“How do you figure that?”
“She does not have to wonder, years later, what her life would have been like if she’d just married the cowboy in the first place. She is not letting her fear hold her back.” Evelyn licked her lips, and his eyes fell to them.
His gut clenched with regret at his action. Her lips were as red as freshly picked strawberries. Was that what they tasted like?
“I know if the town gets hold of the news, she may be the subject of gossip. But maybe not all the consequences are terrible. Loose talk never lasts for a lifetime. At least she and Preston will not be making the same mistake we did.”
He could barely believe the words he was hearing. She regretted it? “Mistake?” He furrowed his brow. His throat felt like gravel, as if the words had difficulty reaching his mouth. “Eve, you wish you’d come to California with me?”
She smiled. There was a sadness to the upward curve of her lips, and moisture pricked the ends of her eyes. “How can I change the past? I think I would have, Jesse. I think I would have followed you anywhere.”
She leaned closer as she said the words. Her head tilted, and her lips parted slightly. He felt his whole body lean toward her, like a bear to honey. Their lips edged closer and closer to one another’s, until the scent of her enveloped him. He opened his eyes at the last moment, taking in the sight of her beauty before him.
But his eyes narrowed at a shape behind her. He’d seen him before. Cowboy hat, familiar faded red trousers, stained wool shirt—
Wait, was that—?
“Preston!” He stood up, calling his friend’s name again. “Preston Dean, get over here!”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Evelyn nearly fell onto the bench after Jesse stood up. Every time he used her old nickname, her heart started beating faster at the familiarity. Still, discontent prodded her heart. She’d been so sure he was going in for a kiss. Her lips still tingled with the aftereffect, as if her body was physically aware of what should have happened moments ago.
She shook away all romantic notions. They needed to find Loretta first.
Jesse walked down the steps and strode over to Preston. To Evelyn’s alarm, he picked up Preston by his coat lapels and shoved him hard against the nearest wall. She ran toward them.
Preston seemed to be waving his hands in defense. “I swear! I did nothing to encourage her! She suggested we come to Harleigh, and then she started talking about eloping once we got here.”
“She gave you no warning about running away for good?”
“I swear she didn’t!” Preston kept flailing his arms, as if it would wave away Jesse’s anger.
“You should have known not to indulge her.” He stared daggers at Preston and pulled him up still higher by the lapels. “If you really love her as you say you do—”
“Enough!” Evelyn raised her hand to rest on one of Jesse’s arms. He resisted at first, but slowly lowered his grip until Preston’s two feet were standing back on the ground.
She turned to Preston and placed her hands on her hips. “Where is Loretta now?”
Preston shook his head. “She ran away from me as soon as I told her we shouldn’t elope.” He snuck a cautious look at Jesse. “I know it’ll ruin her. She got angry at that, though, said her brother had got to me, and just took off.”
Jesse’s glare didn’t ease up. She had never seen him so angry before. “You let her go?” he seethed.
“I’ve been looking for her this entire time,” Preston declared. “I don’t plan to leave Harleigh till I find her.”
Jesse’s scowl remained. Still, he unclenched his fists, Evelyn noted with some relief. “Until we find Loretta, I’m not letting you outta my sight.”
Preston turned to her, his eyes searching for a speck of sympathy. “Trust me, I know now that coming here with her was foolish. I figured I’d spend one last day with her before she was married to someone else, that’s all.”
Evelyn placed her hands on Preston’s arms and shushed him. “You need to help us find Loretta. That would be mighty appreciated.”
“You believe me, don’t you?”
“I believe you.” She winced. “I cannot say Jesse does, though.”
Jesse had already started walking down the long line of stores by the time she turned around. She ran after him and grabbed his wrist to stop him. This time he shrugged her off. She nearly tripped backward, taken aback by his sudden jerk of her hand.
“We are trying to help you.”
“How? Now that we’ve found Preston, we have no idea where she is. How can you help?” he snapped.
