AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I still think you should marry Miss Cochran,” Ian said as he walked alongside Mitch, puffs of moist air coming from his mouth.
“Ian, no one should tell another person whom they should marry.”
They stepped off the boardwalk into the street, dodging a buggy and two horses. “But don’t you like her, Pa?”
“Yes, of course I do. I also like Mrs. Gillis, but I have no intention of marrying her.”
Ian rolled his eyes. “Mrs. Gillis is old.”
“Don’t let her hear you say that.” Mitch slowed his steps when he realized Ian was double stepping to keep up with his stride.
“You’re just being silly. Miss Cochran is pretty, smart, funny, and she cooks.”
“I cook.”
Ian rolled his eyes again. “But you’re not pretty.”
Mitch grinned. “No, just smart.”
He really enjoyed these verbal exchanges he had with his son. Ian was growing up much too fast to suit him. Years ago, when the boy was an infant and Mitch had spent many a night walking the floor to get him to sleep, he’d wished for him to grow up fast. Now he wanted to slow the process down. In a few years he’d be off to college and Mitch would be alone.
I could always marry and have more children.
It had been hard, but he’d stayed away from Priscilla since the kiss they’d shared over a week ago. Every day Ian came home excited about school and what they’d done that day. From what he’d heard from the parents who’d stopped into the shop to chat, Priscilla was making quite an impression on the town.
Too bad she wouldn’t last.
Last Sunday he’d nodded politely to her in church and steered Ian to another pew. She looked surprised and a bit disappointed. However, he was the one left seething when rancher Terrance Milford sat next to her and they shared a hymnal. Watching them smile at each other and their heads bent close when they sang had his hands clenching and unclenching.
The woman had him tied in knots and he didn’t like it. Nope, not one bit.
Priscilla opened the door, and the wonderful smells from within surrounded them. The combination of the scents and her standing there, an apron over her blue dress, dampened curls falling alongside her face, and a cooking spoon in her hand almost had him dropping to his knees and begging her to marry him.
Thank God good sense prevailed.
“It smells wonderful in here.” Ian sniffed as he wandered toward the kitchen.
Priscilla grinned at Mitch. “I hope you like my cooking.”
“I’m sure I will.” He was still having a hard time being this close without grabbing her and kissing her senseless. He hung his coat and hat up on the hook by the door. When he turned, Priscilla stood not five feet from him, her arms crossed over her chest. “Are you mad at me?”
“No. Why?”
She glanced over her shoulder to see Ian checking the pots on the stove. Perhaps Mitch wasn’t mad at her, but something was going on. He’d been avoiding her since the last time they’d been together and they’d shared a kiss that had her distracted for the past week. In fact, until he sent over the turkey yesterday, she even had her doubts they would show up today.
“I don’t expect you to visit—I realize ours is a professional relationship—but you did a good job of ignoring me in church. I thought we were friends, at least.”
“I, um.” He closed the distance between them and, placing his hands on her shoulders, pulled her forward and kissed her. Not as thoroughly as the last time, but considering Ian was in the next room, certainly thoroughly enough.
“I’m not mad at you.” He walked off to join his son in the kitchen, leaving her heart pounding and her knees ready to melt.
Well, then.
She followed behind and smoothed her hair back, trying to appear as if nothing had happened.
“When do we eat?” the always hungry eleven-year-old boy asked.
“In about an hour. But if you can’t wait that long, I have soda crackers and cheese you can nibble on.” She pulled the cheese from the icebox and set it on the table, along with a basket of soda crackers and a knife. Her hands still shook as she went about her duties, and she dare not look at Mitch for fear of what would show on her face.
