Megan placed her hand on her chest. “This place is amazing.”
Colt hopped off his horse and grabbed the reins in one hand. He held up his free hand to help Megan off the horse. She accepted it, and Colt felt a moment of thrill to be holding Megan’s soft hand in his. She put her weight on the left stirrup then swung her right leg over the horse and stepped down to the ground.
Hadley grabbed Megan’s hand away from his, and he had to bite back a growl at his niece. “Come here. Let me show you.”
Colt tethered the horses, allowing them to drink, then followed the girls around the tree.
Hadley pointed to the closed wicker basket and cooler they’d brought to the spot just a bit before Megan arrived. “Colt and I made lemon cake today. Remember when we were making cookies for Colt? You told me it was your favorite. I hope it’s good. Colt and I never made it before.”
Colt’s cheeks warmed when Megan looked at him, an expression of appreciation and awe on her face. Hadley hadn’t had to do much convincing to get him to do something kind for Megan. Right now, he wanted to feel the softness of her hand in his again.
Hadley continued, “We put some pops and waters in a cooler. I didn’t know what you like to drink, so there are several different kinds.”
He watched as Megan took in the quilt that was already laid out on the ground. Then she scanned the view of the pond and the land around them. She shook her head. “I don’t know what to say.”
Hadley rubbed her belly. “Say you’re ready for some cake. I’m hungry.”
Megan smiled. “Sounds good to me.” She walked to the wicker basket, opened it, and lifted out the cake. She popped off the plastic lid. “Mmm. It smells and looks wonderful.”
As if on cue, Colt heard barking in the not-so-far distance. In the blink of an eye, Old Yeller had bounded out of the woods and made his way to Megan.
“Now wait a minute, Old Yeller.” Colt smacked his thigh, and the dog reluctantly meandered to him. “You have to wait your turn.” He looked up at Megan and smiled. “The dog has a terrible sweet tooth.”
Megan’s laugh filled the air and blew through the leaves and grass. It was a beautiful, honest sound. She addressed his dog. “Then I’ll be sure to save a good-sized piece for you.”
Old Yeller barked his obvious appreciation.
Hadley handed him his favorite soft drink then placed the caffeine-free drink Megan selected beside her. He took the piece of cake Megan offered him. Old Yeller sat beside him with a filled paper plate as well. His was gone before Colt had time to get the fork to his mouth.
Megan swallowed a bite. “This is really good.” She looked from him to Hadley. “I’m impressed.”
Hadley beamed. “Thanks.”
Colt took his bite. It was pretty good. Moist like it should be. The icing wasn’t homemade, but it was a good brand. He wasn’t a big fan of lemon, but it tasted like it was supposed to.
Hadley swallowed a bite. “So what do you think of this place, Miss Megan?”
“It’s the most beautiful place I’ve seen since moving away from home.”
“Where did you live before?” Hadley asked.
“I lived in a small hollow in Pike County.” She lifted her hands in the air. “The trees grew every bit as big as this one. The hills rolled all around us. There were ponds and trails and perfect hiding places around every nook and cranny.” She focused on Hadley, and Colt drank in her enthusiasm. “Marianna and I even found tombstones dated all the way back to the mid-1800s.”
“Sounds like a neat place to grow up.”
“It was a lot of fun.”
Hadley had a quizzical look on her face. “So why’d you move?”
Colt watched as a flash of pain raced through Megan’s eyes. She missed her mountains.
Megan twisted a paper towel in her hands. “Marianna”—she nodded to Hadley—”Miss McKinney, and I had to go away for college.”
She nodded and averted her gaze for a moment. It was more than that. Colt could tell it was. He wondered what had happened that she’d left her beloved country, but now wasn’t the time to ask. She obviously didn’t want to share the whole truth with Hadley.
As usual, Hadley’s interest shifted, and she hopped to her knees and looked at Megan. “I’m going to go swing. Wanna go with me?”
