Tad smiled and wiped his mouth on his napkin. “I did receive a letter from her just today. She and Colin are in Europe on tour and having a wonderful time. I still can’t believe my little sister is such an accomplished pianist, as is her husband.”
“I think it’s wonderful they share so much in common. From what you’ve said, she and Mr. McDougal seem well-suited to one another.” Posey gave him a long look. “You were worried for a while she might marry that dreadful Mr. Welbourne. I’m glad she realized that would never work and allowed herself to open her heart to Mr. McDougal.”
“Yes, well, Mother was none too pleased about it, but Father supported Gloria’s choice wholeheartedly.”
Posey had often wondered about Tad’s family and his past. He spoke with open affection about his only sibling. Gloria was seven years younger and the apple of her big brother’s eye. She knew it had been hard on Tad to leave Gloria behind when he left his family home at such a young age. From tidbits he’d shared, she knew Tad kept in touch with Gloria through letters. He’d even gone to her wedding the previous summer, travelling back to Virginia to the place of his birth.
Yet, when she asked about his parents, he generally kept his answers vague and brief. Something, or someone, in his past had hurt him. Deeply. Regardless of his hesitance to share details about his mother and father, he spoke fondly about the ranch his father owned in Kansas and the summers he spent there as a boy, learning how to work leather and make saddles from an old cowboy named Butch.
Since it wasn’t her place to pry into his past, Posey had never pressed Tad for more details about his family. She hoped he’d someday tell her his whole story, but even if he didn’t, she could tell he loved his sister. She’d even noticed he held a great deal of admiration for his new brother-in-law.
Gloria had met Colin McDougal through her music, although Tad hadn’t elaborated much more than that. Posey knew Gloria had earned a scholarship to play at the prestigious Marlowe Conservatory of Music. Mr. McDougal worked at the school.
From things Tad had mentioned, Posey arrived at the conclusion the Palmer family had a little money to spare, especially since the few photos she’d seen of the family made them appear quite well-to-do.
Tad shared much in common with his father, from his handsome appearance to his bearing. Gloria was beautiful, with a crown of rich, luxurious hair. Tad had told her it was auburn and that his sister’s eyes were green. She resembled her mother, although Emmeline Palmer lacked the easy warmth so evident in Gloria and Tad.
Mindful of Tad’s feelings on the subject of his parents, she guided the conversation back to Gloria’s music.
Tad played the fiddle well, although he kept the fact to himself. He’d told Posey if everyone found out he could play, he’d end up having to join the musicians at every community dance instead of sweeping her across the floor.
Posey rather liked the notion of being in Tad’s arms, even for the short time a dance or two lasted.
Thinking about those strong, solid arms wrapped around her, she gazed at him, lost in her daydreams and missed his question.
“Is that okay with you?” he asked, awaiting her response.
“I’m sorry, Tad. I must have been woolgathering.” A flush warmed her cheeks to have been caught with her thoughts elsewhere. At least Tad didn’t know they lingered on how attractive she found him, especially with that slight growth of stubble on his face. It only served to accent the enticing shape of his lips and the tempting dimple in his chin. Posey had dreamed so many times of kissing that spot then working her way up to his tempting mouth.
Mortified by her wayward thoughts, she straightened in her chair while Tad smirked at her. “Just what, exactly, are you thinking?”
“Never mind,” she said, handing him the bowl of corn just to have something to do.
Tad shook his head as he took the bowl from her and added a scoop of corn to his plate. “You were thinking something that made you look as guilty as all get out, Posey Jo. You better fess up.”
A warm, molten feeling began in the pit of her stomach. It worked its way out to every extremity at his use of the name only he called her. Even John had never called her Posey Jo.
Something about the way Tad said it, the way his voice seemed to caress it, always left her languid and delighted. That name and the way it rolled off his tongue gave her hope that he might care for her more than she knew.
