Honor and Desire (Gold Sky #3) - Rebel Carter Page 0,53
their dusters, a fine coating of dirt and grime covering them from head-to-toe. Seylah prayed the homesteaders hadn’t been causing her fathers to run themselves ragged policing their penchant for redrawing land boundaries.
“Nothing,” Seylah said quickly.
“It’s private,” Florence blurted out at the same moment.
Will raised an eyebrow, his gray eyes moving from woman to woman. “Well, now that doesn’t sound like nothing.”
Forrest sucked on his teeth and crossed his arms. “Better we not pry. You know how it is in a house full of women. Nothing and private, well that’s a fine line into territory we have no business venturing.”
Seylah breathed a sigh of relief when Will nodded in agreement. “You’re not wrong on that. Make a note of that, August,” he said turning to the man that was walking into the room after them.
August froze when he caught sight of Seylah. He opened his mouth to say something, but then snapped it shut and looked at Will. “Sorry, sir?”
“When a woman says it’s nothing, it’s most assuredly something and sometimes it’s best not to pry,” Forrest supplied, clapping August on the shoulder. He turned to Florence and gestured to her attire. “Are you off to a ball, sweetheart?”
Florence shook her head and gave them a proprietary spin. “A singles soiree, and isn’t my dress lovely?”
Both of her fathers hummed in approval and told her just how lovely it was while Flo preened for them, eagerly. Seylah took advantage of her sister showing them the ribbons in her hair to walk over to August.
“Hi,” she said with a nervous smile. She glanced over at her fathers and sister and pointed to the door. “Should we escape now?”
He smiled at her and reached for her, catching her hand. “Why? We just got in from a long ride.”
She looked down at their hands in shock before she leaned close to him. “What are you doing?” She whispered. They hadn’t told her fathers, but here he was, holding her hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Seylah’s eyes slid to the side nervously while she tugged on her hand.
“August we--”
He tightened his grip, refusing to let go. “I talked to them.”
“You did?”
“‘Course I did. We had a long ride, seemed like as good a time as any.”
“And they were accepting?”
He reached out and touched her cheek. “If they weren’t I suspect I’d be walking back to town barefoot, but seeing as they let me ride back and keep my boots, yes, they were very accepting.”
“Doesn’t mean we didn’t think about shooting him.” Will’s voice pulled Seylah’s attention away from August and to her fathers.
Forrest lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “I know that I am usually the cooler of the two of us, but Daddy is right. Thought about leaving August out there.”
August cleared his throat when Seylah rolled her eyes at them. “Thought I’d leave that version of the conversation out of it, but it was tense there for a few minutes. I meant what I told the both of you,” he nodded at the men and then looked at Seylah. “I aim to court you properly, Seylah May. Let the whole town know how I feel about you, and what I want for the two of us.”
“Which is?” Seylah asked before she could stop herself.
“For you to be my wife,” August said as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
Her heart leaped at his admission and she felt her knees go weak at the soft-eyed look he aimed her way. “Do you mean that?”
“With all my heart.”
“Oh, August.”
“Shoulda shot him,” Will grit out, watching as his daughter threw her arms around August. The pair embraced each other and his cheek set to twitching when he saw them share a chaste kiss. He could scarcely stand the thought of his girls marrying, but it seemed that day was bearing down on the Wilkes-Barnes household with all the force and speed of a steam engine. “Why did you stop me?” He asked Forrest with a glare.
“He’s a good man,” Forrest replied, undeterred by the narrow-eyed look his husband was shooting his way. “You know it, I know it. We damn near raised him, raised him to be a good man. He will take good care of Seylah.”
Will sighed, rocking back on his heels, but he was still frowning at the sight of his first born in the arms of a man. “Oh, all right but I want you to know I don’t like it.”