by Linda Bridey
Marcus laughed despite his irritation. “You want to be a lawyer?”
“Yep. Turns out I’m pretty good at arguing and I want to be a defense attorney. I plan on coming back here to practice, since we don’t have any of those around here and I figure some people could use one. I can also write up contracts and boring stuff like that to pay the bills, but defending people who can’t do it themselves is what I really want to do.”
“You might not make a great living at it,” Marcus said. “How do you expect to support a family, no matter who you marry?”
“Well, I know you’re not gettin’ rich doing what you do, but your kids aren’t goin’ hungry and they have a good place to live and clothes to wear,” Mason said.
He had Marcus there and the doctor knew it. What Mason said was true. He and Claire were far from rich, but through smart money management and cost cutting, they were able to make a decent living and put money into college funds for the kids.
Mason continued. “There’s no way Aiyana and I could get married before we were done with school because I know if she gets pregnant she can’t go to school. So that’s out of the question. I’ll be done before her, so I’ll come home and start buildin’ a practice so that by the time she graduates, I’ll have business coming in. I reckon she’s gonna work with you and Dr. Walker, so she’ll have a job lined up. We could get married the following year and then start a family whenever the kids come along. By that time, we’ll have some savings and I don’t think you’re gonna fire her for becoming a mother to your grandkids, are you?”
Marcus just stared at Mason in disbelief.
“Plus, I’ll bet you won’t mind if she brings the little one along to work with her from time to time, right?” Mason continued. “And there are plenty of people in our families who will watch the kids when we both have to work. So as you can see, Aiyana and I have talked about all of this and worked it out. We might be young, but we’re not dumb.”
Marcus crossed his arms over his chest and gave the boy a measuring stare. “You haven’t asked her to marry you, right?”
“Nope.”
“Good, because you don’t even have permission to court her,” Marcus said.
“I haven’t had a chance to ask because you never gave me one. I think that’s funny since I’m the son of two of your friends. All you can see is that I snuck around seeing Aiyana for a little while before you caught us. You don’t know hardly anything about me, but you’re judging me based on a stupid mistake I made. I’ve always heard about what a fair, kind man you are, but I haven’t seen you be fair or kind when it comes to me,” Mason said. “It seems to me that if I were your son or one of your nephews, you’d stick up for me and ask whoever they’d wronged for some forgiveness. Why can’t you forgive me?”
Suddenly, Marcus burned with shame. Mason was absolutely right. He’d been so caught up in being protective of his daughter that he hadn’t given enough thought to resolving the issue. This surprised him about himself because under normal conditions, Marcus would have extended forgiveness to the person who’d offended him. He now saw where Black Fox had been much wiser about the situation.
He’d been young and stupid once and he’d still turned out all right. He looked at Mason in a new light and saw how honest he was being. There was no trace of deceit, either in Mason’s eyes or in his body language. His statements had been intelligent and well thought out. He’d touched on all of the important points that needed addressing and he’d even appealed to Marcus’ own morals with his slightly emotional speech. Damn! He really might make a good lawyer. I really can’t refute anything he just said. There has to be something… nope. Nothing.
“Are you asking to court my daughter?” Marcus asked.
“Are you giving me a chance to?”
“Yes.”
“Sir, I respect Aiyana and I would never do anything to harm her or hurt her chances of becoming a doctor. She’s a woman and it’s gonna be hard for her to get that degree because most men don’t think women can be doctors. That’s bull crap. Thanks to you and Dr. Walker, she’s halfway there already, something you know all about. I love her and I want to help her get that degree. If you give me permission to court her properly, I promise to do anything I can to make that happen for her.”
Marcus pursed his lips. How was he supposed to turn that down? It was a heartfelt and smart request. Marcus saw that he’d been hasty in his judgment of Mason. He made their daughter happy and it turned out that the boy actually had a good head on his shoulders.
“Sir?” Mason prompted Marcus after several minutes.
“Yes, you may court Aiyana, with restrictions, of course,” Marcus said.
“Such as?”
“You have to keep your grades up.”
“I’ll have to do that anyway to go to law school, so that’s not a problem,” Mason responded.
“You have to keep the barn door closed.”
“I already promised the chief that, so I’ll make the same promise to you.”
Marcus couldn’t help smiling over that.
Mason laughed and said, “Honestly, sir, I’m more afraid of him than I am you. You won’t scalp me. He will.”
“Don’t be too sure of that,” Marcus said. “I’ve seen battle, you know.”
Mason sat forward. “You have? What was that like? Did you scalp someone? Shoot ‘em? What happened?”
Marcus laughed at his eager questioning. “I’ll tell you that story another time. I’ll tell you what, I’ll talk to Claire and we’ll iron out the rules of your courtship.” Marcus rose and held out a hand to Mason.
Mason stood and shook it. “Thank you, sir. You won’t regret this.”
“I’d better not,” Marcus said, with a meaningful look at him.
Mason nodded. “Since I’m allowed to court her, can I take Aiyana to the Grady House for supper tomorrow night?”
“As long as you both get your homework done and you have her home by seven-thirty, yes,” Marcus said.
