With an answering smile, Lin sat on the closest bench and the little girls climbed up to sit on either side of her. The top book was opened quickly, and pictures of animals elicited an excitement that simple words on a page could not match. The girls pointed to one then another of the creatures, naming them and laughing over the elephant’s trunk and the long neck of a giraffe.
Probably not the accepted way to teach, Lin thought, but more enjoyable to the student. She pointed out the letters of each animal’s name, had the girls repeat them to her and then sound out the syllables. “Effa-lint,” Sally said studiously, and Lin held her laughter in abeyance.
“Not quite,” she said cheerfully. “Let’s try it again.” The time passed quickly, and in ten minutes Lin excused her pupils, closing the books and placing them beside her. She’d spend an hour this afternoon, while it rained, to review the small lessons she’d been working on for Amanda’s benefit.
“Do they know how much they’ve learned in such a short time?” The voice from behind her rang with a familiar note, and Lin only chuckled quietly as Nicholas rounded the bench to sit at the other end. The books lay between them and she picked them up, holding them against her breast.
“Amanda is really too young to absorb a lot at a time,” she said. “But she’ll be reading within six months, and never even know how she got to that point.”
“You’re a good teacher,” Nicholas told her. “You’ll make a good mother one day.” He stretched out his legs, crossing his ankles, his boot toes pointing upward. “Why haven’t you sought a husband, Lin? You’re a beautiful woman. Surely there have been men who pursued you.”
“Not really,” she admitted. “My stepfather was not inclined to allow me to walk out with any of the young men who showed an interest in me.”
He lifted a brow as he turned his head to her, and his words were unbelieving. “Surely your mother had something to say about that. Or did he dominate her, too?”
“He was not a kind man, unless he wanted something.”
“Something? From you?” His eyes narrowed, as if his quick mind had picked up on her unspoken meaning. He turned to her, his relaxed posture becoming more alert, his face stern as he pressed the issue. “Was he abusive to you?”
“Did he beat me?” She shook her head. “No, he left a few bruises on my arms sometimes, but he never used his fists on me.”
“Why would he do that? I doubt you were an intractable child.” His hand lifted to brush a lock of hair from her cheek and she jerked from the touch, and then looked up at him quickly, an apology on her lips.
“I’m sorry. You startled me.”
“You looked frightened, Lin. And I don’t believe I’ve given you reason to fear me, have I? Or was it that I touched you unexpectedly?”
“Perhaps.” And then she shook her head. “It wasn’t you.” Refusing to hold his gaze, she looked toward the general store where two men sat on a bench beneath the wooden awning. “Those gentlemen are watching us,” she murmured.
“Let them. I have good reason to speak with you.”
“But not to touch me.”
His hand dropped to the back of the bench. “You’re right. I wouldn’t do anything to damage your reputation. I want you to stay, you know that. And I want the townsfolk to respect you as Amanda’s nursemaid. Most folks are aware of your position in my home.”
“We haven’t spoken of it as a permanent thing, Nicholas,” she said. And then she looked up as a single drop of rain touched her hand. “I was afraid of this. It’s going to be a downpour before we can get home. Sally says we’re going to have a gully-washer.” Her smile became rueful as she turned to search out her charge. “We should have stayed home, I know. I only gave in to Amanda because she loves to play here every morning, and I hated to deny her.”
He rose and held out his hand. “Come on over to the bank and wait it out. There’s no sense in getting soaked.”
She took his extended palm and allowed his help, rising easily as he called out to his niece. “We’re going to the bank to stay dry,” he told the little girl, waving as Sally scampered off.
“Sally’s said her mama’s at the store now,” Amanda announced. “She was gonna come over to talk to Linnie after she got her stuff all bought.”
“Well, she’ll have to do it another time,” Nicholas said. “We’re going to make a run for it.” He snatched Amanda from her feet and lifted her, holding her with one arm as he clutched Lin’s elbow with his other hand. They hastened across the park, beneath the trees, where the sudden wind blew the fresh, spring-green leaves into a frenzy. Scuffling through the rain-spattered dust beneath their feet, they crossed the street to where the double doors of the bank stood open.
