Miracles in Disguise (The Trampled Rose Series) (4 page)

He pulled up a chair to their booth before either of them could invite him. “I hope you had a good night’s rest and found everything you needed at the house.”

“Yes, Mayor, I can’t thank everyone enough for the warm welcome. I have to admit, I’m a little taken back by such a reception."

“Well, you’ll find here in Hamilton, we appreciate our blessings, and you surely are a blessing.” Kristina shifted uncomfortably in the seat; blessing is not the word she would have chosen to describe herself.

“If there is something we can do for you, let us know.” Mayor Williams turned to Nathan. “You make sure you take care of her."

April arrived at their table, jumping into the conversation as she placed their plates before them, “You best stay on your toes. Nathan is quite a charmer. He’s has half of the ladies in town thinking the sun rises and sets on his command."

“I have no idea what she is talking about.”

Kristina had no doubt about Nathan’s ability to charm; her only concern was that he would try to charm her. She had no need for men in her life, charming or not.

“Well, how I hear it, April, we don’t need to worry about Ms. Talbot. Our new English teacher knows how to take care of herself.”

April chuckled at Mayor Williams’ comment. “I thought May was just kidding when she told me you threatened him with pepper spray. Is that true?”

Kristina could feel the color creeping up her face. “Well, I…”

Nathan interjected. “I came up on a stranded woman, alone on the side of the road and didn’t think.” His smile was gentle and she was disarmed by the compassion in his voice. "I get so used to the laid-back ways of small town living.”

“Well, I’m sure glad to have a woman with such spunk teaching my boy.” April said, “Welcome to Hamilton.” She called out over her shoulder as she returned to her position behind the counter.

“I’ll leave you two to your breakfast,” the mayor said, “But if you need anything, you make sure to let me know.”

When Nathan bent his head to bless the food, she silently prayed.
Lord, get me through today!

“So where would you like to go today?” Nathan asked, as she took a bite of her food.

Wiping her mouth delicately, she began to rattle off a list of places. “I would also like to see the school, and get a hold of the materials for my class.”

“Sounds great. Edwin Shirley asked us to meet him at the school at 10:30, and I can even swing by Mrs. Rose’s home after.”

“How did Mr. Shirley know I was here…” her voice trailed off, realizing the answer to her question.

“He called me when he heard I brought you into town.”

“I guess there aren’t many secrets in this town?”

“I’m afraid not.”

Kristina studiously focused on her burrito, arranging the pieces she already cut. Maybe moving to Hamilton was a mistake.
I have too many buried secrets that I want to stay underground.

“So what was life like in New York, somewhere near Albany?” Nathan teased.

Kristina struggled to contain her annoyance. Her secrets weren’t going to stay buried with this man’s constant questioning. “It snows quite a bit, which I’m sure you don’t get much of here.”

“A little now and then.”

“So are you leaving behind a string of broken hearts?” he teased.

“Yes. Inevitably, every year the students and I would cultivate a close relationship. It was an arduous task having to leave them.”

She ignored his arched eyebrow, and glanced at her watch. “We better get going; I don’t want to take up your whole day.”

Nathan shrugged and grabbed for the ticket. “Breakfast is on me.” When she was about to object, he added, “Remember I have a reputation to protect.”

Leaving her with nothing but objections squirming on her tongue, Nathan headed for the counter.

Moments later she joined him at the cash register. Sticking a toothpick in his mouth, he asked, “Ready?”

They both grabbed for the door at the same time, and his hand covered hers on the handle. She pulled her hand out from under his, and walked stiffly to his truck. When they again reached for the door handle of his truck at the same time, she jerked back her hand. She threw a disapproving look over her shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” his voice was tinged with laughter.

“I know, I know…your reputation.” She said, irritated that he was enjoying himself at her expense. She slid into the seat and he closed the door.
This is going to be an interesting morning
.

Chapter Four

It took them no time to get her housing issues taken care of, and soon Kristina stood before her new place of employment. The school was a modest, typical public school
–
quite different from the elite private school she came from. While the school, and her new position, might not be as prestigious, Nathan could tell she couldn’t be more excited.

He was having a hard time figuring her out. Nathan took in her immaculate appearance. She was dressed in dark blue linen trousers and a butter yellow silk shirt. Her hair tumbled in soft curls around her shoulders and her makeup was light, but artfully applied, lending to her overall polished appearance. She looked like she belonged in a mansion, having her breakfast served to her on fine china. But the image of her seated so primly at the small kitchen table in her quaint little house in a farming town in New Mexico, eating lunch for breakfast out of a Tupperware container made him want to laugh. Now here she was, gazing at this generic school building as if she were about to enter a palace. She was definitely an enigma.

As they entered the building, an elegantly dressed man came to greet them. Edwin Shirley was only a few inches taller than she was, and of slight build. But he was a man of presence despite his smaller stature. “Ms. Talbot, it is a pleasure to see you again. I can’t tell you how pleased we are to have you join our staff. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for your reception, but I hear Nathan took care of you splendidly."

“Mr. Shirley, it is nice to see you, too,” she said, sidestepping the comment about Nathan. “I thank you again for this opportunity." The trio walked slowly down the hallway as Mr. Shirley went over some information about the school and its policy. As they came to her classroom, the discussion turned more to her subject, and the materials and curriculum that were used in her English class.

After a few moments, Nathan excused himself, saying he needed to check on something. Nathan stepped outside to call his brother and check on the status of the car. After hanging up, he leaned against the low stone wall lining the entrance to the school, allowing Kristina and Mr. Shirley to meet in private. There was something about that woman that piqued his interest. Yes, she was breathtakingly beautiful, but there was something else. He wondered why she wanted to dodge and sidestep his simple questions concerning her past and New York. He wondered why she wanted to leave her prestigious position in New York to come to a small town she had no ties to.