“Thank you. I’ll come for her at six. Will that be ok?”
“Sure.”
“Ok. See you then. I know my way out,” Mason said, and took his leave.
Chapter Nine
On the day Foster’s Furniture Co. was due to open, Will’s nerves were stretched taut. He was excited, but scared, too. What if he didn’t have enough business to survive? What if people didn’t think his work was good enough to keep buying the things he made? What he was doing was risky and yet he was determined to work as hard as he had to in order to succeed.
Rachel noticed how tense he was and massaged his shoulders.
“You have to relax, Will. It’s going to be fine. You’ll see. I can feel it,” she said.
Will smiled at her and said, “Thanks for believing in me. It’s time to open. C’mon, we’ll open the door together.”
Rachel smiled as she followed him to the door.
“Ok, I’ll unlock it and you turn the sign over,” he said. Anticipation lit his eyes.
“Ok.”
“On the count of three. One … two … three.”
The door was unlocked, the sign flipped over and Foster’s Furniture was officially in business. It didn’t take long for people to start coming in. Anytime a new business opened in town, it drew a crowd. Rachel hated leaving Will, but she had to go to work at Elliot’s. She promised to come on her break to see how things were going. Will pulled her into the back and gave her a lingering goodbye kiss that made both of them warm.
It didn’t take long before several pieces were sold and people had commissioned a few items from Will. He was excited, but tried not to get carried away. It was the first day and just because there was a beginning surge of business didn’t mean that it would last. However, it was a great start and Will felt optimistic about the future of his business.
All morning long Rachel thought about Will and wondering how the store was doing. It seemed like the clock wasn’t moving at all. When Elliot finally relieved
her for lunch, she flew out the door and down the street to Will’s store. When she went in, she stopped and stared in shock at how empty the showroom was.
There was only a dining room table and chair set, a china cupboard, two rocking chairs, and a drop leaf table left. All of the other furniture had been sold and taken or put in the back to be picked up later on. Will came out of the back and Rachel ran to him. She threw her arms around him and planted a huge kiss on him.
“Look at this place! It’s almost empty!”
Will laughed. “I know. I can’t believe it. Come here. Look at this.”
Rachel followed him over to the counter, where he handed her a clipboard. The first page was filled with names of people and the kind of pieces they wanted made.
Rachel’s pretty eyes were round with surprise. “Good Lord, Will. How are you going to fill all of these orders?”
Will scratched his head and laughed. “That’s a good question. I’m gonna have to hire someone to run the front so I can be working in the back on this stuff during the day. It’s a good thing a few of these aren’t due until Christmas. That gives me a little leeway. I gotta get the designs drawn up for a couple.”
“You also need to hire someone to help you with the prep work, Will. Someone who can do some of the easier, beginning stuff so that you can be working on the more time consuming parts.”
Will gave her a slightly sheepish smile. “Think Elliot would get mad if I stole you away?”
“What are you talking about?” she asked with a laugh.
“I’m serious. You could manage the business part of things and I could build the furniture. I’ll also have to look around to hire someone who can do what you’re saying,” Will said.
“You really want me to work for you?” Rachel asked.
Will put his arms around her waist. “No, Rachel, I want you to work with me. Look, I’ve been thinking about this for a little while now. You found this place, you’ve had just as much input into the business as I have and you even came up with the name. How would you feel about being my business partner?”
Rachel was so stunned that she could only gaze back into his eyes with her mouth slightly open. When she’d started helping Will with his business, it had never occurred to her to work the place with him. She was just trying to support him in realizing his dream.
Will smiled at her astonished expression. “Well, what do you think?”
The idea of working with Will every day and growing the business together excited Rachel to the point where she couldn’t speak. She let out a little squeal and jumped up and down in his arms.
He laughed and said, “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Yes!” she shouted and kissed him.
Her enthusiasm was contagious and Will wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. Then he released her and marched over to the door to lock it. He turned over the sign and then walked purposefully toward her with a very intense look in his eye. Rachel wondered what had come over him.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“It’s lunch time and I need to confer about a few things with my business partner,” Will said.
He embraced her again and backed her through the door into the workshop area. Nudging the door shut with a foot, Will brought his mouth down on hers possessively. Rachel didn’t mind in the least, thrilling to his fierce kiss on her lips. Fire met fire and she kissed him back with abandon. She shivered against him when his hands delved into her hair. The skin along her back broke out in goose bumps.
Will couldn’t remember a time he’d ever wanted a woman more than he did Rachel. She was shapely and had the most beautiful brown eyes and such silky hair. Her lips were soft and pliant beneath his and he didn’t want to ever stop kissing her. Will was trying to remember his decision about waiting for marriage, but her eager reaction to him was putting a huge chink in his resolve.
With a groan, he ended the embrace and smiled down into her desire filled eyes. “How did you like our first business meeting?” he panted.
She was in a similar state. “I think it was very productive,” she said with a giggle.
His laugh was slightly raspy. “I agree. Oh boy. You really are a witch.”
“What?”