Megan pointed to her plate. “I’m going to finish your delicious cake first. You go on over there.”
Hadley scurried off, and Colt felt a mixture of relief and trepidation to be alone with Megan. He searched for what to say. He could ask her about school. She’d said she had attended college. Maybe ask about her church or her hobbies or …
“Hadley is a total sweetheart.”
Colt nodded as he looked at Megan. Hadley was definitely a safe way to start a conversation between them. “She is.”
“She’s picking up the piano super fast.”
“Yes. You said she would.” Colt gnawed on the inside of his cheek. His stomach turned, and his hands clammed up. Hadley should be an easy subject. But she was a woman, and his one-on-one experience with women was a list about as long as his fingers. Nope. Not that long. It included Hadley and his mom. And maybe Emily Watson. She had agreed to go with him to their eighth-grade dance.
He wanted to talk about more stuff with Megan. Get to know her. He wiped away the sweat beading on his brow. But talking to a woman was hard.
Maybe he should just be honest. Throw himself out there. He hadn’t really thought about needing a woman in Hadley’s life before, but he must not have had his eyes open wide enough. Hadley needed a woman. He swallowed. He’d just come out and ask about her passions and dreams. How she’d feel about living on a farm again. His farm maybe.
Whoa, Colt. Now let’s slow down those thoughts. Get to know the woman a bit first.
He cleared his throat. “Didn’t you say you were in school to be a music teacher?”
She nodded.
“I’m assuming you’re done with classes for the summer.”
She nodded again and swallowed down a bite of cake. He watched her wipe her mouth and take a quick drink of pop. “Yeah, I am. All I have left is student teaching, but I can do that on the job. In fact, I have an interview on Thursday for an elementary school.” She wrinkled her nose. “I haven’t told Justin yet, and I listed him as a reference. I better do that tomorrow.”
A flash of heat skidded through his veins. “Justin?”
Megan shoved her empty paper plate into the bag they’d brought for the trash. “He’s my boss.”
Colt nodded in understanding, but something about her calling the man by his first name upset Colt. He tried to shake the feeling away. For all he knew, Justin was a fifty-year-old married man with a passel of kids and grandkids. “I forgot where you said you work.”
“Frasure, Frasure, and Combs Law Offices in Lexington. I’ve been there about seven months. Planned to stay longer. I didn’t know I could work and complete my student teaching at the same time.”
She wrinkled her nose again. “They’ll probably be a bit bummed if I get the job.”
Colt had a questioning look on his face. “Why?” He realized his query could be construed that he didn’t believe her to be a good employee. He opened his mouth to explain, but she’d already started to answer.
“They’ve had several secretaries come and go.”
“They’re hard to work for?”
Colt remembered his first farming job that wasn’t on this farm. His dad had wanted him to see what it was like to work another man’s land. The guy was a bear to work for, demanding, never satisfied. He’d worn Colt plum out. Looking back, he wondered if the old guy and his dad planned it that way to ensure Colt wouldn’t be a difficult boss when the day came for him to hire help.
Megan shook her head. “No. The work isn’t bad. It’s just that …”
Megan paused, and Colt’s interest piqued. He could see she fished for the right thing to say. He appreciated she wasn’t someone who just sought ou
t ways to bad-mouth her boss. Still, Colt wanted to know more about this Justin guy.
Megan clasped her hands. “In the past, there have been a lot of girls.”
“Girls?”
“Well, women really. I mean, Combs is married, so not him, but …”
Colt felt his blood pressure rise. What was Megan trying to say exactly? “And this Combs fellow? He’s Justin?”
She shook her head. “No. Justin is one of the Frasures. He’s the son. He and his dad aren’t married, and they …”
Megan clapped her hands together and sat up straighter. “You know what, let me tell you about Justin. He’s a new Christian. He seems to be very genuine in his faith. He’s even joined the Bible study I attend at my church. That’s Justin.” She stood, and a smile split her lips as she motioned toward Hadley. “I think I’ll join her on the swing.”
