She leaned back. “Yes. What are you doing here?”
“Let me get the wood you were going after so I can warm the place up a bit. Go grab a blanket to cover yourself with until I get a fire going. Then we’ll talk.”
With ice-cold hands, Priscilla took the heavy quilt from her bed and wrapped it around herself. Who would have thought she needed to bring a gun with her to gather wood from the shed? She could still see the animal staring at her, his mouth covered in the blood from the animal he’d just slain. She shivered and sat in the rocking chair in the parlor.
Mitch returned and shoved a log into the potbelly stove in the parlor. After tossing in a handful of kindling and dried pine needles, he lit the twigs and shut the stove door. “It will be warm in here soon.” He rubbed his hands together, then shrugged out of his coat and removed his hat, gloves, and scarf. With one quick movement, he scooped Priscilla up from the rocking chair, settled himself in her place, and seated her on his lap.
Suddenly exhausted, Priscilla rested her head on his shoulder. They rocked for a while in silence, the room growing warmer, as promised. Priscilla felt herself drifting off into sleep when Mitch spoke.
“I’m here for a reason.”
She shifted around, the blanket falling to her lap since she was no longer shivering. “You mean you didn’t stop by just to kill the mountain lion?” She smirked at him.
Mitch tucked a curl behind her ear. “No. Although I thank God I was here.”
She sobered. “Me, too. Thank you for saving my life.” She paused. “So what brings you here late at night when you’re supposed to pick me up for church in the morning?”
“I want to discuss marriage.”
She stiffened in his lap. “No.”
“Hold on. Let me finish.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, effectively keeping her captive. Not that she minded. His dark good looks and strong body offered an easy backdrop for whatever he’d planned to say. “I’m not going to order you to marry me.”
“Good.”
“I realize that was the wrong way to go about it. But you have to admit marriage is not such a bad idea.”
“Hmm. This is supposed to be a better way of discussing wedded bliss?”
“You must know I care about you. I know the type of woman you are. Women from your background don’t allow men to make love to them without the benefit of marriage. So there have to be some feelings on your part as well.”
She smiled at his earnestness, finding it sweet. She sat up and swung her legs back and forth. “I also have very strong feelings for Ian and he does for me as well, but I don’t want to marry him.”
“Very funny.”
“You realize if I were to marry I would lose my job?”
“Why?”
“When my cousin Ellie married Max, the Guthrie Board of Education made him fire her. They said it was against their policy to employ young married women. Old married women were okay. What’s amusing about that was, as her principal, Max and Ellie had never gotten along and he was actually trying to find a husband for her so he could fire her.”
“And?”
“While he was doing that, they fell in love so he had to fire her after all.”
“Now that’s funny.”
“Ellie didn’t think so.”
He ran his knuckle over her cheek, leaving her skin tingling in its wake. “But I am going to convince you.”
“How?”
His head descended, and he covered her mouth in another toe-curling kiss. His strong hand cupped her face and held it gently. So much power in his body, yet he was so gentle with her. She turned slightly so she could hold onto his shoulders. His palms moved to her back and he pulled her closer against his chest until her breasts were pushed up against him. Since she had been heading to bed, she no longer wore her corset, while warmth from their bodies took away any lingering chill.
Mitch released her mouth and moved his lips to her jaw then to her neck. She tilted her head back to give him greater access. His nimble fingers opened the front of her dress and spread the bodice apart. He cupped her breast, shaping it, flicking his thumb over her nipple.
“We can’t do this,” she gasped.
“Yes, we can.” He replaced his thumb with his mouth.
“It’s not right,” she gasped.
“It’s perfectly all right,” he mumbled switching from one breast to the other. He slid his arms underneath her legs and stood. The blanket fell to the floor and he stepped over it then carried her to the bedroom. He laid her gently on the bed and covered her body with his.
The evening of the Christmas concert and pageant had arrived. Priscilla flew from child to child, checking costumes, taking candy from mouths, and breaking up arm wrestling between two of the shepherds.
“Ian, quick, can you take little Denny to the lavatory?”
“Sure, Miss Cochran. I can do that.” He reached for the tiny angel’s hand.
How she loved that boy. In addition to her attraction to Mitch, the thought of marrying him and being mother to Ian was very appealing. However, becoming a mother to a wonderful boy was not a strong enough reason to marry his father.
When they’d made love again the night he’d saved her from the mountain lion, he spent time trying to convince her that he actually wanted to marry her and wasn’t asking to “do the right thing.” Still not sure his feelings were strong enough to make having to give up her job an even swap, she’d put him off.
Nothing had been settled, and as busy as she’d been with the pageant, tonight would be the first time she would see him since he’d dropped her off from church the morning after with the declaration, “Think about it.”
Now she had to put Mitch and everything about him out of her mind so she could concentrate on the children and the performance.
Priscilla held up her hands to quiet the children down. “All right, boys and girls, let’s do a wonderful job for all your family and friends out there.” Waving them a kiss, she scooted around the curtain Mitch had hung to separate the performance area from the audience in the church hall.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for coming this evening.”
