Authors: Noelle Marchand
* * *
Lorelei couldn’t contain her restlessness any longer. She abruptly set her embroidery on the settee beside her and stood.
If I have to push this needle through that cloth one more time, I’m going to toss this cushion out the nearest window.
Her gaze landed on the large family Bible sitting on a nearby table. Maybe reading the Psalms would help. She wandered over to the Bible. It opened to the bookmarked page near the back. Before she could turn the page, a verse caught her eye.
“If a man says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar.”
She paused for a moment to allow those words to sink in.
“For he that does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this is the commandment have we from him. That he who loves God must love his brother also.”
She read the last part of the verse again and frowned. Wasn’t there something between love and hate? If there was, God didn’t seem to be all that concerned with it. The commandment was pretty simple. Love God. Love your brother.
“Wonderful,” she murmured.
Her mother glanced up from her embroidery. “Did you say something, Lorelei?”
She shook her head, then narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. “You can love someone without being in love with them. Right, Mama?”
Caroline shrugged. “Sure you can. Why?”
“Never mind,” she said. She wasn’t even sure she was ready to go that far when it came to Sean. It was too dangerous to let herself love him in any way, and she just wasn’t ready. She smoothed her skirts nervously, then set her shoulders decidedly. “I think I’ll take a walk.”
Her mother gave a slow nod before glancing toward the window where stylish blue drapes filtered the muted sunlight. “You’d better take an umbrella. It’s likely to rain.”
Lorelei walked to the curtain and peered outside. “It looks sunny enough to me.”
“Nevertheless,” her mother said significantly.
Lorelei turned from the window to quickly make her way upstairs. She donned a hat accented with deep blue ribbons and black lace. It perfectly matched her blue dress with the black ribbon detail that ran across her hips before floating artfully down the back of her dress. She hurried back down the stairs and paused just inside the door next to the umbrella stand.
Her hand reached for her father’s overly large, overly green umbrella, then strayed to the dainty black parasol just beside it. A quick glance over her shoulder told her that her mother wouldn’t notice, so she pulled it from the stand, then she set out on her way with a hurried goodbye. She opened the parasol and set it on her shoulder.
She pulled in a cleansing breath of fresh air as she passed the few remaining houses on the street. Her home had been stifling in the days since her father’s alarming edict. She’d hardly allowed herself to think about the impending doom the courtship represented, let alone the man who would help bring it about.
The only bright spot on the horizon was that her mother had somehow convinced Mrs. Greene to agree to the plan they’d devised. Lorelei had listened at the top of the stairs while her mother soothed Mrs. Greene’s bluster until the woman promised to help spread the rumors of the new romance, with the caveat that she’d take her niece’s story to the judge if the wedding didn’t happen as scheduled.
And so, her fate had been sealed over cinnamon scones a week ago. She shook her head in frustration. Sean had not shown up once since that evening or done anything to seek her out. If he didn’t want to spend time with her, that was fine. She didn’t exactly want to spend time with him, either, especially knowing he was being forced to do so. For that reason, she crossed the street toward the mercantile rather than continuing across the street where she’d have to pass the sheriff’s office.
She stopped to peer into the display window of the millinery shop. She saw Miss Cummings speaking to a costumer. The woman had shown her around the shop on Monday when Lorelei had arrived for her first day of work. Since it was only Wednesday and Lorelei was not scheduled to work again until Friday, Miss Cummings only waved at her. She returned the gesture before moving on.
As she passed the seamstress shop, a young gentleman exited the mercantile and caught her gaze before offering an appreciative smile. Lorelei nodded politely but did not stop at the friendly invitation in his gaze. Though she hardly gave the stranger a second thought, his actions somehow reminded her that, despite all of her best efforts, she would be forever bound to a man who could not stand her.
A small cry of dismay escaped her lips, and she glanced around to make sure that no one heard the traitorous sound of her inner turmoil. She searched for something to distract her from her sad thoughts. Her gaze landed on the church’s spire not far off of Main Street. Perhaps she would find some relief in the sanctuary.
Her feet began to hasten their steps. She waited for a wagon to pass, then hurried across to the same side of the street as the church. She stepped onto the sidewalk just as the café door opened. Sean stepped out. Her steps faltered when she met his gaze.
