“Thank you, Clark,” she gratefully replied. She accepted his hand and got up into the saddle and sat sideways in front of him.
He put an arm around her waist to hold her steady on the stallion.
“Fine. I’ll take her back,” Trevor griped.
“I got it,” Clark replied. “I’m letting you off the hook.”
“I haven’t ridden a horse before today,” she told Clark. “So forgive me if I hold on to you a little tight.” She wound her arms around his waist to brace herself for the bumpy ride home.
“Oh, I don’t mind that at all, Adrienne. You hold on as tightly as you need to.”
“Wonderful,” Trevor loudly said. “I wanted to be rid of a woman who’s opposed to marriage anyway. Good luck, Clark. She’s made it perfectly clear that she thinks all men are evil.” He urged Willow forward and let the horse gallop into the forest.
“Is that true? Do you think that?” Clark asked her.
“Of course not,” she said. “I don’t think all men are evil. Some are just better than others.”
Clark relaxed. “Try not to let him get to you. I’ll do what I can to protect you.”
She suddenly realized that Clark might be getting the wrong idea about her. She wasn’t interested in marrying him. She wanted to enjoy her life of spinsterhood. She held onto him as he urged his horse forward. Clark was a nice man, but she had no attraction for him. He was too tall, and he wasn’t her type. No man is my type. I’m not interested in romance. All it leads to is a life of being used and unappreciated.
On the way back, Clark talked about farming and his fiddle. She tried to pay attention but her thoughts drifted back to Trevor’s book. Was his writing as good as everyone claimed? Perhaps I was hasty in judging it. I shouldn’t let my opinion of the author get in the way of his work. Mr. Gallows kept a few copies of the book at the inn. She decided she would borrow it and read it. She was interested to see what Bonnie meant when she said he missed the possible romance between the two reindeer in one of his plays. It would soothe her ego to find out he wasn’t as good as others said he was. Then she could be justified for not reading or listening to his work in the future.
Why do I even care? It was ridiculous that thoughts of him consumed her. He was as egotistical as any other man she had met. All men were after something. Weren’t they? But Clark actually seemed sincere. Maybe she was being too hard on men. Surely, they couldn’t all be bad.
By the time she and Clark arrived at the inn, Trevor was talking to Melissa Peters by the entrance. She narrowed her eyes. What is he up to? If he thought she was going to get jealous of him and Melissa, he had another thing coming.
Clark led the horse over to the front door and helped her get off the stallion after he hopped to the ground.
“Thank you for the ride back, Clark,” she said. Turning to Melissa, she continued, “Clark was kind enough to take me home after Trevor stranded me at the Howard farm.”
“You did what?” Melissa gasped.
Trevor’s cheeks turned red. “It wasn’t like that at all. Clark insisted on bringing her back.”
“Don’t mind them, Miss Peters,” Clark politely greeted her. “He used to court her, things didn’t work out, and now they bicker all the time.”
“So you really did plan to leave her behind?”
“Oh, I was not. I just wanted to mess with her a bit. After she insulted my writing, I thought I would teach her a lesson. It was no big deal. Shoot, she even threw a rock at me.”
“You did that?” Clark asked her.
“To stop the horse,” Adrienne defended herself. “He made it clear that he was leaving me behind. I seriously doubt he would have brought me home.”
“Everything I do is wrong,” Trevor complained. “There’s no pleasing her.”
“I hope you will not let his rude behavior scare you away from other men,” Clark told her. “I assure you that there are some men around who will treat you right.”
She realized what he was telling her, and it was bothering Trevor to no end. She smiled. “Thank you, Clark. I will consider it.”
“I should go home,” Melissa stiffly told Trevor. “Good day.” She nodded to Adrienne and Clark as she walked away.
Trevor crossed his arms and watched them.
“Don’t you have somewhere to go?” she asked him.
“No.”
She rolled her eyes. “I better help Mrs. Gallows with supper,” she told Clark.
“I look forward to seeing you again next week. I’d be willing to come by and pick you up.”
“Oh, that’s alright,” Trevor interrupted. “I can take her out with me. I promise.”
Why was Trevor insistent on taking her everywhere all of the sudden? She had heard that women were moody but she wasn’t as unpredictable as he was. Maybe that’s the way writers are.
“If you need anything, I’ll do what I can to help,” Clark told her. “I have to head back so I can help with the evening chores. Good evening, Adrienne. Trevor.” He got back on his horse and rode out of town.
“You just ruined a perfectly good match,” Trevor told her.
“I don’t think so. I kind of like him. He’s sincere.”
“You have got to be kidding me! I said the same things he did.”
“Maybe, but you don’t like me.”
“That is not true. I was trying to be nice to you on the way to the farm.”
“Oh right. You said it was wrong for me to want to be single for the rest of my life.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Really? I recall you saying that there was something wrong with me since I didn’t want to marry a man who wanted a dozen kids.”
“I never said that. You’re putting words in my mouth.”
“Who cares anyway? All of this arguing is pointless. I have no intention of marrying you and you have no intention of marrying me so it really doesn’t matter what the other person thinks.” She walked into the inn. She was irritated that he followed her.