“Hey, Mitch, I hear you took down that mountain lion last week.” Ray Morrow slapped him on the back. “That one was a bugger. And fast, too. Hit both the Dennison ranch and the Headley farm all in the same night two days before you got him. The Town Council is mighty grateful.”
“I’m just glad I was there. I never expected the animal to come that far into town.”
“Pa, Miss Cochran said she made a batch of oatmeal cookies, and we can all have one if we help her clean up from the play. Can we stay?”
“Sure.” He ruffled his son’s hair, only to have him pull away. “Pa, stop. I’m getting too old for that.”
“Uh, oh,” The mayor said. “Time to get you another wife so you can have some more young ones. This one is growing up too fast.”
“Ian, be sure to remind Miss Cochran to have the older boys load the costumes from the play, and anything else that has to go to her house, into my buggy.”
Ray smirked. “Seems to me you have someone all picked out to have those little ones with.”
Mitch snorted and turned to the pastor who nudged him on the shoulder. “The new teacher did a wonderful job with the play and concert. We made a good decision when we hired her.”
Now that Priscilla had the town eating out of her hand, they all of a sudden seemed to think they’d made the decision to hire her. If she’d turned out to be like the last one, they would have run him out of town.
He leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her direct the children in gathering the costumes and props from the play. She bent as she spoke with each child, coming down to their level. She patted heads and handed out cookies. She easily chatted with the parents who congratulated her on a job well done. She glowed under the praise, and all of a sudden he realized how perfect she was for this job and why it was so im
portant to her.
Mitch motioned to the mayor across the room speaking with Mrs. Gillis. “Hey, Ray. I want to ask you something.”
The mayor turned and waved him over. “What?”
“I need an emergency meeting of the town council.”
He raised his eyebrows. “When?”
“As soon as possible.”
Chapter 11
Early in the morning a week after the success of the Dogtown concert and Christmas pageant, Priscilla bounced out of bed. Although far from home and family, she still felt the excitement in the air that always surrounded her on Christmas Eve.
She hurried through her morning ablutions, and, since she expected to spend the day doing physical work, slipped on her trousers and buttoned up her younger brother Ben’s hand-me-down shirt. She intended to make this Christmas as much fun and as enjoyable as if she were home. Mitch and Ian were coming over to help her cut down a Christmas tree from the wooded area behind the schoolhouse and decorate her home.
While they did that, she would gather greenery to tie with red ribbons for the window sills and mantle, and wrap the presents she’d bought for Mitch and Ian. Since they were spending Christmas at her house, she planned to also keep busy baking a ham and pies and Christmas cookies that Ian could help her decorate. All the things her mama did every year to make the house smell wonderful.
She pushed away the lump in her throat at the thought of Christmas without Mama, Papa, and her brothers.
The pile of food sitting on the table Mitch’d had the general store deliver late last evening had her wondering if he thought she was feeding an army instead of two adults and one boy. Then again, the holidays were when you indulged in all the foods not normally eaten during the year. At least not in such abundance.
Fastening her hair in one single braid down her back, she went around the house, pulling up the shades to let in the pale winter sunshine. Since she’d dismissed school for the holidays two days ago, she’d spent the entire day yesterday cleaning, scrubbing and polishing. Her little house shone with love and pride.
She was just sliding the apple pie into the oven when Mitch and Ian arrived. Both of their faces were ruddy from the cold. Ian’s eyes sparkled with excitement, very common in children the day before Christmas. Once more she thought of her brothers, especially little Andrew, and her throat closed up. She had to stop this. Dogtown was her home, and home was where you spent Christmas.
“I hear someone is looking for a Christmas tree.” Mitch walked right up to her and gave her a kiss. And not a slight peck on the cheek either.
Priscilla pulled back and patted her hair. “Mitch, for heaven’s sake, Ian is right there,” she whispered.
He winked at her. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about that.”
What was this all about?
Not that she and Mitch had anything to hide—well, maybe they did—but they’d always been quite proper around others, especially Ian.
“Ian, I made some gingerbread cookies for you to help me decorate. But if you want to taste one now to see if they’re any good, I can find a couple to go with the hot chocolate I made.”
“Yes, definitely.” Before he finished speaking he was already sitting in a chair, a grin on his face.
Mitch tapped her on her nose. “Don’t I get a gingerbread cookie?” His voice and look were so seductive, she felt as though she would burst into flames. What game was he playing today? When she regarded him with raised eyebrows, he merely winked again and strolled over to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat.
Her body humming, she poured hot chocolate into three cups and placed a dish of cookies on the table. Her heart was pounding and every time she looked in Mitch’s direction, he gave her that strange “I have a secret” look.
“Miss Cochran, Pa said we’re going to cut down your tree this morning. Pa and I usually have a real small one, but he said this year we’re going to cut down the biggest tree we can find that will fit in your parlor.”
“Goodness. That sounds ambitious. I hope I have enough decorations made for a big tree.” She loved the enthusiasm in Ian’s face. He truly was a charming young man, and if things were different, she would love to be his mother.
