A Love to Last Forever (21 page)

He smiled and, despite the rifle, pulled Beth into his arms. She didn’t resist. “I do. You know I’ve cared about you for a long time. I’ve asked you to court me before, but there was always something that stood in the way.”

“I see nothing there now,” she said in a whisper.

“Are you sure?”

She lifted her gaze, and her cheeks grew red. Nick felt her tremble in his arms as she whispered, “I’m sure.”

He leaned forward to hear her, but Beth closed her eyes as if he meant to kiss her. How tempting it was. He looked at her lips and then back to her closed eyes. She was so willing to let him take his pleasure.

“Beth, look at me.”

She opened her eyes and appeared confused. Nick reached up and ran his finger along her jaw. “I really want to kiss you, but I also want to wait.”

“Wait?” She frowned. “What are you waiting for?”

“Our marriage,” he replied.

“But we’re just at the place where you want to court me.”

“I’ve been at that place for a long while, Beth. I was just waiting for you to get to that same place.” He put his hand to her cheek and felt the warmth of her skin. “When Adrian Murphy kissed you, I thought for sure I’d lost you.”

“That kiss meant nothing to me.”

Nick nodded. “I know, and that’s why I want to wait. I want my kiss to mean a great deal to you. I want it to be the token of a love that will last forever.”

Beth sighed and smiled. “You’ve turned into quite the romantic, Mr. Lassiter.”

He gave a low laugh and released her. “Miss Gallatin, you have no idea how romantic I can be, but I certainly intend to show you.”

Beth fairly floated on air the rest of the day. The noon stage came and went, and she couldn’t have told anyone how many passengers they had or what they ate. She gathered the sheets and took them to the dining room to iron, but she couldn’t remember the task or if she’d burned her fingers even once.

All that was on her mind was Nick Lassiter and his very stirring request to court her. She could still feel his arms around her and closed her eyes to imagine him standing there. It was truly better than any romance she’d ever read.

“You seem quite happy.”

Beth opened her eyes to find Gwen watching her. “I am happy. Nick has asked to court me.”

Gwen’s face lit up with a smile. “That’s wonderful news. Before you know it, we’ll be having another wedding. Oh, Beth!” She embraced her sister with great enthusiasm.

“I can hardly believe the way I feel. I think I could actually fly if I tried hard enough.” She giggled and added, “But I don’t really mean to try.” Beth pulled away and twirled. “I feel like it’s a dream, to tell you the truth. I’m just so . . . so happy.”

“I hope I have something to do with that happiness.”

Beth stopped in midstep and turned. Adrian Murphy stood hat in hand at the door. The look on his face told Beth that he was quite serious.

“I had to come back, Beth. I’m determined to change your mind about me—about us.”

“Adrian . . . I . . . uh.” She couldn’t think of a single thing to say and looked to Gwen as if for an answer.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Beth found it impossible to sleep that night. She tossed and turned, and when dawn finally touched the skies in hues of faded pink and yellow, she gave up the battle and dressed for the day.

Why had Adrian come back? Why now? Didn’t he realize the kind of problems this could cause for her? It was exactly like one of her romantic novels. Just when the heroine figured out what she wanted out of life, lo and behold, a complication would arise.

“Of course, Adrian doesn’t have to be a complication,” she told herself as she loaded wood into the cookstove. There was the tiniest bit of warmth left from the night before, and the embers, once stirred, quickly ignited the dry fuel.

But what am I going to tell Nick?

Adrian had taken a room in Gallatin House the night before and would soon join them for breakfast. She could hardly avoid him as she had the earlier evening, when she’d made her excuses and hid in her room.

Beth hadn’t wanted to snub him, but she honestly hadn’t known what to say to Adrian. He was still the kind and soft-spoken man he’d been before leaving last December. He was handsome and he certainly seemed to care for her. Still, since Nick had asked to court her, Beth had thought nothing of Adrian Murphy.

“I hadn’t thought that much about him even before Nick asked to court me.”

“What did you say?” Gwen looked at Beth oddly as she pulled on an apron. “Are you feeling all right?”

Beth pressed her hands to her warm cheeks. “I’m fine. I’m just a bit perplexed.”

“Because of Adrian?”

“Yes.” Beth reached for a bowl in order to start mixing bread dough. “I didn’t expect to see him like that. It was rather shocking.”

“Especially since you just settled things with Nick.”

Beth stopped and looked at her older sister. “I don’t want to hurt Adrian. I mean, he’s very nice and all, but I thought I’d made it clear to him last winter that I wasn’t interested in courting him. Now I’ve said yes to courting Nick and . . . well . . .” She let the words trail with a heavy sigh.

“Do you have any regrets about saying yes to Nick?” Gwen asked. “If you care more for Adrian, you shouldn’t lead Nick astray and make him think otherwise.”

“I don’t. I mean . . .” Beth waved her hands in the air and went to the cupboard for flour. “It’s just a very awkward situation. I’ve waited all this time to find someone I could care about, and now this.”

