A SEAL's Oath (SEALs of Chance Creek Book 1) (18 page)

A glimmer of fun sparked in Maud’s eye and he knew she appreciated that he was going along with the game. “We’ll have to go see them right away. It’s only neighborly,” she said to Boone.

“We can come over any time the young ladies need help. Although I imagine you’ve already offered.” James gave him a knowing grin.

“I’m pretty busy,” Boone said, gesturing at the building site. “In fact, I meant to offer to show the young ladies around the area today, but I’m not going to be able to get away, and I don’t think they’ll like the look of my truck.” He gestured to his rental pickup. “They did mention they were partial to horses. And I believe, madam,” he turned to Maud, “that you and they must share a dressmaker.”

“Really?” Maud said with surprise.

“Really.”

“Well, if they’re partial to horses, we must meet them right away,” James said, exchanging a look with his wife. “We’ll leave you to your work and go to visit up the hill. We hope you won’t be a stranger, though.”

“Of course not. Good to meet you.”

James helped his wife back into the carriage and repositioned himself on the box seat. Boone waited until he clucked to the horses to get them started again before he headed back to work, a smile on his face. Riley was about to get the surprise of her life.

“Well, that went
a little better,” Savannah said, looking at the remains of their breakfast on the table.

Riley nodded. “Most of it was pretty good.” The bacon was fried to perfection, anyway. If the eggs were a little overdone and the toast downright charred, at least it was progress. They’d even remembered to put some washing-up water over the fire to heat while they cooked the meal, so they could do the dishes Regency style, too. “I suppose we could use our modern stove any time we care to make this easier, though,” she pointed out, although she thought it was kind of fun to use the hearth.

“Why shouldn’t we be as authentic as possible?” Avery said. “It’ll make our six months that much more special.”

“If we were going to be authentic, we’d need to ditch the refrigerator and the stove, and get a wood stove,” Nora pointed out.

“And we’d have to hire a maid or two,” Savannah added before they could start arguing again. “Because there’d be way too much work to do for just us.”

“I guess we’ve got it good, don’t we?” Avery said. “But I like cooking on the fire. I’m going to keep doing it.”

“I like that we do our chores together. It’s so much better than being alone in my apartment on a Saturday morning with a week’s worth of cleaning and laundry to do,” Savannah sighed.

“Let’s get moving and get things done. I want to write,” Nora suggested.

The rest agreed. “We’ll see you two later,” Avery said. She and Nora headed upstairs to give the bedrooms a once over. Riley led Savannah outside. Their task this morning was to make a plan for the garden.

“There’s Boone,” Savannah pointed out, gazing across the way where Boone was surveying his building site.

Riley bit her lip. She’d tossed and turned all night, her dreams so erotic they kept waking her up. Her subconscious had come up with any number of scenarios for them to act out together. She’d got up this morning as hot and bothered as she’d been when she went to bed.

She turned her back on Boone. “I’m sure we’ll see him later. Let’s start in the gardens. I’m looking forward to bringing those flower beds back to life, but I suppose we’d better prep the vegetable beds first.”

“I think you’re right.”

Riley followed her around the back of the house, lifting the skirts of her work dress in her hand, and wondered when she’d see Boone again.

“I want to make the most of every minute this month,” he’d said when they parted the night before. “I want you head over heels for me when we marry.” A delicious thrill had zinged through her, but now she wondered if she’d lost her mind. She’d never felt so dizzy and wanton and hungry for a man. This couldn’t be right.

Riley focused on the gardens. She preferred flowers to vegetables, but it was a beautiful day and the task of surveying the kitchen garden and tallying up a list of plants and seeds to buy was more compelling than she would have expected. Savannah had been almost a sister to her back in college. Getting the chance to work with her again was an unexpected joy.

“What are you thinking about?” Savannah asked, breaking off from sketching a garden plan.

“Nothing.”

“You’re smiling.”

Damn it. Boone’s body had slipped into her mind again. “I’m happy,” Riley confessed. “I mean, I knew it would be great to do this, but it’s turning out even better than I thought.”

“Because of Boone?”

“Definitely not,” she lied. “Because of you and Avery and Nora. I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” Savannah came and gave her a hug. “I’m so glad you got us to do this. I don’t think I could have stood my old life one more minute.”

