A Courageous Bride to Bring Him Hope: A Historical Western Romance Book

by Cassidy Hanton

  For that she felt like smacking herself on the forehead, because apparently that was where she was drawing the line, which was ridiculous. Clementine dealt with rude customers all day and as it turned out she was far more afraid of dancing. She forced herself to stop stressing, it was taking her nowhere.

  Alexander was looking at her with an amused expression on his face. "What are you thinking about, so intently?" he inquired.

  She wondered for a heartbeat what was she supposed to say. The truth was too embarrassing to share. "Oh nothing," she started, waving with her hand, buying herself a few more moments of time. "I am just surprised to see you here," and that was the truth.

  He raised an eyebrow at that. "And why is that?"

  She shrugged. "You simply do not look like the type..."

  "Who enjoys dancing?" he finished. "I love to dance."

  Only then did Clementine realize her mistake. As she wracked her brain how to change the subject, Alexander saved her the trouble by continuing.

  "I actually like fairs in general."

  That surprised her even more. "Really?"

  "Yes," he replied a bit sheepishly, putting a hand through his black hair. "Ever since I was a small boy. It was something me and my..." he cleared his throat before trying again. “Me and my sister, rather enjoyed.”

  “I am having a hard time picturing you as a child. Are you truly trying to tell me you were not born as a thirty-year-old man,” she teased. Clementine sensed that his revelation about his sister cost him dearly, for some reason, and she tried to make him laugh.

  It worked. “Sometimes, I have troubles as well,” he joked back.

  “As for the fair, I am starting to see the appeal as well,” Clementine said.

  “You were not an aficionado before?”

  “No, not so much.” Clementine knew she went with her mother and father when she was a little girl. Unfortunately, she saw some man choke to death on candy and didn’t care for the whole affair ever since.

  How strange that Clementine remembered that now. She completely forgot about that incident.

  “Well, I am glad you are changing your mind,” Alexander said honestly, snapping her from her reverie.

  “Me too.”

  They looked at one another and smiled. And once again she was struck by the beauty of his smile, the glint in his eyes. It was not common for her to describe someone as pretty, however, Alexander was just that. Even the sun-darkened skin, a few wrinkles around his eyes, a couple of strands of hair that were lighter than the rest, only enhanced the whole picture.

  The silence stretched between them.

  Say something, she implored. Clementine could not decide if the plea was for him or for her. While Clementine tried to force her brain to function again, feeling a bit irked she was acting as though this was the first time she was in the company of a man, Alexander was the one that broke the spell.

  He looked at all the dancing couples. The music changed as well. A song with a much slower tempo began to play. Clementine felt like cursing. The way he glanced at her, she was certain he was about to ask her for a dance.

  “Would you care...” he started.

  She started to panic about what to do, as her palms started to sweat. The problem was, despite her being the complete ignorant about such things, she wanted to dance with Alexander.

  “To dance?”

  “Yes,” she blurted out before she could stop herself. “But I do not know how,” she added in haste, partially hoping he wouldn’t insist.

  His smile was reassuring. He offered her his hand, the left one. “It is not that difficult. Just follow my lead, try to do what I do,” he explained.

  Clementine made a face. “I was afraid you were going to say that.” Her comment made him laugh even more.

  He dragged her to the dance floor as her heart rate quickened. They were standing so close to one another Clementine could smell the soap he used to clean himself up. It was a nice smell and she felt like leaning even further, taking a deeper breath; she managed to stop herself from doing something like that, but it was hard. Being this close to him, she found him irresistible.

  And when she looked into his eyes, it was to find the same look reflected back at her. He was struggling just as much as she was with their proximity.

  She glanced at the others. The dancing pairs completely ignored them, moving about even though Clementine and Alexander were just standing in the middle of the dance floor. That reassured her, nobody would judge her. Everybody was having too much fun to care.

  “As for the leg movements, we will make five quick steps to the right, do a turn then repeat the process.”

  That didn’t sound so bad, she realized, as she repeated what he told her, but what did she know, she had two left feet. It would be terrible if she stepped on him or even worse, fell.

  Alexander noticed her nervousness. “Just breath. Don’t worry if you mess up, just relax and trust me,” he added winking. That did the trick, Clementine took a deep breath and nodded.

  “Ready?”

  “Ready,” she replied with a smile.

  Alexander started moving them to the left and Clementine tried to follow. Despite knowing what she was supposed to do, her feet misbehaved. That made her laugh. She was like a toddler learning to walk for the first time.

  “You are doing famously,” he encouraged.

  “Thank you.”

