.”
“But he didn’t tell us!”
“So?” She got up from the table. “Help me with these dishes so we can have dessert.”
“But they’ve gone out onto the porch, dear wife. You know what that means.”
“I can’t say that I do.” She began to clear away the plates.
“Where is your sense of snoopery?” he asked indignantly.
“Snoopery? What kind of word is that?”
“I just made it up. If you will excuse me …” He moved to leave the room.
Sadie set down the stack of plates in her hands and followed him into the parlor. She watched as he quickly opened the front window, the one that looked out over the porch. Eli and Miss Comfort’s voices drifted into the room. “Harrison Cooke!” she hissed. “Get away from that window!”
He went to her and took her hands in his. “It’s our duty, dear wife, to chaperone. Now what kind of chaperones would we be if we left them alone out there, unwatched and unlistened to?”
“Oh for Heaven’s sake.” Sadie yanked her hands from his. “You are the nosiest man I have ever met!”
“On the contrary,” he said in a low voice. “I’m doing what’s right by Miss Comfort and our young friend Mr. Turner.”
Sadie put her hands on her hips. “You just want to see what’s in the box.”
“A nice side benefit,” he admitted, waving a finger at her. “But making sure it is nothing untoward, of course.”
Sadie rolled her eyes. “Harrison, you’ve gone plumb loco.” She left to deal with the dirty dishes.
“That woman has no sense of romance,” he muttered. Harrison turned, rubbed his hands together in anticipation, then firmly planted himself in the chair next to the open window.
Chapter 9
“ I brought ya somethin ’.” Eli handed her a box.
“Why, Mr. Turner,” Pleasant said with a smile. “A gift? For me?”
“I hope ya like it,” he said nervously.
What she liked was the way the tips of his ears turned pink. It was an odd thing to notice and even odder to be attracted to, but there it was. She took the box from him and stared at it. It was a little larger than a shoebox, wrapped in brown paper and string. “You really didn’t have to get me anything.”
“I wanted to.” He gazed into her eyes. “Besides, they’re real practical. Stuff ya’d be needin’ anyways.”
“How very thoughtful.” She tugged on the string, untied it, pulled the paper away and opened the box. “Oh my … what is all this?”
“That li’l box there.” Eli pointed at it. “It’s got somethin’ else in it.”
“Indeed?” She felt herself blush. For a man who’d just shot several outlaws the day before, he was acting incredibly nervous, boyish and innocent at the same time. What a startling contrast – how could a man be so manly and tough, yet tender and charming? Pleasant found she liked the combination. She liked it a lot. “What’s this?” she asked, picking up an object wrapped in white linen. “It’s heavy …”
“Careful, now,” he warned. “I’ll hafta teach ya how to use it.”
She pulled the linen away and … “Merciful heavens!” she gasped, a hand to her chest. It was a pearl-handled revolver!
“Ya’ll need some lessons. I’ll teach ya how to load it first. Then ya can try yer hand at shootin’ it.”
She examined the weapon and almost dropped it from her shaking hands. “But I’ve … I’ve never shot a gun in my life!”
“If’n yer married to me, yer gonna hafta learn,” he said, his voice stern. “I don’t mean for it to scare ya, I’m just tryin’ to make sure yer safe.”
She knew the gun couldn’t possibly be loaded … could it? Gingerly she set it in her lap. “Protect me? By having me shoot someone?”
“Only if ya gotta.” He took the gun from her and aimed it at the barn. “Mr. Dunnigan – ya know, Wilfred? He just got it in – says it’s a perfect sidearm for a lady, nice and light. And it’s real purty, don’t ya think?”
“Yes, it’s … quite beautiful. I’ve
“But he didn’t tell us!”
“So?” She got up from the table. “Help me with these dishes so we can have dessert.”
“But they’ve gone out onto the porch, dear wife. You know what that means.”
“I can’t say that I do.” She began to clear away the plates.
“Where is your sense of snoopery?” he asked indignantly.
“Snoopery? What kind of word is that?”
“I just made it up. If you will excuse me …” He moved to leave the room.
Sadie set down the stack of plates in her hands and followed him into the parlor. She watched as he quickly opened the front window, the one that looked out over the porch. Eli and Miss Comfort’s voices drifted into the room. “Harrison Cooke!” she hissed. “Get away from that window!”
He went to her and took her hands in his. “It’s our duty, dear wife, to chaperone. Now what kind of chaperones would we be if we left them alone out there, unwatched and unlistened to?”
“Oh for Heaven’s sake.” Sadie yanked her hands from his. “You are the nosiest man I have ever met!”
“On the contrary,” he said in a low voice. “I’m doing what’s right by Miss Comfort and our young friend Mr. Turner.”
Sadie put her hands on her hips. “You just want to see what’s in the box.”
“A nice side benefit,” he admitted, waving a finger at her. “But making sure it is nothing untoward, of course.”
Sadie rolled her eyes. “Harrison, you’ve gone plumb loco.” She left to deal with the dirty dishes.
“That woman has no sense of romance,” he muttered. Harrison turned, rubbed his hands together in anticipation, then firmly planted himself in the chair next to the open window.
Chapter 9
“ I brought ya somethin ’.” Eli handed her a box.
“Why, Mr. Turner,” Pleasant said with a smile. “A gift? For me?”
“I hope ya like it,” he said nervously.
What she liked was the way the tips of his ears turned pink. It was an odd thing to notice and even odder to be attracted to, but there it was. She took the box from him and stared at it. It was a little larger than a shoebox, wrapped in brown paper and string. “You really didn’t have to get me anything.”
“I wanted to.” He gazed into her eyes. “Besides, they’re real practical. Stuff ya’d be needin’ anyways.”
“How very thoughtful.” She tugged on the string, untied it, pulled the paper away and opened the box. “Oh my … what is all this?”
“That li’l box there.” Eli pointed at it. “It’s got somethin’ else in it.”
“Indeed?” She felt herself blush. For a man who’d just shot several outlaws the day before, he was acting incredibly nervous, boyish and innocent at the same time. What a startling contrast – how could a man be so manly and tough, yet tender and charming? Pleasant found she liked the combination. She liked it a lot. “What’s this?” she asked, picking up an object wrapped in white linen. “It’s heavy …”
“Careful, now,” he warned. “I’ll hafta teach ya how to use it.”
She pulled the linen away and … “Merciful heavens!” she gasped, a hand to her chest. It was a pearl-handled revolver!
“Ya’ll need some lessons. I’ll teach ya how to load it first. Then ya can try yer hand at shootin’ it.”
She examined the weapon and almost dropped it from her shaking hands. “But I’ve … I’ve never shot a gun in my life!”
“If’n yer married to me, yer gonna hafta learn,” he said, his voice stern. “I don’t mean for it to scare ya, I’m just tryin’ to make sure yer safe.”
She knew the gun couldn’t possibly be loaded … could it? Gingerly she set it in her lap. “Protect me? By having me shoot someone?”
“Only if ya gotta.” He took the gun from her and aimed it at the barn. “Mr. Dunnigan – ya know, Wilfred? He just got it in – says it’s a perfect sidearm for a lady, nice and light. And it’s real purty, don’t ya think?”
“Yes, it’s … quite beautiful. I’ve
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