Page 76 of A Soft Kiss in Summer
The sheriff turned his attention to Josiah.“Your wife—er, Miss Campbell, I mean, is right.I can’t really hold you because someone said they heard something, but until this is cleared up, stay in town.”
Josiah nodded.“You have my word.”
The people on the sidewalk barely gave him a glance when he and Violet pulled the sheriff’s office door closed behind them.Neither spoke as they stood there in the hustle and bustle and stared across the street to the people still going in and out of the mercantile.
Violet broke the silence by saying, “What now?”
He had no idea.There was a lot left to talk about, but right now, he wanted to bathe, change his clothes, and eat until stuffed.“We’ll play it by ear,” he said, before motioning to the hotel with his head.“But first I want to get cleaned up and eat.”
She hurried after him when he started for the hotel.“You go on ahead.I’m going to fill Bonnie in and I’ll meet you there.”
He slowed, glancing over at the doctor's office.Why did letting her out of his sight feel so wrong?She’d been running around town since yesterday by herself, and he’d had no idea where she’d been.Knowing she was going to the doctor's office should have eased his mind, but it didn’t.
He held her gaze for a long moment, then took in her lovely face.She was staring at him and all it took was one look into her eyes, and he knew.She’s in love with you.
The words whispered inside his head and when she smiled at him, he thought he might be a little in love with her, too.
They weren’t married, and the situation they found themselves in would be difficult to navigate.
It doesn’t have to be.
No, it didn’t.The real question now was…what did he want?
He’d sworn off women for years but he had to admit, being in a fake relationship with Violet had turned his boring life into one he’d admit to enjoying.
Every day had been filled with a tiny bit of excitement, as he never knew what might happen.If they went back to the way things were, he’d be left alone in his office, staring out the window, watching horses and wagons go by or walking the streets looking for something to take up his time.With Violet in his life, his future was uncertain and, for once, that didn’t scare the hell out of him.
“All right,” he said.“I’ll meet you in our room.”
He waited when the door to the doctor's office closed behind her and watched her through the window, her smile lighting up her entire face.
His heart gave a tiny clench at the sight of her talking, her hands waving in the air excitedly, and he realized he enjoyed looking at her.Enjoyed talking to her.Kissing her.Touching her.
He also enjoyed the way she looked at him, as if he was the only man in the whole world she wanted.
A smile pulled the corners of his mouth up, and he watched her for a few minutes before turning to the hotel.Once inside, he stopped at the front desk and ordered a bath to be brought up, then requested room service before heading up the stairs to their room, his thoughts still on Violet.
He had a decision to make, one that would change his life forever.
Violet stopped in her tracks as she stepped into their room and saw Josiah still in the tub.Their eyes met from across the room and it only took the sound of someone's voice in the hall to snap her out of her stupor and turn around and shut the door.
“I didn’t think you were coming back.”
His voice was lowered, almost husky in the stillness, and she inhaled a deep breath before turning to face him.“I wanted to give you time to finish your bath.”
There was still steam wafting from the surface of the water.He dunked a washcloth into the depths and twisted the material to get the water out before hanging it on the side of the tub.
“They’re short staffed at the moment so everything is taking longer than expected.”
“I see.”
As hard as she tried to keep her gaze on his face, it wandered to his hairy chest and the bulge of his biceps.Life really was unfair.For a brief moment, all that had been hers.Now, she only had a few memories to try to last her a lifetime.
“How is Archie?”
His question snapped her out of her mute stare and she turned away, heading to the small table by the window.She sat and started removing her boots.“Better,” she said.“The fever is almost gone.He was actually awake when I stopped in.”
“That’s good.”