Giant-size raindrops decorated their clothing as they stood inside the sheltered entrance, and Amanda laughed as Nicholas lowered her to the floor. His hat was off in an instant, and he threaded his fingers through the wayward dark strands of hair he’d ruffled, brushing them into place. Then, with a gesture of welcome, he ushered them to his office.
“Do we have any hot water, Thomas?” he asked his clerk. “Miss Donnelly and her charge might enjoy a cup of tea.”
Lin smiled at the young man, who shot her an admiring glance. “That would be wonderful,” she said. “I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of a bank that served tea to its customers.”
“We don’t, normally,” Nicholas told her. “But I like to have it available on occasion. Thomas tends to all sorts of such things for me.”
“You have a kitchen in the back room?” she asked.
He grinned at her, offering a chair and taking the precious books from her hands, handing them to Amanda. “Not a whole kitchen, but a small stove and a cupboard with odds and ends to provide me with a light meal if I decide not to go home for dinner.”
Lin watched as Amanda sat on the carpet near the windows, and then she turned her attention back to Nicholas. “I’ve not known you to miss one of Katie’s meals since we’ve been here.”
“I’ve been a regular at the dinner table, haven’t I? Perhaps it’s the company I find there.” His glance was admiring as he sat down behind his desk and leaned back in his chair. “Katie has made note of it. I don’t know why I allow her to tease me so. I think she hasn’t figured out yet that I’m the employer, and, as such, should be treated with great dignity.”
“I think she’s got you all figured out, Mr. Garvey,” Lin said quietly, allowing her gaze to touch his dark hair, where his fingers had left their mark. His eyes, their brilliance masked by lowered lids, searched her own, and his smile disappeared as if a magic touch had erased it from his lips.
“And you, Lin. Have you figured me out yet?” He leaned back, his hands lightly clasped over his vest. “I certainly haven’t had much success in sorting through your thoughts and feelings. I’ve attempted to search out the woman beneath your cool demeanor, and until this morning, had little success.”
“This morning?” Her mind sought out the few moments of conversation they’d shared in the park. “How so?”
“I think your stepfather had a lot to do with the position in which you’ve found yourself. Am I right?” His lips thinned, as though he contemplated the man in question and found him to be brutish and not worthy of his relationship to the woman before him.
“You wouldn’t like him,” she admitted.
“I don’t like cruelty in any form,” he said quietly. “Especially as it is directed at children or women. I think you’ve been the victim of a man whose actions have made you fearful of men in general.” He paused, then plunged ahead, giving only a passing glance toward Amanda, who was settled on the floor with the two books open before her.
“Did he misuse you?” he asked quietly, his voice barely carrying to where she sat.
She felt a painful blush rise to cover her cheeks. With a slow movement, she shook her head. “Not really. I kept as far from him as I could. His hands were like a vulture’s claws, always ready to take hold, and
I had bruises to show for it.”
“He would have before long, though,” he said with certainty, almost as if he’d been there during those dark days. “If you hadn’t left home when you did…” His words trailed off as though his thoughts were too dark to utter aloud.
She could only nod her agreement, unwilling to meet his eyes now, closing her own, embarrassed by what she’d revealed to this man. He was almost a stranger, even though they’d shared private moments. Moments she’d do well to put behind her, she thought. First and foremost, he was her employer; and she’d allowed him to poke and prod out of her the secret she’d carried for more than six years.
His voice was dark, his question barely a murmur. “You didn’t tell your mother?”
“Yes, and she said I had a vivid imagination to think that a dignified man would be interested in a child.” She looked up then and found he’d risen and walked to where she sat. “I wasn’t a child, Nicholas. I was a woman, almost full-grown, and if I hadn’t left, he’d have invaded my bed.” She’d never been so outspoken in her life, even Irene had known only the very scant details of her struggle.
“But he didn’t,” Nicholas said softly. “And for that I’m grateful.”
