Rebecca (Angel Creek Christmas Brides #15) - Lily Graison Page 0,33
It took him a moment to actually move, but when he did, the music was all he heard, her face the only thing he saw. She really was beautiful and her eyes were mesmerizing.
He’d spent years doing the same thing day in and day out and never once thought he wanted more. Now he did. In the short time she'd been there, he realized how little joy he’d felt before she came into their lives and the desire to ask her to marry him right then and there was overwhelming. He opened his mouth to do just that, but she looked back down at their feet again so he closed it with a snap.
Just wait. If you pressure her, she may leave earlier than you agreed on.
Caleb held his tongue, the marriage proposal forgotten for now. He’d give her the time she’d asked for, even if he no longer wanted to.
When she lifted her head again, he said, “How do you like Angel Creek? I don’t think I’ve asked.”
“Oh, I like it just fine. Everyone seems friendly.”
“Most everyone is.”
Silence hung in the air again so he started asking about Charleston. It was the only thing he could think of to keep the conversation going.
One dance turned into three and she was giving him one of those big smiles as he led her around the room. He only stepped on her foot once, which they both laughed about before taking a breather. Julia had prepared enough food to feed the entire army over at Fort Benton and they both ate until stuffed.
Caleb led her to the center of the room again, a thrill running through him when Diana stepped into his embrace. The smile lighting her face drew his gaze to her mouth and he’d never wanted to kiss anyone as badly as he did in that moment.
Chapter 10
It took longer than it should have to catch her breath but Rebecca wasn’t going to complain about it for a single second.
She and Caleb danced around every inch of the room before he finally took pity on her and offered to go grab her a drink. The man who’d seen to the horse and wagon when they arrived came inside and took Caleb’s attention. They were talking about horses as she stood near a group of ladies sipping a sweetened drink that tasted of spiced apples. As much as she tried to follow the conversation, her attention was on Caleb.
He’d given her a look so intense when they’d been dancing, she’d thought for a moment that he’d been about to kiss her. Her stomach fluttered at the thought. She’d never been kissed. Well, not a proper kiss. She’d played a silly kissing game with a group of kids in the orphanage but those kisses had been quick pecks on the lips and nothing more. She’d never had a genuine kiss. The kind of intimate kiss a man and woman shared, and the thought of kissing Caleb like that made things low in her belly tighten.
She glanced his way again. He was staring at her. Her face heated as she blushed, then burned when he grinned at her. Her pulse fluttered as if it had wings and it grew so hot in the room, she had to fan her face to catch a cool breeze.
The group of men Caleb was standing amongst were talking about Indians. Julia’s husband Matt had seen them on his ranch a few times. She’d never seen one. Truth be known, she thought they were a myth used to scare people away from all the land out west. Apparently not.
The night wore on and she’d smiled so long, her face ached by the time Caleb said their goodbyes. He led her back into the main room and grabbed her hand before giving it a squeeze. “Go find Amanda and grab your things. I’ll go see to the wagon.”
She hurried through the house, checking rooms until she found Amanda. She was in a playroom with the other children.
Rebecca held out her arm when the girl turned to look at her. “Let’s go, Amanda. Your father is ready to head home.”
A few of the other ladies were bundling their children into coats by the time they made it to the bench they had laid all their things on. Seemed as if everyone was leaving at the same time.
They waited inside the house until a young boy came to fetch them. “Caleb’s waiting for you outside, Ma’am.”
She thanked him and headed out,