by Lily Graison
Just looking at the thing caused her stomach to quiver. Holden Avery had given her enough apples over the past month to fill several crusts but she'd purposely given every one of them away to one of her students just so she wouldn’t be reminded of him. When she'd ventured to the mercantile for more, Mrs. Jenkins had informed her all the apples in her store had come from the Avery ranch.
She just couldn't escape the man.
Grabbing her pie, she slipped out the back door, securing it behind her and walked in a hurried pace to the clearing behind the mercantile. Her intentions were to leave the pie, let Edna know she was there, and slip away unseen.
Reaching the clearing, Laurel smiled. Her plan to slip away would be easy with so many people in the area. She stopped behind the store to get her bearings.
She hadn't realized there were so many people in and around the Willow Creek area and noticed a lot of the children from her classroom in attendance as she looked at those gathered.
The clearing had been raked free of the first leaves falling from the trees, garlands of late summer flowers and early fall blooms strung from the trees and tables, chairs, benches and long wooden tables covered in bright cloths made the entire area warm and inviting. Too bad she wasn't staying. It was sure to be fun.
Spotting a table on the left filled with cakes and pies, she headed in that direction, avoiding eye contact with everyone she passed.
One person in particular caught her attention as she neared the table. Alexandra Avery was screeching like a hellion and running around the table as if it weren't filled with food, but that wasn't what made Laurel stop. It was the pretty blue dress the girl was wearing. Her hair was flowing loose too, her blond locks curling at the ends and made her appear much older than she actually was.
The girl looked up at her and crossed her arms over her chest. "What are you doing here?"
Laurel squinted at her. "Don't worry, Alexandra, I won't be staying." The girl looked so happy, Laurel had half a mind to stay just to irritate her but seeing Alexandra meant her father was there somewhere and she'd been dutifully avoiding him for the last month. He was the last person she wished to see.
Setting her pie down on the table, Laurel took another glance at Alexandra. "You look very nice, Alexandra."
"Pft.." Alexandra made a face at her. "Pa bought me this frock and said I had to wear it. I'm a guessing you're the reason why."
Laurel hid a smile. "I suggested you should look and behave like a lady, yes."
"I knew it." Alexandra huffed out a breath and shook her head. "Don't be thinking he'll do everything you say now. Only reason I didn't cause a fuss over it was because he said I looked like my momma all dressed up and he loves my momma." The girl eyed her with a calculating expression. "Pa said my momma was the prettiest woman in all of Willow Creek and they'll never be another like her."
"I'm sure there won't be."
Alexandra nodded her head. "So even if he goes out of his way to be nice to you, it don't mean nothing. He don't like ya. He probably just feels sorry for you, is all."
Laurel doubted that. Holden had made it perfectly clear what his intentions were and regardless of what Alexandra said, Laurel knew her father wouldn't stop trying to court her. She didn't know much about the man but stubborn stuck to some people like a bad haircut and Holden Avery was stubborn to his core.
Finished with their brief conversation, Alexandra left with a stiff nod of her head. Watching the girl walk away, Laurel knew Holden had to be in the clearing, somewhere, and she needed to find Edna, make her presence known, and leave before he spotted her.
She turned to look for Edna and saw her immediately, rushing about the clearing and issuing orders like a heavyset general to those following close behind her. Laurel sighed and headed toward her, intent on making her appearance known and then sneaking away.
"Laurel! I was just looking for you." Edna beamed as she came to a stop in front of her. "Did you remember to bring a confection for the auction?"
"Yes. I left it on the table." She forced a smile on her face and tried to remember to be polite. "You've done a nice job organizing everything, Edna. I'm sure the town is grateful."
Edna laughed, her eyes shining with delight. "Of course they are." She took Laurel's arm and turned, the women behind Edna's large frame all looking a bit haggard. "Ladies, I'm sure you all know Miss Montgomery, our new school teacher." When Edna turned her head to look at her again, Laurel knew getting away wouldn't be as easy as she'd hoped.
Introductions were made and after long minutes of greeting the other ladies responsible for making the festival run like clockwork, Laurel was ready to just be rude and excuse herself. She was saved from the embarrassing episode by a woman Laurel had seen around town, a petite woman with blonde hair and an easy-going smile.
"Thank you, Edna, for introducing the ladies to Miss Montgomery, but I'm afraid I have to steal her away. I have things to discuss with her about teaching Elizabeth when she's old enough to start reading."
