the man reached out to brush his knuckles up and down her arm.
Alexandria’s nostrils flared in indignation as she yanked her arm away from him. “I don’t recall giving you permission to use my given name Mr…”
“Name’s Nick,” the man smiled.
“Sir! And I’d appreciate it if you’d keep your hands off me,” she spat at him before moving to step around him. She realized her mistake too late.
“Feisty are you?” Nick grabbed her arm.
Alexandria stiffened. “Please remove your hand from my arm or I will be forced to go to my husband.”
“Is that a threat?” Nick was amused.
“What’s going on here?” a familiar voice demanded. Nick quickly released Alexandria’s arm and stepped away.
“Nothin’,” Nick turned and rushed away.
“Are you alright, Mrs. Morris?” Jonathon asked as he stepped toward her.
“I’m fine, Mr. Stewart; thanks for your aide. He was being…rude is all.”
“Listen, Mrs. Morris, I don’t exactly trust Nick and I’m not sure Eli does either. You need to watch your step around that one and you need to tell Eli what happened,” Jonathon advised as he searched her pale face.
“Thank you for the warning, Mr. Stewart,” Alexandria offered a tense smile before she hurried from the barn.
She wouldn’t tell Eli, he had seen it in her face.
“Head strong,” he muttered as he turned to the task that had brought him to the barn in the first place.
Alexandria, her limbs still shaking, collapsed onto her bed. Never had anyone made her feel so cheap in her life! Alexandria shuddered as she rubbed her arms and wished she could erase the memory of how he had looked at her and the way he had touched her arm. That he had known the state of her marriage only added insult to injury. Did everyone know? Was it obvious?
Since she and Elijah had spoken things had been less strained between them. Breakfast and lunch had actually been pleasant but she had already made up her mind not to expect anything from her husband. That way she didn’t risk being disappointed.
Alexandria stood, checked her appearance, and decided to go work on Lilly’s dresses. She had no time to sit around feeling sorry for herself. What had happened in the barn had come to nothing and she was fine. Regardless what Mr. Stewart had advised she had no intention of telling Elijah what had happened.
Chapter Five
If there was one benefit to the extremely cold Montana winter, it was that Elijah was in the house more often. Being in the house more often meant he could observe his wife and get to know her better. Once they had agreed to get to know each other and she had relaxed, he found her company to be delightful. She had a way of telling stories about Lilly’s antics throughout the day that kept him laughing in the evening. She kept the house graced with greenery or color of some nature all through the bleak days and her smile could easily light a room. Just before Christmas he cut a tree and brought it in for her to decorate.
Watching her and Lilly made him feel old. Alexandria was full of energy; she turned the tree decorating into a game. She and Lilly cut snowflakes from paper, Alexandria knit angles; together they all strung popcorn for a popcorn chain. Elijah wasn’t certain if he would call what he was feeling for his wife love, but he was certainly more drawn to her by the day.
It was on a blustery cold evening in late March that Elijah first kissed his wife. Lilly was already in bed and he was escorting Alexandria upstairs for the night. She had stopped at the door to her room and turned to him with a smile.
“Thank you for the beautiful hair combs. They were a wonderful present,” she told him. He had intended to give her the combs for Christmas but had chickened out. Seeing her hair pulled up on the sides with the rest hanging down her back in soft curls had impacted him more than he feared. He was learning not to fear his growing attraction to her. He had come to realize that learning to like her, perhaps even love her was not a betrayal of Martha at all.
“They suit you,” Elijah’s hand came to her jaw to tilt her chin as he stepped forward. He kissed her gently, then again more ardently. It took Elijah a moment to register that Alexandria wasn’t responding. He broke the kiss and looked into her tear filled