She was still unsure of her feelings. There was absolutely no point in denying her physical attraction to Mitch. Just one glance in his direction had her lady parts melting. But only real love would make her take such a step. She drew little circles on the table and watched Mitch under her half-closed eyes.
He was explaining the proper way to cut down a large tree so it didn’t fall the wrong direction while Ian hung on his every word. Mitch was a wonderful father and would be a wonderful father to any future children he had.
Best to push that thought far away from her mind.
Mitch shrugged into his coat as Ian did the same. There was still snow on the ground from the last storm, but the strong sun had melted quite a bit of it over the last few days. The roads were in great shape, but they needed their boots for the trek through the woods.
He patted his pocket where the diamond ring rested in the small jewelry box that had arrived on the last mail coach. Ian was spending the night, and Mitch planned a quiet, romantic proposal once his son was fast asleep before he would return to his house for the night. This time he was sure of her answer.
“Are you ready?” Mitch picked up the axe and handed Ian the saw.
“Yep. Let’s go.”
Still teasing Priscilla with his actions, he gave her another kiss as they left the house. Being in on his plans, Ian gave him a grin as they walked out the back door.
The air was crisp and clear, and the sun shone brighter than earlier in the day. This would be the best Christmas he’d had in years. Maybe this time next year there would even be a new baby in his house. Another little Ian, or maybe a tiny girl with Priscilla’s golden brown curls and hazel eyes. And definitely her spirit.
They looked at several trees, but it took them over a half hour to find the perfect one. “This one will work,” Mitch said as he looked up at the top. “We will probably have to cut some of it to make it fit in the house.”
After about ten minutes Mitch stripped his coat off and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Ian spent the time gathering pine cones and greenery to decorate Priscilla’s house.
Once the tree had fallen, Mitch sawed off enough branches to make the tree look presentable and able to fit through the door. They both took hold of the bottom branches and dragged the tree. Mitch stopped and bent to get a better grip on the tree when Ian sucked in a breath and whispered, “Pa. Turn around.”
Mitch pivoted and looked into the eyes of a mountain lion twice the size of the one he’d killed. His first thought was no wonder the animal had wrought such destruction in the area. There had been two of them. Fear raced through him as he waved at his son. “Step behind me, Ian.”
The animal sat on its haunches, staring at the two of them. He and Ian were about a hundred and fifty yards from Priscilla’s back door, with the animal smack in the middle of the distance. Sweat beaded Mitch’s forehead and he took deep breaths to try to calm his racing heart. He could try to scare the mountain lion away, but what he had to do at this point was prepare to fight the animal while Ian ran to the house.
They all stood in a frozen tableau when his attention was caught by Priscilla stepping out the back door. The animal turned and slowly started walking toward her.
“Get back inside!” Mitch screamed.
Priscilla raised her arm, shouldered a rife, and pulled the trigger. The mountain lion’s head snapped back and he collapsed on the ground. After two shudders, he lay still.
“Yay. I knew she could do it!” Ian yelled.
Priscilla dropped the rifle and ran to Mitch, jumping so hard into his arms that he fell backward, and they both landed between the branches of the tree. She kissed his face over and over. “Oh my God, I thought you were dead.”
He gripped her shoulders and moved her back. �
��Wh-what—?” He shook his head. “What the hell did you just do?”
“She killed the mountain lion, Pa.” Ian was still jumping up and down.
“How—”
“She can shoot like nobody I ever saw.”
Mitch turned to his son. “You knew about this?”
“Sure.” He grinned. “I caught Miss Cochran shooting cans off her back fence a couple of months ago. She’s really good, Pa.”
“No kidding.” Still stunned at what he’d just witnessed, he said, “Why did I not know about this?”
Priscilla stood and dusted off her trousers, catching his eyes as they traveled down her slim legs encased in the pants. “I win the shooting contest every year in the Guthrie Land Run celebration. Beat all my brothers.”
Mitch sat up and dangled his wrists over his knees, a grin on his face he couldn’t suppress no matter how hard he tried. “Miss Priscilla Cochran, you never cease to amaze me.”
On their way back to the house, Mitch leaned over the animal. “Clean through the forehead, right between his eyes.” He took Priscilla’s hand as they walked to the door. “I better not get on your wrong side.”
The tree was decorated, the house smelled wonderful, and Ian was ready for bed. He would sleep on a small cot in Priscilla’s room, and Mitch would return to his house for the night, to return first thing in the morning. If he had his way, they would soon be sharing the large bed at his house.
“I brought some sherry with me since you mentioned your mama favors that. I thought maybe you would like a glass.”
“Sure.” Priscilla yawned as she took the glass from him. “This day has really worn me out.”
Sitting side by side on the sofa, they sipped on their drinks, admiring the hard work they’d done. Priscilla rested her head on Mitch’s shoulder, teasing his nostrils with the familiar scent of lemons and sunshine. He downed his drink and set the empty glass on the table. “I hope you’re not too tired to answer a question for me.”
She sat up. “What’s that?”
Merry Christmas, My Love Page 19
