Levi (Prairie Grooms, Book Five) (12 page)

“A moment’s …” Levi muttered then straightened. “Come down here, please.”

Fina descended the stairs like a queen, her head high, chin up. “What is it you require, husband?”

Levi narrowed his eyes. Why was she acting so funny? Was it because she knew he’d not take kindly to her painting the furniture? “What, may I ask, is that?” he said and pointed to the table.

Fina glanced over his shoulder, innocence dripping from her every pore. “The table;

anyone can see that.”

Levi sucked air through his nose and ignored Harrison’s snorts and chuckles behind him. He might think this was funny, but Levi didn’t. At least not yet … “You painted it!”

“You just now noticed?”

Levi closed his eyes but caught the slight smirk that marred her pretty mouth. “I would appreciate it if from now on you
ask me
if you can paint any of the furniture.”

“Ask? Whatever for? We’re married, aren’t we?”

Levi’s eyes widened as Harrison began to choke on his own laughter. “Now look, Fella, that may be true, but I would still appreciate it if you would …”

“I think it looks wonderful!” Apple blurted behind her sister.

Levi took a step back. He hadn’t seen her until now. He gave the girl a curt nod, and then turned his attention, or rather, his consternation, back to his wife. “Ask me next time,” he told her, his voice tight. “That’s all. Just ask.”

“I think you’re making a big fuss over nothing,” said Fina. “All I did was … brighten it up in here a little.”

Levi reached out, grabbed her hand and pulled her down the remaining stairs. “I’ll brighten something up if you do it again. Trust me on that.” She swallowed. Good, she
should
be worried! If they didn’t have company, he’d punish her by kissing her into a dead faint again.

“I should paint the cupboards to match,” she suddenly cooed.

Levi pulled her against him. “Don’t you dare!”

“What’s wrong with a little color?” asked Apple. “I like it.”

Harrison pushed past Levi and Fina and took his young cousin by the hand. “Come along, Apple,” he said through his chuckles. “Let’s leave these two love birds to their freshly-painted nest.”

“She didn’t paint the house, just the table,” Apple pointed out as he pulled her toward the door.

“You and I both know it’s only a matter of time …” Harrison chortled, then snorted and escorted Apple out the door.

Levi waited until the door closed before he slowly turned to Fina. He watched in satisfaction as she gulped. “The whole house smells like paint,” he complained.

“Funny, upstairs it doesn’t smell like anything at all,” she countered, her voice bordering on haughty.

Levi smiled a slow, languid smile. Fina backed up a step. “So you like to paint things, do you?
Anything
?”

“Almost anything …”

His smile turned into a grin.
That
grin. The one he knew she would recognize. She gulped again. “Well, I’m somewhat of an artist myself. Would you like to see?”

She swallowed hard. “Wha … what kind of art?”

In one swift move he had her in his arms. “A very special kind.” He kissed her neck.

“Oh dear!” she squeaked.

“What’s the matter, Fella? You don’t want to see how I can paint?”

“Paint?” she breathed as he nibbled his way to her ear lobe. “Paint what?”

He pulled away, and gave her the most devilish grin he could produce. “Let me show you.” With that, he swept her into his arms, and carried her up the stairs.

Twelve

The next morning, Fina once more found herself in bed, staring at the ceiling. How much more could she take before she gave in? How much more could he? One thing was for sure, she was getting to know him all right, and in more ways than one. But it was during the moments such as last night that she saw a side of Levi that she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, no one else had ever seen, perhaps not even he. It made her feel special, like she was the most important person in the world to him. And she liked it.

He hadn’t brought up the subject of the table after he carried her upstairs, and she guessed she'd have to deal with it this morning. Last night they’d been too preoccupied with each other to harbor thoughts of a bright red table. If anything was red, it was her face after Levi kissed her. Once again, he'd not only inflamed her lips, but her heart and soul as well. And all he had to do was to hold and kiss her! She couldn’t begin to imagine what it would be like when he…

“You awake, beautiful?” Levi called through the bedroom door.

“I'll be down just as soon as I'm dressed,” she called back. By now, the table would be fully dry and they’d be able to eat their breakfast on it. She hadn't considered that when she'd painted it yesterday. She just wanted to brighten up the kitchen and figured that was the best way to go about it.

She got up, dressed, and went downstairs. Once again, Levi was preparing breakfast for them. “What are you making?” she asked.

“Pancakes,” he said with a smile. “I hope you like them.”

“I’m sure I will. They’re bound to be better than mine.”

“You've made pancakes?”

“No, and that's my point.”

He laughed and added the last pancake to the stack next to him. He turned and set the plate of cakes on the table with a grimace. “I'll go blind unless I cover this with something.” He perused the surface. “You know, this wouldn't look bad with a white lace tablecloth, with the red showing through.”