He wondered why he was even wondering…and why he enjoyed watching her get so agitated. Chuckling as he remembered how she had spouted out all those big words when she was flustered at breakfast. But then an image of her tears this morning stopped him. Though she had tried to hide it, he knew they weren't from the spicy food.

She’s probably just trying to get used to small town life. And small town folk can be awful nosy. And you didn’t do anything to make it easy on her.
He decided to invite her to church. Maybe she would feel more comfortable as she got to know how great the people were here.

When he returned to the classroom awhile later, he overheard Mr. Shirley say in a hushed voice, “Lisa told me about your situation, and I assure you, you will be safe here.”

Kristina’s face paled at the man’s words. Whatever she was hiding, or hiding from, clearly frightened her.
Why are you hiding, my little porcelain doll?

Kristina turned as she saw him enter. They stared at each other for a moment, her eyes filled with questions about how much he had heard.

Mr. Shirley broke the silence, “Well, I will leave you two to go about your errands. Again, Ms. Talbot, it is an honor to have you on board.”

Kristina murmured her thanks, so engrossed in their own thoughts she barely notice Mr. Shirley leave the classroom. “Well, I guess we’d better get going too,” she said.

“Yeah, your car is ready. I can take you there after we drop by Mrs. Rose’s house if you’d like?”

“That would be great.”

As the two stepped outside, a car came careening into the parking lot. An elderly woman nearly missed hitting Nathan’s truck as she parked next to them. Nathan rushed to open the door, half out of courtesy and half out of caution, afraid the woman would leave a dent in his truck.

“Nathan McKinley, I sincerely hope you were heading in my direction. Is this little thing my replacement?” Gesturing to Kristina, the woman said, “I heard she was here, and you were parading her all over this town. You should have brought her by to see me.” The woman came and sized her up. Kristina smiled at the peculiar woman, who went on, “Well, you are a little one, but I hope there's some grit in that pretty smile of yours. Those kids are good kids, but they can run over you like a drunk after happy hour.”

The elderly woman was just a few inches shorter than Nathan, and possessed the shoulders of a quarter back, though they were stooped with age. Her gravelly voice was deep and commanded authority, even though her words and actions belied her sanity.

“Kristina, this is Mrs. Rose.” Nathan explained as Kristina held out her hand.

Instead of shaking it, Mrs. Rose slapped a notebook in it. “Nice to meet you sugar. Here is my lesson plan.” Kristina opened her mouth to speak, but Mrs. Rose interrupted. “Now, little bit, I don’t doubt your capacity to teach them, but these kids can smell fear and a push-over. You’ve got to be tough. Make sure you have on your steel underwear that first day, or otherwise, they will have your butt for breakfast.”

Mrs. Rose turned and started to walk back to her car, but paused and said over her shoulder, “And don’t think that pepper spray is going to help you in class.”

She patted Nathan affectionately on the cheek, who stood holding the door open for her.

Nathan smiled at the woman, who responded by yelling, "I got a pig in the oven, boy, out of my way!”

Kristina stared wide-eyed at the woman’s retreating car. It was a while before her eyes returned to Nathan. He placed a finger under her chin and closed her gaping mouth. “Well, 'little one’” he said, imitating Mrs. Rose’s gruff voice, “Are you ready to head back to New York?"

Kristina’s brows drew together in a question as she asked, “Why, because your English teacher is a little eccentric? It would take more than that to scare me off.” She faced him squarely, and for the first time this morning, she didn’t avert her eyes.

He took the books from her and placed them in his truck, and turned toward her with his hands on his hips. “Hey, I wasn’t trying to scare you off.” He decided he liked the confident, fiery side to her a lot more than when she was skittering away from him.

He cheeks wore a faint blush as she murmured, “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Hey, my fault for teasing you when we hardly know each other.”

After they had climbed in the truck, he asked, “Why don’t you come to church on Sunday? We are having a fellowship dinner right after service, and it will give you a chance to get to know everybody and help you feel at home here."

He noticed she stiffened again, and was looking out the window as she composed her response.

“I mean…I assumed you were Christian because you prayed with me before breakfast…” He let his words trail off, frustrated with his fumbled attempts with this woman.
Great, way to go Nate, just make her feel more alienated.

The silence loomed in the truck for a few moments, until she cleared her throat. “Yeah, I was going to go. It is the church we passed earlier today, right?”

“Yes.” He let the subject drop, sensing this was another slippery area with her. “So what do you say we go get your car?"

She nodded, but continued to stare out the window. They rode to Mike’s garage in silence, and when he pulled up, she jumped out of the truck before he could even come around to her side. “Thank you for all of your help today. I appreciate it.”

“Look Kristina,” Nathan said, reaching for her arm. “I didn’t mean to offend you, I just...”

Kristina interrupted him, wiggling her arm free from his grasp, “Nathan, I wasn’t offended. Just tired, I guess.”

With a smile that didn’t quite reach her hazel eyes, she said goodnight and thanked him again. He stood there, watching her hustle into his brother’s garage, an uncomfortable lump in the pit of his stomach.

After she paid and thanked Mike, she passed Nathan, offering him only a brief nod, and then drove off.

Mike stood by, watching Kristina’s chilly departure. “Wow!” Mike asked his brother, "What did you do?”

Nathan shrugged at his older brother and mumbled, “Nothing.”

Mike took one look at his brother’s troubled features, and laughed, “Okay?”