“I’m not confessing anything. Now, please repeat your question.” Posey gave him an imperial look that drew out a broad smile.
Tad watched her face for a moment, making her want to squirm under his intent perusal. She wondered what he saw, what he thought when he looked at her that way.
Finally, he spoke. “I asked if you minded joining Tully, Maggie, and Thane after church Sunday. Maggie is making Easter dinner at Tully’s. Her apartment is too small to hold very many people and Thane lives too far out of town, not that his cabin could hold many anyway. Tully has the biggest place and it’s close to town. They invited us to join them, but I wanted to make sure you didn’t have other plans.”
Posey liked that Tad thought in terms of them being an “us” and he wanted to pay heed to her preferences. “That sounds wonderful, Tad. I’ll get in touch with Maggie. I was planning on fixing a big meal anyway, so perhaps Maggie would like to hold it here. I’m sure my kitchen is better suited to preparing a big meal than the sheriff’s.”
Tad grinned. “Most likely. I’m not sure Tully knows one end of a frying pan from the other.”
Posey laughed and gave Tad a pointed glare. “And you do? Last time I checked, you weren’t overly proficient in the kitchen.”
“Well, that’s because you insist on keeping me well fed most of the time.”
“That’s not true. You only eat with us once or twice a week. Back when we first moved here, you joined John and me every day for meals.”
“That’s because I lived in the tent next to yours and we pooled our funds to buy food.” Tad’s smile faded. “Do you ever miss those days, Posey?”
Somber, she nodded. “As crazy as it sounds, I do. But life has become sweet again and I wouldn’t trade time spent with you two for anything.” She ruffled a hand through Nate’s disheveled hair, drawing a smile from the boy as he ate the last bite of his bread.
“I’m done, Mama. May I please be excused?”
At her nod, he jumped off his chair and hurried out the door.
“Stay in the yard!” she called after him before he slammed the door behind him.
Out the window, Posey saw Nate running back and forth through the grass with Agnes. The farm dog had come out of hiding and lounged in the shade of a tree, watching the boy and goat.
“I’ve never seen anything like that goat out there,” Tad mused, pointing to the goat as it leaped over the fence. Nate hurried to open the gate and coax her back into the yard.
“Agnes is one of a kind.” Posey stood and started clearing the table. She turned from setting dishes in the sink to find Tad standing close behind her, holding dirty plates.
Caught off guard by his proximity, she took a deep breath, inhaling his masculine scent blended with a whiff of leather. Tad always smelled of leather. Posey drew another deep breath, relishing the aroma.
She glanced up and saw something heated flicker in his blue eyes. Convinced she imagined the emotion in his expression, she took the plates from him and set them in the sink. When she turned back around, he’d moved away, picking up more of the dishes.
Later, after they’d enjoyed slices of warm peach pie made from her precious stash of canned peaches, Tad leaned back in his chair and rubbed a hand over his flat belly.
“See, if I ate like this every night, I’d be as big around as a wash tub and only slightly less spry.”
Posey laughed. “I highly doubt that, Tad Palmer. You work too hard to put on any extra weight.”
“Still, it’s best I not be tempted by your good cooking too often.” His heated look made her
heart accelerate again. “You offer any number of temptations I find hard to resist.”
Uncertain if Tad referred to her cooking or something else, Posey ignored the excited fluttering in her stomach and rose to her feet. “Want to see my latest project?”
“Of course,” Tad said, following her down the hall to a bedroom she’d converted into her workroom.
As a widow with a baby, Posey turned her talent for quilting into a business. The mercantile and Tad both carried the quilts she made. She also created special order quilts. Since the house John had built for her had three bedrooms, she’d converted the extra bedroom into a place to do her quilting. Tad had built quilt frames that were lightweight and easy for her to set up by herself. He’d also insisted she be the first to use one of the new sewing machines he began carrying in his shop.
Posey could sew a simple quilt top in a day with the sewing machine and, working steadily, could have a quilt ready to sell in a week.
