Loving Linsey (10 page)

“Miss Witt?”

The sound of her name wrenched her out of the fantasy. Forcing herself to look into his eyes—and only into his eyes—Addie managed to say without stuttering, “I hope I'm not disturbing you.”

“Not at all.”

Heavens, he actually sounded pleased to see her.

He stabbed a poker into an ovenlike structure, and orange sparks sprayed the air. He tugged off his heavy gloves and motioned toward an upended crate by a room crowded with saddles and other equipment. “So. What brings you here this afternoon?”

She sat straight-spined and press-kneed on the crate, doing her utmost to ignore the splinters poking through her petticoats—and the man leaning his bare shoulder against a thick support beam.

“I wished to speak with you about Bryce.”

He straightened and alarm streaked across his craggy features. “Nothin's happened to him?”

“Oh, no, no.” Once he relaxed again, Addie toyed with the cuff of her gloves. She had to be very careful how she presented her observations. The little boy's future depended on how she approached the man who ruled his life. It wouldn't do to seem too eager, but neither must she give an impression of indifference. So she settled for plain and simple professionalism. “Mr. Potter, I'm sure you are aware that your son is an exceedingly bright boy. He is merely eight years old and can easily do the schoolwork of an eighth-grade pupil.”

A shy smile of obvious pride stretched across the blacksmith's face. Addie's breath caught in her throat at the beauty of the sight, like a mountain kissed by the dawn.

“I'm a simple man, Miss Witt. If he got smarts, he got them from his mama.”

Addie swallowed. Clenching her purse strings, she sought to keep her mind on his words and her mission. “I'm not sure that's true, Mr. Potter, but his intellect exceeds that of my top five students combined. What I am sure of—and I'm certain you will agree—is that every opportunity should be made available to a boy of Bryce's obvious gifts.”

“What are you saying?”

Forcing any hesitation out of her tone, she stated, “I feel that Bryce would benefit from a far more advanced education than I can give him. There are schools on the East Coast—”

“Hold up a minute—the East Coast?”

“They are very fine schools, Mr. Potter, much better equipped to cultivate the educational potential of children like Bryce.”

“I'm sure they are. But Horseshoe is our home. I've got a business here. It's not the grandest business, but it's honest. And me and Bryce get by. Neither one of us has any plans of giving up what we have here.”

“No one is suggesting that you give up your business, Mr. Potter. Many of the schools will room and board their students, right on the grounds. Bryce could come home during weekends and holidays—”

“Thank you for coming by, Miss Witt, but I'm not interested.”

“Surely you can see that his mind is not—”

His steady, obdurate gaze fell on her. “What I see, Miss Witt, is that you are a teacher. It's your job to teach my boy.”

“My resources are limited. Books are hard to come by, and the funds for new material simply aren't there . . .”

Addie let the sentence trail off. The stubborn set of Mr. Potter's jaw and the flatness of his deep blue eyes made it clear that her reasons were of no consequence. And in all honesty, the dearth of proper teaching material was a minor obstacle. They'd held fundraisers before. But books were only as good as the person who read them: her graduate certificate and basic teaching degree were no match for Bryce Potter's level of intelligence.

“Potter!”

Both Addie and the blacksmith swung toward the doors just as Robert Jarvis burst into the smithy, his face wreathed in excitement.

Mr. Potter got up from his seat. “Scram, Jarvis.”

“It's here! It came on the train, just like I told you it would!”

“Can't you see I'm busy?”

Jarvis tipped his hat to Addie. “Beg pardon for the interruption, Miss Addie. Come on, Potter—I need you to bring a wagon around and help me load it.”

Mr. Potter turned to Addie and sighed. “I'd best go with him before he busts a gut. Believe me, that wouldn't be a sight fit for a lady's eyes.”

As he walked out of the smithy with Robert Jarvis, Addie found herself fighting disappointment. She lowered her gaze to her tightly clasped hands and pressed her lips together. How was she ever going to foster Bryce's
prospects if his father refused to even discuss the matter?

Perhaps Linsey might have an idea.