Fina thought about it. He was right. It would look nice. “Do you have one?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. I'll get it right after breakfast.”

Fina looked around the kitchen. “We could put it on now. Is it in the sideboard?”

Levi looked at the small sideboard on the other side of the room. “No, it's upstairs in my trunk.”

Fina felt herself pale at the mention of the trunk. “Oh, I see. Very well, we’ll put it on after breakfast.” She looked at him and noticed him study her with an intense look.

“Yes, we will.”

Her palms began to sweat. Should she follow him upstairs when he fetched the tablecloth? Would he be suspicious if she did? She buttered her pancakes and tried not to think about it.

“Would you like some syrup?” he asked.

Fina jumped in her chair. “Oh, good heavens! You startled me…”

“Rather hard to do when you're sitting right next to me, don't you think?” he asked and eyed her suspiciously.

“Not at all… I was just… thinking.”

“And what sorts of thoughts, may I ask, have you so enthralled?”

She tried not to gulp out of nervousness, but did it anyway. “Nothing really,” she spoke with a calm she didn’t feel. “I was just wondering how Lena and Chase are getting along.” This was true; she’d been thinking about her sister as she came down the stairs and then spied Levi at the stove.

“We can go over there today, if you want. Besides, I’d like to see what color your sister painted Chase’s
kitchen table,” he said with a wry smile.

Fina gave him a sheepish look. At least they weren’t talking about the trunk anymore. “My sister's artistic sensibilities lean more towards the stage rather than painting.”

“Oh?” he asked with a raised brow. “Is Apple as artistically inclined as you and Lena?”

“In her own special way, yes.”

“Dare I ask what that is?”

“In case you haven't noticed, Apple likes to, how should I say, exercise her vocal cords on a consistent basis.”

“If you mean she talks a lot, then yes, I'll have to agree with you,” he said with a grin. “I’ll remember to have plenty of chores to do when she comes visiting again.”

“Oh, come now, she's not that bad.”

“Isn't she? Whose idea was it to paint the table?”

Fina rolled her eyes at him. “Mine, if you must know. Apple had nothing to do with it.”

Levi chuckled and left it at that. Good. She already felt guilty and didn't want to have her guilt compounded by his talk of the table, tablecloth, or the subsequent trip upstairs to the trunk.

“Aside from a visit to your sister, what do you plan to do today?” he asked her between mouthfuls.

Fina poured herself a cup of coffee, picked up a spoon, and stirred her coffee. “Something domestic, I suppose, like…” she glanced around the room. “Wash the windows?”

Levi watched her stir her coffee. “Would you like some sugar?”

She stopped and stared at her cup, her mouth tight. “Oh yes, quite right; I knew I'd forgotten something.”

“If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were nervous, Mrs. Stone,” he drawled as he rested both arms on the table. “Is there something you’d like to tell me?”

Fina shook her head. “Of course not. Whatever gave you that idea?”

He shrugged. “Nothing; it's just that you're still stirring your coffee and you haven't put anything in it.”

Fina looked at her cup. Good Lord! She
was
stirring it again! She’d better think up something fast to tell him, or he'd be suspicious of her all day. “Well… what do you expect after what you did to me last night?”

“Did to you? We kissed.”

“A lot!”

“Yes, wasn't it grand?”

“Don't be so arrogant,” she shot back.

“Who's being arrogant? I'm simply stating the facts.”

“Facts? You kissed me… more than once… that doesn't make you king!”

“What? What are you talking about? Though, there is the saying that a man’s home
is
his castle.”

Oh great,
now
she'd done it.

“And this,” he said with an exaggerated wave of his arms to indicate the room, “is
my
castle. But tell me, Mrs. Stone,” he said and lowered his arms. “Are you my queen, or a misbehaving chambermaid?”

Fina blanched. “Whatever do you mean by that?”

He winked at her. “Perhaps we'll find out tonight, hmmm?”

“Oh, please don't start; it's far too early.”

Levi laughed, took the last few bites of his pancake, and got up from the table. “You straighten up in here, I'll see to a few chores, and then we’ll go visit your sister. How does that sound?”

“Really?”

He leaned down to her. “You want to see her, don't you?” he asked, his voice gentle.

She melted when he used that tone. Fina nodded as she gazed into his eyes. He was a complex man, and she was just starting to learn his mannerisms and the way he thought. However, she also knew she could spend a lifetime doing so. She then realized that, despite even the situation with the trunk, she wouldn't mind at all.

* * *

By the time Levi returned to the house, Fina had the breakfast dishes done and put away. “Are you ready to go?” he asked brightly.

“Let me get my shawl,” she told him.

“You won't need it; it's warm outside already.”

She smiled and smoothed the skirt of her dress. “Do I look presentable?”