Evelyn narrowed her eyes at him. “Loretta is my friend, too. And she considers Preston her sweetheart, whether you like it or not. We do not like this situation any more than you do.”
“What’s your great idea, hmm?” He scuffed one of his boots against the dirt, causing a plume of dust to rise up. “Think we can just keep jawing and standing around and my sister will just show up outta nowhere?”
“No, I think we will keep talking and reason this situation out.” She scowled. “You were always all action. You never actually think through a situation, do you? This is not Preston’s fault. He wants Loretta found and safe as much as you do.”
His jaw tensed as he saw Preston catch up to them. Still, she believed her words had some effect on him. He wasn’t glaring at Preston anymore. That was progress.
“Where was the last place you saw her?”
Preston pointed to outside the nearest hotel. “She was trying to convince me to stay there with her. I refused. You know me. She just gave her words a lick and a promise. I said she was going to be married, that it wasn’t proper.”
“Then?”
“She ran on into the hotel before I could stop her.”
Jesse folded his arms over his chest. “Why didn’t you go in after her?”
“Well, I did, but by then no one was in there. The hotel clerk was gone, and I waited for a while but no one came. I gave up and figured she’d be back out here in the town.”
“That’s all?”
“What else could I have done?”
“You check every room in that hotel,” Jesse muttered.
“Doesn’t make any sense to me. She’s probably out here in this town.”
Jesse’s right hand twitched, as if resisting the urge to clench into a fist and deal a blow. Her eyes widened when she noticed and quickly set her hands on his folded arms. “We will all just look at this situation without being hasty.” She turned to Preston. “If you think she is here in the town, where might she be? Did she have any reason for choosing Harleigh?”
“Said she wanted to buy some things from the general store, but I already checked that place.”
“We’re never going to find her here.” Jesse rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes scanned the maze of stores of the town with a dismissive eye. “Lord knows she could be anywhere by now.”
Preston’s eyes lit up. “Lord knows.” He kept repeating the phrase over and over, like a strange prayer of some sort. “Lord knows, that’s it! The Lord knows!”
Evelyn bent her head toward Preston’s, eyebrows raised. “The Lord knows what?”
Preston Dean grinned. “I think I know where she is.”
• • •
Jesse watched his sister for a few seconds, kneeling at the altar of the church. Her fingers were laced tightly together, and her elbows rested on the wooden pedestal in front of her. His sister’s hair fell in two long plaits down her white summer dress. Her closed eyes and wavy blond tendrils framing her face made her appear nearly angelic. She looked as innocent as a young girl in a small Texan town could ever be.
He knew otherwise.
“Loretta Greenwood, you are in trouble.”
Her eyes snapped open. She stood up in a flash, her hands unclasped and all thoughts of prayer forgotten. “How did you find me?” Her lower lip quivered.
“Preston told us. Evelyn’s waiting with him outside.” Jesse jerked a thumb over his shoulder
. “He told us you might be here.”
“Evelyn? How did she find out?” Loretta turned her eyes downward. “Not that it matters. She understands I love Preston. Unlike you.”
He sighed. “No, I didn’t understand. But I do know that this is never going to happen again.”
She gulped. With the backs of her hands, she swiped away the tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. “You must think me some great fool. He didn’t even want to elope. Said it would ruin me and you’d die of the worry—”
“I nearly did.” He furrowed his brow. “Don’t ever scare me like that again, Loretta.”
“This is the place, isn’t it?” A sob wracked her chest. Loretta gestured to the pews and the main aisle of the Harleigh church. “This is where I am going to be married.”
“Yes, yes, it is.” He walked toward his sister and pointed to the altar. “This is where the preacher will stand as the wedding takes place. Then outside . . .” His index finger moved from the front of the church to the back door. “Outside is where the supper will be afterward, and everyone from the ranch is invited.”
