by Emma Ashwood
“That’s a very strange way of helping people, Agnes.”
“I know.” Agnes shrugged. “I do know you’re a good person, Penny. And Austin knows that. He’s not one to be attracted to a pretty face and not much else. There’s more to you and that’s what’s drawn him in.”
Penny wasn’t sure if she liked that view of herself. Then Agnes stood, holding her hand out to her friend.
“Do you want to go for a walk once I’ve laid my flowers? We can just walk, or you can talk and I will stay silent.”
That sounded like an idea. Penny smiled and stood. At least, Agnes would understand.
CHAPTER SIX
Trust
Austin downed his fourth pint and slammed the mug onto the table. The world was beginning to tilt a little. Across the table, Anton gave him a worried frown.
“Don’t you think you’ve had too much to drink, Austin?”
Austin scowled.
“I don’t care right now.”
And he really didn’t. He had screwed up. He had finally kissed Penny and she had run out on him. Austin had thought there was something there but there wasn’t. Not if Penny was running away.
He was about to reach for another full glass when it was snatched away by Chris Morgan, who was sitting beside him. His boss gave him a look that said he was going to be in trouble.
“If you carry on like this, you’re going to have one massive hangover in the morning.” He scolded.
“Give that back!”
Austin tried to grab for the glass but Chris moved it out of his reach, pushing Austin back into his chair. Austin had to grab onto the table not to topple from his chair and onto the floor.
“Not a chance you’re having more to drink, unless it’s coffee.” Chris frowned. “What’s going on in that head of yours, Austin? I’ve not seen you drink like this before.”
Austin growled. He wasn’t about to embarrass himself by telling his boss how he had messed up with a woman.
“None of your business, Chris.” He grumbled.
But Chris didn’t back down, giving Austin a steely glare.
“I am your boss and if it’s going to affect your work, then it is my business.”
Anton chuckled. He sat back with his own beer and gave Austin a knowing look.
“I think I know the reason. A certain East Coast girl who’s captured your eye as well as your heart has got you all done up in knots.”
Austin glowered at him. Anton had to made him look and sound like a fool.
“Always so poetic.” He sneered.
“Penny Smythe.” Chris didn’t even look surprised. He shook his head. “Her again. I would’ve thought you’d have asked her to marry you a long time ago. You’re not one to sit back, Austin.”
“Would you two shut up?” Austin snapped. This was embarrassing. “It’s not like that.”
They weren’t going to let up. Austin knew he would be getting a ribbing when he got back to the ranch. They wouldn’t let up, knowing he had a splitting headache. Gritting his teeth, he shot glares at his brother and his boss.
“Fine. If you want the truth, fine. I’m in love with Penny Smythe. She’s caught my attention in everything she does. Satisfied?” He flung his hands up in the air at the smirking Anton. “And there you go, you’ve see me admitting to falling in love with a woman.”
Anton looked triumphant.
“I knew it.”
“Shut up, Anton.” Chris was frowning even deeper now. “If you love her, how come you haven’t asked her to marry you? I’m fed up with seeing you look like a lost lovesick fool at work.”
“Charming.” Austin snorted. “Chris, she was Cody’s girl. She’s meant to be mourning him, not finding another prospect.”
“And Penny may have been Cody’s bride but Cody’s not here. And he wouldn’t object if you started courting her.”
Austin grimaced. It still felt like a betrayal.
“And I don’t think Penny feels the same way.”
Now Anton was grinning from ear to ear as if he had discovered something funny.
“You sly old devil! She’s kissed you! I knew it!”
Austin rolled his eyes and jabbed a thumb in his brother’s direction.
“I still don’t know how he managed to persuade Perdita to marry him.”
“Neither do I.”
“Hey!” Anton objected. “She married me because I saw what I wanted and I went out and got it. I fell for Perdita and I went for her.” He puffed out his chest. “Simple as that. I love Perdita and she loves me enough to put up with me. Just like Penny loves you, little brother, enough to put up with you.”
“You think so?”
Austin couldn’t believe he was discussing his feelings with his brother, who was the most unemotional person he could think of. Anton barked out a laugh.
“Come on, Austin, even I can tell she’s one of those women who wouldn’t give her kisses freely. She wouldn’t have let you kiss her without some feeling behind it. I can tell she’s that type of woman. You just need to go for it and tell her you love her.”
“That’s easy for you to say.” Austin grumbled. “You like to jump head-first into things. That’s not my style.”
“But the subtle-subtle approach isn’t working, is it? She’s never going to know what’s going on if you go in slowly.”
Chris chuckled.
“And one thing I would never say about Austin is that he is slow. Listen, Austin, if you can handle a bucking steer, you can handle a woman.”