Addie shook her head. This was her project, her mission. All her life, she'd relied on her sister to fix her problems.

Well, not this time.

With sudden determination charging through her bloodstream, Addie shot to her feet and left the smithy. Somehow she would make Oren Potter understand that sending Bryce away was the boy's only hope for a proper education.

And somehow, she would do it on her own.

To comment openly on another person's beauty or health or any other advantage that he or she enjoys may bring misfortune down upon that person.

“D
aniel's coming to dinner? Tonight?” Half the people in Puckett's Mercantile swung their attention toward the front of the store. Linsey calmly continued rifling through the rack of dresses, unaffected by Addie's outburst.

Aware that she'd caught the interest of several gossipmongers, Addie lowered her voice to a whisper. “How could you do this to me?”

“If you want someone to blame, blame Aunt Louisa. She's the one who invited him and his father, not me. I only learned about it a few hours ago when she got back from Granny Yearling's.” Linsey looked through the assortment of muslin, linsey-woolsey, and calico gowns with a displeased frown. There really wasn't much to choose from.

“And I suppose you had nothing to do with
it?” Addie asked, brow raised, arms folded across her bodice.

“I would have if I'd thought of it. But apparently Doc Sr. had to pay Granny a visit yesterday and he got her feeling sprite and perky, so Aunt Louisa wants to thank him.” Hmm, the yellow muslin was pretty. High neck, poofed shoulders, leg-o'-mutton sleeves. She glanced at Addie, then shook her head. No, something bolder. More enticing.

She slid one hanger after another across the bar, searching for the perfect frock. If she had more time, she'd have Hazel Mittermier sew up one of her special gowns. But even Hazel couldn't be expected to create a masterpiece in only a few hours, so she'd have to make do with the limited selection Puckett's offered. “Frankly, I couldn't have planned it better myself. Daniel would never accept an invitation from me, but no one with any sense would turn down Aunt Louisa.”

“I
cannot
sit across a table from Daniel,” Addie contended through clamped teeth.

“Oh, Addie, you can't let one little setback stop you from going after the thing you've wanted most of your whole life!”

“A little setback? I fainted at the man's feet, for pity's sake!”

“All right, so maybe a doctor's office wasn't exactly the best place to strike up a romance—but this will be different. A little candlelight, violins on the phonograph. And with your hair fixed soft and wispylike, and a flattering new dress—” The divine red gown Linsey raised against Addie's front covered the
dreary paisley frock she wore. “Daniel simply won't be able to resist you.”

Addie pushed the dress out of the way. “Changing the wrapping around a plain old box doesn't change the fact that it's still a plain old box.”

“But bright paper attracts notice so one will
open
the box and see the gift inside.” Linsey wished Addie wasn't so hard on her looks. If anyone had cause to complain,
she
did. She'd been cursed with short legs and a short body. While many might consider her petite, Linsey thought herself . . . well, stumpy.

Addie, on the other hand, had a beautiful, willowy shape and long legs. All right, so maybe her features—pug nose, wide eyes and long chin—didn't make her the most elegant of women. She certainly wasn't an eyesore, either. Now, to convince
her
of that. . . .

“Here, what about the aqua one?”

“Too many ruffles.”

“This copper one, then. It'll pick up the gold in your hair, and it doesn't have any ruffles.”

“But it shows half my bosom!”

Heaving an impatient breath, Linsey let her arm fall. “Look, do you want Daniel to notice you or not?”

“Linsey,” Addie sighed, “even if I managed to stay conscious long enough to survive the evening, I could run naked through the streets of Horseshoe and he still wouldn't pay me any mind. My visit to his office proved that. Face it, sister, I am not the kind of woman a man notices.”

“Don't be silly—”

“No.” She shook her head. “It's the truth. I've looked in a mirror.”

“So have I.”

Linsey didn't mean to be so blunt, but the words, once spoken, had a sobering effect on both of them. She turned back to the gowns, unable to bear the instant sorrow on Addie's face. “Now, should we go with the blue or the copper?”

