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She sighed. “Twenty-one.”
His raised eyebrows had her stuttering.
“Well, close to twenty-one.”
“How close?”
“Six months.”
He snorted. “As a member of the town council, and the person designated to hire the teacher, I have a responsibility to this town. They rely on me to make sure who we hire stays so the children can have a consistent education.”
“Fine,” she said, pushing her empty plate away. “Then let the town decide if I should stay.”
“What?”
“I heard the mayor mention a town meeting tonight. Let me present my credentials to the townspeople and have them vote on it.” When he hesitated, she added, “Unless you’re afraid not everyone is as narrow-minded as you are.”
He pulled on the cuffs of his shirt. “I am not narrow-minded.”
Miss Cochran leaned forward, her large hazel eyes boring into his. Then she said two words that got his blood pumping and put him in a frame of mind to do battle.
“Prove it.”
Chapter 3
“What I want to know is what the town going to do about that damn—sorry, ladies—mountain lion? It got three of my chickens last night.” A heavyset man wearing a flannel shirt and overalls addressed the men of the town council.
“That animal is a fast one, ‘cause he got two of mine,” a tall, thin man with a very long mustache shouted from the back of the room.
Priscilla sat in the front row, facing the table across the front of the room with the five members of the town council sitting behind it. The mayor sat in the middle, Mr. Beaumont on his right. The meeting had attracted quite a few of the townspeople. Or so it seemed to her, since she was unfamiliar with the population of Dogtown.
Many of the attendees seemed to be parents of school-aged children. A few older folks were sprinkled about, looking just as interested. She was thrilled at the response to the last minute addition to the meeting’s agenda to discuss the new teacher. At least these people were serious about education, which would make her job that much easier.
“We’re working on the mountain lion situation, Harvey. I think the marshal here is going to get a group together to go out there one night this week.” The mayor addressed another man sitting at the head table. “Isn’t that right, Marshal?”
A man with the star of law enforcement on his chest stood and addressed the entire group. “Yep. Anyone who wants to join up, give me your name after the meeting and we’ll decide on a night.”
Apparently satisfied with the answer, the man named Harvey sat and nodded to the man next to him.
“Next on the agenda is our new teacher.” The mayor smiled in Priscilla’s direction. “She has asked that she be allowed to address the town to lay out her plans for the school.”
Priscilla stood and smoothed out her skirt. She had taken care with her appearance, wanting to look professional, older, and confident. She’d worn a two-piece brown wool suit with a white ruffled blouse. Her hair was pulled back into a very sensible bun. On her nose she wore the clear glass spectacles she only used in the classroom to give herself a more “mature” look.
She walked to the front of the room and turned to address the group. “Good evening. I want to thank all of you for allowing me to address you at your town meeting. I am Miss Priscilla Cochran and very pleased to be here in Dogtown.” Her back stiffened when she heard a light snort behind her, knowing it was that awful Mr. Beaumont.
“I am a graduate of the Central State Normal School of Oklahoma and hold a certification to teach children from first grade all the way through high school.”
“Yeah, but will you stick around?” A tall, slender woman in the third row shouted from where she sat.
The man sitting next to her nodded. “We have five children, and we want them in school. We try to teach them at home, but we’re busy with our chores. The last teacher that came here only lasted two weeks.”
From the corner of her eye, Priscilla saw Mr. Beaumont nodding his head vigorously. She would not let them get away with this. “I have every intention of being here as long as you want me to be. I love teaching and am committed to improving children’s lives through education.”
“Sounds all right to me,” the woman said. Her husband nodded his agreement.
A woman in the back row gingerly raised her hand.
“Yes?” Priscilla smiled at her.
