Read Online Behind a Lady's Smile by Jane Goodger - Free Book Online Page B

not to lift your skirts quite so high.” He looked pointedly at an older man who was grinning at the pair.
    Genny could feel her cheeks flush red. “Oh.”
    “Yeah. Oh.” Mitch mumbled something under his breath—probably a curse—and threw first her bag then his up next to her before pulling himself on board.
    “You should try taking that step with a skirt on,” Genny grumbled.
    “When we get to New York, my mother’s going to have to teach you how to wear a dress without exposing yourself to every man within twenty feet. At least the deer hide hid one leg.”
    “I’m certain I can teach myself, thank you very much,” Genny said, lifting her chin. Genny turned and smiled, her annoyance with Mitch disappearing quickly. The car looked like a long, narrow parlor with rows of richly cushioned miniature couches on either aisle and green velvet curtains over the windows. In the center of the car was a sitting area, looking much like a miniature of a hotel lobby. At the moment, the car was nearly empty, with only two seats occupied near the back.
    “This is lovely,” she breathed, touching the seat nearest her. The ceiling was a rich dark wood with gilt molding, and beneath her feet, a thick carpet ran the entire length of the car.
    “It ought to be. It was fair expensive.”
    “We didn’t have to travel first class,” Genny said, then grinned. “But I’m glad we did.”
    Mitch’s lips twitched. “See this?” he asked, patting the slanted ceiling above their seat. “These here are beds. You pull them down at night and sleep. I’ll take the top; you take the bottom. The seats turn into a bed too. The lady’s washroom is back there and the men’s up front.”
    Mitch pulled out their tickets and moved down the car until they were near the middle and dropped his pack. “You can sit by the window if you want. See the sights.”
    Genny sat down and bounced up and down, testing the softness of the seat. “Lovely.”
    “You won’t think it’s so lovely in three or four days, but it sure beats sitting on a hard bench.”
    Genny couldn’t remember ever sitting on a seat as soft and luxurious as the one she now sat upon. In her little cabin, the chairs were wood and even the bedding was thin and hard. But this was pure heaven, as if her backside were being cushioned by a hundred downy pillows with gentle springs inside. Mitch sat down beside her, his big body taking up nearly the entire rest of the couch, his thigh pressing up against hers.
    He sat there for a few moments before testily saying, “Can’t you scoot on over closer to the window? I hardly have room to breathe here.”
    “I’m over as far as I can go. And it’s not so tight as to make it difficult to breathe. Really, Mitch, you do exaggerate.”
    He mumbled something beneath his breath that Genny thought sounded like he was in for a week of torture. Hmph.
    “You know, Mr. Campbell, you don’t have to accompany me any farther if this trip is so arduous for you.”
    “I just don’t much care for being cramped up in small spaces for long periods of time,” he said, still sounding a bit annoyed. Genny supposed that was an apology. “And do you have perfume on? I don’t recall buying perfume.”
    “You gave me that nice-smelling soap,” Genny said, feeling a bit hurt by all his complaints. She liked being with Mitch, and if she was perfectly honest, she liked the feel of his big thigh against hers. It made her feel safe and warm, like when she had cuddled up against him when they were on the trail.
    Mitch tried to move over, but it was clear that the seat was too small to accommodate them both without touching. He shifted again, swore beneath his breath, then stood up and glared down at the seat. Then he swiped a hand through his hair and sat down again, stretching out his long legs in front of him.
    The car slowly filled up with travelers excited to be on their way, and Genny decided to concentrate on them instead of the cranky man