  She must have stepped on his feet a hundred times during that first dance. Afterward, she simply stopped counting. Alexander never complained though, continuing to dance with her, encouraging her while giving her small pieces of advice.

  Clementine would later dwell on the fact of how wonderful she felt in his arms. However, she was too busy praying not to fall on her face to do that now, even though she was certain Alexander would not allow such a thing. Clementine did not want to take her chances.

  There were far more steps than he claimed and she was enjoying herself. All her worries were quickly forgotten, and she was simply having a wonderful time.

  Once another song ended, they stopped. “I need a minute to catch my breath,” Clementine confessed. She could feel her cheeks were ablaze and she was thirsty. She guessed that for something like this, she had to be in far better shape.

  “Let me get you some punch,” he offered, dashing away. Clementine liked to be served for a change.

  “Thank you,” she said accepting the glass when he returned. She drank everything in one go.

  “Would you care for another?” Alexander asked, offering her his own drink.

  “No, thank you. This one was perfect.”

  “So, did you enjoy it?” he inquired.

  “Yes, there’s not much alcohol in it.”

  Alexander burst out laughing. “I was talking about dancing.”

  “I honestly did, thank you for teaching me,” she replied in all truthfulness.

  “I am glad. Do you want another spin?”

  “Perhaps later. I am out of breath.”

  “Would you care for a walk then? I cannot hear myself think in this place.” Alexander offered.

  Clementine tried really hard not to get giddy since he wanted to spend more time in her company. “Yes, a walk would be lovely.”

  Clementine glanced behind herself on their way out of the hall. Viola and Garry were still dancing together and by the looks of it, they did not plan on slowing down. Clementine decided not to bother them since they were clearly having fun, and she wouldn’t be missed for a little while.

  The air felt a bit chilly after that crowded hall and it felt nice to her heated body. Alexander took his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders.

  “Thank you.”

  He simply nodded in return.

  Without words, they both turned left and started walking away from the crowd and excitement. With each step, the streets around them grew darker and quieter. Clementine did not feel scared being alone with Alexander, quite the contrary. He was making her feel saf
e, protected, things she wasn’t accustomed to, and that made her a tad uneasy.

  She was certain he would never intentionally hurt her. Clementine’s heart was bruised, and she was afraid. On the other hand, she had to consider Alexander already did protect her once and Clementine was certain he would do it again.

  All the same, that was not the reason she felt comfortable in his presence. The feeling had nothing with what he could do and everything to do with who he was. Clementine just prayed her senses were not lying to her.

  Please God let him be one of the few good men, she prayed.

  Needing something to distract herself, Clementine asked Alexander a question. “So, how are you enjoying your leisure time in Courtfield?” she teased.

  He chuckled. “You mock me, but I have to tell you, I am not regretting my decision.”

  Clementine was pleased with his reply, more than she cared to admit. “Especially since you got a chance to be a part of the greatest annual fair this part of the country has to offer.”

  “Precisely,” he said while nodding. “Were you born in Courtfield?”

  Clementine nodded. “My family owned a ranch in these parts and Courtfield was the nearest town.” It was hard to reach it. They came to town only when they needed to buy important provisions, and for church.

  Alexander chuckled. He eyed her with amusement, scratching his bare chin. “I just knew you were born and raised cowgirl.”

  “I am,” she replied instantly and they both laughed.

  Clementine enjoyed their small talk. They talked about nothing in particular as the time flew by. As before, Clementine did not learn a great deal about him regarding where he originally was from. Did he have just one sibling or many? At the same time, she felt as though she learned very much since her first impressions about him were confirmed. He was a decent man, with a strict moral code.

  Besides, from little pieces of information, he did share, it was obvious to Clementine he led a rather hard life. He was still here though, living, working, enjoying his leisure time. That showed her he was a fighter, just like she was, and that was certainly something she could respect and relate to.

  “Were you always a bounty hunter?” Clementine asked, curious about his answer. A part of her wondered if he was going to answer at all and was cheered when he did.

  “No. I was trained as a soldier, however, I decided to become an officer of the law when I reached the required age. I was a sheriff for a long time, in my hometown.”

  “Truly?” Clementine was impressed. She could picture him with a star attached to his shirt. Naturally, she was intrigued by what made him stop.

  “Yes, but I grew tired of it,” he replied vaguely.

  “Being a bounty hunter is far more interesting and challenging,” she joked.

  “Something like that,” he replied with a crooked smile.

  “Must be rather lonely, with all the traveling,” Clementine guessed.