Edna's mouth opened and closed like a fish before the blonde woman grabbed Laurel's arm and had whisked them both away. When they stopped on the other side of the clearing, Laurel could only stare.
"Well, that was easier than I thought it would be." The blonde woman laughed, holding out her hand. "I’m Abigail Avery, by the way. I don't think we've been formally introduced."
Avery? Laurel's stomach clenched tight. "Any relation to Holden and Alexandra?"
Abigail's beaming smile lit her entire face. "I'm married to Holden's brother, Morgan, the marshal here in Willow Creek."
"I see." Laurel wondered if Holden had sent his sister-in-law over to her in hopes she could persuade her into seeing his finer qualities. She'd already seen most of them, she was sure, but that didn't mean she wanted to hear more. The less she thought of Holden, the better off she was.
Glancing across the clearing to where Edna still stood, Laurel watched her before saying, "Do you think she'll notice if I'm not here?"
Abigail laughed. "Oh, she'll know, trust me, so don't get any ideas of sneaking away. If I have to suffer and be made to stay, so do you."
They made their way back to the dessert table where Laurel had sat her pie and just seeing it there made her cringe. Baking wasn't something she'd spent much time doing but thankfully her pie looked edible. She noticed the name cards beside each dessert, the name of the lady who'd baked it proudly displayed and her eyes widened. "I wasn't aware everyone would know who baked what."
Abigail nodded. "It's Edna's way of showing her superiority. Everyone knows her cakes are the best in town and the price she'll get from hers will cause her ego to grow three sizes." She laughed and fingered a few of the name tags, looking to see who had made what, Laurel supposed. "Which one is yours?"
Laurel wanted to refuse to answer but saw no reason to do so. Edna would be sure to make a fuss because it wasn't tagged and Abigail would find out anyway. "This one," she said, pointing it out.
"Oh, that looks fabulous." Abigail looked around the dish before saying, "You didn't tag it as yours?"
"No."
"Well, let's just fix that, shall we?"
Laurel sighed as Abigail took one of the small slips of paper, wrote Laurel Montgomery on it and propped it against the side of her pie. She glanced around the clearing again, noticed the men looking at that dessert table with hungry eyes and knew Edna had been right. The money they'd raise from the baking auction would help them raise the funds they needed to attract a new doctor but as she looked back at her pie, Laurel couldn’t help feeling embarrassed by it. When the men in town heard she'd made that pie, the silence that followed the bidding for it would be eerie.
* * * *
Holden saw her standing near the baked goods table with Abigail and wasn't sure who to thank for that small blessing, his sister-in-law or Laurel for even showing up.
When he'd heard of the festival, he knew he'd have the perfect opportunity to talk to Laurel without her shooing h
im out of her classroom or walking past him in the street as if he didn't exist. He wasn't even sure why he bothered anymore. The woman obviously didn't like him, regardless of the time they spent together in Missoula.
Her disdain where he was concerned didn't make him want to stop trying though.
If it hadn't been for Alex, he would have already been at Laurel's door trying too woo her but his daughter's adamant refusal to like the woman had stayed his actions. He couldn't make Alex like her and courting the woman would only cause problems in the future. Which left him staring at her from afar and watching to see if anyone else in town could break through her icy exterior and actually get her to talk.
"I don't care how much you stare at her, Holden, she won't walk over here and start a conversation with you."
Holden grinned and turned to look at his twin brother, Colt. "She wouldn't come over to talk to me even if you paid her."
"Well, she's smart." Colt laughed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Any woman willing to talk to you would make me think they were daft."
"Oh, she's smart all right. And hiding something."
Colt raised one eyebrow at him. "You're getting as suspicious as Morgan now. Everyone he meets, he thinks they're hiding something."
"Most people are."
"Really?" Colt grinned. "And what are you hiding?"
Holden gave him a sideways glance, one corner of his mouth slanting up. "None of your business."
Edna interrupted their conversation when she gave an unladylike whistle and gained everyone's attention. She made a boring speech, gloated about how wonderful the festival was turning out, thanks to her efforts, and mentioned the number of activities that would be taking place throughout the day. The dance planned for later that night had everyone in good spirits, himself included, as long as one spiteful little schoolmarm was planning on being in attendance.
The auctions started and everyone seemed to congregate in one general area. Directly in front of him. He lost sight of Laurel in the rush and craned his neck to try and find her. It was hopeless. There were too many people gathered to spot her.
The cake auction went about as fast as he thought it would and he waited, listening to every ladies name called as her cake or pie was offered and it wasn't until that last plate was lifted that he smiled. An apple pie, baked by the new school teacher herself. The fact she'd baked apple pie amused him. He'd given her enough over the last month to bake a half a dozen pies.
