Page 52 of Conveniently Wed
“I’ll look at your mama’s recipes and see if I can get something started,” she offered.
He still didn’t look at her. He shoved his arms back into his coat and mashed his hat on his head.
“I should go check on the boys. Don’t burn the wagon down,” he cautioned.
She couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not.
And he was leaving quickly.
“Wait!” she called out.
He ducked beneath the canopy and she followed.
Her hair had almost dried. She hadn’t noticed until she stepped back out into the rain and it began clinging to her cheeks and neck again.
“Edgar!”
He turned back, but the mulish frown on his face didn’t bode well.
“Don’t you think we should talk about what happened back there?” she asked, keeping her voice low. Emma was still right behind her beneath the makeshift tent.
“We just did—with Emma.”
“Not that. About the k—” She looked behind her, stepped forward into the rain so Emma wouldn’t hear. “About the kiss,” she hissed.
The stubborn set of his jaw didn’t change. “Nothin’ to talk about. It was the heat of the moment. We were in a sticky situation, and it just happened. Don’t worry. I won’t do it again.”
And he turned and ducked behind the wagon.
She had the fleeting thought that he was running away just like Emma had, but what exactly was he scared of? He’d told her they were going to stay married but he was setting her up in Calvin. His kiss might’ve hinted that he wanted something more, even though he’d told her differently earlier in the morning.
Was he having second thoughts?
Or was she being foolish, hoping for something she shouldn’t?
Did he really think their kiss was a mistake?
Well, she certainly wasn’t going to beg him to repeat it, in any case. She had some pride.
Edgar had delayed as long as his rumbling stomach would allow. He planned to take first watch, but he hadn’t had any grub since his breakfast biscuit and he was half-starved.
Maybe he could sneak into camp and grab a bowl of whatever Fran had made without her noticing.
He’d waited so long that maybe she and Emma were tucked into the wagon and asleep already.
Praying for small favors, he reined in his horse and ground-tied the animal outside the ring of firelight.
After several hours of hard rain, the weather had finally cleared just before sunset. It had given them a beautiful rainbow-colored sky. He’d found himself wondering what Fran thought of it, then shook the errant thought of her away.
He might’ve lost his focus earlier that afternoon, but he couldn’t let it happen again.
Kissed her. He’dkissedher.
In all the dramatics following his rescue of Emma, he’d forgotten about it until Fran confronted him.
He might like her, but it didn’t mean things were going to change.
He had a job to do, and losing focus could mean someone would get hurt or the cattle didn’t get to the buyer on time.