“So now you are considering marriage?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know,” she lied. “Clark is actually a nice man.”
He jumped in front of her, startling her so she stopped. “I don’t understand you at all. I can usually figure people out but you are impossible.”
“It doesn’t matter what we think of each other.” She tried to walk around him but he blocked her. “What do you want?”
“You are nice to everyone but me. Why is that? Am I really that bad?”
“What do you care?”
Mrs. Gallows rounded the corner, wringing her hands. A worried expression clouded her usual sunny disposition. “I thought I heard someone talking.”
Adrienne immediately cooled down.
Trevor frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“Last night we had that terrible thunderstorm, and there was a leak in the roof of the Harper cabin, so they have to repair it. I’m getting things ready for her family to stay here until their roof is fixed.”
Adrienne sighed. “That’s terrible. I’ll help you prepare the rooms.”
“I should run over there and see if they need someone to help them with the roof,” Trevor said, his anger gone. “I helped someone fix the roof on my family’s barn a couple of years ago.”
He raced out of the inn.
Adrienne turned to help Mrs. Gallows get ready for the Harpers, glad Trevor was gone.
***
She didn’t want to think about Trevor Lewis anymore but as she passed by the table in the lobby after supper, she saw two copies of his book. She reluctantly picked one up and went to her room before anyone saw her with it. She sat on her bed and flipped open the cover. There were three plays and five short stories. Did she really want to read what he wrote when he obviously detested her? She took a deep breath and proceeded to read it.
To her surprise, the book was a quick read. She hadn’t expected to finish it in one night. She grudgingly admitted that he had ta
lent. He mostly wrote about things he knew but he could do fiction too. He was excellent with drama, action and comedy. But Bonnie is right. He doesn’t know anything about romance. How did he expect to write a romantic comedy if he couldn’t grasp the essence of romance? I bet he never fell in love before. He had great potential for love but had been so wrapped up in his own world of writing that he never actually pursued a courtship. She wondered about his current play. She wondered if he would let her read what he rewrote up to that point. Probably not. He can’t stand me. He didn’t even like Bonnie or Trudy.
Did he ever take the time to seriously consider marriage? He talked about it as if it was something he anticipated but she didn’t see him doing anything to make it happen. Does he think his future wife is going to land in his lap? Then it occurred to her that he might have taken an interest in Melissa Peters. After all, he had been talking to her when she and Clark showed up at the inn. Perhaps, Melissa had caught his attention.
So I destroyed his play when we fell off the train. Now I’ll make up for it by helping him discover what romance is. It wasn’t good enough for him to ask questions about it. He had to experience it. And who better to teach him than Melissa Peters? She felt much better as she began forming a plan in her mind. It wasn’t her style to play matchmaker, but she would do what she could to get him and Melissa together.
Chapter Ten
Exhausted, Trevor fell into bed that night. Working on the roof was hard work, especially after a full day at the farm, but it took his mind off of Adrienne, so he didn’t mind it. Once he took a bath, he went to bed and closed his eyes. Why did he care what Adrienne thought of him? She made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t worth her time or effort. I’m only interested in her for the sake of the play I’m writing. She’s a character and that’s it. His plan had worked, hadn’t it? He wanted to see what would make someone like Adrienne consider love, and he was trying to fix her up with Clark. It seemed that Clark had warmed her icy exterior by simply paying her compliments and being sincere.
He rolled over in aggravation. He never met anyone who didn’t immediately like him. He got along great with everyone, so the fact that she couldn’t stand him had no bearing on him as a person. Something is seriously wrong with her. How did Clark change her mind so quickly about marriage? What is his secret? Why do I care?
He finally fell asleep and woke up in a better mood. He loved the feel of the cool spring morning air as it blew into his small room. He put on Tom Peters’ old dark blue suit, which was practically brand new since Tom grew so fast he had only worn it for a month.
He looked at his reflection. What is so repulsive about me? Sure, I’m not tall with dark hair and bulging muscles like Clark, but I’m handsome too. It’s just a different kind of handsome. He sighed and went to eat breakfast.
Adrienne was dressed in a well worn but pretty light pink dress with white lace trim. She had her hair pulled back in another pink bow. He pushed aside his pleasure at the sight of her and got ready to sit down in his usual spot.
“Trevor, can I talk to you about your book?” she asked.
He couldn’t believe she was being civil to him, and of all things, she wanted to discuss his book. He hesitated. Did he really want her to tell him how poorly she thought of his work?
“Breakfast won’t be ready for another half hour,” Mr. Gallows said.
Trevor shrugged. “Alright.” She probably wouldn’t be harsh with him if Mr. Gallows was listening.
“Actually, I was wondering if we could talk in the parlor?”
He frowned. Was her review going to be that bad?
“It’s a nice morning. Maybe you’d prefer to talk on the porch swing and enjoy the cool breeze,” the old man recommended. “Besides, those Harper kids will be running through here at any moment and might interrupt your conversation.”
“That’s a good idea. What do you think?” she asked him.