“Just like you can.” Austin sneered.
He knew from the way Chris flushed that Chris understood his meaning. Chris coughed and shook his head with a scowl.
“We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you.” He sat forward. “Simple question: do you love her?”
“Yes.”
“Then grab her before someone else grabs her, or you’ll be regretting it.” Chris stood and tugged Austin to his feet. Austin swayed before he got his footing. “Now, you need to go home and sober up. I’m sure Penny wouldn’t want a drunk coming up to her in the morning.” He wrinkled his nose. “You stink enough as it is.”
Austin wasn’t about to argue about cleaning up; he didn’t like the smell of himself either. After tackling cattle and being thrown into dung, it was about time he had a bath. His shoulder screamed at him as he stumbled towards the door, his nose feeling the start of another sneeze.
He could only hope he didn’t end up with a sneezing fit when he came face-to-face with Penny again.
*****
A long, hot soak in a bath was what Austin needed. He didn’t have them very often but when he did, he made the most of them. Scrubbing every part of him, even washing his hair twice, made him smell like roses but it was better than cow dung. If he was really going to do this, he needed to be at his best.
Even if he did smell like a pansy.
Sleeping off the drunken haze hanging over him however was a different story. Austin found it difficult to get to sleep. He kept having horrid dreams, ones that had him waking in a cold sweat. He kept dreaming that Penny was there, just within reach, only to be snatched away by Cody come back from the dead, the two robbers who nearly killed her, or the US lawmen. Knowing they were on their way to retrieve her on lies was another thing to have Austin nervous; he didn’t want to lose Penny like that. And Penny had expressed she would never go back to Philadelphia.
Austin could only hope a marriage would stop the US marshals from taking the woman he loved.
After a restless night, Austin managed to get up and dressed in his smarter clothes – he didn’t own any Sunday best – and hurried downstairs. His father’s study was usually locked, his children preferring to leave it at it was. Agnes did go in and dust, so she kept the key on a hook in the hall. Austin snagged it and unlocked the door. He wasn’t going in there to clean.
He was going to get something else.
Austin was rifling through the drawers when he heard a v
oice behind him that made him jump and jab his hip into the corner of the desk. Rubbing his leg, he turned to see Agnes in the doorway, looking at him in surprise.
“God, Agnes!” Austin felt like someone had stamped his leg. “Don’t sneak up on people.”
“I wasn’t sneaking. I called your name for some time.” Agnes frowned and entered the room. “What are you doing in here?”
“I’m looking for Mother’s wedding ring. Father put it in his desk after her funeral. I know he did because I saw him do it.” Austin opened another drawer. “I just can’t remember which drawer.”
“Well, you don’t need to look in there.” Agnes dug her hand in her pocket and withdrew it, something sparkling in her hand. “I’ve got it.”
Austin stared. It was their mother’s wedding ring, simple with encrusted diamonds that glinted in the sunlight streaming through the window. It wasn’t flashy or extravagant. It was tasteful, just like their mother had been.
“Why have you got it?”
“Because I had a feeling you’d go looking for it and I wanted to save you turning Father’s room upside-down.” Agnes waved it in front of his face. “Would you like it, Austin?”
“Don’t tease me, Agnes. I’m not in the mood.”
“Sorry.” Agnes handed it over, dropping it into Austin’s hand. “But I’ll tell you this now, Austin. You need to make it perfect. If you don’t, you could lose Penny for good. Trust me on that.”
Austin barked out a laugh. Taking advice from his younger sister? That was ludicrous.
“I’ll take advice from you when you’ve been in love, Agnes.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Proper Proposal
Penny had headed to work with determination. She’d had a tough night, waking up with nightmares about what had happened and worse. Austin ended up dying in her nightmares which had Penny wake up in tears.
The kiss had been both beautiful and terrifying. Penny didn’t think she could feel such strong emotions, but after a long walk and venting to Agnes, who had listened silently as she promised to, Penny was determined to make sure Austin knew she wasn’t scared of him.
She was going to find him after work and they were going to have a very long talk.
But Austin had made the decision ahead of her and he was already at the shop when Penny turned up, helping Judith sweep up the glass. He gave her a lopsided smile as Penny tried to get herself back on an even keel, rolling up her sleeves and helping with the tidying up. It didn’t take long for the three of them to get the shop back in order. Judith wrote a sign to say that the store would be closed for a while and stuck it on the door. Penny gave it a nervous look.
“Closed? Couldn’t we run on as normal?”
“No, we need to sort the window out first and secure the shop. My husband’s coming over later to fix the window.” Judith flapped her hands at Penny. “You go on out and have the day off. You deserve it.”
