The Whippoorwill Trilogy - Sharon Sala Page 0,326

presented itself to be worn. Now she wasn’t sure if she could still fit in to it. Yet when she tried it on, she was surprised to see that it fit—even better than before. Where it had once been a little loose in the bosom, she filled it out nicely. The neckline dipped in all the right places and the skirt billowed out behind her as she walked. It would do.

The week passed in a flurry of excitement to which was added the arrival of Letty’s order from back East. She was excited when Robert Lee came back from town with the crate.

The back door opened with a thump against the wall, letting in a cold blast of air, upon which Alice promptly complained.

“Mercy sakes, Robert Lee! Close the door! It’s freezing outside.”

“Yes, ma’am, that it is,” he said, as he staggered toward the kitchen table with his load. “Milton Feasley sent this box along with the list he filled for you. He said to tell you it was Letty’s order.”

Letty came into the kitchen with her skirt flying out behind her and her hair coming down around her ears.

“Don’t open it! It has surprises for Christmas!” she said.

Robert Lee eyed the box and sighed.

“I don’t suppose you’re gonna let me leave it on the table?”

“Well, of course not, Robert Lee. Would you please carry it up to the sewing room?”

“I’d be delighted,” he muttered, and hefted it up again, before settling it on his shoulder.

Letty led the way out of the kitchen.

On a normal day, Robert Lee would have enjoyed the view and the sway of her hips beneath her dress, but the damned box was too heavy to linger on lust.

“In here!” she said, and stepped aside as he moved past her and set it down with a thump.

“You cut your hair,” Letty said, eyeing the new length. “It looks nice.”

Robert Lee looked up. Breath caught in the back of his throat. He wasn’t comfortable being under her scrutiny—ever. He’d made it plain how he felt about her, although he’d never stepped over the line. But being alone with her—in any situation—made him ache to touch her—hold her—to taste those lips that had a constant penchant for spouting sarcasm and wisdom within the same breath.

Letty caught the glitter in his eye and knew what he was feeling. The troubling part about it all was that she wasn’t sure what she was feeling back. Before, it had come as a shock to even think about caring for another man. But she’d learned the hard way how short life could be. She wasn’t the kind of woman to waste a moment of her own and now, the notion of testing the waters with Robert Lee often crept into her dreams. She had apologized daily to Eulis for the betrayal, but Eulis hadn’t bothered to voice any kind of disapproval, so she was stuck to deal with her own sense of what was right and what was not.

The fact that Eulis hadn’t answered her was nothing new. He did a lot of that these days, and it was beginning to aggravate her to no end.

“I said… your hair looks nice.”

She saw his chest expand as he drew a deep breath. Expecting him to turn away as he always did, she was shocked when he reached toward her instead, brushing the loose tendrils of her hair away from her face with both hands.

“Yours looks like Little Bit has been swinging in it.”

Her eyes widened as she considered the familiarity of his touch.

Robert Lee meant to draw back, but he got caught in her gaze. He saw her nostrils flare. When she lifted her chin, he shuddered. Her mouth was too damn handy for his peace of mind.

“I suppose he has,” she said, and then reached up, pulled out what pins were still left.

Her hair fell down around her shoulders.

Robert Lee froze.

Letty’s lips parted, as if she was about to speak. Nothing came out but a sigh.

“Letty…”

There was a warning in the way he said her name. She hesitated. Once this step was taken, there would be no going back.

And then the baby cried.

Robert Lee’s eyes narrowed sharply as he took a step back.

“Don’t tease, woman. I’m not a man to mess with.”

“I didn’t mean to—”

“Yes, you did,” he said. “Don’t do it again unless you mean it.”

He left abruptly.

Letty’s heart was pounding as she listened to the sound of his receding footsteps, then she went to her child. Later, as she was