Tad had suggested she sell The Limitless Mine after John’s death and she hadn’t argued. He’d found a buyer and made sure she got a fair price for it. The funds from the mine sale had gone a long way in providing for her and Nate, but she knew she’d eventually need a source of income. So she took her love of stitching and creating quilts and turned it into a profitable enterprise.
One Tad had whole-heartedly supported.
Posey stepped into the room and motioned to a dark blue and white quilt she had in the frame. Nearly half of it bore beautiful stitching, the result of tedious quilting.
Tad wiped his hand along the side of his trousers before reaching out to touch intricate stitches she worked into a white square of fabric surrounded by blue squares with a white flower pattern sewn into the center.
“I like this one, Posey. What’s it called?” he asked, bending closer to study her fine work.
“Wandering Foot.” She smiled as she picked up a small pair of scissors and snipped a loose thread.
Tad laughed. “And who is this one for?”
“Mrs. Hilldebrand ordered it as a going away gift for the Lamond family. They’re leaving in two weeks to move to Oregon City.”
He chuckled. “Well, it’s a fitting title for it, then. Isn’t this about the third time the Lamonds have moved back here and left again?”
“Yes, I believe it is. I feel sorry for Mrs. Lamond and the children. It must be so hard to move every year or so.” Posey glanced out the window and watched Nate playing with Agnes, the dog, and two fuzzy gray kittens. “I like staying in one place. Staying here.”
Tad nodded in agreement. “When we first moved here, I wasn’t sure Baker City would ever feel like home, but it certainly does now. I wouldn’t want to live elsewhere.”
She cocked her head and offered him a saucy smile. “We wouldn’t let you leave, even if you wanted to. Nate and I would miss you far too much.”
“We’ll, I’m glad to hear that,” Tad said. He took something from his pocket and handed it to her.
She accepted the small parcel, wrapped in a scrap of blue cloth and tied with a bit of string. “What’s this?” Her eyes lifted to his in question.
“Just something I made.” Tad stepped back and shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets.
With him eyeing her expectantly, Posey untied the string then turned back the fabric, revealing a piece of leather shaped like the finger of a glove.
Uncertain, she looked to Tad.
He grinned and picked up the leather sleeve, sliding it over the middle finger on her right hand. The soft leather molded to her finger. “It’s a quilting thimble. I thought you might like it, rather than a traditional hard thimble.”
“Oh, it’s lovely, Tad.” Posey sat in the chair next to the quilt and picked up the needle she’d poked into the fabric to mark her place. She quickly quilted several stitches then smiled up at him. “It’s wonderful, Tad! I love it!” Without giving a thought to her actions, she jumped to her feet and offered him an exuberant hug. “Thank you!”
Although he hesitated at first, eventually his arms wrapped around her and he returned her hug. His chuckles vibrated through her as she stood with her cheek pressed against his chest. “If I’d known I’d get a reaction like this out of you, I would have made that silly thing a long time ago.”
Posey grinned. “Just imagine what might happen if you make me another.”
He made a sound deep in his throat that could have been a growl before he expelled a long sigh and stepped away from her.
Posey felt bereft without his arms around her, but she had no right to ask him to hold her again.
She certainly had no right to beg him to love her, although it was on the tip of her tongue to say the words.
Before the moment grew serious, she removed the thimble and left it on the quilt, leading the way back to the kitchen. She poured a cup of coffee and handed it to him then leaned against the counter.
“Do I get my concert tonight?” she asked.
“What concert might that be?” Tad feigned ignorance.
“You playing the fiddle. That concert.” She waggled her finger toward the window. “I can see your fiddle case on the saddle. Why don’t we take our coffee outside and you can play on the porch?”
Tad followed her outside and handed her his cup. “I didn’t know Agnes and the other critters needed musical inspiration.”
“Of course, they do.” Posey set their cups on a table between two rocking chairs and took a seat.