“You never told us what was wrong.” Riley turned back to the garden.

“Because all that was wrong was boredom. Sheer boredom with my life, with my job—everything!”

Riley snatched another look at her friend. It was more than that. Savannah was far too clever to let herself be bored.

Secrets, she thought. Were they all hiding secrets from each other? “Well, you won’t be bored here.” She tried to sound upbeat.

They were interrupted by the scrape of an upstairs window being pushed open. “Riley! Savannah. You won’t believe what’s coming up the lane!” Avery called. “Go around front. Quick!”

Riley and Savannah exchanged a glance, then picked up their skirts and hurried to follow her instructions. They were still on the path beside the house when the clip-clop of hooves penetrated the sound of their running feet. It wasn’t just horses, though. There was a rattling sound that Riley knew she’d heard before but couldn’t place for the life of her. She rushed around the corner of the house and nearly laughed out loud with astonishment.

“It’s Sir John Middleton and Lady Jennings!” Savannah said in whispered awe as they joined Avery and Nora on the front porch. Riley nearly laughed again at the reference to the interfering but kindly neighbors in
Sense and Sensibility
, her second-favorite of Jane Austen’s novels.

Avery was right; the inhabitants of the open carriage that had just pulled into the gravelled driveway in front of the manor did look much like the characters as they were depicted in a popular movie adaptation. He looked to be in his sixties, with an old-fashioned gentleman’s wig covering his own hair. He was dressed from top to bottom in Regency-era clothing. His wife was well advanced into middle age, a large woman who wore a mob cap under her bonnet, and a dress like their own but made of far finer material.

“It’s true!” the gentleman shouted jovially as he pulled the horses to a stop in front of them, the wheels of the carriage—was it a barouche, Riley wondered?—kicking up the gravel to either side. “Westfield is let at last and to a bevy of beautiful young women who will be just the thing to liven up the countryside!”

“Who on earth is that?” Savannah said in a low voice.

Riley shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“We’re so pleased to see you,” the man called out. “More pleased than we can say. The name’s Russell.” He climbed down from the carriage and helped his wife down in turn. “James Russell. This is my wife, Maud.”

She couldn’t help smiling back at him. “So nice to meet you. I’m Riley Eaton. This is Savannah Edwards, Avery Lightfoot and Nora Ridgeway.”

“Four young ladies living alone! Unchaperoned!” Maud turned to her husband. “It’s unthinkable!” She turned back to Riley. “We shall have to step in and take you under our wings. No, no,” she went on when Riley began to protest, “there’s nothing else for it, or the whole neighborhood will be up in arms. Besides, we knew your grandparents, Riley. We shall introduce you as our friends and no one will say another word about your unusual situation.” She looked them up and down as Riley began to wonder if the Russells were out of their minds. “Four young ladies, but not all that young, I’ll daresay. And none of you are married yet?”

“No, we’re not,” Savannah broke in. “Are there any eligible beaux around?”

Avery looked enchanted with the whole situation. Nora seemed caught between bemusement and disbelief. Riley wanted to groan. They’d distinctly discussed this; they were not going to talk like Jane Austen characters, despite the Regency thing.

“There are,” Maud exclaimed. “In fact, lately a regiment of marines has made their camp among us. Mark my word,” she said to her husband, “that will set them all a-flutter.”

“Nay, nay, you’ve got it all wrong,” James said with good humor. “It’s the Navy that’s settled in for the duration—Navy SEALs, you know. Some kind of upstart regiment.”

“They do not keep all together, though,” Maud went on as Riley exchanged a look with Savannah at this pronouncement. A regiment of Navy SEALs? Did she mean Boone and his friends? “The main encampment is at Crescent Hall, to the south,” Maud explained.

Crescent Hall? Riley hadn’t thought about the place in years. “Aren’t the Hall boys long gone?” They’d left when their father passed away and their uncle had taken over their family’s ranch.

“They’re back. All four of them. They spent years in the military before they inherited Crescent Hall and returned to Chance Creek. Now they all have wives and more military men have joined them to start a training camp.”

“Wow.” Things had really changed while she was gone.

