She noticed him duck into the dense foliage separating their property, and she wondered if she should go. Everything she yearned for suggested they might be a good match, but it wasn’t necessarily the cookie-cutter description her mother had talked of earlier.
It was better – the best of both worlds.
The only problem was that Jamie didn’t love her, and she’d settle for nothing less in a union between a man and woman. She tossed the book to the side and decided that some fresh air and exercise would do her good. It might help her get to sleep. Tariana popped her head inside the parlor where Clarence Gracin was reading a book aloud as his wife sat knitting, hanging onto his every word.
“Excuse me,” Tariana said. “I’m going for a little walk. It’s not dark yet, and the fresh air will clear my mind.”
“Oh, yes. Your mother informed me of your dilemma. It is a hard task, indeed, to replace the Michael-obsession with a suitable second-choice.” His tone seemed to make light of the words.
“Mother!” Tariana exclaimed, wishing their discussion had remained between them.
“It’s just one of those family issues that I mentioned are worth sharing with your man. Your father and I are proud of you.” She shooed her daughter away. “Now, go for that walk and find some joy to fill your soul.”
Once outside, she squeezed through the same gap in the shrubbery and weaved her way toward the shed. She’d barely reached the building when someone grabbed her arm and pushed her against the wall. She sucked in a lungful of surprise, only to have her next breath smothered in a rough kiss. Tariana pushed the man away and read fear in Jamie’s eyes.
“Jamie? What are you doing?”
“What’s it look like?” He appeared confused.
“I’m not sure what it looked like, but it felt like a bully in the schoolyard trying to steal a kiss.”
“Has a bully ever tried to kiss you in the schoolyard?” Jamie asked.
“No, I’d have flattened him then, and now. Boys seem to know that about me, and they leave me alone. They target the sissy-prissies instead, which, it appears, you’ve taken a shine to lately. What’s the matter – won’t your Texas tart let you kiss her?”
“I don’t want her to. She has a thick coat of red pasted on her lips that I don’t want to taste. I wonder if she shops at the same stores as the whores at the saloon.”
“Jamie! Watch your tongue.”
“Sorry,” he apologized. He kicked the building behind her in frustration, and turned his gaze downward.
“Have you ever visited that place of ill-repute, Jamie Sackerton? You must have, otherwise, you wouldn’t know how the ladies of the night paint their faces?”
“Can we start over, Tariana?” he said, avoiding her question.
“We definitely can, since your brutal attack did nothing to spark a response from me.”
“I figured I’d lose my nerve if I waited. Sorry.” He shuffled his feet. “Want to go hunting tomorrow? I saw a lot of rabbits scurrying around the meadow today. Easy targets.”
“Meat for the stew pot. It’s Frances’s favorite, and I should like to spoil her a bit before she leaves home for good. It will make up for a childhood of lost time.”
“So, is that a yes?”
“I’d love to go. That is if it won’t interfere with your social calendar.” Why did she always feel the need to fuel her wounds? She bit her lip to stop the gibberish from spewing out.
“I know you saw me with Angelica today. I was working, coming in to pick up a part, when she held me up. All of those parcels – you’d think she’d have shopped enough in Texas before she came to visit family.”
“Perhaps she prefers something that the other girls in her circle aren’t wearing. Styles may differ in other states.”
“I like your style.”
“Which is?” She’d always considered her wardrobe a mish-mash of styles that she liked and had accumulated over the years.
“The simple stuff you wear when we fish and hunt and your church dresses are modest, but I especially like the one you wore to the fourth of July picnic.”
“I didn’t think you noticed.” She looked away so he wouldn’t see the traces of hurt he’d inflicted when he chose to ignore her and fall over the new girl instead.
“I always notice you.” When she offered little response, he said, “We’re still friends, aren’t we?”
“I’m not sure. What kind of friend calls me out of the house at dusk to yank me into the shadows and kiss me?”
“Are we back to that again? I apologized.” His sad eyes pleaded. “We’re going hunting, right?”
“What time?” Tariana asked.
“How about straight after supper? I have to work tomorrow.”
Tariana did not want to finish the dialog, but knew she needed to head inside. “Six-thirty, then. I think I will tell my parents where I am going this time. If I’m to cook a rabbit for Frances, they’d probably guess that I shot it. Besides, we are far too old to be sneaking around.”
“Agreed.”
She fumbled awkwardly with her hands and finally blurted out. “If you’d like to try a decent kiss, I wouldn’t fight you off.”
Jamie was at full attention. “Are you sure?”
“I wouldn’t have proposed it if I weren’t sure,” she said, annoyance creeping into her voice. “Hurry up if you’ve got your mind set on it, Jamie Sackerton. My parents expect me back sometime tonight.”
A shadow crossed his face, leaving her bewildered. He backed out of range. “I won’t push myself on you. I treasure our friendship too much.” He tipped his hat.
