Page 23 of A Soft Kiss in Summer
And—he’d kissed her.And not some simple peck on the lips.He’d kissed her like she’d always wanted to be kissed—dipping inside her mouth for a taste.
Unfortunately, it was way too brief and barely even qualified as a kiss but, he’d kissed her!She’d tasted him.
Her heart was still pounding.She wasn’t sure if it was from anxiety or the barely there kiss, but seeing Josiah across the clearing staring over at her made her pulse leap and dance.
He was her husband.It might have been in name only, but for right now, she was married to the man of her dreams.
And he’d kissed her!
The musicians started playing again, and it only took moments for someone to grab her and drag her to the make-shift dance floor.Josiah was ushered there as well, and it didn’t take a genius to realize the townsfolk expected them to dance.
She blew out a breath and took his hand, placing it at her waist before clasping his other with her own.Their first few steps were stiff and awkward but once the others joined them, and they weren’t the center of attention any longer, she was able to relax enough her spine didn’t feel so stiff.
“I’m so sorry, Josiah.”She glanced around her to make sure no one could hear them talking.“I never should have dragged you into this.”
“No, you shouldn’t have, but what’s done is done.”
She nodded and glanced at their feet before bringing her head back up.She saw Edwin standing at the edge of the make-shift dance floor staring at his pocket watch.“Well, at least Edwin will leave now.”
“One can hope.”
She lifted her head.“You don’t think he will?”
“Hard to say.”He glanced over his shoulder to where Edwin stood.“He seems used to getting his way.Seeing as he didn’t…” He looked over the top of her head at something behind her.“We’ll know by sundown, I suppose.No sense worrying about it yet.”
Violet knew he was right, but it didn’t ease her worries.Or make her any less anxious about tonight.What was she supposed to do?She couldn’t go home with Josiah for a typical wedding night.
Could she?
The moment the thought popped into her head, her face heated.Her pulse started thumping as she imagined being with Josiah as a real married couple.It was something she’d dreamed about for longer than she’d like to admit, and now she could legally do it and no one would say a word.
But it was all fake.Once Edwin left, they’d call it all off, and that would be that.She’d go back to trying to ignore Josiah to convince her heart she wasn’t half in love with him and probably die an old spinster.
But—she couldn’t really go home to her own bed either.People would wonder why she had, and it wasn’t as if she could tell them they had no plans to consummate the marriage.Not yet, at least.
As long as Edwin was still here, they had to keep up pretenses and play the part of a happily married couple which meant, she may have no choice but to stay with Josiah, which brought on an entirely new set of problems, the main one being, could she pretend to be his wife, sleep in the little room behind the jail, and not lose her heart to him all over again?She’d barely gotten over her crush on him and now they were married.It wasn’t legal yet, but to everyone who knew them, she was now Mrs.Josiah Lincoln, and she couldn’t say she hated the idea.No, she didn’t hate it at all.
ChapterSeven
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d danced before coming to Silver Falls, but he had no doubt, he’d danced with every woman who lived in and around the area and his aching feet were proof of it.Thankfully, everyone was headed home now and he could stop pretending to be the happily married groom they all thought he was.
Violet had ridden home in the wagon with her family, to say a proper goodbye to them, or so she’d told everyone who commented on her not riding back into town with him, and neither of them spoke as he bedded down his horse at the livery stable before helping her unload their wagon and unhitch the horse attached to it.
Even as he walked her home, neither said a word.Not until they reached the gate leading up the sidewalk to her house to find Edwin and Reverend Poole waiting on her front porch.
“Well,” Edwin said, “I suppose congratulations are in order.”
Violet took a step closer to him.“Why, thank you, Edwin.Although I would have preferred more time to prepare a proper wedding, everything turned out well enough.”She grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together.“We’re married now, and that’s all that matters.”
Edwin’s face turned red, his lips pinched as he eyed them both.He straightened as Reverend Peele ambled across the porch to them.
“I needs my bed, boy.”The old man looked so glassy-eyed, he wondered if he’d gotten into the moonshine after marrying them.“You promised me a big meal and a soft bed and since I’ve eaten more today than I have in the last week, I’m ready to retire.”
Edwin glanced at his pocket watch before nodding his head down the road.“We’ll be staying at the boarding house.”He grinned before saying, “Let’s get the marriage license signed and you can go on down there and wait for me.”
“Marriage license?”Violet said.
Edwin grinned.“Of course.Reverend Peele will file it with the courts in Elkin first thing when we get back into town.”