* * *
Sean watched Lorelei’s eyes widen in alarm as he reached out to steady her. Her stormy dark blue eyes turned cold the instant before they dropped from his. She turned to continue on her way. For a moment, he was tempted to let her go. Then with a silent sigh, he turned to follow her. “Lorelei, wait!”
Taking her elbow in his hand, he pulled her to a stop as he stepped in front of her. Her affronted gaze met his as she tilted her head as though in deep concentration. “Is there a particular reason you’ve decided to cause a scene?”
He didn’t have to glance over his shoulder to know he was probably drawing curious stares from the patrons of the glass-fronted café. He leveled her with a quelling look. “As a matter of fact, there is. We need to talk.”
“Well, there’s no reason for us to stand in the middle of the street to do it.” She eyed the café, then took off walking toward the church at a fast pace, leaving him to follow. She glanced up to frown at the large raindrop that landed on her parasol with a definite plop, then transferred her frown to him. “Why now? I don’t see how whatever we need to talk about can be any more important today than it was yesterday or the day before that.”
Though she ended her speech with a polite smile, Sean easily recognized her dig at his not having approached her before. “I needed time to collect my thoughts.”
She glanced up again as the clouds began to steadily drizzle large drops of heavy rain before she turned back to him. “You were avoiding me. Now I wish you’d allow me the same courtesy you gave yourself.”
He caught the slight look of hurt in her eyes before she managed to hide it. Lawson’s theory about her behavior teased at the back of his mind. Right now, with her deep blue eyes staring back at him, he could almost imagine it was true. “I wasn’t avoiding you. I was trying to think this through and come up with a plan.”
Her frown turned skeptical. “What kind of a plan?”
He was about to explain when the clouds burst open. The large raindrops turned into a deluge of stinging rain. He glanced around for cover and realized that as he’d been talking to Lorelei, they’d left Main Street and were halfway to the church. He looked over to find she’d stopped to gape at the sky.
She looked rather pitiful. Rain streamed from the corners of her tiny parasol onto her fashionable dress. She seemed unable to decide whether to turn back or go forward. His hand settled pressingly against her waist. “Come on, you’re getting soaked.”
She followed his lead as they hurried toward the church, but he soon noticed that she’d slowed as they continued their frantic trek. He realized that her heavy skirts were tangling about her legs and restricting her movement. Impulsively, he came to a stop. She glanced at him in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
“Hold on to your parasol,” he said, then swept her into his arms. Her gasp rent the air. He glanced down at the face close to his own. “Ready?”
He seemed to have taken her completely off guard. She shrank slightly away from him in his arms but gave a small nod.
“Hold on tight,” he urged.
Her arm slipped around his shoulder. He took off at a fast clip toward the church. He hid a reluctant smile as her drooping parasol slowly lifted to cover both their heads. It kept the rain from his face, which helped him to see, so he supposed it might have a slight purpose after all. He carefully mounted the church’s stairs, pausing at the door only long enough to open it. He stopped just inside the foyer to let Lorelei’s feet slide carefully down to the floor, keeping his hold on her waist to make sure she caught her balance.
The sudden silence of the church after the hammering rain rushed around them, stilling them both. He took the moment to survey the woman he was supposed to marry. Her wide dark blue eyes stared back at him framed by thick black lashes that swept downward demurely at his perusal. His gaze followed their movement downward over her angular nose that softened into a rounded tip before his eyes fell to her nearly-too-full-to-be-fashionable lips.
He hadn’t allowed himself to notice it in so long that he’d nearly forgotten—Lorelei Wilkins was beautiful. That was why she hadn’t been on the Peppin marriage market long before she’d been claimed by his best friend. Sean had thought that claim was going to last forever. Apparently, he’d been wrong. It looked as if he’d be the one to claim her as his own through no real effort of pursuit. It seemed wrong somehow, but it couldn’t be helped.
He had to make the most of it, and he’d better start now. He was beginning to realize the task might not be as dreary as he’d once imagined. That meant he needed to be careful. He couldn’t allow himself to get confused about his goal. That goal was to convince the town that they were a couple so that they could save their reputations. This courtship needed to go according to plan not only for their sakes but also for their families’. It was his duty to see that it did, and Sean O’Brien never shirked his duties.
