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll be over tomorrow to pick up my horse.”
“Fine.” Needing to distance herself from him as quickly as possible, Laney nudged the horse into a gallop and left Luke standing beside the wagon.
The memory of Luke’s lips on hers taunted Laney as she headed for Harper. She squirmed under the humiliation. How could she have been so stupid? Now Luke would know she cared for him. Things would never be the same again.
A cloud of dust rose up around Laney as she sped away. Luke stared after her, shaking his head. She ought to have more sense than to ride Rusty so hard after weeks on the trail.
He climbed onto the wagon seat and flapped the reins. What had crazy little Laney been thinking, kissing him like that? She couldn’t even let a man make the first move. Not that he ever would have. He’d never thought of Laney romantically. But he had to admit, their kiss was something. Even now, the memory of her soft, full lips beneath his stirred him.
With a frustrated grunt, Luke tried to remove the image of her wide, doelike eyes staring up at him in wonder after he released her. It wasn’t like he’d never kissed a girl before. He’d stolen plenty of kisses behind the schoolhouse and on buggy rides, but none had affected him like this one.
Whatever possessed him to draw her into his arms and respond to her kiss the way he had? Laney, of all people! She’d grown up in his older sister, Tarah’s, home. Luke and Laney had played together, fished together, hunted together, and for the past two years worked the ranch together. But mostly they fought. Luke grinned in spite of his confusion. Laney could get riled up quicker than an ol’ tomcat stuck in a tree, and he knew just how to get her spittin’ mad. To her credit, she never held a grudge. Once she said her piece, that was that and she was ready to be friends again.
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