The rustle of her skirts as they stood for the first hymn, and the shy contralto notes as she joined the hymn kept his mind focused on her proximity. Looking sideways, he caught her pulling the fabric from touching Griff’s leg.
The text came from Luke as he’d expected. With all the enthusiasm of a correctly executed problem in simple mathematics, the vicar blandly expounded the wonder of the presence of the Christ child. Nonetheless, Reed felt his worries lose their heavy purchase on his mood as he contemplated the wonder of a God who loved him so much that he’d send a Beloved Son to die for His creation. Surely, God could solve the problem of Reed’s awkward relationship with the enticing woman he’d only known as Little Annie Wright.
~*~
Dappled light threaded into the small barn room and illuminated her knife as Ann carved the face of a tiny wooden Noah. The small room Ruby provided proved just the right place to finish the Noah’s ark set for the Brent twins.
Tomorrow she would slip home to collect the ark and animals. All in all, the trip should take only a few short hours. One more slice and indent, and the eyes would be perfect. She stretched her arm to assess the little man. Blushes heated her face as she realized her Noah resembled Reed.
She couldn’t argue that he’d scarcely been a thought away since she’d arrived at Archer Hall. And if she hadn’t known him all her life, and had met him for the first time at this party, she would be impressed. Except for the beating of the foreman, he had been graciousness itself. He’d gone out of his way to be kind, but that didn’t mean she’d changed her mind. There was more to a man than good manners, especially when those manners were as fresh as any sunrise. What would he be like when all this polite society gave way, and he had to deal with people in the day to day?
4
The morning was cold enough to stop his clocks. Frost covered the ground under a snow sky beyond the windows. Reed sipped deeply of the coffee placed before him. He itched with irritation at Griff, Betsy, and Ann, too.
Ann breezed into the room, collected a small plate of breakfast, and took her usual seat. The rich brown of her riding habit made her hair redder and her stormy eyes bluer.
“Why are ye sitting halfway down the table when all the seats are empty?”
“Good morning to ye, too.”
“Good morning.”
“Did ye not sleep well, Mr. Archer?”
“We will hardly convince anyone that we are courting if ye appear to be courting my cousin.”
She chewed a bite of buttered toast. “If ye must know, I sit in this seat because it was assigned to me the first night I was here. I sit here out of respect for yer mother and yer guests. People get attached to their seats.”
“I am sure that no one, my mother included, expects that every time ye enter this room ye should sit in exactly the same chair. In fact, all the people ye refer too will not grace this table until many hours hence.”
Ann picked up her plate and moved to the far end of the table opposite his position at the head of the table.
“Ann.”
She tossed him a saucy grin.
Irritation melted. An answering smile reached his lips. He picked up his coffee and moved to her end of the table. “Yelling down the table is hardly conducive to the image we mean to project.”
“I have no idea what ye mean. If ye wish to give the appearance of courting me, perhaps ye should be more attentive. It is hardly my fault that ye remained outside speaking to the Vicar’s wife while the rest of yer family took their seats.”
“I suppose it was not yer fault that ye played backgammon with Griff all last night either.”
“Certainly not. He asked me, and since no one else had, what else was I to do? Tell him I’d promised ye the backgammon? It would have been discourteous to yer guests.”
No quick retort surfaced in his mind, but a seedling of an idea took root. She’d thought of his guests. Of course, she was right. He’d gotten caught up in the work of his father’s—no his—estate. Still she was right. If he wanted her, he would have to prove it, and himself worthy of the gift of her hand. Time for a different tack. “Where are ye headed to this morning?” he asked.
“To deliver a Christmas present. I expect to return by early afternoon.”
“May I accompany ye?”
Ann stilled, and the hand with toast poised for a bite froze as she cast him a sideways glance. “If ye like.”
It fell flat of what he’d hoped.
~*~
“Reed.” Jacob emerged from the stable with a wide grin. “I just introduced myself to Knight. I assume he’s the stallion ye’ll send to cover Mayfair?”
“If ye prefer. I thought Father was sending Meadow.”
“That was before ye brought Knight home.”
Reed’s chest swelled. “He is rather good, isn’t he?”
“Ye did good.” Jacob glanced around Reed. “I’m sorry, Miss Ann. I didn’t see ye there.”
Ann’s answering smile was as genuine as Jacob’s apology. Reed longed to see a smile like that directed at him.
“Ann and I were just off. Perhaps we can discuss this later, when we’re not standing in the cold.”
“I know Mattie is looking forward to yer outing today.” Ann offered before Reed could whisk her into the barn.
“Is she?” Jacob cast his gaze to the ground.
“Yes, she is. Though ye will have to bundle up against this cold.”
“We may need to change our plans. It looks like snow.”
