Vexed in Vermont (Yours Truly: The Lovelorn Book 12)

by Marie Higgins

  Adrian had wanted to kiss her. She’d wondered if it had been her imagination working overtime, but when they stood next to each other just before helping him to walk, she saw that look in his eyes – the same look that other men had given her. Adrian’s attention had moved to her mouth, and that’s when she knew she hadn’t been imagining it.

  It was easier getting Adrian home than she thought it would be. Once he had changed his clothes – with very little help from her – they were able to get him on the horse and ride home. She took him through the path that she had envisioned, and they arrived just before dusk. The family had been very happy to see him.

  The next day, Teddy had summoned the sheriff and Adrian told him about the three men. Adrian kept Nicolette out of it, mainly because he didn’t want everyone to know that she had taken care of him in her secret hideout. She was grateful he hadn’t told anyone.

  As the week progressed, there were no signs of the three strangers who wanted Adrian. She kept a close eye on him to make sure his arm was healing, and thankfully, he was gaining his strength quickly, and using his arm more and more.

  Having him back at the house meant that they didn’t have many moments to be alone, which was all right with her. Especially, when she still couldn’t figure out why she was so confused and why her body and mind had weakened whenever he was near.

  Adrian had indeed, changed. He wasn’t the heartless boy she remembered from her childhood. But because of that, she saw him as a real man... a handsome man who took her breath away whenever he smiled at her. Those few moments when they had briefly touched after they returned home, her body still burned, and her heartbeat still hammered crazily. At night just before going to sleep, his face was on her mind, and when she awoke the next morning, he was the first thing she thought about. At first, she wanted to think it was because she worried about his arm, but then after she realized he was healing nicely, she couldn’t use that excuse anymore.

  Her confused mind was what made her take a walk today, hoping that she’d be able to figure out her feelings. Bandit chased her for a little ways, and she threw a stick for the dog to fetch. But soon she lost interest. Patting his head, she smiled at his cute brown and white furry face.

  “Go back to the house and keep watch. I’ll be back soon.”

  Bandit whined and wagged his tail, but then soon turned and followed her instructions.

  The day was perfect for fishing, and she snatched her fishing pole and gear before hurrying toward the Ottauquechee River. Fishing had always been her way of finding peace and making important decisions in her life. Listening to the sound of the river flow over the rocks soothed her.

  Because it was difficult for her to fish while wearing a dress, she donned the men’s trousers she liked wearing, and a flannel shirt. She pulled back the bulk of her hair and tied it with a ribbon. It was much easier and relaxing to dress this way while fishing.

  She baited the hook with a worm and then threw the line into the river. Sitting back on the grassy bank, she shifted her position to make it more comfortable as she waited for the fish to tug on the line.

  She stared at the water and her mind drifted back to yesteryear when she was young and had just moved in with her aunt. At that time, Nicolette had still been grieving for the loss of her parents, and watching the river made her heart better. This one particular day, she had realized she wasn’t alone. Adrian and a girl were not too far from Nicolette, and soon, watching them had become more entertaining than watching her line in the water.

  Back then, Adrian had been such a flirt. Girls had liked him well enough, and his good looks and sweet smile made him a very sought after boy. In fact, when Nicolette had watched him with this girl, she could imagine herself being with him once she was older, of course.

  Days after she’d seen him at the river, she had dreamed of him. She’d had a silly infatuation and had actually thought of becoming his wife one day. That, of course, was what led her to follow him around more, which then led to them hating each other.

  “Penny for your thoughts?”

  Adrian’s voice snapped her out of her daydream, and she spun toward him. Why hadn’t she heard him? How long had he been sitting next to her? Hopefully, she hadn’t mumbled while in her memories.

  “Adrian,” she gasped. “What are you doing here?”

  He held up his fishing pole. “When I noticed you leaving earlier, I knew exactly where you were going.” He grinned. “This is the only place to fish.”

  She chuckled and tightened her hands around her own pole. “Yes, this is the perfect spot.”

  Nicolette couldn’t stop staring at him. He looked so good today. The small wind tousled his hair, which in her opinion, needed to be trimmed. He wore a regular long-sleeved shirt that he’d rolled the sleeves up to just below his elbows, and on the bottom half of his body, he wore a faded pair of denim jeans, and of course, his scuffed-up black boots.

  He slid the worm on his hook before tossing his line in the river. Her heart flipped and her hopes lifted a little to know that he actually wanted to be here with her fishing.

  “Is it all right if I join you?” he asked.

  “Of course.” She moved her attention back to the water, even though she wanted to keep staring at him. “How is your arm feeling?”

  “Much better, thank you.” He bumped his shoulder against hers. “Thanks to my Veterinarian doctor.”

  She laughed, giving into temptation and looking at him. His hazel eyes sparkled, and it had nothing to do with the way the morning sun hit the water they were sitting by. “You still haven’t told your father about what I’m secretly doing?”

  “No, but I think you need to tell Father and your aunt. I’ll back you up and let them know you were the one who stopped the bleeding and sewed me up.”

