by Kari Trumbo
Her books lay in the classroom where she’d left them, the board still a cloudy mess from Barton’s rushed exit. It would take but a minute to put it to rights and then he wouldn’t have to do it before he locked up. Because he was the only teacher, there was a long list of chores on his shoulders. She collected the rag and cleaning alcohol from under the desk and set to work. The smell was horrid, but the board soon gleamed black, ready for tomorrow.
Two minutes later, she reached the library and immediately found Izzy – in high dudgeon. “There you are! I was wondering if you’d come by. Harland and Amos want to go to ice cream tomorrow. We’ll have to leave right after morning classes, or we won’t make it back in time for studying. So, will you go?”
A purely wicked thought took root before she could pluck it out. “I’m sorry, Izzy. Mr. Oleson assigned me more lines to do after you left for not leaving his room promptly and telling him he has turned into a weasel. I guess it’s just too hard to keep my mouth shut. I was to start by cleaning the board for him.” She held up the rag as proof, even though it wasn’t true.
Izzy’s eyes widened. “Why, Lula. Last time, you barely finished your lines and your homework. I think it’s just horrid that he would do that to you. He’s been so different since he took over teaching. Maybe he just doesn’t recall all the work we need to do. He doesn’t have half the studies we have.” She stamped her foot and scowled. “I have half a mind to go to class early tomorrow just to give him wherefore.” She crossed her arms and scowled.
Poor Barton wouldn’t know what hit him. But it would never do for Izzy to confront him and get in trouble herself. “No, I can endure it and, as I said, I earned them. You just go and have your fun – I’ll be in the dorm when you get back.”
Izzy smiled weakly. “It won’t be near as fun without you. Harland is wonderful, but he tries so hard to include Amos that he forgets about me.”
“I thought you didn’t want to get too attached. Sounds like you’re well on your way.”
Izzy raised an eyebrow. “He showed me an article from a school in the East where they’re allowing married women to continue teaching. It’s just a test, mind you – not everyone is happy about it and certainly not everyone is embracing it, but it’s progress. He says that if we do get close, he’d try for such a position.”
If there was one school trying it, there may be others. If she and Barton worked things out after the end of the term…maybe she and Barton could both have what they wanted. It was just a matter of convincing him he needed to embrace her dream as much as he did. He was a good teacher, that was evident. Even with his changed demeanor. He could hold the attention of a class of students he was equal in age to. Maybe he was meant to teach, just like her.
Lula rushed to her room and closed the door behind her. She had work to do, now more than ever. While she’d never been intentionally unruly. It was time to take a page from Barton’s past in order to spend a little time with the teacher. But she had to do it in such a way that none of the other students saw her do it. Tarnishing her good standing would ruin everything. They would only take the most exceptional women teachers for that experimental teacher test, and they would have to be married. There was that tingle in her belly, like when he kissed her, all over again. She’d never find herself married if she didn’t find a way to spend time with Barton.
She yanked out a blank sheet of paper and a pencil from her case, tapping it against her lip. “I’m so sorry, Barton. I hope you understand.” She smiled as the list of what she had to do flowed down the paper and onto the back.
“Now, to pay a little penance even before I begin.” She drew another blank sheet of paper from her notebook. I, Lula Arnsby, will learn to forgive without looking back. The sentence fit nicely across one line. Halfway down the sheet, where she was sure he wouldn’t bother to look since he would be shocked about getting the page at all, she hesitated, then wrote, I, Lula Oleson…, just to see what it would look like. The look of it gave her pause. Her own sisters’ new names sounded strange to her ears, but Lula Oleson sounded good, like she’d been born to have the name. Would he notice? She folded the sheet and bit her lip as a flight of giddiness came over her. Now, tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.
Chapter 14
The board had been cleaned when he’d come back to lock the room the day before. He’d waited until Lula had turned the corner in the hallway, afraid to be alone with her again so soon after he’d done the unthinkable; he’d let his guard down and pulled her in for a kiss that he couldn’t keep from slipping into his thoughts. It had taken so long for her soft footfalls to leave the classroom. He’d been tormented with visions of her lips and soft sigh as she parted from him. She was too tempting to resist.
Two long years he’d waited to kiss her, but instead of slaking his cravings for Lula, they had intensified. Then, he’d rushed to the class to lock it up, just to realize that she’d cleaned up for him. Her thoughtfulness after he’d been a randy buffoon only sealed her as the perfect one for him. She could see through his surly bluster to who he was beneath and still cared enough to help him. Wasn’t that what a good wife was called to do? Heat rushed over him once again.
He wanted her for his wife more than anything he’d ever wanted.
But he couldn’t do anything about it right now and shouldn’t. If having her teaching certificate was what she wanted, then love meant helping her accomplish it, even embracing it. Every day he could watch her grow and get closer to her dream. And if, come graduation day, she finally saw what he did, he could ask her brother-in-law for her hand. If she didn’t, or she still wanted to be a teacher, he would be a gentleman, wish her the best and … well, cope with it, and be thankful there were a good spread of miles between Belle Fourche and Deadwood.