“But…”
“Scram, go on. Take her with you, Austin, please. I don’t want her under my feet.”
Penny was still protesting as Austin took her hand and drew her out. He laughed at Penny’s stunned expression.
“She’s right. It’s best we leave her.”
“But what am I going to do now?” Penny protested. “I was looking forward to getting back to normal.”
With a grin that said he had an idea, Austin reached into his pocket and brought out a bandanna.
“I’ve got an idea. But you need to be blindfolded. This is a surprise.”
“A surprise? I’m not keen on surprises.”
Austin’s expression softened as he reached for her.
“Trust me, Penny.”
That was the problem. Penny did trust him. She took a breath and nodded, allowing Austin to put the bandanna over her eyes. He took her hand and gently tugged her with him. Penny stumbled and managed to keep her footing. She didn’t like not having her eyesight, but Austin was being gentle, leading her along the way. Penny was aware of people giggling as they went past, but she kept going. This was for Austin. If he had a surprise planned for her, she would go along with it.
It felt like an age before the sounds of the town died away and Penny could feel cool air on her face. They had also been climbing for a while, Austin still holding onto her hand.
“Come on, Austin.” She whined, trying to slow down. “Stop teasing me like this. Where are we going?”
Austin chuckled and squeezed her hand.
“Not telling. We’re nearly there.”
Penny allowed him to pull her further up the hill before getting her footing on sturdier ground. Austin stood behind her, hands on his shoulders for a moment before he untied the bandana. It fell away and Penny blinked in the bright sun. It took a moment for her vision to clear to see the beautiful sight in front of her.
The view was magnificent. From a hilltop just outside of Eugene, she could see the entire prairie. The world seemed to fall away to beautiful scenery. Eugene was below them but it was stunning from where Penny was standing. Not like Philadelphia, which simply looked big and dull no matter where you stood.
“There.” Austin’s hands went back to her shoulders. “What do you think?”
“Gorgeous, as always.” Penny laughed. “I’ve been up here before and the view is always incredible.”
“It is incredible.” Then Austin kissed her head. “Just like you.”
What was going on? Austin was suddenly different. Penny didn’t think she had heard him talk like this before. She turned to him and saw the earnest look on his face.
“What are you saying, Austin?”
Austin chuckled.
“I would have thought it was obvious.” Then his arms were tugging her towards him. “But, seeing as you’re struggling, maybe I should give you a different clue.”
Penny gasped as he kissed her but she didn’t push him away. Dear God, this was just as intense as it had been the first time. She hadn’t wanted to get away then either. This time, Austin seemed intent on getting his point across, his arms tightening across her back. Penny fisted her hands into his jacket, not wanting to let go. When they broke apart, she was practically gasping for air. Austin’s eyes were darker than she thought possible. God, he was beautiful like this.
Penny gulped.
“I’m scared to ask now, in case I get it wrong.”
Austin cupped her jaw, kissing her other cheek.
“You made me realize a lot, Penny.” He kissed her nose. “And I realized that I didn’t want you to walk away from me. I didn’t want to lose you.”
Penny’s head was whirling. What was he talking about? Was he saying what she thought he was saying? She laid a hand on his chest.
“For someone who’s normally so blunt, you’re not being very clear right now, Austin.”
“I know. But I’ve never done this before.”
“Done what?”
Austin smiled and brushed his lips across hers.
“Told someone I love them.”
Penny’s eyes widened. Had she heard him correctly?
“Really?”
“Really.” Austin kissed her again before kissing each of her eyelids. “I should have told you a long time ago but I thought it was betraying Cody. Now I’ve decided to stop standing back and go with it. You deserve more than that.”
“Austin…”
Austin cut her off. He seemed to be in his flow.
“I knew you were Cody’s but I couldn’t help myself. I could see what he found so incredible about you and I wanted it for myself. I just…I didn’t think you’d feel the same way.”
Penny stared at him. He didn’t think she felt the same way. She smiled and dragged his head down, kissing him into silence. She giggled when she pulled back.
“Oh, Austin, you’re really silly, aren’t you? Didn’t my kiss tell you something?”
“Other than you’re grateful I saved your life?”
Penny slapped his chest before tugging hi
m back down.
“It should’ve said that I was in love with you.” She whispered against his mouth. “And I am.”
Austin growled and swept her up, kissing her hard enough for Penny to feel dizzy. She wobbled when Austin put her back down but he tucked her into his side, beaming with a smile Penny didn’t know he possessed. He cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead.
“Marry me.”
Penny laughed and prodded him in the stomach.
“Make it a proper proposal and I’ll think about it.”
Austin groaned.
“You’re such a tease.”
Penny laughed and hugged him.
“Got to keep a husband on his toes, haven’t I?”
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