consent.”
“Sounds like a respectable idea to me,” Bowie declared, grinning. “Honor binds me to warn you, Cleve, that you’ll have your hands full.”
“Keep out of this, Bowie.” Leanna turned on her brother with a hiss.
“Can’t rightly do that since I’m the one he was speaking to.”
“As I’ve pointed out to Mr. Holden time and again, he doesn’t love me…and I don’t love him.”
To that, Bowie tilted his head, and arched his brows. He hugged his sister, then walked down the back steps. His shoulders shook with the laughter he suppressed.
“Now that I have your brother’s blessing, Miss Cahill, may I come calling tomorrow morning?” he asked with no little humor suppressed of his own.
“No, you may not!”
“I’ll be along at nine sharp. We’ll have a picnic in the country.”
“Cleve! No,” he heard her call as he walked back inside the saloon and took his place at the poker table.
Chapter Seven
The next morning at five minutes until nine Leanna sat on her front porch watching for Cleve. She didn’t like being corralled into going with him, but if she didn’t go he’d only pester her until she did.
The fact that she had spent the better part of an hour dressing, and in one of her most fetching gowns at that, did not mean that she was eager for this outing. It was simply her way of getting back at Cleve. At besting him.
Wouldn’t it serve him right to see her at her best and then have her turn down his proposal…yet again?
Mother would point out that her reasoning was vain and childish, but Cleve had it coming for refusing to accept her decision.
No doubt he imagined this little excursion would be one where he kissed her. No doubt he meant to fondle her in some forbidden way in order to make her come around to his point of view.
What he didn’t know was that she was bringing along protection against his charm. At this very moment Cabe and Melvin hopped up and down in anticipation of the picnic.
That would nip the flame of Mr. Cleve Holden’s plans! The look of disappointment on his face would be worth all the extra trouble she had taken to look her best.
A moment later, Cleve pulled in front of the house driving a pretty rented buggy, its fringe swaying to the gait of the horse that pulled it.
The grin on his face when she announced that Cabe and Melvin were coming along was a big disappointment. The man did not seem a bit sorry to have the boys as chaperones.
She certainly would not give him a kiss today…probably not tomorrow, either.
The buggy ride passed with Cleve telling Melvin fishing stories and Cabe babbling “fis” over and over again, even though he had no idea what “fis” was.
Try as she might, she couldn’t fault Cleve for his choice of a picnic area. It was a grassy spot only steps from a stream where, yes, fish were bound to be plentiful. There were trees for shade and open areas for sun. Birds sang in the branches overhead while grass bent and sighed on a gentle breeze.
If a couple were truly courting, love would find a way this perfect, peaceful day.
Love, in fact, did seem to be blooming. Cabe and Melvin couldn’t get enough of their new hero, Cleve. With lunch eaten and out of the way the boys were free to play. Horseback rides, and piggyback rides, hide-and-seek and tag were only warm-ups to fishing.
Cleve wouldn’t know it, but his clear enjoyment of being with the boys had ruined her hard-won resentment of his high-handed behavior of last night.
Still, she would not kiss him, on that she remained firm.
Sitting on a quilt with her back against a tree trunk, she watched Cleve give each of the boys a fishing rod that he had fashioned from willow reeds. Strings tied to the ends of the reeds dangled in the water.
Melvin looked intent on listening to the instructions Cleve was giving on how to catch a fish. Cabe industriously clutched his willow pole in his fist and jabbered at it.
Cleve sat down on the stream bank with Melvin beside him and Cabe between his bent knees. No one caught a fish but that didn’t seem to ruin any of the fun.
After a while Cabe drifted to sleep and dropped his mangled pole in the water. Cleve carried him back to the quilt and sat down beside her, shoulder to shoulder. He cradled Cabe close to his chest.
“I’ll take him.”