An Unexpected Groom

by Nerys Leigh

  Ransom gave him a short nod and then carried on to the lobby, returning a few minutes later and disappearing back into his own area without another word.

  Jesse sat back, tapping the end of his pencil absently against his jaw. Since when did Ransom ever feel the need to tell anyone other than their boss what he did? Since never, that was when. That could indicate worry. Trouble was, Jesse didn’t know if it should make him happy or uncomfortable that Ransom suspected he might be onto him.

  Or maybe he was reading too much into the whole situation and nothing at all was going on. After all, he hadn’t found anything incriminating in the ledgers, just one small thing that might be nothing. All he had to go on was what could be a completely innocent mistake on the part of a customer and his own projections of guilt onto Ransom.

  Dropping his pencil onto the desk, he heaved a sigh and rubbed both hands over his face. This was getting him nowhere. He should just go back to constantly obsessing over Louisa. At least that was more fun.

  “You okay?”

  He looked up to see Adam standing in the doorway to the lobby.

  For a moment he considered telling his friend everything, about Ransom, about Foster, about breaking into the bank and stealing the ledgers. But Adam had his own problems. The last thing Jesse wanted was to add to them.

  “Just tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  Adam raised his eyebrows. “Thoughts about Louisa keeping you up?”

  Jesse smiled. “You could say that. What about you and Amy?”

  Adam walked to the supply cupboard and took out a stack of deposit slips. “For the first three nights I barely closed my eyes. Then it all caught up with me and I slept like the dead. Seems to have evened out now, thankfully.” He headed back to the lobby. “See you later.”

  Jesse watched him go then leaned his head on his hand again. If only thoughts of Louisa were the only distraction he had to contend with.

  Chapter 14

  Jesse arrived at precisely three minutes to five that afternoon. Louisa knew this because she was sitting by the window in the parlour, alternating her gaze between the road and the clock and barely looking at the copy of The Pilgrim’s Progress on her lap Mrs Jones had suggested she read. She was learning a lot from the book, but the closer it came to the time Jesse had said he’d pick her up, the more her concentration wandered.

  As soon as he pulled up in his buggy she closed the book, leapt to her feet, and grabbed her shawl from beside her.

  “He’s here,” she called as she hurried through to the hallway.

  Mrs Jones appeared in the kitchen doorway. “Should I expect you back before tomorrow morning?”

  Louisa laughed and gave her a quick hug on the way to the front door. “No breaking into banks planned for tonight.”

  Jesse smiled as she walked along the path through the front yard towards him. “I haven’t seen that dress before. That colour looks beautiful on you.”

  She looked down at her lilac dress with the square neckline, the one she’d always liked but her mother said washed out her colouring. “Thank you.” She gave Duke a pat then climbed in beside Jesse, glancing back at the picnic basket behind her seat as they started off. “Where are we going?”

  “There’s a lake in the foothills about a half hour away. It’s the perfect place for a picnic.”

  “Sounds wonderful.” Anywhere she could spend time alone with Jesse sounded wonderful to her. “How are your legs? Are you still in pain?”

  He guided them left onto the main street. “They’re fine. I went over to my parents and my pa helped me with them. Mostly I can do the massaging myself, but he helps when they get bad.”

  She didn’t like the idea of him suffering. “Do you get a lot of pain?”

  “No, not much. Mostly at the end of the day, sometimes when I wake up. And my muscles spasm sometimes. But it’s not bad. Just gets worse when I fall asleep at my desk. Last night wasn’t the first time that’s happened and it probably won’t be the last.” He stopped the buggy to let a wagon past, waving to the driver, then turned right onto a side road leading out of town. “So how did it go this morning? Did you manage to sneak back in undetected?”

  She looked down at her lap. “Not exactly.”

  His eyes widened. “You got caught?”

  “Turns out Mrs Jones likes to spend time praying and gardening early in the morning. I had no idea.”

  “What did you tell her?” He looked as though he was wondering if he needed to leave town.

  Louisa couldn’t resist. “I said we were so exhausted that we fell asleep and didn’t realise what the time was.”

  “W-what?” he choked out.

  She only managed five seconds with a straight face before her giggle escaped.

  His expression of horror became a laugh and he shook his head. “You really had me scared there for a second. So you got back in all right?”

  “Oh no, that part was true. She really was there when I got back.”

  His jaw dropped again. It was adorable. “So what did you tell her?”

  “I told her the truth. She promised she wouldn’t tell anyone about your suspicions. She was very understanding. It’s okay, isn’t it? I didn’t know what else to do.”

  He looked forward, guiding Duke onto a narrow road along the side of a field of wheat. “It’s okay, I don’t mind her knowing.” He glanced at her sideways. “I’m just relieved she doesn’t think we were... you know.”

  “Don’t worry, she trusts you,” she said, smiling. “Oh, she wanted to know what you found out from the ledgers and I realised I forgot to ask you before I left. Did you find proof?”

  “No, I didn’t find anything.” He paused. “Well, I may have found something, but I’m not sure.”

  “You’re not sure?”

