She hadn’t been able to rid her thoughts of him since that night, and he’d even started invading her dreams – dreams of him holding her, kissing her, touching her.
Almira’s voice startled her out of her wicked thoughts. “Are you all right, dear? You seem a bit flushed. This weather—”
Olivia spun around to face the older woman, her face flushing with heat. “Oh … yes … I’m fine …”
Heavens! She really needed to put Landry out of her mind. It was a kiss. Nothing more. She’d been kissed before, but she’d never had a kiss that made her insides turn into jelly.
Stop it! she scolded herself. Think about something else. Something warm and sunny and enjoyable … Suddenly, it came to her. “Perhaps once the rain stops – if it ever does – we could arrange a picnic to the mill pond. What do you think?”
Almira paused in her ministrations to her hands. “You’ll have these children so spoiled …”
“I know,” Olivia said, smiling, “but they need a bit of spoiling, don’t you think? After what they’ve all been through? Losing their families in one way or another through no fault of their own …?”
“You’re right, of course.” Almira picked up the knife and resumed chopping. “But I’m really too busy to plan a picnic—”
“I’ll do it.” Arranging a picnic would at least keep her occupied so she wouldn’t spend her time thinking about a man who obviously regretted kissing her so much he’d practically run out of her house and she hadn’t seen him since.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Almira put in. “I appreciate the offer, but there are too many obstacles.”
Olivia glanced through the open doorway to the parlor where a few of the children were playing a game. Charity Quigg twirled one of her ringlets in her fingers as she looked at a picture book open on her lap. Daniel sat beside her, staring into space.
She wasn’t sure why she was particularly drawn to Daniel. Could it be because she’d been there when he first arrived? All the other children had been there long before Olivia came to help, so she hadn’t seen the adjustment they’d had to make. Or was it simply because he reminded her of how lonely she’d been as a child? Whatever the reason, her heart had gone out to him.
“If I can arrange it to your satisfaction,” Olivia pressed, turning her attention back to Almira, “will you give me your permission?”
Almira scooped up a handful of carrots and added them to the large pot on the stove. “I will, but only because I know you’ll keep after me until I give in.” She chuckled. “I hope you can work out the details. The children would be thrilled.”
Olivia couldn’t prevent the excitement bubbling up inside her. Surprises for the children always gave her as much pleasure as it did them.
“First, transportation,” she said, mostly to herself. Then, pausing in her chopping, she peered at Almira. “I saw a wagon in the shed a few weeks ago. Is it—?”
Almira shook her head. “The axle’s broken. Mr. Cruickshank at the livery promised to fix it, but he sold out before he got around to it.”
“That’s not a problem. Landry can fix it.”
Almira looked away, her glance focused on stirring the vegetables in the pot. “I … I’d rather not …”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Now I understand how you feel about giving the man a second chance, but—”
“He’s trying, Almira,” Olivia pointed out. “And you did leave it up to me to make the arrangements.”
“We can’t afford to fix the wagon—”
“I’ll pay for it.” Olivia put down her knife and slid the remaining carrots into the pot. “Any other objections?”
Almira opened her mouth as if she wanted to say more, but closed it again and shook her head.
“Good,” Olivia said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have plans to make.”
And first on her list was a visit to Landry.
***
Olivia picked her way through the puddles and rain-filled wagon ruts outside the livery. The steady downpour had finally died down to a misty drizzle, and she hurried as quickly as she could to shelter.
At the entrance to the livery, she lowered her umbrella and shook off the water, then leaned it against the wall.
She waited at the doorway until her eyes grew accustomed to the dim light inside, then stepped farther into the building. Landry obviously hadn’t heard her enter, his concentration on the piece of metal he was hammering at the anvil. She couldn’t resist just watching him work. He’d removed his shirt, and she was mesmerized by the play of muscles beneath his skin as he moved. An unfamiliar sensation as if warm liquid was flowing through her veins overtook her, and her heartbeat quickened. As she watched, he picked the piece of metal up with a pair of tongs and moved it to the forge. The flames cast a glow on his skin, giving it a look of polished bronze.
As if he sensed her presence, he glanced toward her, and a slow smile spread across his face. “Afternoon, Olivia,” he said, his voice washing over her like a caress.
Taking in a calming breath, she returned his greeting. Was it too forward for her to mention the way he’d left so abruptly after supper? Should she wait to see if he brought it up?
“Give me a minute to finish this.” He continued to work, taking the metal out of the flames and placing it on the anvil, then hammering it into shape. Then he dipped it in a bucket of water. A loud hiss and cloud of steam filled the air. “Why are you out in the rain?” he asked when he’d lifted the metal bar out of the water and set it on a long worktable. “You’ll catch your death.”
She could tell him the truth, that she couldn’t stand to wait one more day to see him again. Yes, she had a valid reason for making the trip to the livery, and if Mr. Cruickshank still owned it, she likely would have waited until the rain stopped. But she wanted … no, she needed … to see him. “I … I want to hire you.”