  She sighed and shook her head. “Aunt Betty isn’t ready to hear that. All she talks about is getting me married. Didn’t you hear her last night? She’s trying to pair me up with the widower who just moved in down the street. His wife died during childbirth, and he has five children to raise by himself. Aunt Betty strongly hinted that I should make him a basket and take it to him.”

  Adrian cocked his head, his grin stretching wider. “What about Mr. Rich Pants?”

  “Who?”

  “You know, your beau, Eugene Dickson, the mayor’s son. I thought he was going to propose any day now.”

  Heat filled her face from embarrassment, and she quickly looked back at the water. “Yes, well... I might have exaggerated a little about our relationship.”

  “So, he’s not ready to propose?”

  She shook her head. “Not when I’ve been avoiding him lately.”

  Adrian’s loud bark of laughter had her swinging her gaze back at him. She couldn’t stop the smile growing wider on her face.

  “The truth finally comes out.” He reached over and patted her knee. “But I knew you had more sense than to hook up with someone like him.”

  “Oh, you did?”

  “Yes. After seeing your stubborn determination to make yourself a Veterinarian, I knew you wouldn’t settle for such a weakling.”

  She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Then tell me, oh wise one, what kind of man should I settle for?”

  The laughter in his expression relaxed as he stared into her eyes. “I think you shouldn’t settle at all.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You need a man who makes you laugh, because your eyes gleam with passion that’s inside you. Not only that, but you need a man who doesn’t care that you can gut a fish by yourself, or stitch up a man’s arm after he’d been shot, because all he cares about is seeing your beautiful face every day and hearing your angelic voice. You need to find a man who loves you completely.”

  She’d never heard anything so endearing in her life and a knot of emotion tightened her throat. It was all she could do to keep from throwing her arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his mouth. But she fought for control
, reminding herself that he wasn’t talking about himself.

  She swallowed hard, trying to bring a little moisture to her dry throat. “And are you going to help me find this man, because I assure you, Adrian, there isn’t a man like that in Woodstock. That’s why I’m not married.”

  “Is that the kind of man you want for a husband?”

  Slowly, she nodded as she studied his expression. She couldn’t read his mind, but once again, she felt as though he wanted to kiss her again. Yet, what if she was wrong? Her past had taught her not to act upon her feelings, especially with Adrian.

  “Yes. You described what my heart wants for a husband.”

  “Then don’t give up looking. He’s out there, I know he is, and he’s waiting to find a woman exactly like you.”

  Her heart leapt. Why did he have to say that? Did he realize what his words were doing to her?

  SEVEN

  Adrian shouldn’t have followed her to the river. He shouldn’t have sat so close to her. And for certain, he shouldn’t have said the words in his heart.

  Something had happened to him during that time with her in the cave, and it was like he looked at her for the first time – as if he really never knew her at all. He hadn’t. But now he did. He knew what made her heart beat, and although she was still stubborn, he liked it this time around. He liked that she was far prettier than he’d ever imagined, and he really liked thinking of her.

  As a child, she had followed him around, and now he felt the pull of interest as he watched her... and yes, he was starting to follow her, too. Somehow, she had infatuated him, but he didn’t mind so much, mainly because he enjoyed the different rhythm of his heart whenever she looked at him. He enjoyed hearing her voice, especially when she laughed.

  Just now as he was talking about her future husband, he couldn’t help but picture him in that role. Part of him wanted to laugh at the ridiculous notion, and the other half of him was eager to see if that was what he really wanted... if that was what she wanted, too.

  “Adrian?” Her question was soft and sweet.

  “Yes.”

  “Why are you staring at me in that way?”

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her, even if he wanted. He didn’t even know if his hands were still holding his fishing pole. But right now, he didn’t care. “Don’t you want me to look?”

  One side of her smile lifted higher than the other. “That’s not the point. You’ve just been looking at me differently, and... I want to know why.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe it’s because I’m very grateful that you decided to save my hide by stopping the bleeding from the gunshot.”

  “Is that all?”

  A spark of hope was in her eyes... at least that’s what he wanted to think. “I also see you in a different way. No longer do I see the little girl I used to know. Instead, I see a beautiful and very intelligent woman.”

  Her cheeks reddened. “I’ll admit that when I look at you, I don’t see the mean boy I remembered from my childhood.”

  “Good.” He reached out and caressed her hot cheek, not caring that he wasn’t holding his pole any longer. “Because I’m not that boy. I don’t ever want you to think of me like that again.”

  “Isn’t it funny how the years change people?”

  “I’m very glad it did.”

  Her throat jumped in what looked like a hard swallow. She grasped his hand, moving it off her cheek. Worried that she was pushing him away, he entwined his fingers with hers. She looked at their hands, but didn’t say anything.

  “You’d asked me earlier about my thoughts.”

  “Yes.” He ran the pad of his thumb over her knuckles. “Penny for your thoughts. I’m still waiting.”

  She smiled, but didn’t look at him. “Waiting for a penny or for me to tell you what I was thinking?”

  “I don’t want your money.”