Colt watched Megan leave. So, Justin was a womanizer who’d suddenly found faith and decided to join Megan’s Bible study. Colt wasn’t an idiot. He knew how men think. Megan was a sweet, innocent, beautiful woman, and Justin wanted to take advantage of her. He just might have to look into this Justin Frasure.
Chapter 12
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.
CORRIE TEN BOOM
Megan’s heart raced as fast as a filly straight out of the gate at the Kentucky Derby. She’d hoped. She’d prayed. She’d even procrastinated the last two hours of work on the chance the senior Frasure or Mr. Combs would walk through the office front door. Didn’t they have work that needed to be finished? Where could they be at all hours of the morning?
She looked up at the pewter-finished antique clock on the wall. Her interview was scheduled for 11:30. She still hadn’t told her bosses about it, hadn’t asked if she could take her lunch half an hour before her regular time.
Normally this type of hesitation would be the action of an irresponsible employee, one who didn’t care or take pride in her work. That wasn’t the case for Megan.
She had no choice. She had to avoid Justin.
They’d said only a few passing words since their Sunday afternoon lunch in which she had plastered a big one on his lips. Heat warmed her cheeks. She still couldn’t believe she’d done that. Not that it hadn’t been delicious. Mind consuming. Toe curling. But what kind of weird entity had momentarily taken over her body and caused her to act so out of character?
She glanced at his closed office door. He hadn’t come out, and no one had gone in since he’d arrived at 8:00. It was now 10:30, and she really needed to be on her way in around thirty minutes.
Perspiration dotted her upper lip. She was being ridiculous. Nearing a panic attack over speaking with a man she wasn’t supposed to like and didn’t want to have anything to do with. Though he does seemed to have changed.
She pounded her fist against the top of her thigh. It was that kind of thinking that kept getting her into trouble. Shaking her head, she jumped to her feet and pushed away from her desk area. She had no more time to waste.
He probably wouldn’t want to discuss her momentary lapse in judgment anymore than she did. In fact, it was probably the reason he’d holed himself up in the office all morning.
Lifting her shoulders and chin, she made her way to the door and knocked. She could do this. She was a grown woman. Who had a degree. Who paid her own bills. Who didn’t need a man in her life.
“Come in.”
Justin’s voice was entirely too delicious. Deep as a bass drum. Confident as a steady rhythm. Her knees weakened, and she touched the doorjamb to ensure her vertical position. She opened the door then bit the inside of her cheek to keep from swooning over the lamination of his pearly whites.
“Do you need something, Megan?”
“Uh … well, yes.” She cleared her throat. The mixture of embarrassment over their last meeting and the anxiety over telling him about the interview nearly overwhelmed her.
He pursed his lips and folded his hands together, placing them on his desk. “We need to discuss Sunday. I haven’t spoken with you, because I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
Megan waved her hands. “No.” She shook her head. “That’s not what I came here to talk about.” It was the absolute last thing she wanted to talk about. Though she’d enjoy thinking about it later.
He leaned back in his chair. “Okay. What is it?”
The motion tightened the button-down shirt against his entirely-too-bulky chest. She blinked several times. What was happening to her? An alien with a crush on dark-haired lawyers had slipped into her room in the middle of the night and slithered into her body and taken over. It was the only explanation she could think of.
Megan looked above the man. She studied the framed diploma on his wall. “I need to take an early lunch today. Leave at eleven, and I won’t be back until one. I should have asked earlier, but …”
What could she tell him for the “but”? But I was waiting for your dad or Mr. Combs to come into the office? I didn’t want to talk with you because the kiss that you didn’t give me, but I slobbered all over you, haunts me during the night and a good part of the day. She stood with her mouth agape. She had no answer for the “but.” None she was willing to voice anyway.
Justin waved his hands in front of him. “You don’t have to explain.”
She clamped her mouth shut. He’d saved her from the horror of whatever explanation she’d have tried to come up with.