“Beth, just explain to Adrian that things have changed. If he’s the gentleman you believe him to be, he will understand and gracefully bow out.”

“It didn’t stop the duke’s evil brother from interfering with Lady Effingham,” Beth murmured.

“What are you talking about?”

Beth brought several ingredients from the cupboard and deposited them on the counter. “It’s not important. I just know that some people cannot take no for an answer. Sometimes they try to interfere and cause problems. Adrian has come all this way and I don’t want to be cruel. I worried for part of the winter that I’d hurt him, but when he showed up here yesterday, I realized I hadn’t hurt him at all. He must have thought I was playing coy with him, or he wouldn’t have come back.”

Gwen shook her head and began to measure flour into a bowl. “What if he truly loves you and came back because his hope that you might return his feelings was too strong to ignore?”

Beth felt absolutely horror-stricken. “You don’t really think so, do you? I mean, what would I do?”

Gwen studied her for a moment. “You would have to be honest with him and let him know that you have feelings for Nick. You mustn’t let this matter go without resolution. It wouldn’t be fair to either man.”

“I know how I feel, I just don’t want a scene.” She thought of Lady Effingham once again. There was a horrible scene between her and the duke’s brother when Lord Wodehouse found out about the man’s intentions. The duke’s brother had demanded a duel and Lord Wodehouse was wounded. Of course, the duke’s brother had cheated, but what if Adrian cheated and Nick got injured? “What if Adrian refuses to leave or somehow challenges Nick?”

Gwen shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never had that problem.”

“I wish I didn’t,” Beth said in a moan. Suddenly without willing it at all, she had more adventure on hand than she could have ever imagined.

“I’ve heard it said,” Hank began as they gathered for lunch, “that the railroad has decided to go to the north of this area.”

Adrian nodded. “Sadly enough, I believe that has been the decision, although it’s not yet common knowledge. Of course, many people have been certain that this choice would be the best. There are fewer obstacles and better water sources.”

Hank stared at his coffee cup for a moment. “That doesn’t bode well for us as a community that would like to be a town.”

“If the railroad goes in miles away from us, what will happen to the stage route?” Gwen asked.

Hank looked to Adrian and waited for him to speak. The younger man shrugged his shoulders. “It’s hard to say. Even though they narrowed the distance to five miles north of here, it might cause the stage company to rethink their stop here.”

“That’s what I would suspect,” Hank said, looking rather apologetically to his wife. “I’ve had my concerns.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Beth asked.

“I’d just recently heard of the new railroad plans and I didn’t want to worry anyone,” Hank admitted. “After all, we have no reason to believe our lives will change overnight. Even if the railroad goes north, there isn’t a town, proper, in place. We could consider moving our businesses to accommodate the railroad. Other towns have done just that and with more at stake than we have here.”

Beth frowned. “But I don’t want to move.”

“It wouldn’t be all that far,” Adrian said with a smile. “And just think of the adventure.”

Beth got up from the table, shaking her head. “I’m beginning to think adventure is too highly esteemed.”

She made her way out to the front porch and leaned against the rail. She loved it here. The mountains surrounded the valley and made her feel safe and protected. Except for Rafe and his saloon, Beth thought it absolutely perfect.

A gentle breeze touched her face, and the air smelled of pine and wild flowers. She sighed and wondered how she could remain if everyone else moved north to accommodate the railroad.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Adrian said, apologizing as he joined her on the porch.

Beth turned and met his sympathetic gaze. “I just don’t want things to change. I love it here. I love the life we have here at Gallatin House.”

“But you could have just as good a life elsewhere—especially with the right person at your side.” He moved forward. “I know you told me you wouldn’t wait for me, but I see you’re still here and not attached to anyone else.” He grinned and reached for her hand. “Can I dare to hope I still have a chance with you?”

Beth shook her head and drew her hand away. “I’m not yet betrothed, but I have been asked to court someone.”

“That Lassiter fellow?”

“Yes.” Beth glanced toward the Lassiters’ property. She looked back at Adrian and saw his frown. “I’m sorry if that comes as a surprise. Nick and I have known each other for quite a while now.”

“So you won’t even give me a chance? I came all the way back here because I couldn’t get you out of my thoughts. You aren’t engaged to this fellow, so why not let me try to prove myself to you?”

Beth felt such a sense of frustration. Her well-planned thoughts from the night before fled her mind and left her feeling worse than ever. She hated hurting anyone, especially someone who had been as nice to her as Adrian. He had been so very kind and attentive. He enjoyed talking to her and always said such complimentary things. Still, she wasn’t interested in courting him. While at one time she had pondered such an idea, even daydreamed about the possibilities, she now only held thoughts of Nick.

“Adrian—Mr. Murphy,” she began, “we are much too different. You told me yourself that you love the life you lead, moving from place to place, living out under the stars. I need a home—a stable place that won’t change every few days or weeks.”