Beyond This Moment by Tamera Alexander Page B

you:"
    Rachel frowned. "You're not an imposition at all. And you're welcome to stay with us until your . . " She paused. "Until your room is ready. Right, James?"
    "That's right. Still.. " He glanced down at Molly. "We want you to be comfortable. We'll see if we have time to stop by once were done seeing the school:"
    Satisfied with his answer, Molly sat back. "How far is the walk from the boardinghouse to the schoolhouse?"
    'About ten minutes or so" He glanced down at her heeled boots. "Give or take, depending on how fast you can walk in those fancy shoes of yours:"
    Jesting curled the flat edge of his voice, and Rachel and the boys giggled.
    On a whim, Molly angled her left boot as though admiring it. "I'm flattered you've taken such a liking to my shoes, Sheriff. I've won many a footrace in these boots;' she said, not having attempted such a girlish feat in years.
    "Footrace?" Kurt's red head popped up over the back of the seat.
    "You run footraces, Mrs. Whitcomb?" Mitchell appeared beside his brother.
    Eyes widening, Molly heard James's quiet laughter beside her. "Well, no, boys. I was only-"
    "That's something I'd sure like to see, ma'am" James did nothing to hide his smile this time. "You running a footrace, and in those fancy boots, no less"
    Hearing the boys laughing behind her, Molly couldn't prevent a grin. She eyed her shoes. How fast could she run in her heels if given proper motivation? It was on the tip of her tongue to challenge them to a race when she caught herself. How would that look? Timber Ridge's newly widowed schoolteacher running willy-nilly through a field.
    She turned on the seat and briefly covered Kurt's little hand. "Maybe we can race sometime later, Kurt. Once ... more time has passed:"
    "But I don't see how come teachers can't-"
    "Kurt.. " Rachel's voice adopted a motherly tone. "Remember what we talked about earlier."
    The clip-clop of horses' hooves filled the silence.
    Mitchell looked over at his brother. "Mrs. Whitcomb's husband died, and she's in mourning, like Mama was:"
    Kurt squinted. "That's how come she's wearing your dress?"
    "Yes, that's right:" Rachel gave Molly's arm a gentle squeeze. "Her trunks haven't arrived yet, so she's borrowing my dress:"
    Quiet settled over the wagon, and the humor there only moments before quickly evaporated. Molly ran a hand over the skirt of the black dress, regretting how she'd bantered back and forth so casually with James. Not that she'd been flirtatious. She'd simply been more ... playful than was her custom with men. Part of her wanted to blame him for having this effect on her, but she knew better.
    His friendliness, the way he made everyone feel so comfortable, drew something out in her. Something light and carefree and that made her feel so at ease-things she shouldn't be feeling right now.
    They left the town behind, and the towering Maroon Bells steadily rose before them. The Twin Sisters stood sentinel over Timber Ridge and were even more impressive closer up. Timeless stone monuments vaulting up from the earth with a beauty so striking and unrelenting that Molly found it difficult to look away. If the schoolhouse was located nearby, coming to work every day would be a privilege.
    A lake spread out at the foot of the mountains, tranquil and serene, its placid surface mirroring the highest peaks and the tufted clouds shrouding them. Molly angled her head sideways. The image on the water's surface was so pure, so clear, that if she hadn't known the truth, she would've had a hard time telling which was real and which was the reflection.
    Glimpsing a building past the lake, she leaned forward on the seat. "Is that the school?"
    "Yes, ma'am, it is:" James guided the horses down a side road.
    It wasn't as she'd imagined. The schoolhouse wasn't rustic in the least. It was made from lumber, just like schoolhouses back east. Coats of white paint covered the walls and gleamed brightly in the afternoon sun. There was even a play area set off to the side,