Her eyes remained downcast. “Even Preston?”
Jesse cleared his throat. “Oh, I should reckon so. The wedding can’t happen without him.”
“What?”
He looked up at the rafters in a nonchalant manner. “Last time I checked, a wedding can’t happen without the groom.” He glanced back at Loretta, who grinned from ear to ear.
“You don’t say! Oh, you don’t say!” Loretta ran up to him and threw her arms around her older brother. He stiffened at first, then patted her back. When she pulled away, the sides of her eyes were still moist. He was afraid she’d burst out crying again. “I can finally marry Preston?”
“I shouldn’t have stopped you in the first place. Clearly, if you’re willing to risk your reputation to run away and to elope with him . . .” His voice trailed off as a sudden memory entered his mind. He swallowed hard. “Then clearly this is beyond my interference. You marry who you want, Loretta.”
“Oh thank you! Thank you, thank you!” Loretta jumped up and down with childlike enthusiasm. He smiled in spite of himself. She turned to the door in a hesitant way, as if checking for affirmation from her brother again.
“Go on,” he encouraged.
She didn’t need to be told twice. He watched her run toward the door, throw open the entrance, and squeal as she jumped into Preston’s waiting arms. Preston twirled her around the end of the church aisle, then grabbed her hand and guided her away from the church. Their voices drifted off as he heard them talk animatedly about future plans and living arrangements.
Once Preston and Loretta had passed from the door, he watched Evelyn walk up the length of the aisle. He still stood at the altar, rooted in place, as his gaze locked with hers. Even though she stood at the end of the pews, he could hear her approval.
“Loretta’s beyond my control at this point.” He started to walk forward, mimicking her motion as the two of them strolled toward the center of the aisle.
“No regrets?” His heart skipped as Evelyn’s smile broke into a grin.
“None.”
“You made the right choice. Loretta will be happy with Preston.” Her green eyes sparkled at her small victory. “You listened to me, after all.”
“Wouldn’t have a lick of difference. No matter what I say to her, my sister has a will of her own.”
“Still. Preston would not have agreed to marry her without your approval.”
“True. At least one of them has some sense.”
“She is too young for proper sense, Jesse. Give her time.” She had nearly reached him now, just a few feet away. “You were her age once.”
“Didn’t have much sense then, did I?”
Evelyn laughed, and the sound sent a thrill up his spine. He was surprised to discover he would still do anything to hear her laugh again. “Neither of us did.”
“I seem to remember possessing more sense than you.”
“That’s strange. Reckon it was the other way around. I might need proof.”
“I can refresh your memory, if you would prefer.” Her teasing smile made his stomach tighten.
He and Evelyn stood less than a foot apart. Her honeysuckle scent permeated the air between them, the familiarity nearly overwhelming him with its sinister sweetness. Silence fell between the both of them.
She lifted her hand to grasp his.
“Evelyn!”
Her hand dropped from his.
The call hadn’t come from Jesse. It came from the end of the aisle.
She spun around. She dropped his hand and pressed both of her arms against her sides. His palm still tingled where she’d touched him.
He watched John Cooper stride up the aisle. Glide was a better description. His coat looked more like a cape, and his shoes created a clipping sound against the wooden floorboards. The paleness of his cheeks made Jesse wonder if the judge’s son had ever spent a day outdoors doing physical labor. He doubted John Cooper ever would.
He gritted his teeth when John stopped at Evelyn’s side. He slipped his hand into hers—freely, openly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She flinched at first, but she didn’t pull away.
The sight made Jesse want to vomit.
“Evelyn, you have not introduced me to all your friends.” John stuck out his free hand. “I am John Cooper, the judge’s son.”
He stared at the hand instead. Even John’s palm was white as a ghost’s, contrasting Jesse’s own deep tan from days under the sun.