He picked up a cloth and wiped his hands, then moved toward her. A sheen of perspiration covered his bare chest, and her breath hitched in her throat.
A slow smile lifted his lips as he stopped and crossed his arms. “You do? What for?”
“The axle on the wagon at the orphanage is broken. I need to have it fixed. You can do that, can’t you?”
“I didn’t even know the orphanage had a wagon.”
“It’s been in the shed for years, from what I’ve been told.”
“So why the hurry to get it fixed now?”
Olivia couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice as she outlined her plan to take the children on a picnic at the pond.
When she was finished, he studied her for a moment then shook his head in confusion. “Either you’re the most generous person I’ve ever met or the dumbest.”
Olivia bristled. “Dumb? Why ever would you say I’m dumb?”
“Why do you do it? What do you get out of it?”
“Do what? My work at the orphanage?”
He nodded.
“I do it because those children need someone who cares about them. They need to be able to go to sleep at night knowing they’re safe, and that they won’t go hungry.”
“So you spend your days doing for everybody else, never expecting anybody to do anything for you.”
She supposed that was true. But she didn’t need anyone’s help. She was managing fine. Her grandfather had bequeathed her the house she lived in and a small allowance. As long as she didn’t spend extravagantly, she’d have everything she needed for the rest of her life. If only she also had everything she’d ever wanted.
She had no husband, no children of her own, and until recently no one who really cared if she lived or died. Now, because she’d made a point of becoming indispensable to the orphanage as well as helping anyone else in town who was in distress, she mattered to them. People cared about her.
“I don’t need anyone to do anything for me,” she pointed out. “I’m quite capable of looking after myself. It’s not foolishness, Landry. I enjoy helping
those less fortunate than I am, and I don’t expect reward. My reward is how it makes me feel.”
“How does it make you feel?” he asked.
“It gives me pleasure. Knowing I’ve made a difference in someone’s life is all the reward I need. How did it make you feel to help Mr. Mooney with his roof?”
“That’s different,” he countered. “He’s far too old to go scrambling around on a roof. He was going to get himself killed. I was just—”
“Helping without expecting anything in return, and did it not give you a warm feeling inside?”
He shrugged. “I suppose so …” he finally admitted.
“And that’s why I do what I do,” she said, smiling. “Now, about the axle …”
“I’ll ride over there as soon as I can and see what I can do.”
“Thank you.”
Her business was finished, yet she found herself reluctant to leave. She’d enjoyed spending time with him. But she should leave. She knew that, but couldn’t tear herself away. Finally, he took a step toward her.
“Look, Olivia,” he began, “about the other night … I was wrong … I shouldn’t have …” His voice trailed off, and he looked away, as if he couldn’t face her.
Her heart squeezed. She couldn’t bear to hear the apology, to know their kiss had meant nothing to him when it had had such a profound effect on her. She held her hand up to stop him. “Please don’t give it another thought.”
“But—”
Her throat tightened and her eyes burned. “Really. It was just a kiss. Now I really must go.” Before it was too late and he saw the tears streaming down her cheeks.
She spun around and, mindless of the puddles, hurried away as quickly as she could away to get home. Only there could she let her tears fall as they may.
***
Landry watched her go, her feet splashing in the puddles, the hem of her skirt dragging through the mud. What had he said that had made her so skittish? He shook his head. He’d never understand women.
Ever since he’d made the mistake of kissing her, he’d barely been able to function, which explained the four ruined horseshoes lying on the workbench near the back of the livery.
Olivia’s face filled his mind whenever he closed his eyes to sleep, and more times than not he’d had to get up and douse himself with ice-cold water to cool his heated blood.
He’d wanted to go to her, to apologize, but staying away from her had seemed like the smartest thing to do.
And then she’d shown up, her bright eyes seeing right through to his soul. He’d tried to tell her how sorry he was, that he knew he had no business kissing her like that.
But hell, that kiss … The touch of her lips on his had made him want to do far more than just kiss her, while at the same time, made him want to do nothing more than just hold her close, breathe in her scent, and savor her warmth.
And he got the feeling she felt the same way.
But he couldn’t have her. He didn’t deserve her.
It did seem like over the past few days, he’d made a start rebuilding his life. The new schoolteacher had bid him a good afternoon when he’d passed her on the street the day before. Two elderly men he recognized as friends of his father’s looked up from their checker game in front of the feed store and gave him a half wave. And being invited to join the poker game was definitely a step in the right direction, even though he didn’t plan to spend his nights in The Lucky Shamrock.
Maybe, with enough time, people would accept him again. And then … then he’d tell Olivia how he felt.
A slow smile tugged at his lips at the thought that one of these days, he might get the chance to kiss Olivia again. But until then, he’d have to do his best to avoid her. That would be hard to do since he’d already agreed to fix the wagon at the orphanage, but it would be easy enough to find out her schedule and make sure he stayed away when she was there.
With that decision made, he went back to work. He was hammering a plow blade into shape an hour later when voices behind him made him turn around.
His eyes widened, and a broad smile lifted his lips.
Chapter Six
“Tobias!”