  Alexander shrugged in return. “It can be. On the bright side, I taught James, my horse, to play chess, which in retrospect was a mistake. He is constantly beating me now,” he deadpanned, and Clementine laughed so hard her stomach started to ache.

  “Could I ask you a personal question?” he continued once the laughter settled a bit. “And if I’m crossing the line, and you don’t feel like answering, you can send me straight to the place where the sun don’t shine.”

  Clementine was still in high spirits. “What a prelude. I would never do that, send you to a place where the sun don’t shine,” she quoted him.

  “You might, so just know you have that option.”

  “Alexander, just ask me already,” she replied, impatiently.

  “Why the store?” he asked then added in haste as though afraid she would get offended. “I’m not judging, I’m simply curious. You look more like a schoolteacher that likes to do rodeos on the weekends than a woman selling alcohol to drunks.”

  Clementine was amused by his words. It was good to hear how he saw her.

  “I would be a terrible teacher. I think I lack the patience to deal with children.” On the other hand, she dealt with Johnny and Tonny on a daily basis and they were far worse than children.

  “Somehow, I doubt that,” Alexander apparently had the same idea. “So?” he prompted.

  “At first, it was a simple means to an end. However now, I like working with Garry and Osmond. Besides, once in a while, I even get an opportunity to meet someone new, interesting.”

  “What if you had a choice?”

  Clementine didn’t even have to think about that. “I would own a small ranch and work on it.” She’d never said that out loud before, yet that was her dream.

  “Thank you for telling me.”

  Clementine felt a bit self-conscious, not knowing what to say to that so she simply smiled and nodded in return.

  They walked a couple of feet more when someone appeared in front of them, jumping from the shadows. It was no ghost, or a beast, even though Clementine would prefer it.

  “So, you chose him,” a nasty voice spat.

  “Herbert, that is of no concern to you so simply get out of my way,” Clementine replied, trying really hard not to let this man, ruin her good mood.

  “Clementine I...” he started, and Alexander stopped him.

  “If you do not want a bruised jaw to go with your black eyes I suggest you keep walking and stop bothering Clementine.”

  Herbert eyed them both, as though calculating his odds, and found himself lacking. He spat on the ground next to her. “You are not worth the trouble,” he announced, walking away.

  “I’m sorry about that,” Clementine felt compelled to say. She did not know what got into Herbert to act in this fashion. He was always troublesome, yet this was definitely new.

  “No need for you to apologize. You did nothing wrong,” he was quick to reassure her.

  “I think we should head back. My friends are probably wondering where I am.”

  “Certainly.”

  They walked back in silence; it was not unpleasant. They ran into Viola and Garry at the entrance.

  Viola got that shrewd expression on her face while looking between Alexander and Clementine. “Here you are,” she said even though she meant much more.

  I think I’m in trouble.

  Chapter Eight

  Clementine did not appreciate how one glance from Viola could make her feel as though she was a small child. They were practically the same age, so the notion was utterly ridiculous. Besides, Clementine wasn’t doing anything wrong. She was a grown woman and was entitled to have a walk with her new friend if she so deemed fit.

  “We were just about to go look for you,” Garry told them, breaking the awkward silence.

  “We were just taking a small walk; it got rather stuffy inside,” Clementine explained, finding her voice at last.

  “I see,” Viola said, eyeing the pair. Clementine groaned inwardly as she made all the necessary introductions, all the while praying Viola would not ask Alexander anything inappropriate. It was written all over her face she had a million questions on her mind.

  Lucky me.

  “Now that you are in safe company, I think I’ll excuse myself,” Alexander announced.

  “What does that mean?” Clementine challenged. “‘In safe company,’” she repeated.

  “In the short period of time that I’ve known you, you struck me as a type of person who unintentionally and easily gets into trouble, that’s all,” he explained, with a shrug, and in good humor.

  Clementine gasped in outrage as her friends started to laugh. She turned toward them accusatory, even though she couldn’t quite mask her smile. “You too?”

  Garry and Viola simply shrugged in return. “Sorry darling,” Garry said with a broad smile. “It’s true.”

  Alexander laughed out loud. “I knew I was right.”

  “Weren’t you leaving?” Clementine snapped back, all though her anger was all for show.

  “You
don’t have to leave on our account,” Viola urged all sweetly.

  “I must,” Alexander replied to her with a sigh. “But I will see you all soon. Goodnight.” He looked at Clementine. “Goodnight Clementine.”

  “Goodnight Alexander.” A part of her wished he wouldn’t leave since she did not want to stay alone with Viola. The other part prayed he was a fast runner. There was always a chance Viola was going to hunt him down to get her answers.