“Why?” She met his gaze fully, watching as he crouched before her and took her hands in his. “I’d think you’d rather have an experienced woman available for what you have in mind for me, Nicholas, rather than an old maid with no knowledge of what you propose.” Her words sounded harsh in her own ears, and she bit at her lip, wishing she might take them back, unspoken.
“I’m surprised you were able to respond to me in any way the other night, Lin. But, know this. I’d never force myself on you or any woman,” he told her, glancing to where Amanda sat, oblivious to their conversation. And then he looked up, a smile forming on his lips as the door opened and Thomas entered, a small tray in one hand.
“Here’s our tea,” Nicholas said, “and just in time.
“Miss Donnelly was feeling chilled by the rain,” he told his clerk, taking the tray and placing it on his desk.
“There was no milk, sir,” Thomas told him. “But I found sugar.”
“I don’t use milk,” Lin said quickly. “This will be fine.”
Thomas left, pulling the door closed behind himself, and Nicholas poured from the flowered pot. “This is from home,” he said. “Katie thought I needed tea brewed in a pot as opposed to a few leaves in the bottom of a cup.” He offered it to his guest and Lin took the cup carefully, lest she spill its contents. “Would you like sugar?” he asked, lifting the lid from a dainty matching container.
“No, thank you.” She sipped at the brew, relishing the flavor, then felt a pang of guilt as she considered her charge. “Amanda, would you like some tea?” she asked, raising her voice to attract the child’s attention.
“No, ma’am,” Amanda answered, apparently unwilling to be drawn from the book before her.
“There’s water if she’d like a drink,” Nicholas offered. “Otherwise, I’m afraid my refreshments are in short supply.”
“She’s happy as she is, I think,” Lin said. “And we must be getting home. I believe the rain has let up.” She looked around the office. “Do you have an umbrella we could use?”
Nicholas nodded, and then, as if he’d had a sudden thought, went to the door, opening it and calling for Thomas. “Use my umbrella and run down to the livery stable and get my rig, will you?” A murmur from Thomas appeared to please him and he closed the door, his back against it as he smiled at Amanda, whose head had lifted from her book. “Would you like a ride in my buggy?” he asked.
“Oh, yes,” she stated firmly. “I could even help you hold the reins. I’m very good at that. My papa used to say—” Her voice halted, and a pained expression painted her features. As if she’d unlocked a door in her mind and found sorrow behind the portal, she turned to Lin and rushed into waiting arms.
“That’s all right, sweet. You can talk about your papa if you like.”
“I don’t want to,” Amanda said stubbornly. “It makes me hurt when I remember things. And sometimes I miss my mama awful bad.”
Lin lifted her to her lap. Her arms encircled the little girl, and she searched in her pocket for a clean hankie. “It’s all right to cry, Amanda. We all have things in our past that make us sad sometimes.”
“Do you, too?” the child asked, looking up with a teary gaze. “Do you cry sometimes, Linnie?” She allowed her eyes to be wiped and her nose blown. And then looked up into Lin’s eyes, her mouth forming a soft pout. “I’ve never seen you cry,” she announced. “I don’t think ladies do that.”
“I try not to.” And don’t always succeed.
“Let’s wait out in the lobby,” Nicholas said, apparently willing to stir Amanda from her gloomy thoughts. And, it seemed, the suggestion of a ride was just the ticket. He held the door open and they filed out, a most domestic trio, Lin thought, her lips curving in a smile as she glanced up at Nicholas.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, bending to catch her reply. And then as if he read her thoughts, he grinned before she could voice them aloud. “You’re thinking I look the very image of a family man, aren’t you?”
“Don’t let the word get around,” she warned. “This town will have you at the altar before you know it.”
“The day I marry, it will be because of my own choice, sweet. Not at the mercy of a bunch of gossiping women.”
He took her arm and looked down to find Amanda clutching at his free hand. How he’d managed to present this picture to the townsfolk in the lobby of his bank was a mystery. Yet, he could not find it in his heart to protest. Lin had not asked for his attention; and though Amanda had almost demanded it, he knew the child had a right to expect him to cater to her a bit.