The last time they’d spoken was the day Landry had been released from prison. Tobias had told him he was going to Texas. So what was he doing back in Rocky Ridge?
“Hey, little brother,” Tobias said. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” He swaggered into the livery, his thumbs hooked into the gunbelt hanging low on his lips.
“Same goes for you.” Landry rounded the workbench and crossed to meet him, the hammer he’d been using still in his hand. He took a long look at his brother, taking in the changes since they’d last seen each other. “It’s real good to see you.”
Tobias took off his hat and held it at his side. His dark hair was thinner and shaggy now, hanging to his shoulders. He was leaner than he used to be, too, his cheekbones more pronounced and barely more than skin covering bone. Deep lines furrowed beside his mouth. And there was a hardness about him Landry had never noticed before. Even his eyes looked empty, cold.
Tobias rested his hip against the table where Landry had been working. A cheroot dangled out of the corner of his mouth, the ashes dangerously close to falling off.
Landry eyed the glowing end of the cigarillo. “Mind taking that thing outside before you set the place on fire?”
For a few seconds, Landry thought Tobias was going to ignore him, but finally his brother moved to the door and flicked the cigarillo into the yard. It sputtered and died in the mud.
Landry set the hammer down on the table. “How are you doing?”
“Good now.”
“Where’ve you been? I thought you were heading down Texas way once you got out.”
Tobias shrugged. “Around. Here and there. I’m thinking about heading south, but wanted to stop by and see my little brother before I left. Can’t tell you how surprised I was when I heard you were back here. And a business owner, too.”
“It’s where I want to be.”
Tobias nodded, but Landry doubted he really understood. Then Tobias moved away, wandering through the livery, picking up tools and setting them back down.
“You really think folks want you here? I’d wager they’d be happy if you left and never came back.”
Landry couldn’t dispute Tobias’s reasoning. He’d thought the same thing since the day he’d ridden back into town. Lately, though, he’d started to think maybe there might be a chance. And that was all due to one person – Olivia Harding.
A faint smile tugged at his lips. The majority of the townsfolk might want him gone, but there was one woman he was pretty sure wanted him to stay.
“Where are you staying?” Landry asked.
“Me and the boys are camped outside town.”
A sliver of unease snaked up Landry’s spine. Surely he wasn’t back running with the men who’d gotten him into trouble in the first place. “Boys?”
“Gage and Uggie.”
A lead weight settled in Landry’s stomach. “Is that a good idea? Look what happened last time you got mixed up with them.”
Tobias closed the gap between them. Even though Landry was a few inches taller than Tobias, the hardened expression on his brother’s face made him feel like a little boy again. “If it wasn’t for them, you wouldn’t have had such an easy time growing up.”
That much was probably true, although at the time, he hadn’t given much thought to where Tobias got the money to provide for them both after their mother died.
“Me and the boys have got some business to take care of before we head south, but I didn’t want to leave without asking you to come with us.”
Something in the tone of Tobias’s voice sent a chill through Landry. “What kind of business?”
“I’ll let you know once everything’s in place.”
Tobias was up to something. Landry was sure of it. But what? And why would Tobias think Landry wanted any part of it?
“I
don’t need to know,” Landry told him. “Doesn’t concern me. I’m putting my life back together—”
Tobias let out a bitter laugh and waved his arm to take in the livery. “This is what you call a life? Hell, boy, I raised you to want more out of life than this.”
“You did, Tobias. And I’m grateful. But I spent three years in prison because of you and your friends—”
“I tried to tell them. We all tried to tell them.”
“I know that, but they didn’t’ listen. I don’t know what you’re planning, but I’m not willing to spend one more day behind bars.”
“You won’t. This time—”
Landry raised his hand to stop his brother saying anything more. “No. No more. You do what you want to do, but don’t include me. I have plans of my own.”
“Like what?”
“Like being part of a community again. Like maybe finding me a woman and settling down, raising a family. Like growing old without having to look over my shoulder or having people treat me like dirt.”
“Wouldn’t you rather have enough money to buy anything you want without scraping by for scraps? You can buy yourself a woman. As for settling down and raising a few brats … Just think about it.” Straightening, Tobias turned and walked away.
Landry watched him go, his mind in turmoil. Sure, he’d made it sound as if it was easy to fit back into town as if he’d never been gone, but they both knew it was a lie.
When he’d decided to come back to Rocky Ridge, he’d wanted his old life back, wanted his old friends back, wanted forgiveness and acceptance.
But that hadn’t happened, and there were times he wondered why he was even trying.
Now, with Tobias back, it would be easy to fall back into old habits, to follow Tobias the way he had his whole life until that night … the night that had changed his life.
***
The summer sun warmed Olivia as she knelt in the garden outside the orphanage. She’d taken over looking after the garden the summer before, and this year, it looked like they’d be able to harvest enough berries and vegetables to last them for months. Anywhere the orphanage could save a few dollars was worth a little extra effort.
Landry's Back in Town (Rocky Ridge Romance Book 1) Page 6
