care to escort me, Miss Callahan.”
Noah’s jaw flexed. She guessed he wasn’t very
fond of the man either.
“I’ll get Dell to show you the land and
introduce you to the men,” she said, leaning to see him through the Deardon-Redbourne
wall in front of her.
“Why can’t you take me?”
Is he whining? Truly?
Kate had to consciously stop herself from
rolling her eyes.
“Miss Callahan,” Dell leaned in through the
door.
It didn’t seem like there had ever been this
many people in her house at one time, let alone in the same room— her personal room, and it was becoming like a busy train station at departure time—crowded
and stuffy.
“There is an older, quite distinguished looking
gentleman here to see you, Katie,” Dell said, his jaw flexing and his eyes
narrowed. “Says he’s here to make you his wife.”
You have got to be kidding me.
Why did they just keep showing up? Her
understanding was that in most situations like this, the men would correspond
with the woman and then set up a time to meet. That’s exactly how it was
working with Mason Everett from Montana.
Four.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Noah closed his eyes at the news of yet another
suitor come to call on Kate. He couldn’t force himself to look up at her.
They’d had a connection, he knew they had, so why was he so concerned about
these other fellas?
“Who is he?” Kate asked Dell in disbelief.
“He said his name is a Mr. Gregory Stiles. From
Boston.”
“Boston?” Several of them repeated at the same
time.
“That’s what he said.” Dell spat. “Boston.”
“I got here first,” Mr. Thomas announced, one
finger in the air as if holding a place in line.
Everyone ignored him.
No, I got here first, Noah thought. But that
didn’t matter. What mattered was Kate. What she wanted. What she needed.
Noah could feel her eyes boring into the top of
his head.
Maybe the man needed to see just what he was up
against. He reached down for one of the dry towels that Fannie had brought in
with her and gently lifted Kate’s injured foot from the cold water he’d laced
with chunks of ice he’d purchased in town this morning. He patted the limb dry,
then got to his feet and reached down to pick her up off the chair.
“Let’s go meet him,” he said enthusiastically
and started for the door. “Come on, Thomas.”
“Wait! What?” Kate protested. “Put me down,
Noah Deardon. Look at me.”
He did as she asked before he could think
better of it. Her eyes were wide, her expression worried.
Stop looking at me like that.
He liked the feel of her in his arms. Liked the
way her chin jutted out defiantly. But when she looked at him with those eyes
the color of honey, he would give her the world. Kate Callahan didn’t know how
beautiful she was and that endeared her to him even more.
“I can’t meet a man in my parlor looking like
this. I’d like to at least appear to be respectable. My hair must look like a
bird’s nest and I am hardly presentable in my da’s button down shirt and men’s
trousers.”
“I think you look downright appealing, Miss Callahan,”
Noah said as he gently set her down onto the bed, careful not to agitate her
injury. “But, I’ll do as you ask.” He stood up tall and motioned toward the
other two. “Levi, Mr. Thomas here, and I can go out and introduce ourselves, if
you’d like.”
Kate’s face drained of color.
“Not without me, you won’t!” she said, pushing
herself to the edge of the bed and staring up at him defiantly.
He leaned down, his hands on his knees, his
face so close to hers he could claim her lips with another inch. She didn’t
move, but her breaths became uneven, ragged.
“I wouldn’t,” he whispered, then stood up. “No
matter how tempted I may be.”
He liked seeing her a bit flustered.
Stop it, Deardon.
Jealousy never became a man. Though, it was
nice to know he had some effect on her.
Noah was accustomed to being in control
of…well, everything in his life. He
Noah’s jaw flexed. She guessed he wasn’t very
fond of the man either.
“I’ll get Dell to show you the land and
introduce you to the men,” she said, leaning to see him through the Deardon-Redbourne
wall in front of her.
“Why can’t you take me?”
Is he whining? Truly?
Kate had to consciously stop herself from
rolling her eyes.
“Miss Callahan,” Dell leaned in through the
door.
It didn’t seem like there had ever been this
many people in her house at one time, let alone in the same room— her personal room, and it was becoming like a busy train station at departure time—crowded
and stuffy.
“There is an older, quite distinguished looking
gentleman here to see you, Katie,” Dell said, his jaw flexing and his eyes
narrowed. “Says he’s here to make you his wife.”
You have got to be kidding me.
Why did they just keep showing up? Her
understanding was that in most situations like this, the men would correspond
with the woman and then set up a time to meet. That’s exactly how it was
working with Mason Everett from Montana.
Four.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Noah closed his eyes at the news of yet another
suitor come to call on Kate. He couldn’t force himself to look up at her.
They’d had a connection, he knew they had, so why was he so concerned about
these other fellas?
“Who is he?” Kate asked Dell in disbelief.
“He said his name is a Mr. Gregory Stiles. From
Boston.”
“Boston?” Several of them repeated at the same
time.
“That’s what he said.” Dell spat. “Boston.”
“I got here first,” Mr. Thomas announced, one
finger in the air as if holding a place in line.
Everyone ignored him.
No, I got here first, Noah thought. But that
didn’t matter. What mattered was Kate. What she wanted. What she needed.
Noah could feel her eyes boring into the top of
his head.
Maybe the man needed to see just what he was up
against. He reached down for one of the dry towels that Fannie had brought in
with her and gently lifted Kate’s injured foot from the cold water he’d laced
with chunks of ice he’d purchased in town this morning. He patted the limb dry,
then got to his feet and reached down to pick her up off the chair.
“Let’s go meet him,” he said enthusiastically
and started for the door. “Come on, Thomas.”
“Wait! What?” Kate protested. “Put me down,
Noah Deardon. Look at me.”
He did as she asked before he could think
better of it. Her eyes were wide, her expression worried.
Stop looking at me like that.
He liked the feel of her in his arms. Liked the
way her chin jutted out defiantly. But when she looked at him with those eyes
the color of honey, he would give her the world. Kate Callahan didn’t know how
beautiful she was and that endeared her to him even more.
“I can’t meet a man in my parlor looking like
this. I’d like to at least appear to be respectable. My hair must look like a
bird’s nest and I am hardly presentable in my da’s button down shirt and men’s
trousers.”
“I think you look downright appealing, Miss Callahan,”
Noah said as he gently set her down onto the bed, careful not to agitate her
injury. “But, I’ll do as you ask.” He stood up tall and motioned toward the
other two. “Levi, Mr. Thomas here, and I can go out and introduce ourselves, if
you’d like.”
Kate’s face drained of color.
“Not without me, you won’t!” she said, pushing
herself to the edge of the bed and staring up at him defiantly.
He leaned down, his hands on his knees, his
face so close to hers he could claim her lips with another inch. She didn’t
move, but her breaths became uneven, ragged.
“I wouldn’t,” he whispered, then stood up. “No
matter how tempted I may be.”
He liked seeing her a bit flustered.
Stop it, Deardon.
Jealousy never became a man. Though, it was
nice to know he had some effect on her.
Noah was accustomed to being in control
of…well, everything in his life. He
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