Stealing Her Heart

by Cyndi Raye

  She was crafty! Martha had noticed his thick envelope with all his cash. He grinned. “You got yourself a deal.”

  A blush slowly covered her cheeks. Duke thought she was even prettier now that she showed some personality.

  “I am not usually so blunt. Please, accept my apology.”

  He liked this forceful side of Martha. “You aren’t going back on your challenge are you? Are you worried now that it can’t be done? Did you speak too soon?”

  She placed a hand on her hip. “Of course not. Why, after lugging all this stuff to the back yard to burn, I can clean the walls and floors in a day’s time.” Her mouth snapped shut.

  “I do believe you’ve mapped out a strategy already, Miss Winslow.” He had no intention of letting her do it all herself. He’d carry what he could outside, even if he had to use one hand to get it done.

  She gave the kitchen a once over. “Before anything gets taken outside to burn, I need to make a decent area for you to make your meals. I’ll start in here.” When Martha turned away, Duke watched her for a few moments before going back outside. He wanted her to feel comfortable in the big mansion without him being in her way. She seemed to know what she was doing.

  She also went right to a hook on the back door in the kitchen where an apron hung. She pulled it down, shook the dust off and tied it around her waist. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have work to do,” she told him when she realized he was still watching her.

  Growing up with a stern mother and sister in the house he knew that was his order to disappear. Which he didn’t mind one bit. “I have a few errands to run. I’ll be back within a few hours.”

  Duke slipped out of the house, determined to stay out of her way for now. They’d have plenty of time to work together in the days ahead. Would he be able to work side by side with Martha? She was proving to be quite adorable when she got a fire under her feet.

  Thoughts of her challenging him kept him entertained as he made his way down Tall Pine past the doctor’s office. Mercy was on the porch helping an elderly man inside. It looked like the same man who stopped him and who warned him about treating Martha and her son kindly. “Hello, Mr. Callahan. Have you met your neighbor, Mr. Parson yet?”

  “Yep, sure did.”

  Parson grumbled something and Mercy gave him a wide smile. She looked up and shook her head and waved. “Mr. Callahan, can you tell Martha that Carson will be going fishing with the Martins today after school, please? He’s going to be staying for supper and they will bring him home around six. Mrs. Martin was here for her check up and wanted me to remind Martha. Mrs. Martin is having a baby in a few months. Thank you and have a good day.”

  He waved back. “I will let her know.” That meant she’d be able to work later. Not that he wanted her to work too hard, but it meant she’d be willing to stay and maybe have supper with him if she didn’t have to pick up her son.

  He’d have to see what the small café in town had in the way of a good meal. Duke strolled down the street, a pleasant smile on his face. He waved to some of the other residents who raised a hand at him, his step lighter than it had been in a long time.

  Chapter 5

  A few hours of hard work and Martha was pleasantly surprised at how much she got done. She left the kitchen to find a clock. Thinking she saw one in the parlor, she searched the room until her eyes caught a glimpse of the fancy clock sitting on a side table. The case was hand painted in sea foam and light sage-mint green with flowers intricately decorated over it. She gazed at the open encasement to find it would be another half hour until she had to pick up Carson.

  That gave her a chance to work more in the kitchen. She had already cleaned up all the dishes randomly lying around. After soaking, scrubbing and drying, each piece had a place on the wood shelf above the table. It was a wonder bugs hadn’t invaded the house as filthy as it was left. A sigh escaped her as she realized what she had done had taken most of the afternoon and there was hardly a dent in the kitchen.

  She told Duke it would take her only part of the month to get the two rooms done. Martha ran a hand across her brow, pushing back a stray hair that loosened from her secure bun. Feeling thirsty, she went to get a glass of cool water. One thing that was nice about the mansion was an inside pump that brought the water inside. It set alongside the drain board where she set the dishes to air dry earlier.

