The Christmas Bride - A Western Romance Novella (Book 4, Burnett Brides Series) (7 page)

“Yes, he’s not bad looking,” Eugenia said, wondering how those muscles would feel beneath her hands. Would his back be strong and taut, his muscles toned? Her stomach tightened at the thought of him naked.

With a shake of her head, she put her hand to her mouth. What was wrong with her to be thinking thoughts like that of Wyatt?

“Some lucky lady is going to make him a fine wife,” Rose said softly.

Sure, Eugenia missed the companionship of marriage, but there were so many times Thomas had commanded she do things his way.

“There she goes,” Wyatt called to the crowd as the big cedar fell to the ground.

Eugenia’s gaze found Wyatt staring at her, his eyes filled with questions. She’d shocked him with her announcement of how she felt about marriage. She’d known it and frankly thought maybe her confession would scare him away.

“There are a lot of good things to consider about the man when you look at Wyatt,” Rose commented to Eugenia, her ploy obvious, but Eugenia was entranced staring at Wyatt.

“Yes,” Eugenia said, only half listening to Rose.

His eyes gleamed, and as he stood there breathing hard, leaning on the ax handle, somehow Eugenia knew without a doubt that she’d only intrigued him with her confession.

Wyatt strode over to help the men lift the tree and gently lay it in the back of the wagon. He stepped behind the group of men and watched as they tied the tree down for the return trip to town.

His gaze met hers across the space, his eyes warm, the look sending a trail of heat down her spine as she returned his stare, feeling so confused as to what she wanted.

“He certainly watches you,” Rose said, glancing back and forth between the two of them.

“Uh-huh,” Eugenia replied, refusing to say more.

“I heard he stood by his wife right up until the day she died,” Rose said, holding Desirée’s hand as the little one tried to toddle off.

“Yes, he did. Beatrice was a friend of mine. Thomas and I had dinner at their house several times.” Eugenia still scrutinized Wyatt as he helped the men pack away the tools.

Rose gazed at Eugenia. “He’s a good man.”

“You’re right. He is a good man,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. She needed to get away. She needed to quit watching this man. “And you’re being way too obvious. I need to unpack our food.”

Eugenia walked away, not wanting to talk any longer about Wyatt. Needing to escape the ring linking her to Wyatt growing tighter and tighter.

A few minutes later, dinner was served buffet-style from the back of one of the wagons. Everyone had contributed something, with several serving fried chicken, sliced ham, and potato salad in addition to all the pies anyone could ever dream of in one location.

Women spread blankets on the ground for their families to sit on while the children scampered around in the chilly December air.

A picnic in December was rare, but the Texas sun blazed down on them, giving them a wonderful, toasty day. Not unheard of for December, but still a rarity.

Wyatt walked towards Eugenia carrying two plates of food. “Have you eaten yet?”

“No,” she said, and her heart warmed at the sight of him and at his thoughtfulness. She’d been watching her grandson kick a ball with some of the other children and had yet to get in line.

“I brought you a plate. I thought maybe we could sit on the back of my wagon. I pulled it over close to Travis and Rose,” he said, his gaze sizzling and inviting, giving her pause to consider his request.

“Thanks,” she said, wanting to refuse, but unable to decline his company.

Eugenia took a seat on the tailgate of his wagon and stared across the blanket at her children. Sarah had stayed home with Kira, the young Chinese girl she’d rescued, by her side. At eight months pregnant, she’d chosen not to attend the tree cutting, but Tucker had brought Lucas. Tanner and Beth were there with baby Carter and then Rose, Travis, and Desirée.

She loved her children, their wives, and her grandchildren more than her next breath, and she knew that because of her marriage to Thomas, they were in her life.

Eugenia glanced at Wyatt. He sat watching her, looking at her with such an intent gaze.

“Oh, go ahead and say it,” she said. “You’re shocked I hated being married.”

Living with Thomas was hard, and when he passed away, she’d grieved. Their marriage had been a sturdy rock, a firm foundation that they’d built their family and ranch on. The years had been good, but now she realized she needed more than a bossy man.

Wyatt continued chewing his food, glancing out at her children and their families. “Nice looking family you have, Eugenia.”