Chapter Seven
L
orelei’s hand slipped from Sean’s shoulder to his chest as she pushed him away. Avoiding his gaze, she shook out her parasol on the church’s unfinished floor. She closed it with a snap, then sent him a glare. “Was that perfectly necessary? I would have made it on my own.”
“It was ‘perfectly necessary’ and a thank-you will do just fine.”
“Thank you,” she muttered, though it was clear she didn’t mean it. She turned to glance around the church. The sanctuary doors stood open, but not a sound echoed through the halls of the church beyond their own. “It looks like we have the place to ourselves.”
He walked forward to survey the sanctuary, then gestured her inside. “We might as well make ourselves comfortable until the storm moves on.”
She averted her gaze knowing she certainly wouldn’t be comfortable trapped anywhere with this man. Her grip tightened on her dripping parasol. She wanted to leave and leave now. Realizing that would be impossible, she schooled her features into a neutral expression. “I’ve never seen so much rain come through so suddenly.”
“Well, summer is on its way out, and autumn is coming through like a steam engine. I’m sure we’ll see plenty more of these squalls in the next few weeks.” He watched her in concern. “You’re shivering.”
She forced herself to stop. “I’m fine.”
“Nonsense. There should be a blanket around here somewhere.”
She was cold, so she didn’t keep him from leaving to find one. Once he was gone, Lorelei lifted her sodden skirt to step onto the small stage, then dripped toward the piano. She carefully traced her finger along its smooth wood. She’d spent countless hours practicing on the instrument since she was fourteen.
Her parents had donated the piano as a gift to the church with a request that Lorelei be allowed to play the instrument as long as it did not interfere with church functions. Since then, the instrument had provided her with an outlet for her emotions. She suddenly realized how sorely she’d missed playing it the past few weeks.
She heard Sean’s boots ring on the wooden floor and stepped down from the platform to meet him in the aisle. She took the blanket he offered her. Wrapping it around her shoulders, she managed to give him a grateful smile and a whisper of thanks through chattering teeth. He grinned. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
She sent him an ungrateful look.
He chuckled. “It’s too late now. You can’t take it back.”
“I wasn’t going to,” she said, then settled into one of the pews near the back. She tried to ignore the fact that he took the seat beside her. She scooted a bit farther away under the pretense of fixing her blanket, but he angled his body so that he could see her face. It looked as if he was settling in for a long talk. She sighed. “We should check the weather.”
“I just did.” He pointed to the small windows that let light flow into the church. “It’s still raining.”
“Oh.”
“No need to worry. We have plenty of time to talk.”
She burrowed farther into her blanket. “I’m not worried.”
“First off, I’d like to apologize.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “For what?”
He sighed wearily. “All of this is my fault. If I had taken the time to think, I never would have agreed to let Elmira chaperone us. It was a bad decision.”
A slight smile teased the corner of her mouth. “Thank you for apologizing, but if I hadn’t run away, we would never have needed a chaperone.”
Sean seemed to think about this for a minute, then frowned and nodded. “You know what? You’re right. It is your fault.” He grinned when her mouth fell open, then continued seriously. “However, ultimately it was my responsibility to protect your reputation, and I failed at it. At least this courtship will give me a way to rectify the situation.”
She stared at him thoughtfully. “Duty means a lot to you, doesn’t it?”
His gaze shot to hers. “I live up to my responsibilities, if that’s what you’re asking. To do that, I learned I have to think things through and live life deliberately. Perhaps you’d do well to learn a similar lesson.”
“You know, you have the oddest talent of saying something nice right before you say something rude.”
He frowned. “What did I say that was nice and what did I say that was rude?”
“Never mind,” she said, shifting slightly away from him.
He shook his head in confusion. They listened to the drum of the rain on the roof for a few moments before he spoke again. “I’ve been thinking. We really don’t have a lot of time to convince people we’re falling in love. I reckon this is as good a start as any.”
“Start for what?”
“Our romance.”
Dread settled in her stomach. She swallowed and met his gaze. “How do you figure that?”
“I carried you in here, though I doubt anyone saw us, to a rather secluded yet entirely respectable place to find shelter from the storm. It’s the perfect starting point for us to further our acquaintance,” he said thoughtfully, then nodded. “It makes for a good story.”