  As she pumped the water, she heard noises coming from the basement where the cistern was housed. The large holding tank was filled with rainwater and as the water flowed through the pump, it made noises that startled Martha at first. Not every home in Belle had the luxury of an inside pump, but someone had thought to put one in here. She was glad. Not having to lug water from outside would be a huge time saver in the long run. She had filled a pitcher full and set it on the counter in case Duke would get thirsty later.

  Martha decided to take her glass to the front porch and sit for a few minutes before she went for her son. It had been a tiresome afternoon. She hadn’t worked so hard in a long time. Taking care of the house she lived in with Carson was easy. Her landlord, Mercy, had always taken such good care of the place. All she had to do was clean up after herself and her son, which didn’t take long at all. Carson was obedient and put his own things away when asked. After all he’d been through, she couldn’t ask for a better child.

  “You are so fortunate today, Miss Winslow!” A voice called out from the street. She recognized it immediately and stood up, afraid of getting caught sitting on the job.

  “I’m sorry, I was having a glass of water,” she called back in greeting. Shame filled her cheeks with a pink blend that almost matched her hair. Strands of it had fallen from the covering she wore. Martha tried to push it back in place.

  He waved a hand. “Please, sit back down. I’ve got a surprise!”

  Martha watched as he strolled through the gate, a confident look about him. He held a large basket in one hand. When he came onto the porch where she sat at the small outside table, he set the basket in the middle.

  “What do you have there?” she asked, curious.

  “Supper.”

  She thought he must be mighty hungry for someone carrying such a large basket. Had Charity, Joseph’s widowed sister, made him a basket with an offer to have supper with him, thinking he was available? It was a terrible way to think, but Duke was a handsome man. Plus, any woman in Wyoming could plainly see there was no ring on his finger. She wondered why.

  “Miss Winslow?”

  Martha shook herself, not realizing her mind had drifted somewhat. Smiling at her boss, she waited for him to speak again.

  “As I was walking past the doctor’s office, his wife informed me that your son will be going fishing with the Martin family after school and having supper with them. I believe they will bring him home around six.”

  “Oh!” Martha was going to heat up leftovers anyway this evening, but this made it even nicer. She could save the leftovers for tomorrow and slice some tomatoes from her garden. A chunk of bread and slices of tomatoes would be plenty to sustain her until breakfast.

  “So that is why I decided to pick up something from the café and invite you to have supper right here on the porch with me. Is this acceptable to you, Miss Winslow?”

  He pulled back the cloth that covered the basket to find fresh fried chicken and a large covered bowl. The aroma hit her nostrils and she called out without realizing it. “Oh, that smells delicious.” Perhaps Martha was hungrier than she realized. She stood. “Let me get some plates and I’ll set the table. Why don’t you take a load off, Mr. Callahan?”

  Duke seemed glad to sit down after lugging the basket from the café. That was quite a walk if one was not used to it, she thought to herself. Martha went inside to gather two plates and forks, along with the pitcher of water she had just pumped. Placing everything on a large tray, she added two cloth napkins after dishing through a pile of cloths in the corner of one of the cabinets.

  Martha set a plate out for Du
ke as well as one for herself. She wasn’t shy at all about being invited to eat a meal. The food from the café was always so good but she wasn’t able to afford going there often. At times, she’d save enough to get her son something to eat on an occasional night out and order a cup of hot tea for herself. It made him happy and he always shared with her even if she said she wasn’t hungry.

  When Martha bit into a piece of fried chicken, she moaned. “This is so good,” she told Duke with her mouth full. She was unapologetic because she hadn’t eaten good food like this in a long time. He was sitting across from her watching with those dark eyes. At first, she almost blushed, but the delicious food she held won out. Bite after bite, she gave a small moan of ecstasy until everything was eaten off the bone.

  Realizing she probably looked like a starving maniac, a slow smile spread across her cheek. There was no use being embarrassed. She liked to eat. She gave him a grin right before wiping her mouth and fingers with the napkin on her lap. “That was good.”

