Page 38 of Her Gentle Protector
They rode in silence for the short ride home. Baxter pulled up to the door and helped Midge carry the children in. Petunia went straight to her room, saying nothing. Baxter felt bad, but not bad enough that he wouldn’t do it again.
Once the last child was settled in bed, Baxter headed to the wagon for the ride home. Midge followed him to the porch.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay for a cup of coffee?” Midge asked.
“Do you have coffee?” he asked.
Midge gave a little shrug. “I do. I have brewed them a thousand times and they taste like paint, but it would pass for coffee.”
He laughed and moved to the end of the porch. Baxter couldn’t help but think how beautiful Midge looked in the porch’s light. He thought about what Petunia had said and it was true; he couldn’t shake off the feelings he had for Midge. Walking back towards her, he took her hand. She looked up, surprised at the sudden movement.
Baxter spoke, while rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I wanted to take you for a ride tomorrow by the creek. Would you go with me? There is a special place I’d like to show you.”
“I’d like that.”
“I think it would be best if Petunia didn’t come by hunting for a bit. The Moore family are all trappers, and they are getting ready for winter trapping. I don’t want her running into him.”
Midge chewed on her lower lip; concern etched across her face as she considered Baxter’s words. “It was just a kiss,” she mumbled, trying to dismiss the severity of the situation. “It doesn’t mean nothing.”
“It does mean something. Kissing leads to thinking,” Baxter countered, his voice firm but gentle. “Thinking leads to other things. Petunia doesn’t have a father figure in her life and all those boys are gonna want to get to thinking around her. She looked completely different today. She looked like a woman. They noticed.”
Midge looked away, her gaze falling on the dark outline of the trees in the distance. A soft breeze rustled through the leaves, carrying with it the scent of fresh earth and the distant sound of crickets singing. The night had grown cold, and Baxter saw her shiver beneath her thin shawl.
“Do you ever get to thinking?” she asked hesitantly, her cheeks flushed with heat despite the chill in the air.
“I think about a lot of things.”
“You ever think about kissing?”
Baxter’s hands trembled and his heart raced as he struggled to form the words. “I... I do,” he finally managed, his voice barely audible. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I shouldn’t.”
She moved closer, placing her hand lightly on his chest. “I know you won’t do anything you don’t think is right.”
He could feel his heart beating wildly underneath her palm. “But what if what I want isn’t right?” he murmured, his fingers lightly grazing her cheek.
Midge leaned into his touch; her eyes filled with a thousand unspoken words. “Then I guess it’s up to you to decide.” Her voice was barely a whisper in the dark night.
He leaned down, his lips brushing hers. Baxter heard Midge gasp at the sudden contact as his warm breath fanned across her skin. His hands drifted to her waist, tugging her closer until she felt every inch of their bodies pressed together. Lifting his head slightly, he cupped her face in one hand, the pads of his thumb gently caressing her cheeks.
“Miriam,” he whispered before leaning down to brush his lips against hers once more. The kiss was tender at first, but soon intensified as her fingers danced through his hair, pulling him down for a deeper kiss.
When he broke apart, they were both breathing hard. He dropped his hand and stepped back; a million emotions reflected in his eyes. “I... I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Then why did you?” Her eyes searched his for answers to unspoken questions.
“I just wanted to know what it was like,” he admitted, his eyes drifting to the ground.
She took his hand in hers once more and squeezed it gently. “It was perfect.”
Baxter looked up, a hesitant smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Yes, it was.”
Midge let out a frustrated sigh as she bent down to pick up the dirty socks Peter had carelessly left in the kitchen. Despite her annoyance, she couldn’t help but feel a flutter of excitement for her upcoming adventure with Baxter.
She quickly finished tidying up and went to get ready. As she brushed her hair, a small smile played on her lips as she remembered her mother’s lessons on how to create an elegant, coiled bun. She carefully pinned back the stray hairs that fell across her face, giving her a romantic and slightly disheveled look.
Changing into a yellow skirt that matched the changing leaves and a cream blouse, she pinched her cheeks to give her pale skin a bit of color.
“Petunia?” she called, walking back into the main room.
