With ice-cold hands, Priscilla took the heavy quilt from her bed and wrapped it around herself. Who would have thought she needed to bring a gun with her to gather wood from the shed? She could still see the animal staring at her, his mouth covered in the blood from the animal he’d just slain. She shivered and sat in the rocking chair in the parlor.
Mitch returned and shoved a log into the potbelly stove in the parlor. After tossing in a handful of kindling and dried pine needles, he lit the twigs and shut the stove door. “It will be warm in here soon.” He rubbed his hands together, then shrugged out of his coat and removed his hat, gloves, and scarf. With one quick movement, he scooped Priscilla up from the rocking chair, settled himself in her place, and seated her on his lap.
Suddenly exhausted, Priscilla rested her head on his shoulder. They rocked for a while in silence, the room growing warmer, as promised. Priscilla felt herself drifting off into sleep when Mitch spoke.
“I’m here for a reason.”
She shifted around, the blanket falling to her lap since she was no longer shivering. “You mean you didn’t stop by just to kill the mountain lion?” She smirked at him.
Mitch tucked a curl behind her ear. “No. Although I thank God I was here.”
She sobered. “Me, too. Thank you for saving my life.” She paused. “So what brings you here late at night when you’re supposed to pick me up for church in the morning?”
“I want to discuss marriage.”
She stiffened in his lap. “No.”
“Hold on. Let me finish.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, effectively keeping her captive. Not that she minded. His dark
good looks and strong body offered an easy backdrop for whatever he’d planned to say. “I’m not going to order you to marry me.”
“Good.”
“I realize that was the wrong way to go about it. But you have to admit marriage is not such a bad idea.”
“Hmm. This is supposed to be a better way of discussing wedded bliss?”
“You must know I care about you. I know the type of woman you are. Women from your background don’t allow men to make love to them without the benefit of marriage. So there have to be some feelings on your part as well.”
She smiled at his earnestness, finding it sweet. She sat up and swung her legs back and forth. “I also have very strong feelings for Ian and he does for me as well, but I don’t want to marry him.”
“Very funny.”
“You realize if I were to marry I would lose my job?”
“Why?”
“When my cousin Ellie married Max, the Guthrie Board of Education made him fire her. They said it was against their policy to employ young married women. Old married women were okay. What’s amusing about that was, as her principal, Max and Ellie had never gotten along and he was actually trying to find a husband for her so he could fire her.”
“And?”
“While he was doing that, they fell in love so he had to fire her after all.”
“Now that’s funny.”
“Ellie didn’t think so.”
He ran his knuckle over her cheek, leaving her skin tingling in its wake. “But I am going to convince you.”
“How?”
His head descended, and he covered her mouth in another toe-curling kiss. His strong hand cupped her face and held it gently. So much power in his body, yet he was so gentle with her. She turned slightly so she could hold onto his shoulders. His palms moved to her back and he pulled her closer against his chest until her breasts were pushed up against him. Since she had been heading to bed, she no longer wore her corset, while warmth from their bodies took away any lingering chill.
Mitch released her mouth and moved his lips to her jaw then to her neck. She tilted her head back to give him greater access. His nimble fingers opened the front of her dress and spread the bodice apart. He cupped her breast, shaping it, flicking his thumb over her nipple.
“We can’t do this,” she gasped.
“Yes, we can.” He replaced his thumb with his mouth.