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“Well now, that looks presentable.” She smiled now, and his breath caught. She was so lovely when she smiled like that, with her black hair glistening in the sunlight streaming through the window.
“I appreciate it. What do you want me to do with these?” he asked, holding his clothes out.
“We’ll burn them.” She looked at the clothes for a moment and then chuckled.
He laughed too, liking her laugh even more than her smile.
Seeing her up close again had him reacting again and this time he couldn’t stop looking.
She blushed, and even the blush was breath taking.
As she took the clothes, their hands touched fleetingly and her own breathing became labored. He was having some effect on her. “Would you care for a glass of lemonade before you get started?” she asked as she carried his clothes to the back porch. He hadn’t expected her to delay him in getting back to the field, but he certainly wouldn’t object to spending time with her.
“That would be extra special,” he said as some of her defenses subsided.
Lily came in and stared at him as she asked for lemonade too. The little girl smiled at him again.
She poured all of them some lemonade and as they drank it, their eyes met over the tops of the glasses.
He had to learn to control his reactions to her. He’d be working with her and living around her and he couldn’t keep the tension between them like a tightrope.
“So how do you like it here, ma’am? Joe tells me you haven’t lived here that long, and yet the property looks so well kept.”
“Yes, well, I did move here right after…” She paused, swallowed hard, and looked down, then went on. “Wasn’t long after that I got word that his brother died too. It was in the papers or we’d have never known it. They shipped Dil’s body here and I buried him out there alongside his brother. ‘Course Lee isn’t really there, but I think his soul might be.”
“You said Lee died in the war too.”
“They both did. I mean I guess they did.”
Of all the things Lee had heard since he came home, that sent a bullet through his heart. A lump in his throat and pain in his heart. Could he hide all that from her too? It made it difficult to stand there in the kitchen without any reaction at all. His leg needed to kick something, his hand needed to fist. His breath left his lungs. He stood rock still, unable to say anything for a long moment. And right now he wanted to jerk her into his arms and kiss her crazy.
“Mr. Sayers, are you alright?”
Firming his lips, he gathered his control about him. “It don’t seem right.” Luke wanted to know more. Hearing his brother had hanged had him in a stew and he needed to know what had happened. But between sparks flying between them and the ugly truth, whatever it was, he couldn’t keep his attention riveted.
“What don’t?” She turned to look at him again, her eyes cautious, her cheeks glowing.
“You bein’ here alone with three kids to raise, all by yourself,” Luke said, glancing at the youngest girl and wondering if they knew about it and if he had said too much in front of her.
“Well, I am, and I don’t plan on changing that. In fact, I chose it.” She seemed almost nervous now, as though she had spoken too much and didn’t know why. “I got a brother, he’s all of thirteen now, and he’s a big help to Joe and me, and the girls. They are learnin’ to cook too.”
“You mean, you don’t plan on ever marryin’?”
Flustered, she whirled about and came close. “I mean, it’s none of your business, and I have work to do and so do you.”
The woman had a daunting way of putting him in his place and it unnerved him. “Yes ma’am.” Luke met her gaze. For the love of God, he could smell roses again. And her lips were pursed almost as she stood there with her indignation. His head almost bent to take them, until sanity returned. And Lily was staring at them. What was he thinking? But he’d caught her off guard too, because she was staring at him now, and very flustered if her blush meant anything.
With all his might, he nodded and turned away. “Yes ma’am. Thanks for the lemonade.”
And he was gone. But not for good. Not for a long shot. He was going to know the whole story before too long.
Chapter Five
They were out in the corn field when Joe glanced over at Luke. “So did you find out what you wanted to know?”
Luke stopped for a minute and shook his head. “Not nearly enough. But worse still, she said Dil was hung.”
Joe gaped. “Hung?”