Edna started the bidding and the silence that followed was astounding. Holden watched the faces of the men around him and they all seemed to be looking at their feet. That's when he realized why Laurel had looked so forlorn when she'd looked at that table of desserts. She'd known this would happen.
Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. The summer yellow of Laurel's dress drawing notice. She was walking between the mercantile and the telegraph office at a fast clip. He watched her disappear around the corner before looking back at Edna. The disapproving look on the woman's face said it all. She wasn't any more pleased with the silence than he was.
He lifted his hand, drawing her attention and she smiled, raising the bid price. No one spoke but several people turned to look at him. Then someone from the front of the crowd matched the bid until it was raised again.
The bidding war began and Holden couldn’t have been happier.
* * * *
Laurel looked up from the book she was reading when someone knocked on her door. Dread settled like a weight in her stomach. It was probably Edna, come to berate her for sneaking off from the festival.
She sighed and debated on just not answering but she knew the woman wouldn't go away. Standing, she laid her book down and crossed the room and opened the door.
Seeing Holden Avery standing there didn't surprise her much either. He'd never knocked on her door but she knew it was only a matter of time.
He smiled and Laurel had to force herself not to return the gesture. "Are you lost?"
"No Ma'am." He thumbed up the front of his hat and gave her a look that said he knew he wasn't welcome at her door and was choosing to ignore it. "Abigail and Sarah packed a picnic lunch enough to feed half the town. We'll be taking it out by the creek. Just wanted to know if you'd like to join us."
Her pulse leaped. He was asking her to a picnic? The sincere look in his eyes and that handsome smile on his face caused that small voice in the back of her mind to scream, yes. It begged her to accept. To not worry about her stupid reservations for once. To just go spend the day with this man, who obviously went out of his way to try and talk to her, but the thought of doing it sent fear coursing through her body. She couldn't get attached to this man, no matter how much she wanted to. "Thank you for the offer, but I must decline."
He gave her a slight nod of his head, the smile that had been on his face dimming just a fraction. "Somehow I knew you were going to say that."
"Yet you still found your way to my door to ask. Why?"
The smile remained and filled his blue eyes, the mingled greens and purple catching her attention. "Can't blame a man for trying."
"I don't suppose you can but it really is pointless, I can assure you."
He blinked up at her, bid her a good day, and it wasn't until he left her standing there on the back porch steps of the school house, alone, that she realized how utterly miserable her life was.
And she only had one person to thank for that.
Thinking of him, she sighed and walked back into her little room, looking at the bleak walls.
Why had her life turned out to be so dire? She'd had such high hopes for her future a year ago. Now she was reduced to being rude to people who, in other circumstances, she would have enjoyed talking to, and living out her days in silence while trapped within four walls of a schoolhouse in order to protect her heart.
This wasn't living. It was existing and somehow it didn't seem to be the answer to all her prayers like she thought it would be. Instead, it was the very worst of hell.
Add in the fact that Holden Avery was the most tempting thing she'd seen in ages. Thoughts of him plagued her every moment of the day and the misery piled on until she felt as if she was drowning.
Something had to change. She'd tried, honestly tried to set a course for her life but one reckless night in Missoula had changed all her carefully laid out plans. She couldn’t ignore Holden regardless of how much she tried so why was she still trying? She liked the man, aggravating as he was at times, and memories of him caused her to lay awake more than one night with her body aching for his touch.
But was that reason enough to lay all her plans aside? To spend her life as a spinster and die at a ripe old age, pleased with herself because she'd done exactly what she wanted to do, not something a man told her she had to do?
She sighed. It was too confusing to think about. Her heart and head needed to act as one but her heart was screaming the loudest at the moment. She needed to make a decision and stick with it but what if she chose the wrong path?
Chapter Five
Holden saw her when he turned the wagon and started for the other end of the street. She was standing in front of the schoolhouse, a straw hat in one hand while she draped a shawl over her shoulders. She was staring at him, the look on her face telling him she was trying to decide if turning around would be the better option.
He smiled and pulled the reins when he neared her, the horses stopping and giving Alexandra time to start protesting. "Why does she have to come along, pa? I don't want to spend the day with her."
When they came to a complete stop, he ignored Alex, set the brake with his foot and jumped to the ground before crossing the road. "I hope this means you've changed your mind." Laurel's cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink and he felt his pulse leap at the sight of it.