Leaving his business early was not a common thing for him, but for some reason he hadn’t the heart to send these two on their way, while he sat at his desk and counted the minutes until it should be time to go home for the noon meal.
Giving of himself was becoming easier with each passing day, he realized, waiting just inside the double doors as the rain turned to a scattered sprinkling of drops. As they watched, his buggy neared the bank, Thomas dealing nicely with the reins, the mare prancing between the traces. The buggy pulled up with a flourish, and Nicholas escorted his two females to stand beside it.
With a quick movement, he lifted Amanda and settled her on the seat, then turned to Lin. “Let me help you,” he said, not giving her the choice of accepting or denying his offer. He enclosed her waist with his hands, long fingers encircling the narrow span. She was neither heavy nor light, he decided, only soft and warm to his touch, and he rued the impulse that seemed to govern his actions where she was concerned.
She sat stiffly at the edge of the seat, looking down at him with eyes that glistened. A touch of anger perhaps, at his impulsive handling of her. Embarrassment perhaps, that those out and about should be privy to his casual demeanor in not allowing her to ascend the buggy in a ladylike manner. Ah, well, he thought dryly, a mark against him. And he’d done so well today.
“All set?” he asked, ignoring her rigid posture as he strode around the front of the mare to where Thomas waited, reins in hand. “Thank you, Thomas,” he said nicely. “I’ll be at home if you need me. It’s almost time for dinner, so I’ll not return until about one.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Garvey. I’ll take care of things,” Thomas said, nodding at Lin and grinning widely at Amanda. “Have a nice dinner.”
He glanced at Lin. “Are you comfortable? If I took you off guard, I apologize. I simply wanted you out of the drizzle as quickly as possible.”
“I’m fine,” she said shortly, with a quick look at Amanda. Then, perhaps ruing her aggravation, she looked back at Thomas as he stood watching them drive off. “What does he do, exactly?” she asked as Nicholas snapped the reins over the mare’s back. “You said he’s your clerk. What does that mean?”
“Paperwork,�
�� Nicholas said gloomily. “I hate the stuff, and he’s very good at it. For such a youngster, he’s come a long way. It goes against the grain with the older men in my employ for him to be in charge, but they seem to have gotten used to the idea.”
“A youngster? How old is he?” she asked.
“Twenty-five, I think. Maybe twenty-six.”
“I’m twenty-four,” she said with a half smile. “Does that make me a youngster, too?”
“Women are different than men,” he told her, his jaw clenching as he uttered the pronouncement.
“Yes, we agreed on that already.” She was silent a moment. The mare had slowed her pace, and they were approaching the house. “Is he married?”
Nicholas glared outright. “Don’t be making eyes at Thomas. He’s too young for you to be considering.”
She shot him a glare that only served to anger him further. “You’re being rude, Mr. Garvey. And insulting, to boot. I only asked a question. I’m not out beating the bushes for the attentions of a man. And Thomas is older than I.”
“We’ve already agreed on that,” he said, wishing he’d never allowed this exchange to begin. She was madder than a wet hen, and he wasn’t even sure what had gotten her in an uproar. He jumped from the rig and tied it to a tree branch, then reached for Lin as she perched on the narrow, iron step. “Let me help you,” he said, aware that his voice was grumpy and his face probably matched.
Amanda jumped lithely to the wet ground and slid on the muddy approach to the sidewalk. “Be careful,” Lin told her. “You’ll fall and muddy your dress.” Even as she spoke, her foot slipped and, in a reflex action, Nicholas grasped her, his arms around her middle as he clutched her to himself, her back sliding against his chest.
She inhaled sharply and her breasts pressed deliciously against his forearms, causing another reaction he fought against. She stiffened and attempted to straighten her posture. He only tightened his hold and muttered dark imprecations against her ear, then spoke aloud a threat that halted her movement. “Hold still, for heaven’s sake, woman. You’ll have us both in the mud if you don’t stop wiggling.”
Tempting a Texan Page 8