“It isn’t real.”
“It certainly isn’t a lie. I’ll tell people I found myself charmed by your beauty, and you can tell them my unexpected kindness helped you see me in a new light.”
“That isn’t a lie?” She sent him a doubtful glance, then shook her head. “I don’t know about this.”
His arm slipped to the back of the pew, and he leaned toward her intently. “You don’t know about the story or you don’t know if you’re ready to play along?”
She shifted away nervously. “Both.”
“Listen, we’re supposed to make this as believable as possible. That means you have to commit to this. If that’s going to be a problem, then maybe we should just come clean and let the town do with us as they please.”
“No,” she protested. “I said I’d do it and I meant it.”
He leveled her with a measuring stare. He nodded slightly. “All right. We’ll take this one step at a time. Just follow my lead and do as I say. We’ll be fine.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean ‘do as you say’? I hope you know I have no intention of—”
The door to the church opened, and excited chatter erupted from the foyer. She sprang to her feet as Sean rose next to her. They both turned toward the door together. She swallowed as she recognized a few of the women considered to be the pillars of Peppin society. When Mrs. Rachel Stone, Mrs. Amelia Greene and Mrs. Susan Sparks caught sight of them, their chatter slowly died.
Mrs. Stone, the retired sheriff’s wife, was the first to speak. “Well, hello, Sean, Lorelei.”
Reverend Sparks’s wife surveyed them with concern. “Are you two all right?”
Sean glanced down at her and smiled. “Perfectly.”
She felt herself blush from the regard his warm smile implied. The warmth in her cheeks only heightened as she caught the women’s speculative looks. She was overcome by the need to explain. “I was on my way here and ran into Sean. The rain came pouring down so unexpectedly! We ran in here to find shelter.”
The thoughtful quiet that descended on the group was disconcerting. She glanced to Sean for help. He reached down for the blankets they had abandoned. He held them out to Mrs. Sparks. “I’m afraid we soiled your clean blankets, ma’am. We were soaked and cold, so I borrowed them.”
Lorelei reached for the blankets. “I’d be happy to have them washed for you.”
Mrs. Sparks took her blankets and smiled. “No need. I keep them here for people who find themselves in need of them.”
“Thank you,” Lorelei said, then sent a sideways glance at Sean. “Well, I suppose I should go.”
Mrs. Stone shook her head. “Don’t leave on account of us. We just needed to gather a few things from the storage closet.”
“We were only waiting the storm out,” she said as she began to edge toward the door.
“It’s almost over now,” Mrs. Sparks added. “Be careful out there. The rain has caused a dreadful amount of mud. I’m practically covered in it.”
Mrs. Greene, who had remained quiet the whole time, finally spoke up. “We all are, except you, Ms. Wilkins. How do you reckon that?”
Lorelei realized the ladies’ dresses and even Sean’s boots were all six inches covered in mud. Her skirt alone remained pristine…if somewhat damp. Her eyes widened. She glanced at Sean who had the gall to look amused. She sent him an impatient glare before turning to face the ladies. She lifted her chin and raised her brows slightly to give just a hint of daring to her words.
“There is actually a very simple explanation. Despite my protests, Sheriff O’Brien was kind enough to carry me into the church. He saved my new skirt,” she said, turning to Sean with a half-gracious smile, “which of course leaves me eternally grateful.”
A smile pulled at his lips. “As I said before, Miss Wilkins, no thanks is necessary.”
Lorelei almost ruined the whole thing with her disbelieving laugh, but she quickly turned it into a delicate set of coughs. Sean stepped closer. “Sounds like you could use a strong cup of tea for that cough.”
“You’re right. I think I’d better get home.” She turned to the women with a smile. “It was wonderful to see you.”
They each nodded to her. Mrs. Stone tilted her head as she looked at Sean. “Perhaps you ought to see Miss Wilkins home.”
Lorelei shook her head. “That’s hardly necessary.”
“Now, now,” Mrs. Sparks said. “Those mud puddles can be dangerous.”
Sean smiled. “Would you mind, Lorelei?”
“I suppose not.”
The women moved toward the storage closets, but Mrs. Greene held back to whisper, “I’ll take it from here.”