Is this the same person I talked to yesterday? Why was she so cordial this morning? Was it because they were in front of Mr. Gallows or because it was before church and she didn’t want to attend the service with a guilty conscience?
He sighed. “Alright. We’ll sit on the porch swing.”
Maybe if someone walked by, she would have to be nice to him. He followed her to the porch, trying not to enjoy the way she walked. She was so uniquely feminine. He sat as close to the edge of the swing as possible. He didn’t feel like touching her.
She sat on the other side of the swing. “I know you don’t like me but I thought I should take the time to read your book since other people seem to like it so much.”
He crossed his arms and stared straight ahead at the businesses that were closed for the day. Only the church and inn were open. A few people walked around, and two boys kicked a ball back and forth in the street.
She cleared her throat. She had her legs crossed and her hands in her lap. She nervously tapped her right foot on the ground. “So, I read it last night after dinner. Usually, I don’t finish a book in one night but I did enjoy it and had a hard time putting it down.”
He immediately relaxed and looked over at her.
“I hate to admit it but you do have a real talent. I can see why you published a book at such a young age, and I understand why Mr. Adams is interested in hiring you as a playwright at his theater.”
Considering her outward dislike for him, he knew that it was hard for her to tell him this, and he appreciated the fact that she was willing to overlook her personal opinion of him in order to give an honest critique of his work. She really is beautiful. Her wavy hair falls gently around her shoulders and her light blue eyes are large and trusting, like the eyes of a young doe. I bet her lips are soft. Has she ever been kissed? He shook his head. What was he doing? She gave him one good word and he was ready to kiss her?
She cleared her throat again before she continued. “Are most of your plays based on actual events?”
He nodded. “It’s easiest to write about things that I know.”
“I thought that was the case.” She sighed. “I’m sorry that I was hard on you yesterday. I had no idea you lost your sister or that your brother and his wife went through pregnancy losses. I assumed that anytime a man talked about having lots of children, it was simply to carry on his genes. I suppose you and Clark aren’t like that.”
He frowned. Did she really have to put Clark in that sentence?
“Anyway, you have a lot of depth to you,” she continued. “It’s a wonder that going through as many difficulties as you have, you haven’t let it affect your view on life. Though some of your plays were sad, there was always an underlying ray of optimism in them.”
“Long ago, I figured that I could either let my experiences make me bitter or better. Besides, there’s no sense in being miserable about stuff I can’t do anything about.”
“That’s why you’re able to joke around and laugh as much as you do around here.” She chuckled. “I did get a good laugh out of some of the plays. I had no idea Rocky Mountain oysters were bull testicles. I’m glad I know in case someone tries to give me one in the future.”
He grinned at the memory of messing with his brother-in-law. “Oh, my brothers and I would never put a woman through that. Well, unless she was our sister. Sue always knew how to take care of us though. She would either cook us one of her bad meals or tie us up in the barn. She doesn’t mess around when she’s angry.”
“So what was your sister Emma like?”
“She was the opposite of Sue. She was a peacemaker. She went out of her way to make people feel special and didn’t like to make a fuss about anything. She seemed more fragile so we were always a little more protective of her. We never would have pulled the stunts on her that we pulled on Sue. Sue has a good heart and is nice too, but she can hold her own so we don’t worry about her. It’s amazing how sisters can be so different. Both of them are equally wonderful but for different reasons.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through losi
ng Emma. I never had any brothers or sisters so I can’t understand what you went through, but anyone can tell how much she meant to you.”
“You’re a lot like her, though when you threw that rock at me, you had a touch of Sue in you.”
She laughed. “You made me so mad.” She looked at him. “Would you really have taken me home?”
“Yes,” he softly confessed. “I guess it wasn’t right to pretend I was going to leave you. I apologize for that. It’s just that I felt like you were criticizing me for wanting to have kids.”
“I understand why you did it, and I’m sorry I made you feel that way. I suppose I let my experiences with Mr. Parker and Eddie blind me to the fact that a man could be sincere about wanting a companion for a wife.”
“What happened with Eddie?” He didn’t recall her mentioning him before.
“Eddie Lyon was ready to court me when my father announced my engagement to Mr. Parker. I barely knew Eddie but knew he would make a better husband than Mr. Parker so I went to him and asked him if he would consider marrying me. He said that he couldn’t because he didn’t want to lose his inheritance. He then told me he was going to court one of my rich friends.”
He winced. No wonder she thinks so little of men. He took a deep breath and reached out to touch her hand. “I wouldn’t have done that. My family nearly went bankrupt two years ago, but one thing we do know is that there are things that money can’t buy and love is one of them.”
She squeezed his hand. “I’m going to help you discover what romance is. It’s the only thing that you haven’t experienced. I think once you experience it, you’ll make that romantic comedy you’re working on a big hit. You already have the comedy part down.”
His cheeks grew hot. Maybe I should go ahead and kiss her. She does care about me after all. Just as he was about to act on his impulse, she let go of his hand and stood up.
“I promised Mrs. Gallows I wouldn’t be too long from the kitchen,” she said. “She’s teaching me how to make cheese and tomato omelets.”
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