  “You’ve said that several times,” he joked, biting into his own chicken. After chewing slowly, he swallowed, making eating a piece of chicken look rather exciting. Martha could not for the life of her take her eyes off of his mouth. She forced herself to look down at her glass of water and willed her fingers to grab a hold of the water glass.

  These tinges of excitement zapping through her was new. Not even her husband in his good days had made her feel so naughty. She wanted to dab his mouth with her napkin when a small piece of meat was left on his lip. Then she wanted to give him a big kiss. Martha stood up, almost knocking her plate to the floor.

  He set the chicken on his plate, wiping his mouth before pushing his chair back. “Miss Winslow, are you feeling ill? Did I upset you?” He frowned, looking more confused than she’d ever seen him.

  Martha sighed, embarrassed now. She laid a hand over her heart. “I am terribly sorry, Mr. Callahan. I, um, -”

  He lifted a hand. “Please, I promise not to say or do anything to offend you. I understand sitting here with me is confusing. We are in the open where anyone walking by can see us. Has this worried you?”

  She could lie and say that was the reason for the way she behaved. Perhaps it was best to say nothing at all. Sitting back down, she gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m sorry, it was all too much all of a sudden. Shall we finish eating?”

  Duke waited for her to begin eating before he sat back down. He picked up another piece of chicken and ate without saying much. Was he giving her room to feel more comfortable? He thought she had behaved that way because she was sitting alone with a married man. The fact was she had almost ran as fast as her legs would take her because being so close to him was disturbing. The feelings her body stirred up confused her. How was she going to be able to work for this man and stay sane? A married man at that.

  Chapter 6

  Duke thought Martha was acting quite strange. As he ate his chicken, she had stared at him, her eyes widening with each bite he took. It was quite interesting that she had watched his mouth and her cheeks became flushed. Was he having that kind of effect on her? The thought made him happy knowing she did have an interest in him as well. It was still too early to tell her that his family did not consist of a wife and children, but his mother and sister.

  Duke wanted to be sure she’d want him for himself and not because he had a huge bank account. But outright lying about a family he didn’t have was making him feel guilty. He tried to reason with himself, but found his excuses to be rather lame.

  The way they were behaving when around each other, he saw sparks were already beginning to fly.

  Too quick.

  Too soon.

  Was there a way to remain friends without wanting to kiss her every single time she was near him? He let the air out from his lung. Was there a way to keep it cordial with her? He frowned again, not realizing she was watching him carefully.

  “Is there something wrong?” She was holding her glass of water.

  “No. I was just thinking of my family and how nice it will be when they arrive.”

  “I’m sure you’re wife and children will love Belle.”

  Duke made the decision he was tired of lying to her. He was going to tell her there was no wife or children. He was going to do it as they ate the delicious pie the owner of the café had made. He reached in the basket and pulled it out. “Are you ready for dessert?”

  “Is that what I think it is?”

  “If you think it is a huge lemon meringue pie then you are right.”

  “Let me get a knife to cut us each a piece.” Martha retreated inside while he waited patiently for her return. Duke was determined he was going to explain why he lied to her. It wasn’t really a lie, but wanted to get it straight so they could, what? So he could court her?

  Maybe courting was too soon. After all, she was just divorced. And what would his mother think of him courting a divorced woman? Actually, his mother didn’t have any place to talk. She was also divorced. Good. One tragedy averted.

  What he did know was the red-haired woman coming out through the screen door was making his emotions go wild like a mountain lion on a mission to attack its prey.

  “Here we go,” she said, handing him a large sharp knife.

  He took it and sliced them each a piece of pie, setting one on each plate. As they began to dig in, a noise from the street caught their attention. “I guess I’ll go home and drink a cup of coffee by myself,” the old man’s voice was heard louder than usual.

  Martha looked at him, her eyes boring right into his. “I think he wants to be invited for pie.”