  “Most of the amounts are exactly as they should be, but Mr Foster’s loan, there’s a place where a figure could have been changed. But it’s from a one to a seven and it’s possible I could have written it that way. I may just be seeing things because I want to. Not that it matters one way or the other because I can’t prove anything. I don’t understand it. I know something’s wrong, but I don’t know how to find out what it is.” He stared at a barn roof just visible over the tops of the trees away to their left and heaved a sigh that broke her heart. “Most folks round here don’t have that much, but they work hard and they’re doing their best to provide for their families and their futures. I hate the thought that Ransom could be doing something to take that from them. Even a small amount could break some of them.” He shook his head and lowered his eyes to Duke’s back. “But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Ransom isn’t guilty of anything. Maybe I’m just being paranoid.”

  It was the first time she’d seen him doubt himself. It felt... wrong.

  She touched her fingers to his jaw and turned him to face her. “Do you believe you’re wrong?”

  His eyes flicked between hers, as if he could find the answer there. “No.”

  “Then you’re not wrong. You’ll find it somehow, and I’ll help in any way I can.”

  His gaze held hers and then dropped to her lips, just for a moment.

  She suddenly realised she was still touching his face and that, at some point, she had leaned towards him. She quickly lowered her hand to her lap and sat back.

  He gave her a small smile. “Thank you. It means a lot that you believe me.”

  She nodded and looked forward, willing her heart to slow.

  She was fairly sure she’d wanted to kiss him just then, with her fingertips touching the smooth skin of his cheek and his eyes gazing into hers. There hadn’t been a conscious thought, but deep down the desire was there, prodding her closer.

  She’d never been kissed by a man before. On the lips, anyway. The several times on the hand didn’t count. At least, with most men it didn’t count. She thought back to how Jesse had kissed her hand that morning. That had felt entirely different and most certainly like it counted. But then
Jesse wasn’t most men.

  What would it be like to be kissed, properly kissed, by him? Would his lips be soft? They looked soft. Would he wrap his arms around her? Would her lips tingle just as her hand had? Would she know what to do? Would he be able to tell she’d never been kissed before? Would he mind?

  “What are you thinking about?”

  Louisa started at the question, eyes whipping to Jesse. He couldn’t possibly know she’d been thinking about kissing him. Could he?

  “Uh, I was just thinking about...” she frantically cast about for something to say, “apples.” Apples?

  He looked confused. “Apples?”

  “Yes. I was just wondering if you’d brought any. I find I have a sudden desire for an apple.”

  “I did bring a couple. You must really love apples.”

  Now she was confused. “I, um, they’re nice. Why do you say that?”

  “Because from the look on your face, you were thinking about something you enjoy a lot.”

  Don’t blush. Do not blush. “I... yes, apples are a favourite of mine. Very much so.”

  She feigned interest in a tree they were passing so she could turn her face away from him. In case her desperate efforts to not blush failed her.

  They reached the lake twenty minutes later. Twenty minutes of enjoying Jesse’s company while trying to not think about kissing him. Or at least, trying not to look like she was thinking about kissing him.

  “There’s a real nice place down there,” he said, pointing to a track leading into the trees separating the road from the lake’s shore. “You can see all the way up the lake to the mountains.”

  She twisted in her seat to peer along the track as they passed. “We aren’t going there?”

  “Not right now. That’s Adam’s favourite spot and I don’t want to risk him showing up to our picnic. Today I want you all to myself.”

  She couldn’t help smiling as she turned her attention to the road ahead of them. When she first arrived, his forwardness had shocked her. Now she knew it was just part of who he was. And she couldn’t deny she loved it.

  He took them further along the lake, eventually pulling into a stand of trees and bringing the buggy to a halt by an outcrop of rock that overhung the water and sloped down to meet the shore. The trees filtered the sunlight, dappling the ground in a latticework of gold and shadow and casting shimmering green patterns on the gently undulating water. Birds sang amongst the leaves overhead and insects buzzed between the wildflowers dotting the ground.

  “It’s beautiful,” Louisa breathed, climbing from the buggy the moment Jesse set the brake and turning in a circle to take everything in. “Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”

  She surprised herself. She’d read the verse in Matthew that morning, but she didn’t expect to remember it.

  “The Lord certainly didn’t hold back when He designed this place,” Jesse said.

  He pulled the lever on the ingenious contraption his father had built into the buggy that held his wheelchair while travelling and lowered it to the ground beside him when he needed it.

  She could be happy in a place like this, Louisa had no doubt. She looked over at Jesse where he was moving onto his chair. She could be happy with a man like him.

  Would remaining in the same social circle really be so bad if it meant she could feel this way for the rest of her life?

  Jesse unhitched Duke while she stepped up onto the rocky outcrop and wandered to the edge of the overhang, leaning over to peer into the water. Even though the surface was only three feet or so below her, the rippling reflections made it impossible to see the bottom.

  She watched a small fish swim past close to the surface, its scales shimmering silver. “How deep is it?”

  “Hmm?” he said, lifting the picnic basket and blanket from the buggy.

  “The lake, how deep is it?”

  “I’m not sure. Further out it’s deep enough to not be able to touch the bottom. I swim here a lot.”