The next morning, at five minutes to the hour, Lula still hadn’t arrived for class. She was usually early. Most of the other students, including Izzy, were already there. Was she afraid to see him after yesterday? Had thoughts of their kiss kept her awake all night as they had him?
Two more minutes ticked by and Lula rushed into the classroom, a beautiful flush to her cheeks. She hit him with a conspiratorial grin and slowed her steps, stopping opposite of his desk in the front. All eyes were on her as she pulled a sheet of paper from her notebook.
She caught his glance and held it. Her eyes possessed a wicked glint that left him unsure. What was she up to, and would anyone else notice her strange behavior? A quick glance at the men, all sitting on the left side of the room, and his suspicions were confirmed. Raised eyebrows and winks from the men made him want to groan aloud.
“Just as you asked, Mr. Oleson.” She laid the paper down on his desk, turned and sat in her usual seat in the front.
Hadn’t she sought him out yesterday just so she could have her way and return to sitting in the back? Had he been completely confused? And when did he assign her lines? Surely, that kiss hadn’t left him so addle-pated he’d forget something like that? He scanned the paper, his eye immediately drawn to her mistake with her name. I, Lula Oleson… He leaned against his desk. First the shared kiss, now this? He glanced quickly at her, then back to his desk and turned the paper over before anyone else could see. She was playing with fire and he still had to keep up the appearance of a normal class. No matter that his thoughts were far from the topic at hand.
He got up and began to write on the board. Today’s lesson wouldn’t involve a lot of writing, mostly talking, and would be shorter than usual anyway. He finished, glanced at Lula just for a moment, returned to the lectern and got into his lesson.
He managed to deliver his whole lecture without messing it up too badly. A lump lodged in his throat and he had to swallow several times to dismiss it. He focused on different parts of the room so he wouldn’t focus on Lula by mistake. Nothing could appear amiss. Lula couldn’t get expelled. If she left, he’d probably get tossed too, which meant he’d be back at the ranch in Belle Fourche, not with a lovely teacher with soft lips
and bouncy hair.
The class seemed to drag by. Every time he turned to look at his notes, his glance would catch and hold on two words, Lula Oleson. Had she done that on purpose? After losing his place, he glanced up at her. She smiled at him with what could only be called a devilish grin. Was that the look he’d given her for the last two years? What was she up to and how could he stop it without bringing her undue attention?
There were a few questions he’d prepared for the end of the day. Before he could control his own tongue, her name slipped free. “Miss Arnsby?” He flinched, he’d been thinking about avoiding her so much, her name had been the first to his mind. “Can you come to the board and write down the four points from the lecture today?” If only he’d said “Harmon” or “Lawson” or any, any other name.
As she came forward, he stepped out of her way and handed her his chalk. Her fingertips brushed his palm as she plucked it from his hand – by accident? It had to be, but the effect on him was still galvanic. She didn’t seem to notice, but wrote out the four points with a smile, placed the chalk in his hand without touching him and waited for his response. A soft smile touched her lips.
It took him a few seconds to shake himself from his musings and she blushed as he stared at her. The class giggled and whispers broke out over the back of the room as he looked over the answers. At least they were all correct. “Very good, Miss Arnsby. You may be seated.”
“Thank you, B—,” She covered her mouth to hide her mistake, making it even more evident. “Mr. Oleson.” She frowned as she returned to her seat. Silence fell over the room as they stared at him.
Barton returned to the lectern. “We’re going to wrap up early today.” He held in a sigh as a few nervous giggles sputtered through the room. “Tomorrow, I want a minimum-thousand-word essay on the current chapter in your textbook, explaining the pros and cons of the various theories of mathematical application. Use your time today wisely. Class is dismissed. And Miss Arnsby, will you stay behind for a moment, please?”
Astonishingly, she looked pleased. There were a few more raised eyebrows and conspiratorial looks as the other students gathered their books and left. Not a good sign – even rumors about them could doom them.
She waited until every last student was gone, then stood from her desk, her gaze not quite meeting his, her hands behind her back as she approached. He waited until every last student was gone. She shifted uncomfortably in front of him, looking as if she were waiting for him to dole out some punishment, which was the farthest thing from his mind. When he was sure they were alone, he finally trusted his voice.
“This isn’t like you, Lula. You’re playing with fire. The students noticed your change in behavior and my reaction to you. It’s already difficult for me to avoid you. This only makes my job harder. Are you trying to get caught so you’re sent home? Because I can’t prevent that. If we’re reported, we are both finished.”
The side of her lip quirked up in playful smile. She was having far too much fun with her mischief. “Maybe.”
“Please don’t play now.” His heart couldn’t take it. The rest of the class would speculate about them. Her flirty behavior as she’d entered the room. Smiling at him. Almost calling him Barton… “This is serious. You want me to care about your goal to teach, but I can’t for the life of me understand why you would jeopardize your dream like this?”
“I find that I can’t be serious near you.” She giggled, reminding him of the words he’d used on her just a few weeks before.
He stood and made a dash for her around the desk. Lula shrieked and danced to the other side, keeping the large teacher desk between them. He wanted to catch her, wrap the little imp in his arms, quell the mischief, and replace it with fire. The fire he’d seen yesterday after his kiss.