He went to her and took her in his arms. “Beautiful as always,” he whispered.

Fina felt her spine relax and leaned into him. He tightened his arms, and kissed the top of her head. They stood like that for some time before he let out a heavy sigh. “We'd best get going, beautiful, if you want to be able to visit your sister. I've got chores to attend to this afternoon.”

Fina opened her eyes, just realizing she'd closed them. Levi's arms were comfortable, warm, and safe. She wondered what it would be like to be wrapped in them all night. It was one thing to be held by him while sitting on the sofa in front of the fire; quite another, she imagined, with the two of them in bed. How could she think he was guilty of anything?

She looked up at him. “Let's go, then. I'm sure Lena will be delighted to see us.”

“I'm sure she will. She might be lonesome being by herself. It's a good thing we don't live very far away.”

“Are we walking, then?”

“Of course; Chase and Lena live only a quarter mile away. I told you, remember?”

She shook her head and glanced at the ceiling, feeling foolish. “You're quite right; how could I've forgotten such a thing?”

“Easily enough when your mind is preoccupied with…
other
things,” he said with a sly smile.

If he was referring to the trunk, she wasn't about to go there, so she said nothing. Instead, she took his hand and headed for the door. “Off we go, then.”

He laughed and let her pull him along. Once outside, however, she had to let him take the lead, as she had no idea which direction to go. Levi headed straight for the barn.

“We go this way?” she asked as they walked side-by-side.

“Yes,” he said and gazed at the sky. “What a beautiful day! A day like this makes a man want to kiss his wife silly.”

“Stop!”

Levi laughed and walked around to the back of the barn where, low and behold, there was a trail. “If you take this by yourself, stay on it. It will take you right to Chase and Lena’s property.”

Fina smiled, nodded, and wondered if he’d continue his teasing. To her surprise, he quieted instead, and seemed to be taking in their surroundings as they strolled along. “It's beautiful here,” she said.

He looked at her. “Not as beautiful as you.”

Rather than blush or feel like she was going to melt at his feet, she felt guilty. While she'd been cleaning up the breakfast dishes, she’d had time to think about what she’d discovered in his trunk, and wondered how he came into possession of such a large sum of money.

“Hey,” he said as he stopped. “Is something wrong?”

Fina closed her eyes. She needed to ask about the trunk. Ask him now. She opened her mouth to speak, when she heard a high-pitched yelp come from down the trail. They both turned to see Lena coming towards them. “Oh, my goodness!” Lena cried when she reached them. “I was just heading to your place!”

Fina forced a smile. She would have to address the matter of the trunk later. “Lena!” She ran into her sister's waiting arms and hugged her. “It’s wonderful to see you!”

“Yes, it is! It’s been a whole two days since the wedding!”

“Levi laughed. “It’s amazing the two of you survived the separation. Chase is in town, I presume?”

“Yes, he's at the livery, working.”

Levi rubbed his chin in thought, and looked at both women. “We could do with a cup of coffee then, and I'd love to see what you've done with the place, Mrs. Adams.”

Lena blushed and smiled. “I'm afraid I'm not used to being called that. But, I must admit, I do like it.”

“Of course you do; you married a good man,” said Levi. “Chase and I have been friends for a long time.”

Fina's head snapped up at the remark. If Levi and Chase were close, wouldn't Chase know where the money had come from?

“Come along; I just happen to have a pot on the stove. I was hoping I could tempt my sister away from your home and over to mine for an hour or two.”

“Looks like we were all thinking the same thing,” said Levi with a smile. “All right, Mrs. Adams, lead the way.”

It didn't take long to reach Chase’s property, and soon the house came into view.

“My, but your barn is much bigger than ours,” commented Fina.

“That's because Chase wants to get more into farming once he gets tired of shoeing horses,” explained Levi.

“What about you?” Fina asked. “Are you going to farm, too?”

“Not the way Chase wants to. I’ll stick to keeping books and just having a few critters around the place.”

“Are you saying I won't have to milk any cows?” asked Fina.

“I didn't say that.”

Lena laughed. “It's not as bad as you think, once you get the hang of it.”

“How long did it take you?” Fina asked in shock.

Lena stopped and gave her sheepish look. “Actually, I just mastered it yesterday.”

Levi chuckled. “You see, Fella? Even your sister can do it! So what if it took her more than a couple of weeks to learn?”

Fina rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. “Let's go,” she said to Lena.

Lena also laughed and continued on toward the house. Once inside, Fina gasped at the lovely interior. “Oh, Lena,” she breathed. “I didn't know it would look like this.”

“It didn't. I've been working on it ever since we got married. Edith and Jefferson helped a lot. Edith sewed the curtains, and Jefferson helped Chase make some shelves so I could store things.”