  She looked back at him. “You can swim?” Just a few days ago she would have been embarrassed asking such a question, but now there wasn’t even a hint of awkwardness. It felt good being so comfortable around him.

  “My pa took me into the water from when I was young. He figured it would give me confidence and help my muscles and he was right. I enjoy swimming. Being in the water makes me feel almost normal.”

  She looked back at the lake. In the heat of the day it looked cool and inviting. “I’d love to be able to swim.”

  “Maybe I could teach you one day.”

  He said it matter-of-factly, as if he was suggesting they take a stroll around the town, but Louisa knew the implication. There was no way they’d be able to get into the water together without being husband and wife. She didn’t reply, even though the thought of Jesse teaching her to swim was far from unpleasant.

  “The food is ready,” he said, “whenever you are.”

  A flash of colour in the water caught her attention and she moved closer to the edge to get a better look.

  “Be careful up there,” he called. “The rocks can get slippery.”

  “I see the most wonderful coloured fish.” She took another step forward, her eyes on the water.

  Something crumbled under her feet and she cried out as her footing slipped from beneath her and she plummeted forward.

  The last thing she heard was Jesse screaming her name. And then she hit the lake.

  Cold water rushed in around her body and face. Her dress billowed on the surface, entangling her in its suddenly sodden folds. Panicking, she flailed against the fabric, struggling to free herself. Water rushed into her mouth, her nose.

  Hands grabbed her, pulling her to the surface. The material of her dress was tugged from around her face and shoulders. She opened her eyes to see Jesse’s face inches from hers.

  A fit of coughing seized her and she clutched at his shoulders, gasping in air and frantically trying to stay above the water.

  “Just relax and breathe,” he said, sounding calm despite the fear in his voice. “You’re safe.”

  “Can’t... swim,” she spluttered.

  “It’s not deep here. Just put your feet down.”

  She shook her head and threw her arms around his neck, clutching onto him. He sank under her weight, his head dipping beneath the surface. She let go, horrified, and immediately began to sink herself.

  Jesse bobbed back up and shook wet tendrils of hair from his eyes. “Louisa, listen to me. Put your feet down.”

  His commanding tone penetrated her frenzied panic and, heart pounding, she obeyed. Her feet touched more or less solid ground. The water still came to her chest, but she could easily stand.

  “Oh,” she said, her fear slipping away. Embarrassment replaced it.

  “Are you all right?”

  She nodded. “Thank you for saving me.”

  “Are you hurt at all?”

  She shook her head and tried to smile. “Only my pride.”

  He blew out a breath. “You scared me half to death there. I thought you were drowning.”

  “So did I.” She shifted her feet on the bottom of the lake. “Drowned in four feet of water. How humiliating would that have been?”

  “Don’t worry, I would have told everyone you were hauled in by a huge monster and fought valiantly before finally succumbing.”

  “How noble of you.” She looked at the water around them. “Wait, there aren’t any...?”

  “No, no monsters that I know of. Still, I’ve only been swimming here for twenty-five years so you never know.”

  Smiling, she gave his shoulder a small push.

  He was gazing into her face, his eyes dancing with warmth, and she found she couldn’t look away. Or maybe she simply didn’t want to look away. Even soaking wet he was beautiful, droplets of water adorning his skin like diamonds.

  Realisation hit her. “You’re standing!”

  “Not really,” he said, smiling. “My
feet are on the bottom, but the water is supporting most of my weight. If I was truly standing, I’d be taller.”

  He was using one hand to stabilise himself on the rock at the side of the lake and his face was more or less on the same level as hers.

  She looked down, trying to see the rest of him through the water. “How tall are you?”

  He shrugged one shoulder. “I’m not completely sure. From when I was about five, every year on my birthday my pa would get me to lie on the floor and then he’d lie next to me to compare our heights. I finally caught up with him when I was fifteen. Think I grew maybe another inch or two after that before I stopped.”

  “How tall is he?”

  “Six feet and four inches.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “You’re really tall.”

  “Not that anyone notices, but yes.”

  She looked at the rock beside them. “I noticed. I mean, I didn’t know how tall, but I noticed you have long legs and arms so I thought you must be taller than most men.”

  She didn’t have to be looking directly at him to see the smile slide onto his face.

  “You noticed that, did you?”

  She tried to sound casual. “I might have, in passing.”

  “In passing,” he repeated, drifting a little closer.

  “Just in passing.” Her gaze moved to his hair, darkened by the water and curling in gentle waves to his wide shoulders.

  His hair.

  She raised a hand to her head and felt the sodden mess of the remains of her chignon. Gasping, she spun away from him as fast as the water and her floating clothing would allow.

  “Louisa, what’s wrong?”

  “Don’t look at me, I must be an absolute fright.” She ran her fingers over her hair, trying in vain to push the drenched strands into some semblance of order.

  He touched her shoulder and gently rotated her back round to face him.

  “Oh my goodness,” he exclaimed, his smile changing to a comically overwrought expression of horror, “you’re right! You are utterly hideous. I can barely stand to look at you!”

  Suppressing the urge to smile, she donned her best hurt look, complete with trembling lower lip, and turned away again.