She just didn’t know if she could do that again with another man. She just didn’t know if she wanted another man giving her directions. She just didn’t know if she wanted to give her heart to another man to have him leave her to grieve again.

Eugenia let her fork drop onto her plate. “You’re not going to say anything about what I told you this morning?”

He turned his attention back to her, his cinnamon eyes twinkling, the corner of his mouth turned up in that sassy-sexy grin that made her want to kiss it away. “It’s hardly the time or the place to discuss this matter.”

She drew her brows together. “Why?”

“And after I thought about it, why should I be shocked? It’s obvious you’re resisting every attempt I make,” he said, not gazing at her, but down at his plate. “Did you try that chicken salad? That’s really good.”

Was he deliberately acting nonchalant about her revelation this morning just to goad her into confessing?

“It’s Mary Eugene’s recipe,” she said. “Are you ready to give up pursuing me?”

Her heart did a little stutter step, and she realized she didn’t want him to give up. But she didn’t want marriage. What did she want?

He smiled. “No, but sooner or later you’re going to have to tell me why. Ride back with me, Eugenia.”

Part of her wanted to beg off, but another part of her wanted him to understand. Needed him to understand her reasoning for why she didn’t want him to pursue her.

“Yes,” she finally said, not knowing for certain that she’d made a wise choice, but knowing Wyatt was a special man. He deserved to know why she kept saying no.

“We could leave the picnic right now, but I fear the speculation we’d create,” he said. “Not that I care, but you might.”

“No. I don’t want to stir up speculation.”

The tongues would already be a wagging since she was sitting next to him and they were working on the Christmas pageant together.

Wyatt smiled at her. “God, you know how to use a man’s words against him.”

She shrugged. “It’s the truth.”

Lucas came running up, his shirt pulled out of his pants, his face red from exertion. His sweet baby face already disappearing into a little boy’s features. “You promised to teach me horseshoes.”

“Did someone set up a game?” Wyatt asked the boy.

He reached out his hand. “Yes, come and show me.”

Wyatt set his plate down, took the boy’s hand, and stood up from the wagon. “Excuse me, Eugenia. Lucas and I are going to play horseshoes.”

Eugenia watched the pair walk away. He was good with her grandchildren. Her family liked him, and no matter what obstacle she threw at him, he wouldn’t let it deter him from his pursuit of her. But she had to stop this before it went any further.

She had to stop this before someone got hurt. She had to stop this before
she
got hurt.

#

As the afternoon sun slid down the western sky and the temperatures started to cool, the crowd began to pack up their buggies for the drive back to town.

When Wyatt and Lucas finished playing horseshoes, he brought the boy back to Eugenia. He was looking forward to a lively conversation on the return trip about why she didn’t like marriage. He was anxious to hear her reasoning.

He walked around the twenty or more buggies, searching for her dark hair spun with gray. Her sweet voice with its southern drawl that made him smile. As he strolled along, he saw her, seated in her son’s wagon with baby Desirée in her lap.

His breath tightened in his chest. What was it about Eugenia that had his body responding to the sight of her? Why did he want to spend so much time with her?

He strode toward them, and when he came up on their wagon, she gazed at him, her blue eyes challenging him. He lifted Lucas up into the wagon beside his grandma.

“Wyatt, I need to ride home with Travis and Rose. Desirée is getting fussy, and one of us has to hold her all the time.”

Rose climbed into the wagon. “You can hand her to me now, Eugenia.”

Looking directly into Eugenia’s sapphire eyes, he smiled, knowing she had just been caught in a lie. Eugenia sat there frowning, but finally released the child to her mother, and Wyatt decided to make it easy on her.

“I’ll see you at rehearsal on Tuesday,” he said, wondering how much longer he could continue this game with Eugenia. Frustration gripped his insides and twisted them tighter than a vise.

Time was running out before he quit chasing this woman who he knew was attracted to him but held back. God, whatever Thomas had done to her, it was hell trying to get her to consider marriage again.

“I’ll see you then,” she responded.

He turned and walked away, realizing that somehow she’d had second thoughts about telling him why she hated marriage. Every time he thought they’d made progress, she took a step back. How much longer could they do this?

