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It looked as though she might settle down until all of a sudden she opened her mouth to check her teeth. Good Lord, did she fully intend to clean her teeth, right here in public? He squirmed.
Pulling his hat down so he couldn't see her, that's when he noticed her feet on his saddle again. Tiny feet, in what was once white satin slippers. The dress she wore must have cost someone a fortune, Ben thought to himself. Just the intricate beadwork on the bodice told him that much and the fact that a tiny bit of it overlapped on his lap against a finger and he felt the softness. He didn't want to feel the softness, but it was there, and darn hard to ignore. She was impossible to ignore.
He'd give fifty cents to hear her story, just out of curiosity and the peculiarity of the moment. But he wasn't about to ask. He knew better.
"I had car trouble out on the highway, I was stranded." Her proffered explanation fell on deaf ears.
He didn't want to start a conversation, so he merely nodded a little and didn't look at her at all.
He couldn't help thinking about his quickly failed marriage. No way would he ever let himself in for something like that again. Marriage wasn't in Ben Hogg's plans. No matter how long her eye lashes were.
No, he didn't need trouble. And this lady was definitely oozing with it.
Then he saw her hands and it was all he could do not to laugh. Right in the middle of that beautiful, dainty little hand, were three broken fingernails, marring a perfect manicure? A manicure that probably cost more than any steak dinner he'd ever eaten. Had she noticed yet? Probably not, and he wasn't about to tell her. It reminded him of old man Perkins polishing his white Cadillac when the back fender was all banged up. He polished that car every week, rain or shine.
Thoughts of Perkins, brought Ben's mind back to the present and how anxious he was to get back to work after one long vacation with his family. Yeah, being a Sheriff was a pure pleasure after that, especially in Junction. For a small town that only boasted a couple of thousand, had one local bar, one bank, five churches and three beauty parlors, Ben felt safe returning to his office again, where the biggest problems were keeping the darn air conditioner from blowing every year. He loved his family, but sometimes it was a pure relief to get away.
"Could you tell me what the next town is, sir?" The woman in the wedding dress purred sweetly.
Didn't she know he was trying his best to sleep? He didn't want a conversation. He could use some shut eye after celebrating his younger sister's birthday half the night.
Good manners forced him to tip his hat back and cast her a curious glance. But when he did he nearly bust a gut trying to stop the laughter. The woman had used his handkerchief alright, but instead of cleaning up, she only managed to smear the dust and grit over her face. It had dried in a slur across a dainty little nose, and determined looking chin. Obviously she thought she had cleared it away, but it had managed to dry and was caked in places. She looked as if she'd been playing in the mud.
Ben tried not to notice things about her, but it didn't work. Messed up as she was, she was still nice to look at, a little too nice.
She had a pleasant little face, her mouth was kissable, and her eyes looked too big to be on her heart shaped face. The long lashes covered a set of dancing gray-green eyes. Her hair was fairly long, and framed her face. It was hair that attracted him first, the way it dangled about her shoulders and face, all shiny and curled and there was that one little blond streak.
"Next town is Junction." He answered gazing out the window so he didn't have to see those sparkling eyes dance with a smile. This woman irritated him from the moment he laid eyes on her and usually he was an agreeable fella.
"So I've finally come to Junction?"
He whipped about to look at her sincere gaze. S
he looked mesmerized.
Junction wasn't her kind of town, he assumed too quickly.
"That's it."
She did smile just a little and he was flabbergasted at how beautiful her smile was. She radiated a warmth like sunshine with that smile and Ben was quickly appalled at himself for noticing.
"I'll bet you're from there, aren't you?"
"Yes ma'am."
Maybe if he didn't offer conversation she'd hush and he could go back to pleasantly dreaming of a fishing trip he aimed to take real soon.
"I could tell."
His mind began to explode with reasons he shouldn't continue this conversation with the lady. However, Ben prided himself on being a gentleman, all part of being the town Sheriff.
He crossed a leg over and leaned back. He had no intention of carrying the conversation any further, but suddenly found his mouth didn't belong to him. "What gave me away?"
"Maybe the way you're trying so hard to sleep on this bus that manages to hit every bump in the road."
"I guess I'm about as laid back as a man can get at the moment, that's true. Are you stopping in Junction, ma'am?"
He could have bit his own tongue out for asking such a question, but it just slipped out. What did he care whether she stopped or not? Still, she had a way of bringing out the conversation in Ben like no other.