John looked down at his lonely, outstretched gesture, then tucked his hand away into his pocket as if he’d never offered it. “Well.” John tried to meet Evelyn’s eyes, but hers were averted to the floor. “Pleasure to meet you, Mister . . .”
“Greenwood. Jesse Greenwood.” He inclined his head toward John. “I’m one of the ranch hands at Breighton.”
“He has truly helped the ranch to recover again,” Evelyn added. Any small surge of pride Jesse had felt at her compliment was quickly squashed when John squeezed Evelyn’s hand.
“Of course. Anyone helps my sweetheart is a friend of mine.” John flashed him that white-toothed grin he hated so much.
Sweetheart?
Jesse didn’t realize he’d asked the question out loud until John answered. “She has given me permission to court her, Mr. Greenwood.” John gave her a look as adoring as it was horrifying. “My persistence seems to have paid off. She is the only one I have wanted to marry since I laid my eyes on her.”
“John, stop.” Evelyn’s voice had an edge to it.
“Why, I can show you off if I like. I do not deserve you, and I do not care who knows it.”
The only thing Jesse deserved was to wake up from the terrible dream. But Evelyn wasn’t protesting. She just tensed her shoulders at John’s words. Probably because she doesn’t want to hurt my feelings. She grabbed men’s hands out of friendship. The near-kiss had only existed in his imagination.
What wasn’t confined to his imagination, though, was John Cooper turning away from Jesse with Evelyn’s arm looped around his. She looked over her shoulder as she moved down the aisle with John. Her expression seemed to be apologizing.
Jesse swallowed hard. To think he’d actually believed she cared for him.
CHAPTER NINE
“Is there something wrong?”
Yes. Yes, everything was wrong. Nothing was right. The man whom she thought she loved had let her walk away despite her repeated attempts to hold his hand and talk to him.
The man who did love her and wrote her letters of affection blinked back at her from across the restaurant table. She refocused her vision on John and smiled. “Yes, yes, of course everything is simply fine.” As if the action could disguise her lie, she brushed a lock of dark hair behind her ear. “I was just thinking about the ranch. Nothing else.”
John’s eyes clouded over with understanding. Or, as much as a man who’d spent his entire life i
ndoors and out of business could wrap his mind around worrying about a ranch. “I understand the farm is doing much better. How is your father, by the way? Is he still ill?”
“He seems to be doing better now, thank you,” she replied for the fifteenth time.
“That is wonderful news.”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I told you so yesterday.” And you said the same response yesterday as well.
“Yes, well, his status could have changed. He could have taken a turn for the worse.” John patted his hand on hers.
She drew her hand away. The same way Jesse had recoiled from her touch when she’d tried to hold his hand the first time.
John waved his hand, dismissing the topic. “Did you know San Francisco uses a cable car now? Imagine! Just think of a cable car in every city.”
Evelyn couldn’t have cared less about cable cars, or about anything John Cooper ever had to say. There was such a contrast between him and Jesse. While she and Jesse could settle into comfortable silences, John seemed to hurry to fill all the quiet moments with conversation, as if talking about rubbish would deepen their relationship.
She ignored the slight ache in her chest when she thought of Jesse. He’d been ignoring her again ever since he’d talked to John in the church. He didn’t even go out of his way to avoid her, like he had before. This time it was just polite hellos and good evenings, which was even worse.
She found herself drifting out of the conversation. By the time she realized John was still speaking, she had no idea where his turn of conversation had come from.
“When we are married and live at my house, of course, we should have a telegraph in the parlor . . .”
Marriage?
Evelyn managed a tight smile, her endurance flagging. “You have put a lot of thought into these plans. But surely it is too early in our courtship to talk of our married life.”
John leaned forward so much that she was afraid he would knock over his bowl and spill his mutton stew all over the table. “When can we talk about it, Evelyn?”
She grabbed her glass of water and took a long sip from it, as if gulping would give the answer to his question. The idea of marrying John filled her heart with unease. Why was he so insistent?
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