' Harrison left me out here alone.'
'You were never alone.'
Her shoulders slumped. 'I know.'
She turned to the bushes. 'You may leave now, Henry. Cole's here.'
'Thank you, Miss Eleanor,' Henry called back.
She took a deep breath. 'I… appreciated your company.'
'I didn't mind yours neither, except when you were screaming. You made my head hurt, Miss Eleanor.'
'I'm sorry.'
She turned back to the trail and started walking again. Cole rode by her side.
'That wasn't so difficult, was it?'
'What wasn't difficult?' She kept her attention on the ground so she wouldn't step on anything sharp. Her feet were sticky and hot.
She felt miserable and knew she looked worse. She ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to give the curls some order and kept walking. She didn't care what Cole thought she looked like. No, she certainly didn't. She realized her top three buttons were undone and quickly latched them up.
'Being nice wasn't difficult,' he said.
'Yes, it was.'
He smiled because he felt the same way. 'Why is it difficult?'
'You wouldn't understand.'
'Try me.'
'It makes me feel vulnerable.'
He almost nodded agreement. The two of them were more alike than he'd realized.
'You're supposed to treat others the way you wish to be treated,' he recited from memory. Lord, how many times had Adam suggested that golden rule to him?
'Now, why would I want to do that?'
He really didn't have any idea. She volunteered her own theory. 'Do you think they'll then treat me nice?'
'Some will.'
'What about the ones who don't?'
'You get to be mean to them.'
She burst into laughter. She was amazed she could find joy in anything, given her dire circumstances.
His words made sense, but she wasn't quite ready to admit it. She decided to try once more for sympathy.
'Everyone leaves me,' she said. 'Even my father ran away from me. I was abandoned.'
'So?'
'I got scared.'
'Who doesn't get scared every now and then?'
She gave it one last try. 'I'm completely without funds.'
'Too bad. Try earning some money.'
'How? I'm not trained to do anything. Maybe I should just find a man and get married.'
'No man would have you, even desperate ones who haven't seen a fine-looking woman like you in years.'
Her eyes widened over the casually given praise. Did he really believe she was a fine-looking woman?
'Mary Rose doesn't like me. She only pities me.'
'So you treat her like…'
'I don't want her pity,' she shouted.
'Then tell her how you feel, but be nice about it. Mary Rose could be a good friend if you don't drive her away.'
'It's too late. I've ruined everything. Everyone voted. I have to leave. Harrison said so. Do you really think I'm a fine-looking woman?'
'Sure. I'll bet you're real pretty when you smile.'
'Travis hates me. Smiling isn't going to change that.'
'You might stop calling him boy.'
'I forgot his name.'
'No, you didn't. You wanted to irritate him. You succeeded. Now stop it.' She nodded. He wasn't finished giving advice, however. 'Say my name,' he ordered.
'Cole.'
'That's right. My name's Cole, not You There or Boy.'
'Do I have to be nice to everyone?'
Only Eleanor would ask that question. 'Yes.'
She laughed again. 'I was just teasing.'
'I was right.'
'Right about what?'
'You're very pretty when you smile.'
She turned away. 'Thank you. I was nice to Adam. Harrison said he didn't vote against me. Of course he couldn't.'
'Why couldn't he?'
'Because he's head of the household. He had to abstain… didn't he?'
'I forgot.'
'Do you think Adam would have voted to throw me out?'
'No.'
'I didn't think so either. He's a very kind man. He can tolerate almost anything, even me.'
'I'm kind.'
'No, you're not.'
He smiled. She was right. He wasn't kind.
'Are you going to keep on walking?'
'What other choice do I have?'
He leaned down, put his arm around her waist, and lifted her up onto his lap. She felt as light as a pillow. She was hot and sweaty, yet she still smelled like she'd just taken a bath.
She was all tuckered out from her strenuous walk. The mountain air had made her feel light-headed too. She was glad Cole was letting her ride with him and knew she should thank him. She tried to come up with the appropriate words. It shouldn't have been difficult, but it was. Lord, she'd really been acting like a tyrant all these past years, ordering people around… and never showing any sort of gratitude.
They rode along for several minutes without any conversation. Cole was comfortable with the silence. Eleanor wasn't. She wiggled around in his lap, pressing her backside against his groin every time she moved. He gritted his teeth together to keep himself from shouting at her.
Finally, he couldn't stand any more provocation. 'Quit hopping around like that.'
'I'm not hopping. Thank you.'
There, she'd said the words. She immediately relaxed. It hadn't been difficult after all.
Unless he mocked her, of course. She tensed in anticipation.
'Why did you call Mrs. Morrison a fat cow?'
'I was helping Mary Rose.'
'How?'
'Mrs. Morrison had the nerve to tell me Harrison was going to court her daughter. I informed her she was wrong. She continued to disagree with me, and one word led to another.'
He changed the subject. 'Didn't you learn anything useful at school?'
'I could teach.'
'Why don't you?'
'Children dislike me.'