  How was he going to tell her about his wife and kids? Or, lack of, with an old nosey neighbor at the table. He sighed. “Come on up, Mr. Parson. There’s plenty of pie for you.”

  His voice giddy, the old man wobbled up to the porch, thanked them and pulled a chair over to the table. “Now this is what I call neighborly. A year ago I’d never of thought I’d be talking to my next door neighbor.”

  Martha agreed. “It’s true. Mr. Parson was kind of a hermit, weren’t you?” She gazed at the old man with delight dancing in her eyes. Duke thought it was sweet the way she seemed to care about the old man.

  Parson grunted, shoveling pie in his mouth as if he hadn’t eaten all day. “I learned who my friends were. Plus, it helped that Doctor Frank fixed me up. Old Doc Roberts was getting too darn old. He’d rather go fishing than fix me up.”

  Martha patted his arm. “Well, sir, you are all fixed up and feeling much better. We are glad to have you joining the town’s activities. You do know the barn raising is coming up soon. I hope you will attend.”

  Old man Parson nodded. “I suppose I’ll work my way over. Going to be some good food there anyway. I can’t help raise the barn, but I can teach them young whipper-snappers a thing or two.”

  “I’m sure they will be happy to listen to your expert advice, Mr. Parson.”

  The old man shoved the last piece of pie into his mouth. He turned to Duke. “Hopefully, your mother and sister will get here in time for the barn raising.”

  Martha looked at him. Then, she looked back at the old man. “What do you mean, Mr. Parson?”

  He shrugged. “You know they are heading out this way soon. They sold a horse farm in Kentucky and are moving to our wonderful little town. I still don’t know how they are going to be able to stand living in the old Thomas Rider mansion.”

  He watched as the color drained from her face. She gazed at him once with a furious look, then turned back to Parson. “What about his wife and children?”

  “Wife and children? He’s not married.” The old man looked up in bewilderment. “You aren’t married, are you Callahan?”

  Duke swallowed. This was not the way he had wanted to tell Martha. With a stoic look, he gazed into her flashing eyes. “No, I am not married. Nor do I have any children.”

  Parson snorted, looking at Martha like she was crazed. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

/>   Martha stood. Her napkin flew through the air to land on the table. It was not a ladylike move at all.

  It was probably good the old man was eyeing the leftover pie. “Mind if I take a piece of this along with me?”

  Duke was waiting for her to say something. Instead, she turned to the old man. “I hadn’t realized it was so late. My son will be coming home any moment, so I must leave. Goodnight, Mr. Parson. Please, be careful.” She gave him a hug and turned to Duke. “Thank you for the meal. It was quite delicious. I enjoyed myself immensely up until the last two minutes. I’ll be here first thing in the morning. Goodnight, sir.”

  Callahan stood. He left it at that. She was too angry to follow and he didn’t want to make a spectacle in front of the old man.

  Except the old man was more observant than he realized. “What did you do now?” he asked as if this whole thing was his doing.

  “What did I do? It’s more like what did you do?” Duke sat back down, frowning.

  Parson snorted again, which was starting to get annoying. “I didn’t do anything except repeat what you told me. Why’d you make up a lie that you were married?”

  Duke realized how it sounded. He wasn’t a man who could deny the truth. “I didn’t want her to know that I have money.”

  Parson actually looked away from the pie he was obsessed with to stare at Duke. “That’s the dumbest reason to lie to a woman I’ve ever heard of!”

  “You’re telling me! I don’t even know why I told her that. Now she’ll never trust anything I say again.”

  Parson nodded, picking up the knife and cutting him another slice. He wasn’t waiting for an answer but taking it upon himself to get more pie. He began to shovel it in his mouth.

  Duke realized what he was doing. “You supposed to be eating all that in one sitting? It’s going to make you sick.”

  “Humph. What they don’t know won’t hurt anyone. I like my pie.”