AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She tried to close the door again, except this time, he shoved his foot in over the threshold before the door closed.
“Ow!” He grunted in pain.
She glanced down, then back up, her eyebrows softly raised. “Did you stub your toe?”
“What? No! You slammed it in the door.”
“Ah, yes. Well, that has a tendency to happen when you shove your foot where it’s not wanted. Now, if you don’t want it happening again, I suggest you move it.”
He held out a hand, pushing against the door just hard enough to keep it open, but not so hard that he forced the issue. Though she had no doubt he could if he wanted.
“I wasn’t asking for, or expecting, a welcome. But as I said, I do need a place to stay, so I was hoping we could just discuss matters. Maybe come to an arrangement, at least for the night. I’ll try to make it as painless as possible,” he added with that half grin that kept doing a thing or two to her insides. The second she got around the man, it was as if her body completely rebelled, wanting to rub itself all over him like an overgrown kitten.
As it was, she couldn’t tear her focus from his exceptionally chiseled jawline, though she hadn’t quite decided if it was because of the aforementioned affected insides or because she really wanted to plant her fist across it.
She was leaning toward the fist. Hedidseem to enjoy aggravating her. Then again, she quite enjoyed returning the favor, too, so it really wasn’t fair to complain.
Nora sucked in several deep breaths, trying in vain to think of an argument that would get him to leave. Or cave and make their marriage official. Since neither seemed likely, she sighed and stepped back. He moved inside, watching her warily. As well he should. He looked around the place, and she gritted her teeth again, waiting for some disdainful comment about their shabby, badly in-need-of-repair surroundings.
She did her best to keep things up, though most of her attention went to the small sitting room where she met with customers. And no one could fault the cleanliness of her home. But she’d basically been on her own for quite a while, and there was only so much she could do in a day.
Adam merely nodded, a faint smile on his lips as he looked around. “It’s cozy, homey. I like it.”
“I’m so glad you approve,” she drawled, laying the sarcasm on thick. He either didn’t notice or chose to ignore it. She pursed her lips. “So, what did you want to discuss that we haven’t already discussed, Mr. Brady?” she asked, sitting gingerly on the edge of the sofa.
“I’ve asked you before to call me Adam.”
“And I’ve asked you to sign the papers or leave. We don’t always get what we ask for, apparently.”
“That, I’ve found, is very true.” Instead of being offended, he grinned and sank into the armchair across from her with a weary exhale. “I do think we need to discuss our little issue, since Preacher doesn’t seem able, or willing, to handle matters in an expeditious fashion. But I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I’m up to verbally sparring with you tonight, much as I enjoy it under normal circumstances. However, I do need a place to stay. The boardinghouse was…” He paused, then snorted. “Let’s just say it wasn’t the safest place for me to be.”
Her eyebrow rose. “You were in danger?”
He grinned again. “Yeah, of some papa’s loaded shotgun.” She frowned, her brow crinkling with confusion, and he shrugged. “Apparently there are a few matrimony-minded females in town who are no longer content to wait for me to show an interest. Especially since that was never going to happen. One climbed in my bedroom window with her daddy hot on her heels less than an hour ago.”
“Sally?”
Adam nodded.
“My goodness,” Nora said, her lips twitching. “Very resourceful, I suppose.”
“If you say so,” he muttered. “Anyway, between all the assorted noise from my neighbors and dodging ill-fated marriage attempts, this just seemed to be the safest place for me to be.”
She gave him a slow, steady smile. “Is it? And what makes you thinkIwon’t be aiming a shotgun at you in your sleep, Mr. Brady?”
“Adam,” he said. “And if you did, at least I’ve given you more cause than I ever gave Sally’s daddy. Dying unprovoked is so uncivilized. But you seem to need me too much to remove me permanently.” He shrugged. “Though if you do, at least it solves the whole question of marriage. Itisuntil death do we part, after all.”
Her eyes widened. “You’d rather end up dead than married?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said without hesitation.
“Interesting. Not that I blame you, mind. I feel much the same way about it myself. Though I don’t know if I’d choose death over marriage. I suppose it would depend on who was doing the proposing.” She looked him over, making no secret of the fact that she was referring to him.
He chuckled, and she held aloof for a moment longer, then gave up and slumped back in her chair, lacing her fingers over her stomach.
“Look, Mr. Brady—Adam,” she said, before he could correct her again. “I do feel for your current situation.”
He pursed his lips and pinned her with a pointed, and disbelieving, gaze. “Somewhat,” she clarified. “But if you have no intention of signing the papers to make our marriage legal, then I’m not sure why you’re here. You can hardly stay in my home, with me. I’d never live down the scandal.”