“But you have your own contingent here at Westfield,” Maud went on.

Nora nodded. “Lieutenant Rudman.”

“The very same,” Maud agreed. “As fine a specimen of manhood as I ever did see. Which of you shall he have for a bride, eh?” She leaned forward to inspect them each in turn. Riley wondered how Boone had greeted the pair of them. She stifled a chuckle.

“He informs us his friends shall be joining him soon enough. So there are soldiers and sailors enough for you all,” James went on. “None of you shall be left out.”

“I doubt Lieutenant Rudman’s friends are looking for wives,” Savannah said gaily. She obviously loved this turn of events. Riley still couldn’t get over the fact that the Russells actually existed. She’d felt sure she and her friends were the only ones in the world who actually donned historical garb for their everyday lives—except the Amish, of course. Evidently she’d been wrong.

“On the contrary!” James said. “Rudman assured me he was well on his way to making a conquest quite close to home.” He turned a quizzical eye on them. “So which one of you is it? Who will walk down the matrimonial aisle first?”

Riley felt her cheeks warm and to cover her confusion, she blurted, “Won’t you come in for a cup of tea?”

“No, no,” James said. “We hardly meant to stop at all. Just came to pay our good wishes, as it were.”

“And to invite you to dinner tomorrow night at Coldfield Cottage,” Maud said.

“And to entice you to take a drive through the country right now,” James added. “You need to be acquainted with your surroundings, strangers that you are.”

“Actually—” Riley started.

“Actually,” Savannah said, cutting her off. “We’d love to!”

“But our chores—”

“Our chores will wait for us. Who knows when I’ll get another chance to ride in a barouche?” Savannah pushed past her.

With everyone else clamoring to go, too, Riley couldn’t say no. “We won’t fit, though.”

“Sure we will,” James said. “One of you will tuck alongside Maud. The other three will sit across the way. You’ll be cozy as church mice. I have to drive, you see.”

With a last glance over her shoulder at the house, Riley gave in. “Shouldn’t we lock the door?”

“No one locks their doors,” James said. “We’re all friends here.”

Riley climbed in with the others and took a seat between Savannah and Avery. Nora took the seat next to Maud, her normally stressed expression surprisingly full of humor. That was worth the price of entry, Riley thought. Nora needed cheering up.

“Everyone in? Hold on to your hats, ladies!” James clucked to the horses and they were off.

“Hey, it’s me,”
Boone said into his phone late that afternoon when Clay picked up. “Have some time to talk?” He’d called earlier, but Clay hadn’t answered, so he’d spent a dull day sorting out the governing bylaws instead.

“Sure. I think the Navy’s punishing me with paperwork now that I’m heading out.”

“I can relate.”

“What’s up?”

“We need to put out a call for six more men to fill those spaces in our roster. Can you and Jericho get on it?” That wasn’t exactly his reason for calling, but he’d start with something neutral first. He had a feeling he knew how Clay would react when he heard that Boone wanted to change the housing plans.

“Sure thing. We’ll have them communicate with you, though. Boots on the ground and all that.”

“Okay.” He didn’t look forward to vetting candidates.

“How’s progress?”

“Good. I’ve been working on the governance document.”

“Sounds like a good time.”

“Not really.”

“What’s up? Is this about Riley? Jericho said she was there. He made it sound like you two were hot and heavy already.”

Boone surveyed the slope with its rectangles. He still wasn’t ready to get to the heart of the matter. “I guess.”

“What’s she like these days? Did she remember you right off?”

“Hell, yeah. Called us the Horsemen.”

Clay chuckled. “Is she still pretty?”

Time to tell the truth. “Breathtaking. I asked her to marry me. She said yes.”

“That was fast. So things are going well.”

“There’s a catch.”

“There always is. Spill it.”

“It has to do with Riley. She’s here with friends and they dress like characters out of Jane Austen’s books all the time. It should be stupid, but… it’s not.”

“Huh.” The single word conveyed all too much.

“It’s not because I’m soft on her either,” Boone hurried to say. “The four of them swore an oath, like we did, except instead of trying to save the world, they’re trying to…make it beautiful.” He braced himself for scorn, but Clay surprised him.

“A noble cause. So what’s the problem?”