Rhonda Gibson - Groom by Arrangement

She felt Seth studying her. Eliza raised her head and tried not to look guilty. Her gaze met his.

“Don’t even think about it, Eliza Kelly. If I have to track you down and find you halfway home...” He let the threat hang in the air between them.

What would he do? Throw her in jail? Eliza saw his jaw harden. Possibly. Her heart sank, and she realized she couldn’t have lied to him, anyway. That wouldn’t have been the right thing for her to do. Instead, Eliza had a choice to make, spend her day with Jackson or stay in Durango for who knew how long.

She glanced across the table at the blacksmith and caught Jackson’s grin just before he hid it behind his cup of coffee. Today he wore a blue shirt that brought the rich blue color out of his eyes. Eyes that seemed to twinkle at her predicament. His short brown hair looked wet, as if he’d just taken a bath. Strong hands held the cup.

Seth cleared his throat. Eliza swung her gaze back to him. “Well, seeing as I really don’t have a choice, I suppose Mr. Hart can escort me today.”

Mrs. Hattie set a small plate before her with a piece of toast and egg upon it. “Here, eat this while you wait for Mr. Hart to get the wagon ready,” she instructed. “I’ll bring you a hot cup of tea to go with it, too. You have a long day of travel ahead of you, so eat up.”

Jackson pushed his chair back. “It shouldn’t take more than five minutes. As soon as the wagon is ready, I’ll return to collect you and your things, Mrs. Kelly.” He left the room.

“Seth, I’m not sure about this. What do we know about Jackson Hart?” Eliza spread strawberry jam onto the slice of toast.

He leaned toward her. “Are you afraid of Jackson, Eliza? Because if you are, just say the word and I’ll fire him now.” His brown eyes searched hers.

She trusted Seth with her life. If he thought Jackson was reliable, then that was good enough for her. Eliza didn’t really know why she was protesting so much, other than the fact that she’d completely embarrassed herself with the man the day before. “No, I’m not afraid of him. I just don’t know him.”

Mrs. Hattie snorted and set a teacup beside Eliza’s plate. “And yet yesterday you dragged him back here as husband material.”

“I did not! I brought him here to tell him there had been a mistake,” Eliza protested, dropping the toast back on its plate and crossing her arms over her chest. If Mrs. Hattie thought she’d intended to marry Mr. Hart, what must he think? She tried to remember if she’d told him differently.

She had. Eliza replayed the conversation in her mind and was sure of it.

Hattie slipped back into her chair. “I’m sorry, child. I didn’t mean any harm in my teasing.”

“Hannah really put you in an awkward position, didn’t she?” Seth said.

Eliza turned to look at him. How did he know what Hannah had done? Had Jackson told him?

Seth continued. “Rebecca tried to talk her out of it, but that woman can be stubborn.” He finished drinking the coffee from his cup.

Her hands fell to her side. “Rebecca knew?” Disbelief and hurt filled her voice. Rebecca Billings was supposed to be her best friend, too.

He looked up and understanding crossed his face. “I...” Seth sighed. “Yes, she did. Hannah’s been talking about it for weeks. I’m surprised they were able to keep the secret from you.”

Eliza felt betrayed. She looked down at the toast and egg, no longer hungry. How could they have done this to her? And why did they think she needed a new husband?

Both of them knew of her love for her deceased husband, Charlie. Her inner voice defended them. But he died five years ago and you never shared with your friends his unhappiness at never having fathered a child.

“Anyway, I think you will be safe with Mr. Hart.” Seth pushed away from the table and headed for the door. “I’ll see you outside, ladies.” And with that he left the room.

Hattie cleared her throat. She reached out and took one of Eliza’s cold hands. “I heard Mr. Hart promise Seth he’d take care of you and make sure you got home safe. So I believe you will be secure and protected with him around.”

“I’m sure I will be.” Eliza picked up the toast and took a bite. The sweet strawberry jam would have tasted wonderful if she hadn’t been so upset with her friends. Plus, it didn’t help that the butterflies in her stomach were determined to make her day miserable.

If only Hannah hadn’t sent for Miles Thatcher, she would never have met Jackson Hart. Was God at work here?

Chapter Three

Jackson finished hitching up the wagon and took a deep breath. He’d agreed to take Eliza Kelly to Cottonwood Springs for two reasons: one, he needed the money and two, the marshal had said the blacksmith there was leaving town and required a journeyman to run his business.

Seth had told him that Eliza’s husband was dead and that he’d been watching out for her ever since they’d met. Why he’d promise to protect Eliza on the trip home and to watch out for her until Seth Billings’s return to Cottonwood Springs was another matter. One Jackson didn’t want to study too hard.

He pulled the wagon in front of the house and waited beside the horses as Mrs. Hattie handed Eliza a picnic basket. Jackson listened as they said their goodbyes and hugged. He saw Seth push away from the side of the house and wondered again why the marshal had taken such a liking to him.

“Now try to rest on the trip home. And keep your hat on since that sun can be brutal,” Mrs. Hattie said as she patted Eliza’s back.

“I will. Thanks for everything.”

Jackson took the basket from her and set it behind the seat. Seth handed him Eliza’s bag, and he put it beside the basket. Then he turned to help Eliza up.

Seth beat him to her, and Jackson watched as the marshal assisted the petite woman up onto the wagon. He dropped his hands from her tiny waist and said, “Tell Rebecca I’ll be home as soon as this trial is over.”

“I will, Seth,” Eliza promised. She smoothed down her pretty brown dress and straightened her back.

Today she wore a floppy straw hat with an orange-and-yellow scarf tied in a bow that wrapped around the crown. Jackson smiled as he realized that oversize hats seemed to be an obsession for Eliza Kelly.

“Ready?” he asked as he swung into the wagon and took the reins.

Eliza nodded and waved to her friends.

Jackson turned the team to head out of town. He wondered if she realized her emotions flickered across her face much like a hummingbird flutters from flower to flower. The thought startled him. He flicked the reins across the horses’ backs. The sooner he got Eliza Kelly home, the better he’d feel.

She grabbed his arm. “Wait! We have to go by Sally’s Dress Shop. I have cloth, ribbons and other sewing things to pick up.”

The warmth of her fingers seeped into the sleeve of his shirt. Jackson eased back on the reins and pulled the animals to a stop. He nodded and turned the horses around.

“Sally’s is over one street and up one block,” Eliza instructed in a soft voice.

Jackson enjoyed the soft singsong way she spoke this morning. The day before she’d sounded breathless and overexcited. He found himself grinning as he guided the horses to Sally’s. Maybe getting to know Eliza Kelly wouldn’t be so bad.

* * *

Earlier she’d noticed that Jackson had worn a dark brown coat, but he’d taken it off while loading the wagon. Her gaze moved to his shirtsleeves, which were rolled up to the elbows. Eliza had admired the muscles that worked in his arms as he loaded her supplies into the wagon.

She smiled her thanks as Jackson finished arranging the last of her purchases in the wagon bed and climbed aboard the wagon ready to go. The air smelled of the light rain they’d received earlier in the morning. She prayed they wouldn’t get caught in another spring rainstorm. The water could ruin several of her fabrics.