Read Historical Cowboy Romance Two Book Box Set - Mail Order Brides Page 34
Chuck dropped his hands from her body, and they both stepped away. “How do you know it’s him?”
“That was the door by the back parlor,” Violet whispered. “He always uses that door when he comes down from the Bird House. He’s the only one who uses it. It’s almost his own private entrance.”
“Quick! In here!” Chuck pulled her through the nearest doorway.
“Not in here!” Violet whispered.
“Why not?” Chuck asked.
“This is the library,” Violet told him.
Chuck looked around. “Yeah? So what?”
“This is Cornell’s office,” Violet explained. “That’s his desk right over there. If he’s coming to the house at this hour, he’ll be coming here. He probably wants to do some work, or he forgot something when he went home. We can’t stay in here.”
“Well, where else is there to go?” Chuck asked. “We can’t exactly go to your room, can we? We aren’t married yet.”
“There is nowhere else to go.” Violet glanced around the library. “The only place to go is outside.”
“Maybe if we just keep quiet, he won’t come,” Chuck suggested.
“And if he does come?” Violet asked.
“Then I’ll introduce myself to him,” Chuck replied. “I have to meet him sooner or later. It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong by being alone together in the library, are we?”
Violet stared at him. Then she dissolved in laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Chuck asked.
“Listen to us!” Violet gasped. “Whispering in a corner of the library and worrying about being caught! We’re like two children sneaking into the cookie jar.”
Chuck stared back at her. Then he burst into a grin. “You’re right. We’re adults, and we’re going to be married in a few days. We aren’t doing anything wrong. Let him come and find us here if he wants to.”
They waited in silence, their noses almost touching, and panting in a cloud of anticipation. They gazed into each other’s eyes. “It’s nice to be alone together, just for a little while,” Violet breathed
Chuck nodded, his eyes probing into hers. “It is nice.”
Violet breathed again. “The others are still waiting for us.”
“They could be hiding just like we are.” Chuck’s arm slithered around her waist. Violet sucked in her breath as he pulled her toward him. “We’re here. We might as well make the most of it while we have the chance.”
“What are you going to do?” she whispered.
“Oh, nothing.” His lips hovered closer to her mouth, quivering and tasting the air.
“Cornell…..”she began.
“Forget about Cornell,” he growled.
Something banged in the distance and Violet jolted in shock again. This time, Chuck let her go. “Let’s get on. We’ll have plenty of time for this when we don’t have to worry about someone breakin’ in on us.”
Chuck took Violet by the hand and never let her go. His hand dwarfed hers by a mile, but her little hand and her heart took shelter in his big rough paw. Violet could face any menace with him at her side. How had she managed all these years without him? It must really be true that a person wasn’t complete until they married their heart’s intended.
Violet led Chuck out of the library and down the passage to the dining room. She slid the door open, but the only other person inside was Rose. She lifted her head and smiled at Violet and Chuck, but she didn’t notice—or took as wholly natural—their joined hands.
“Where is everyone?” Violet asked. “I thought you would all be in here waiting for us.”
“Jake just went out for a smoke before supper,” Rose replied. “I don’t know where Mick and Iris are. I haven’t seen them. But I just heard Cornell come in. I wonder if he plans to join us. Maybe we should tell Rita to set another place for him.”
Violet flushed. “I don’t think he’ll join us. He told me earlier he wasn’t interested in meeting the men.”
Rose’s eyes widened. “Really? Why not?”
“He’s in a fine stew about our mail-order marriages,” Violet told her. “He has all kinds of wild ideas about how he’s going to convince us to call off the wedding.”
“Really?” Rose repeated. “What are his ideas?”
“I’ll tell you when Mick and Iris get here—oh, and Jake, of course.” Violet took a chair on the side of the table and pulled out the one next to it for Chuck. “I don’t want to repeat the same story more than once. We’ll talk about it when all of us are together.”
Rose smiled. “This is almost like our first family meeting. It’s our first council of war.”
Violet stared at her sister. “This is hardly war, Rose. We’re talking about Cornell. He’s our uncle. I only wish there was some way to resolve this situation without escalating hostilities any further.”
Rose leaned back in her chair. “Cornell bears all the responsibility for any hostility. We shouldn’t go out of our way to lessen it for him. That will only weaken our position, and we don’t want that.”
Violet’s mouth fell open. Was this her little sister saying these words? Was this sweet, innocent Rose, the flower of the family, taking such a stance against Cornell? “Rose! I’m shocked at you!”
“Why?” Rose asked. “You’ve done everything a person could do to make it up to Cornell. You’ve explained our position to him about a million times, and he refuses to listen. He refuses to be placated in any way. So you should stop trying. He wants to be hostile, so let him be hostile. We’ll show him we can be hostile, too, and he won’t like it one little bit.”
“Rose!” Violet gasped.
Before they could discuss the situation further, the door opened and Jake sauntered in. He gave Chuck and Violet a casual smile and sat down next to Rose. “Evenin’, folks. Nice night for it.”
“It’s gonna be a blazer,” Chuck replied. “Violet and I are takin’ a walk in the moonlight after supper. You two oughta do the same. You gotta take advantage of nights like this when they come around. The air is good for the soul.”
“I agree.” Jake turned to Rose. “What do ya say, darlin’? What do ya say to a stroll out in the moonlight after supper?”
Rose smiled at him and lowered her eyelids. “All right.”