  Finally, she lifted her gaze to him. “I was thinking about the first time I came fishing here. I was grieving the loss of my parents and feeling very lonely. I heard a noise not far from here.” She motioned her head. “Over there in the trees.”

  “What did you hear?”

  “You were with a girl. You were trying to teach her about fishing, but I could tell you just wanted to kiss her.”

  The memory came to him and he laughed. “Yes, that was Miss Deborah Turner. She was the banker’s daughter. She hated the thought of poking the fishing hook through the worm to bait it.” He leaned closer, waggling his eyebrows. “And I did get a kiss out of Debbie.”

  “Yes, I know,” Nicolette whispered. “I saw.”

  His heart flipped with excitement. “That was very naughty of you.”

  She shrugged. “I was curious.”

  “What about now?” He dropped his gaze to her mouth, feeling the urge to demonstrate what he had taught Miss Turner. “Are you curious now?”

  “Adrian,” she sighed, “I must tell you something, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.”

  He didn’t want anything to ruin the mood, so he stayed close to her, hoping that her confession wouldn’t upset him. “Tell me anyway.”

  “When I watched you flirting with that girl, I... I started having feelings for you.”

  Her admission startled him, and he looked up into her eyes. “You did? I thought you hated me back then.”

  “Not at first. I had a little crush on you, and that was the reason I started following you around. I was the reason you started hating me.”

  His heart melted. He wouldn’t fight the feelings rushing through him like molten lava now. This was the time for action.

  He scooted closer, and in the process, pushed her back on the ground as he loomed over her. He stroked his fingers along her cheek, moving them to her lips. His breathing had increased, and there was only one way to fix the emotions jumping around inside his chest.

  “If only you had been closer to my age back then,” he said in a low voice, “maybe I would have looked at you differently.”

  “Adrian,” she sighed his name again sliding her hands to his chest. “This is wrong. We shouldn’t be doing this.”

  “Why?”

  “Because... well, because your father is married to my aunt.”

  Another memory popped in his mind and he grinned. “Don’t you remember how many times I’d told you that we were not related?”

  She nodded.

  “Well, I’m reaffirming my previous statement. We are not related, and so, this is not wrong.” He lowered his mouth to hers, brushing his lips across hers softly. “And we definitely should be doing this.”

  The moment he kissed her, she released a heavy sigh and wrapped her arms around his neck. He gathered her body closer to his, and with his mouth, showed her the growing emotions that had been building inside of him since seeing her a week ago. It pleased him that her response was what he’d hoped for, and she kissed him back passionately.

  He moved a hand to her head, caressing her silky locks, and then pulled off the ribbon to release her glorious hair. It was easier to run his fingers through her hair this way, and he enjoyed the smoothness against his skin.

  Kissing her hadn’t tamed his ardor at all, and he’d thought it might. Instead, it made him want more. It made him want to never stop. It made him want to have her in his life forever.

  He should say something, because she just might feel the same way about it. At least he could leave hints to see how she really felt. If he didn’t voice his feelings now, he would lose the chance. This moment between them now was very special, and he prayed she felt it, too.

  Slowing their kiss, he tried to put words into his mind of what he’d say. He wasn’t sure if he loved her. After all, that was a new emotion for him, and he didn’t want to say those words until he really knew if that’s how he felt.

  When he lifted his head and gazed into her passion-filled eyes, he smiled. She looked as enamored as he felt at this moment.

  “Does that answer your question?” she asked.
>
  “What question?”

  “About me being curious?”

  He chuckled and nodded. “And as you could tell, I was just as curious.”

  She ran her fingers through his hair. “But I’ll admit, I don’t think my curiosity is fully satisfied.”

  He held his breath, not knowing what she was trying to say. “You didn’t enjoy the kiss?”

  Her smile relaxed, and her eyes sparkled. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it too much, but because of that, I feel it won’t be enough. The next time I see you, I might want another kiss, and then before I go to bed each night, I’ll want another.”

  His heartbeat skipped happily. “You took the very thoughts right out of my head.”

  “So, you’re actually agreeing with me?”

  He shifted over her again, finding a more comfortable position as they lay on the ground. “I’m sure I can think of a way to cure our addiction to one another.”

  “Cure?” She tilted her head. “I’m not sure I want to be cured, Adrian Robinson.”

  Laughing, he shook his head. “Forgive me. That was the wrong word, but you are definitely my addiction. I cannot get enough of you, either.”

  “Prove it.” Her eyes gleamed with the challenge.

  He loved how they could play off each other’s words, and that he knew what she meant by prove it. He grinned and leaned down for another kiss, planning on making it much better this time, but beside him on the ground, a shadow moved, followed by a man clearing his throat.

  “Ah, look at this tender scene, men. I almost hate to bring it to a halt.”

  Nicolette’s gaze jumped past Adrian and she looked at the new arrivals. Her face paled. Adrian didn’t need to ask who had interrupted them. But since he didn’t have his revolver on him – and no horse – he wasn’t sure how he was going to escape them this time.

  EIGHT