“Not enough to discourage a teacher, but when you advertised for a teacher to come to Dogtown, I heard the passion in your words, how you wanted the children of your town to have a good education.” She stopped and gave him a piercing look. “I can provide that.”
“If you stay.”
She raised her determined chin. “I will.”
Priscilla thanked the waitress as she placed the sandwich in front of her. She still had a hard time believing Mr. Beaumont had spent the entire morning helping her set up her schoolroom. She still sensed suspicion and disapproval in his comments, but she had to admit he’d been a great help. And that didn’t even count him chasing the bear away and getting her off the roof.
Instead of climbing back down the tree, he’d had her slide to the edge of the roof and drop into his arms. Once she landed, they’d stared at each other, leaving her wondering if she looked as surprised as he had. His eyes had widened when she licked her dry lips before he quickly placed her on her feet.
The last thing she wanted was to be attracted to a man who practically held her in contempt. He was only waiting for her to pack up and leave. Well, she had no intention of doing that and would love to have him apologize five years from now when she was still in Dogtown.
“What does Ian do all day with no school?”
He leaned back in his chair. “He has chores, and I assign him schoolwork. He helps out in my store a few hours a day, and on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday he delivers the Denver newspapers from the mail coach to the stores and homes.”
“It’s good that you assign him schoolwork. I’m anxious to see where the students are in their education. I imagine with the sketchy learning they’ve had so far, I will have a lot of work to get them caught up.”
Mr. Beaumont cleared his throat. “Miss Cochran—”
“Perhaps we can do away with the formalities? You may call me Priscilla.”
He tilted his head. “Priscilla suits you, you know.”
“I’m not sure what you mean by that, but I’ll take it as a compliment.”
He dipped his head. “That is how it was meant. And my name is Mitchell, but you may call me Mitch.”
“Mitch suits you.”
“Ah
. Our respective progenitors will be pleased.”
“What?”
He waved in her direction. “Sorry. A word I read once. It means parents.”
“No, I know that. I’m just surprised to hear you say it.”
His eyes snapped. “I’m sure you are.” He collected the check from the table and stood. “Are you ready to return to work?”
She stared at him as he pulled out her chair. Mitch Beaumont was a puzzle. However, not a puzzle she was interested in solving. She had a job to do and that came first.
This time as they walked back to the schoolhouse, there was an air of tension between them. Perhaps she had insulted him at her surprise at his use of the word progenitor. She really must stop assuming things if she was to be a success in Dogtown.
“What I intended to ask you back at the restaurant is if you would like to accompany me to the church social this Sunday afternoon. It would give the parents a chance to ask you more questions. Lunch follows the morning service, and it’s the time of the year the good Reverend Thatcher will be doing his usual begging for volunteers for the Christmas pageant.”
“Oh, I would like that! My family was very involved in our church, and I had intended to ask about services. And to be involved in the pageant would be such fun.”
“If you’re still here, that is.”
Her temper flared. “I will be here. You don’t seem to understand, Mr. Beaumont. I am here to stay and you better get used to the idea.” She muttered under her breath, “Je vais vous prouver le contraire.”
They stopped in front of the schoolhouse. “I’m afraid I will have to leave you to our own devices this afternoon. I can trust Ernest to run my store for a short period of time, but by now he’s probably caused some type of disaster that will need fixing.”
She nodded, still annoyed at his continued distrust. Nothing in her life had prepared her to deal with such suspicion. “Thank you for your help. I’m very excited at the idea of setting up my own classroom and preparing for the children to arrive Monday morning.”
“Haven’t you done this before?” he asked.