They murmured their thanks to her, then made a quick exit. Sean stayed close to her side as they walked across the muddy grass toward the sidewalk. Her heel sank into a deep mud puddle. They had to pause for her to yank her foot out of it. “They weren’t kidding about the mud.”
Sean smiled wryly. “Mrs. Greene is extremely observant. I’ll give her that.”
“I can’t believe she thought to ask about my skirt.”
“It’s a good thing she decided to be on our side in this. I don’t know how your mother managed that, but I’m grateful.” He led her toward the sidewalk. “At least, we won’t have to tell people the story of our being at the church alone together. By this afternoon, the entire town will know.”
She sighed. “If not the surrounding counties.”
“We’ll just have to make the most of it,” he said.
Dread settled in her stomach. It had begun. There was no turning back now.
But she would be fine. She would! She just needed to maintain her boundaries. She lifted her skirt to step carefully from the dirt to the sidewalk, and his hand supportively caught her arm, then immediately released it. Her gaze met his for a moment. They had barely made it away from the measuring eye of the women in the church, and he’d already slipped back into his normal demeanor. He looked closed off again. Distant. Slightly disapproving. In other words, the same as always. Yes, she’d definitely have to work on keeping up her boundaries. She doubted she’d have to worry about him maintaining his.
* * *
Sean intercepted Kate’s skeptical gaze as she stood across the churchyard talking with her best friend, Mrs. Stone. He felt a dull heat crawl up his neck and forced himself to refocus on what his brother-in-law was saying. He could easily guess what story Kate was hearing. He didn’t have long to wait for a confirmation. Kate walked across the grass to stand beside Nathan. She met Sean’s gaze questioningly. “Well, is it true?”
Nathan’s arm slipped around Kate’s waist. “Is what true?”
She glanced up at her husband, and Sean was grateful to watch her face soften into a smile before she turned to Sean again. “There’s a rumor going around that our little brother might be taking an interest in Lorelei Wilkins.”
Surprise lit Nathan’s eyes even as a cautious smile pulled at his mouth. “Is that right?”
Sean shrugged. He couldn’t outright lie to his family, but this wasn’t the place to tell them about his true relationship with Lorelei. For the time being, it would be best to talk around it. “You know how unreliable rumors can be.”
Kate pinned him with her thoughtful gaze. “So are you saying you aren’t interested in her?”
He flew to where Mrs. Greene held court with a few of her cronies. He swallowed. “No, I’m not saying that exactly.”
“I don’t understand.” Nathan tilted his head skeptically. “What does that mean?”
Sean cast about for something to say that wouldn’t be an outright lie. Squaring his shoulders, he settled for a portion of the truth. “It means I’ve realized that Lorelei Wilkins is a beautiful, intelligent, maddening woman.”
Kate exchanged a glance with Nathan before turning back to Sean. “This sounds serious. What are you going to do about it?”
He shifted uncomfortably and glanced around the churchyard until he spotted Lawson joking with a few of their friends. Nathan must have followed his gaze because he quietly asked, “Have you mentioned this to Lawson?”
Sean nodded. “He seemed fine with it.”
Kate bit her lip thoughtfully. “Well, it has only been three weeks since the wedding. Maybe it would be best to take it slow.”
Suddenly, Ellie appeared at his side. “Take what slow?”
“Sean is thinking about courting Lorelei,” Kate supplied.
His little sister’s eyes widened for an instant, then she smiled knowingly. “I’m not surprised.”
“You’re not?” they all asked in various degrees of surprise and confusion.
She eyed Sean as if he’d been living under a rock. “I always thought Lorelei liked you more than she liked Lawson. Don’t you remember? When we were children she had an awful crush on you. She always said she was going to marry you when she grew up. Then you were mean to her and she left you alone.”
“That’s true,” Kate agreed.
He frowned. “Sure it is, but that was a long time ago.”
She shrugged indifferently. “Maybe so, but then you liked her before she started courting Lawson.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What makes you think that?”
“You’re my brother,” she said as if that explained it all, then added, “Also, I’d catch you staring at her every once in a while and you’d always stand a little taller when she walked in the room.”
“I did not,” he protested when Kate’s eyes flew to Sean’s, and she bit her lip to keep from laughing.