He shrugged. “You have to be a witch to be able to have cast the kind of spell over me that you have. You’ve bewitched me.”
Rachel grinned. “I have, have I?”
“You have,” he said and leaned forward to nibble on her earlobe. “Can’t you tell?”
She gasped and said, “Why yes, I think I can just a little.”
“Only a little? What do I need to do to show you just how strong this spell is?” he whispered into her ear.
Another shudder ran through her body as his warm breath made contact with her ear. “Oh, Will, I have to leave.”
“What?” he asked. “Why?”
Her eyes met his. “Because if I don’t, I’m afraid of what’s going to happen. I don’t think I have the strength to resist you.”
Her admission pleased and frustrated him. It made him glad that she desired him as much as he did her, but it sorely tried his patience in the matter. He nodded and stepped back from her. “I completely understand. We’ll talk about all of this tonight over dinner. You’ll have to tell Elliot.”
Rachel took a deep breath, grateful to him for having more discipline than she had at the moment. Talking about business-related matters was a good idea. “Yes. I know. He’s going to be disappointed. He just hired me back. I’ll give him a two week notice so he has time to replace me.”
Will smiled. “Yeah. That’s a good idea. I can hang on that long.”
“Ok. I’d better go, but I want you to know how proud of you I am,” Rachel said as she gave him a light kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks, honey. Have a good afternoon and I’ll see you tonight,” Will said.
Rachel gave him a last smile and left through the back door. Once she was gone, Will blew out a huge breath and then got to work on a chair he was building.
*****
“You’re kidding me,” Elliot said when Rachel gave him her two-week notice. “First you move to Canada and now Will is stealing you away from me.”
Rachel tried not to smile at his dismayed expression, but he was so cute that she couldn’t prevent her lips from curving upwards. “I’m sorry, Elliot. I wasn’t expecting this to happen.”
Elliot sighed and gave her a wry smile. “I don’t blame him, though. You’ve always had great business sense and you’re so good with customers. I’m happy for you, Rachel. It’s a good deal and I don’t think it will hurt your relationship, either. In fact, it’ll probably bring you closer. I can see that Will makes you happy.”
Rachel smiled as she blushed. “Yes, he does. I’m grateful to Sammi for urging him to write to me. I’m very lucky.”
“I’d say you’re both lucky,” Elliot said. “All right. Well, I’d better finish up in the back. Congratulations, Rachel.”
Rachel waited until he’d disappeared down an aisle and did a little dance behind the counter. She turned around and let out a small cry of surprise. Reckless stood there watching her with a smile on his face.
“Reckless! You scared me. I always said I was going to put a bell around your neck and I see that you really need one,” she said.
He laughed. “Sorry. I did not mean to scare you. You seem happy.”
“I am! I’m going to work with Will at the store. He wants me to be his business partner,” Rachel said. “Isn’t that great?”
He nodded. “Yes. So things are going well with you two?”
“Very well, thank you. I was just telling Elliot how lucky I am. He’s a little depressed because he’s losing me again.”
Reckless nodded. “I am sure he is. He will find someone to work for him.”
“I hope so. He needs the help as badly as Will does. I’ll try to think of someone,” she said.
“What about Sadie? The boys are older now a
nd she has the time,” Reckless said.
Rachel’s eyes widened. “Reckless! That’s brilliant! I’ll ask her if she’s interested.”
“Glad I could help. Does this mean you’ll give me some free candy?” he asked, smiling.
“No,” she said.
He gave her a scowl. “See if I help you again.”
She rolled her eyes. “You always did know how to blackmail me.” She put a couple of peppermint sticks in a bag and handed it to him.
He grinned. “You forget how well I know you. I know how to get to you.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Are you here to buy something or annoy me?”
He held up a hand. “Very well. I will leave you to your work while I shop.”
“Good. Go on,” she said and made shooing motions at him.
Though he walked away, he sent a smile back at her. Rachel shook her head in amusement. She remembered the first time Reckless had asked her out. Well, he hadn’t asked so much as told her. He’d started coming in the store to see her and after a couple of weeks had told her that he would come for her when she was done at work.
At the time, it hadn’t occurred to her to refuse because she’d been so intrigued by him. He was handsome and exotic and funny; a very attractive combination. Though they’d been drawn to each other as youngsters, there was never any way it would have worked out between them.
Looking back on things, Rachel still couldn’t understand what had possessed her to ever think that Reckless would have married her and lived as she did. Maybe she had been looking for peace or more likely, a place where she really belonged and someone to belong to. Someone who wanted her and truly cared about her thoughts and feelings.
Reckless had always been good to her and had never taken advantage of her, but he also hadn’t ever said that their relationship would ever end with them getting married. What had he been looking for at the time? Why did he stay in the relationship? Had he really been in love with her? She was certain that he’d cared about her, but had he loved her?
Reckless had been eligible for marriage by the time he’d been seventeen, which was almost unheard of in Lakota culture. His daring and sometimes downright foolhardy behavior had earned him enough coup to give him that status. Why hadn’t he courted a Lakota maiden at the time? Curiosity got the better of her.