Justin studied her, his expression full of interest and concern. “However, may I ask what’s going on?”
She swallowed again. She had to tell him anyway. He may be getting a call in the next few days. In fact, she hoped he would. “I have an interview.”
“What?” His face twisted into a myriad of shock, concern, and regret. “Why? Because of the kiss?”
Megan waved her hands. She really didn’t want to talk about the kiss. She’d already said she didn’t want to talk about it. Didn’t want to think about it. Couldn’t the man take a hint? “It has nothing to do with that. You know I’ve been taking classes to get my certification to teach music.”
Justin nodded.
“I have an interview for a music position at an elementary school.”
His eyebrows drew together in a straight line. “I didn’t think you were finished with classes.”
“Technically I’m not. However, I am allowed to complete my student teaching while on the job. If I’m hired.”
He lifted and lowered his chin in slow motion as if filtering the information through his mind. He didn’t look happy. She knew it was because it would be a nuisance to train a new assistant if she left. But a part of her wanted him to be upset it would be her leaving.
He turned back to his computer. “Of course, you can take a longer lunch.”
His tone was gruff. He was more than just upset. He was mad at her. But surely he understood her goal was to get a job as a teacher, and she’d have to try for opportunities as they presented themselves.
In fact, he had no right to be angry. As long as she gave a good notice, it was her life. He had no part of it. Even if he had been trying to take up residence in her brain.
She bit her lip. He was one of her references. Crud. She still hadn’t told him. She’d listed all of the lawyers, as she wasn’t sure which would be available to answer a reference call. It wouldn’t do her any good if Justin answered it all cranky because he didn’t like the thought of replacing his secretary. The very thought of her missing out on a job opportunity because Justin gave her a bad reference …
She shook her head and inwardly groaned. Just tell him already.
“I also listed you as a reference.”
She clasped her hands together, willing herself not to fidget as he turned back around to face her. His brows rose, and a mischievous smile spread across his face. “Does that mean I could give you a bad reference to keep you from getting the job?”
Megan gasped. Justin was a scoundrel. Surely he wouldn’t do su
ch a thing. She’d been a good employee the last several months, taking almost no time off, finishing work on time or early. She even kept the office straightened up and clean, even though a woman came in to clean thoroughly once a week.
Justin winked. “I’m just teasing you, Megan. I couldn’t possibly give you a bad report. You’re an excellent employee.”
His praise warmed her all the way to the soles of her feet. “Thanks, Justin.”
He lifted one eyebrow. “No Mr. Frasure, huh?”
“I—well—” He was Mr. Frasure. It was the way she should think of him. The way she wanted to think of him, and yet Justin repeated itself over in her mind. Especially when she thought of his lips against hers.
“I’m still just teasing, Megan.” His face shifted to a more serious expression. “I want you to call me Justin.”
She nodded. She didn’t trust herself to respond. She walked out of the room and scooped her purse out of the drawer. She needed out of the office. It didn’t matter that it was seventy-five degrees outside and a cool sixty-eight in the building. His office was entirely too hot.
“Where are you?” Megan yelled as she threw open the front door of the apartment. She tossed her purse and briefcase on the couch. “Marianna!”
Marianna walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “What is it?”
Megan opened her hands and twirled in a circle. Her heart felt as if it would burst through her chest. She envisioned her classroom filled with children looking at her, their expectant gazes waiting for instruction.
Okay, so maybe Marianna’s classes had never behaved in that way the times Megan visited, but elementary kids would be different. She wouldn’t have paper wads and rubber bands hurling across the room. She inwardly chuckled. It would be their bodies flopping all over the place, probably.
She pushed the thought away. Only happy thoughts at this moment. “I think I nailed the interview.”
Marianna wrapped her in a hug. She released her and squeezed Megan’s arm. “I knew you would do great. There was no doubt.”
Wedding Song in Lexington, Kentucky Page 10