Nate ran over and climbed up on her lap. The dog and kittens joined them on the porch. Agnes jumped up and walked across the top of the porch railing while Tad took the fiddle out of the case and tuned the strings.
As he launched into a lively tune, Posey leaned back and watched his every move. She loved to see his fingers dance across the strings, his broad shoulders bowed slightly forward as he played.
With his sister’s talent at the piano, she assumed Tad’s musical abilities had to be something he inherited, although he claimed neither his mother nor father seemed particularly musical. While he played just for fun, Gloria’s music was something he referred to as a God-given gift.
Nate leaned back against her and clapped his little hands as Tad segued into another fast song.
Throughout his concert, she studied him, elated he shared something so special with them, yet saddened that he felt the need to hide his talent from others.
Considering how stubborn he was, about everything from playing the fiddle in front of others to paying what he saw as his dues, she wondered how hard she’d have to work to change his mind.
Posey held back a sigh. How could she convince the thickheaded man she was irrevocably in love with him?
Chapter Four
Tad clenched his jaw as Sheriff Tully Barrett leaned close to Posey and said something that made her smile. The man had been particularly attentive to her throughout the meal, drawing Tad’s scrutiny and irritation.
He’d never noticed the sheriff expressing any interest in Posey before, so he wondered why the friendly, good-looking man of the law suddenly seemed intent on hovering around her.
Right after the church service, Tad had driven Posey and Nate back to their little farm where she’d arranged with Maggie Dalton to host Easter dinner.
Maggie had agreed Posey’s kitchen would be far easier to use than Tully’s and had no problem in moving their gathering from his place.
Tad admired the close friendship shared by Tully, Maggie, and Thane Jordan. They’d been friends since they all arrived in Baker City, close to the time he had arrived with Posey and John. Tully and Thane had worked with Maggie’s husband in a mine until Daniel Dalton was killed.
After his death, the two friends kept watch over Maggie, much as Tad had kept an eye on Posey.
While Tad had fallen head over heels in love with Posey, neither Tully or Thane appeared enamored with Maggie. In fact, they acted like siblings, constantly teasing and arguing with each other.
If Tad hadn’t alr
eady been so blinded with love for Posey, he might have given Maggie a second glance. The woman was beautiful with her dark hair and eyes, vibrant personality, and no-nonsense approach to life. Fun and witty, Maggie was also a fine horsewoman not to mention a talented seamstress. She ran her own dressmaking shop just around the corner and down the street from his business.
Then again, he had no intention to wed. If things had been different, if Posey had been open to accepting his love, he might have considering breaking the promise he made himself to remain single. Since she clearly would never love anyone but John, Tad could love her from afar and maintain his plans to remain unattached.
A conniving girl and his mother had made certain he was indefinitely soured on marriage and relationships. Arabella had been so beautiful. The first time Tad had set eyes on her when he was seventeen he’d been smitten with her. She used that to her advantage, worming her way into his affections and scheming with his mother to become his bride. Enamored with the girl, Tad would have given her the world on a silver platter. Then he’d found her ardently kissing one of his so-called friends. When he confronted them both, Arabella confessed she didn’t truly care for him and had only gone along with his mother’s plans to unite their families and further her wealthy ambitions.
Heartbroken and devastated, Tad had packed his things and left. The only money he took with him was what he’d earned himself from work he’d done on the Kansas ranch. He’d thought about going there to live, but decided he needed to get farther away from his parents and their connections, so he made his way to Oregon.
In the process, he’d met John and Posey Jacobs. And for that, he was forever grateful.
Tad pulled his thoughts back to those gathered at Posey’s home to celebrate Easter, studying the guests. Even if he was interested in Maggie, and he most definitely wasn’t, it appeared the woman’s indifference to the lumberyard owner didn’t thwart Ian McGregor’s interest in her.
Tad's Treasure (Grandma's Wedding Quilts Book 12) Page 4