“Land sakes, I'd take them all,” came a familiar cheerful trill. Linsey lowered the dresses and peered over her shoulder. “Caroline!” Laying the gowns over the rack, Linsey rounded the shield of shelves to greet their friend. “Did you see a blue flame spark in a candlewick? I was planning on paying you a visit tomorrow.”

“Then I've saved you a trip.” Caroline's grin made the lines at the corners of her eyes crinkle like opened fans.

“You really shouldn't be wandering about town on your own.”

“Don't worry, I'm not. Axel dropped me off for a few minutes while he took the wagon up to your place. Louisa told him he could come by and fetch the compost bin.”

“Your garden will certainly benefit from it next spring. Aunt Louisa has been tossing so much roughage in it that it's full to bursting. And so are you, it seems.” Linsey cupped her hands around Caroline's swollen belly and smiled at the powerful kick she felt against her palms. “It won't be long now, will it?”

“Another month. Land sakes, Linsey, it can't be soon enough. He's beating me black and
blue from the inside out! And what I wouldn't do to fit into one of these again.” She eyed the rack of gowns with longing. “Oh, I sound like I'm complaining, don't I? I just feel so clumsy, and . . . big!”

“You'll be back to your natural shape in no time.”

“From your mouth to God's ears. Oh, would you look at this!” She picked up a music box from the shelf and twisted the key on the back. The tinkling strains of a Brahm's lullaby wafted through the store. “Wouldn't a baby dream sweet dreams falling asleep to this?”

“Perhaps you should get it before someone else does,” Addie softly suggested.

“No, I'd better wait.” She managed a feeble grin and placed a protective hand atop her belly. “No sense in spending money on something I might not ever use.”

“Stop that kind of talk this instant, Caroline,” Linsey scolded. “Everything will be fine this time, I'm sure of it. You've been wearing your eagle stone since the beginning, so you've been completely protected. Isn't that right, Addie?”

“That's right. Before you know it, you and Axel will have yourselves a healthy baby to coddle and spoil. Keep positive thoughts.”

“Yes, you're both right; I'm just being emotional.”

With good reason
, Linsey thought. Having lost her first three babies before birth, Caroline had every right to expect the worst. But the rare and powerful lapis stone Caroline wore in a bag
around her neck would surely secure an easy childbirth.

“What brings the two of you to town, anyway?” the pretty brunette asked.

“Addie's looking for a fetching new gown,” Linsey replied with a conspiratorial wink.

Lifting her brow in amusement, Caroline inquired, “Any particular reason?”

Addie blushed furiously. “Oh, look at the time.” She glanced at the watch pinned to her bodice. “If I don't get tomorrow's lessons prepared, the children will be completely unmanageable.”

Linsey watched her go and sighed.

“Who is he?” Caroline whispered.

“Daniel Sharpe.”

“Junior or Senior?”

Linsey gave an unladylike guffaw. “Oh, Caroline. Daniel, Jr., of course!”

“Hmm, he'd have been my choice, too. If I'd found him before Axel. . . .” She let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

Linsey rolled her eyes. “Caro, not you, too!”

“Me too, what? The man is handsome as sin—don't tell me you haven't noticed!”

Linsey grimaced. She couldn't help but notice. But at least she didn't make an utter fool of herself over him. “What is it about him, Caroline, that has women practically swooning at his feet?” Literally, in Addie's case.

“The fact that he's got the face and body of a Greek god isn't enough?”

Linsey tilted her head and gave her friend a pointed look.

“No? All right, then look what else he's got.”
On her fingers, she ticked off. “The conviction of a preacher, the toughness of a cowboy, and the perception of saloon keeper.” She flipped her hands in the air with a flourish. “What woman can resist a combination like that?”

“Oh, silly me—and here I thought it was his charming disposition women couldn't resist.”

“I'll admit he can be brusque sometimes, but if you ask me, it only lends to his touch-me-not mystery. Oh, there's Axel now. Come by next week for tea?”

“I'll look forward to it.”

As Caroline breezed out the door with as much grace as her bulky body would allow, Linsey shook her head in exasperation. She just didn't understand Daniel's power over women. First Addie, then Jenny, now Caroline. And all of them seemingly sensible women.