#

Tired, Eugenia sat on the edge of the buggy with Lucas between her and Rose. He leaned his head against her shoulder.

“Nana, why aren’t you married?” Lucas asked.

“Because your grandfather passed away before you were born,” Eugenia said, thinking this was a new question he’d yet to ask her.

“Passed away?”

“He died.”

Lucas sat up, gazing at her with eyes so much like his father’s that she wondered how Sarah had kept his paternity a secret for so long.

“Don’t you want to get married again?” he questioned, his sweet little-boy face gazing at her in wonder.

“Not really.”

He frowned. “Wyatt showed me how to play horseshoes this afternoon. I like him.”

“Good. I’m glad.”“He needs a wife,” the boy said, tugging on her dress sleeve to make certain she heard him.

Eugenia turned to look at her grandson, knowing instinctively what was about to come out of this babe’s mouth, wondering where he’d heard this statement.

“I told him he should marry my nana.”

“And what did he say?” she asked, thinking of ways that she could do bodily harm to Wyatt.

“He told me he would ask you.”

Eugenia took a deep breath to calm the anger exploding within her. Her blood began to writhe and roil like a serpent in search of its victim. She wanted to wring his neck for bringing her grandson into this. Wyatt had no right to persuade her grandson that she needed a husband.

“Please say yes, Nana,” the child whined.

A calmness she’d forgotten she possessed soothed her frazzled brain. “Lucas, marriage is not something that people enter into lightly. You should love the person that you marry.”

“But Momma says we’re supposed to love everyone. Don’t you love Wyatt?” he asked.

Oh, the innocent questions of children.”Yes, we are to love everyone, but love between a man and a woman is a different kind of love.”

“How?”

Eugenia was going to beat Wyatt. She was going to tie him up and whip him with a switch! How did someone explain to a five-year-old the difference in the love between a man and a woman?

“You love me, right?”

“Yes.”

“You love Momma and Daddy and this new baby that’s coming, right?”

“Yes. But your momma and daddy, they love different from the way they love everyone else.” Eugenia said, hoping that Lucas wouldn’t say something completely inappropriate.

Lucas made a face. “Yeah, they like to kiss.”

“Exactly. You don’t go around kissing everyone, do you?” she asked innocently, still wishing bodily harm on Wyatt.

“No.”

“That’s the difference between a husband and a wife’s love. They like to kiss,” Eugenia said, hoping that was his last question. Almost certain of what he would ask next.

“So you don’t want to kiss Wyatt?”

Eugenia took a deep breath and ignored the snickers coming from the front of the wagon. How did she answer that? She did enjoy the feel of Wyatt’s kiss, but she couldn’t say that out loud in front of her kids and grandkids. She would never admit to them that the man’s lips made her feel like a young woman. She would never admit the feel of his lips left her hungry for more.

“No, Lucas, I don’t want to kiss Wyatt,” she said firmly. No, at this moment, she didn’t want to kiss Wyatt. She wanted to torture him slowly for making her lie to her grandson.

“I guess this mean you’re not going to marry him,” Lucas said with a pout. “I was hoping he would be my new grandpa.”

More snickers came from up front, and if she could be certain it wouldn’t shame Lucas, she would have hit each of her sons over their heads.

“Lucas, I never intend to marry again.”

Eugenia clenched her fists, the hair on the back of her neck standing at attention. Never involve her grandchildren if a man wanted to court her. That was a little too close to home, and she would die fighting for her kids and grandkids. Never mess with her family unless a person wanted to get hurt.

Wyatt was about to get hurt. She would go out and tell him to back off completely. Involving her grandson made it clear. It was time to end this now.

#

Wyatt heard his hounds braying and the sound of a buggy coming into his yard. He peeked out the window in time to see Eugenia pull up to the hitching post. He opened the door and stepped on the porch. “Eugenia?”

“We need to talk.”

There was that tone back in her voice that told him she wasn’t there on a social call.

He shooed the dogs away and helped her alight from the buggy.

“Come on in,” he said.

“No. I can’t. That wouldn’t be proper. And this won’t take long.”

He smiled and reached for her hand. She pulled away. Something had made her mad enough that whoever stepped into her path today was bound to get stung.