Page 46 of Princess and the Ox (The Colby Brothers 1)

“May want to watch out for that batch of horse dung.”

She blinked and looked up, feeling slightly disorientated. He had put his hammer down and approached her in two long strides. Alarm shot to her eyes and instinctively she took a step back.

Mistaking her frown for confusion, he said, “You know—horse feces? Manure?”

Indignation colored her cheeks and had her squaring her shoulders. “I know what horse feces is, Mr. Colby.”

He smirked. “Then I suppose you don’t want to see the bottom of that pretty dress covered in the stuff.”

“I most certainly do not!” Her gaze dropped automatically to the object of their discussion lying directly in her path.

Then Jay startled her altogether when he suddenly bent down and swept her up into his arms. Erika gasped and automatically reached out to grip him around the shoulders. She was astonished by the tingling sensation in her fingertips as they touched the warmth emitting from his bare skin.

Instinctively, she withdrew her hands. With nowhere else to place them, she had no alternative but to leave them hovering just over his shoulders. “Put me down this moment, Jay Colby!”

“Just hold on to your knickers.”

Her mouth thinned into ange

r, not pleased to hear him discussing her undergarments. Then, just as swiftly as he had picked her up, he was depositing her back on her feet. Instantly, she gathered her balance and straightened herself. To her surprise, she was looking down at him.

“Well, what do you think?” He gestured to the object she was standing on. “Not quite done yet, but it gives you a good idea of its dimensions.”

Erika glanced down and realized he had deposited her on the platform that was to serve as the main stage. Joy immediately lit her eyes before she spun around to take in its entirety. She had noticed its progress over the last several weeks, but had barely been to the hill enough to see any final results. Turning, she grinned happily down at Jay. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”

He smiled in return, and then gestured toward his brother. “Thank Garrett. He’s actually put more hours into it than I have. Which reminds me—”

He took off without warning, leaving Erika standing alone high on the stage looking out over the female audience. She grimaced at them before turning to Garrett. “You’ve done a wonderful job, Garrett. Thank you.”

Nodding his head and producing a small smile, he otherwise would have seemed to ignore her completely. Erika smiled and turned away just as Jay came jaunting back carrying a bundle of papers tied securely together. Thankfully, he had also elected to put his shirt back on. With one leap he perched himself on the edge of the stage and untied the bundle. Curious, Erika approached him.

Jay glanced up and beamed at her with so much excitement and pride, Erika couldn’t help but grin in return. “These are all the petitions I gathered. You were right. It seems the female population of Placid would like their sons to have as much opportunity as their wealthy counterparts.”

Feeling pride herself, she knelt down next to him and was peeved when the wire hoops beneath her skirts, forced her bustle to ride further up her backside. Reaching behind, she gave it an annoying slap to try to flatten it, while wishing she could just as easily perch on the edge of the stage as Jay. Taking the top sheet, she glanced over it and was in awe by the list of names displayed there.

Funny, he had said she was the one who was right, but Erika realized with a start that it had been Jay all along who knew exactly what the citizens of Plaid wanted. He had a depth and understanding to the needs of the people of this county, that even her grandfather, the town mayor, did not possess. His wisdom and foresight into the future was truly amazing.

She put the sheet of paper down and got back to her feet. For some reason she was overcome with a sudden case of the blues. All these years she held such merit to her grandfather’s views and opinions. It had never occurred to her that he could possibly be wrong.

“I made sure I made mention of your play as well,” he told her.

She reeled in alarm. “You what?”

He looked up, confused by the tone in her voice. “You do want people to come and see your play, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course, it’s just—” she broke off and fiddled with her fingers. It’s just she hadn’t told her grandfather yet.

Gossip spread like wildfire in the town of Placid. Erika hadn’t prepared herself for that confrontation. For the first time in her life, she would be on the receiving end of Gerald Snowden’s displeasure.

Jay frowned and climbed up on the stage to stand in front of her. “Having second thoughts?”

She looked at him. His face was far too bland for her to read. Erika shook her head.

“It’s just—” she began again, then stopped when she noticed his expression had remained unchanged. In a flash, she knew he was waiting for her to turn tail and start running. Almost as if he had been waiting for it. An unexpected surge of confidence had her straightening her spine. “Absolutely not.”

He tilted his head and studied her. “Are you sure?”

Looking at him, standing so tall and proud and bearing so much self-confidence, Erika suddenly felt very ashamed of herself. She gave a weak smile. “I’m sure.”

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