If he gave up, she might stop running long enough for him to catch her. “Fine, you win.” He held up his hands. “Just please, no more games in the class. I don’t want to have to defend you to the president. It wouldn’t look good.”
Lula held the other end of his desk, not trusting that he’d really given up his chase. “And you can’t have me stay after class too often. It would only be a matter of time before some curious student waits by the door to see what we’re up to.”
“I wish you weren’t right, but you are. The school grounds are full of people who’d be happy to turn us in.”
“I’ll clean the board for you.” Lula came around his desk, done with playing for now.
He caught her wrist as she reached for the cleaning rag and it took all his will not to pull her into his arms. “You can help me if you wish, but I mean it, Lula. Behave. Don’t try to do to me what I did to you. Don’t even look like you might be misbehaving to spend more time here. People will talk.” He lifted her wrist to his face, gently pressing his lips to the pulse point where it raced, then let her loose and touched her cheek. Her breath hitched, and she covered his hand with hers. He hardly trusted his own voice. “I can see what you’re trying to do, but it won’t work.”
She closed her eyes and nodded but he couldn’t find the strength to let her go. “My weekends are so full now with learning the lectures… I don’t know when I can see you again.”
The half-smile stayed. “If it’s meant to be, it will happen.” Lula took the rag and got started as Barton sighed and slumped into his chair. Oh, to have her faith. The truth would set you free, all right. But it might kill him in the process.
Lula sat by the desk in her room, her chin in her hands. Barton was right – too much interaction in class, no matter how innocent, and people would talk. Worse, they probably wouldn’t blame him, but see it as her misbehavior – they always did. And there were almost seven more months to go. How could she sit through each day wanting to talk to him, him wanting to talk to her, yet never be able to?
And she really did want to spend time with Barton. She didn’t think it was an act now, but a struggle on his part. Had her heart changed so drastically in only a month? Yet, she’d been fearful of so much change from him. It obviously was possible.
Izzy strode in, glaring at her even before closing the door, her hands on her hips. “Lula Arnsby, you tell me what’s going on this moment. You have never in your life acted so silly as you did today in class. Even Harland noticed and asked me if you were trying to get expelled.”
Defending herself came much easier with Izzy, who knew her better than anyone. “This from the same man who’s trying to take you around town based on one news article? If you two fall in love, there’s no hope. It’s one school. Women from all over who gave up teaching to marry will flock to it for a chance.” She would know, she’d be one of them.
That took Izzy aback. “I’m not talking about me…”
“I’ll tamp my behavior down, but unless I do something, I’ll never get to see him.” And if he hadn’t asked her to stop, she would’ve kept going. Just being with him was as addicting as the moonshine her father used to brew.
Izzy closed the door with a secure thud. “Watch what you say and how loud you say it in the dormitory.” Izzy frowned. “If Harland and I ever go beyond friendship, which we haven’t, he could still teach and I could help. I might be a homemaker, but we could still talk about his day and I would understand, because I’ve been trained. If you keep this up, you can’t just marry and move on, because he’s the teacher. You’ll be expelled and he’d be fired. That’s no way to start a future.”
That was the key to everything, of course – her visions of standing in front of a group of perfect students at adjoined desks, writing arithmetic problems on their little boards could just be dreams. But Barton’s plans – original and current – were having an effect. Maybe she was never meant to do such a thing. Her sisters all said teaching would be hard and that she was too much a butterfly to ever be good at it – too sweet, too bubbly, unable to sit still long enough to get children to do the same.
“I don’t know what I feel, Izzy.”
“But now you’re fe
eling something for him. I can tell by the sound of your voice.” Izzy sat down in front of her.
“Yes.” She couldn’t lie to Izzy.
“I…have so much I want to tell you, but you’re going through enough.” Izzy folded her hands in her lap. “I do plan to finish out this year, but I wonder if the only teaching I’ll ever do…is my children.”
“You and Harland?” Lula had thought he was somewhat mousy and distant, with perhaps a little too much darkness in his eyes. But she wouldn’t say anything against Izzy’s choice, especially when many would question her own.
Izzy nodded and a soft smile crept over her lips. “But, no matter what you feel, for your own sake, you must leave him alone. Just as I can’t be seen with Harland.”
“Barton said the same thing.” Yet it was exactly the last thing her heart wanted to do. Even now, just minutes after his warm hand and devilish mouth had scorched her wrist with his touch, she craved more. She craved the things only a wife ever dared desire. Barton’s frustration was so potent and so true. Even a woman could get surly when she wanted what she couldn’t have.
She knew the consequences better even than Izzy. What right did she have to destroy Barton’s livelihood? He’d done a full year of courses during last summer. He was driven and he’d make an excellent teacher. The other students had always loved him; as their teacher, they’d love him more. He was direct, honest, and fun after they’d talked and he’d relaxed.
Furthermore, in seven months, she’d still have a year of student teaching to complete before she could go out on her own. He’d be ready to start immediately. They might never end up teaching near each other. And maybe that was better, because the more time she spent with him, the more he took over all of her thoughts.
