Judith Stacy by Jared's Runaway Woman

Author:Jared's Runaway Woman [Woman, Jared's Runaway]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Midmorning was a time Kinsey enjoyed, most days. Breakfast served and the kitchen cleaned, Sam sent off to school, nothing expected of her for several hours when supper preparation began. She had even more time to herself, now that she no longer trekked into town to watch the arrival of passengers on the stagecoach and trains.

Seated on the bench beside the woodshed, Kinsey closed her eyes, relishing the cool breeze, the glorious sunshine beaming through the thick branches of the oak tree. The solitude was welcome, and she was grateful for a few minutes alone to—

Kinsey’s eyes sprang open and she saw Jared walking toward her. How had she known? She hadn’t heard the door slam, his footsteps were but a whisper in the grass. Had she somehow sensed his approach?

Was that possible?

Good gracious, she couldn’t even enjoy a quiet moment outdoors without that man intruding somehow, making her heart lurch and her stomach feel funny.

He stood over her for a moment, then dropped onto the bench beside her. Kinsey couldn’t help but notice how good he smelled. Soap and cotton, and something musky.

“I came to ask you a favor,” Jared said. “Would you mind if I walk Sam home from school today?”

“I told you I don’t want you around Sam.”

Jared grinned. “But seeing as how I’m on my way to being so well thought of in town, thanks to you volunteering me to build the new church, I figured you might change your mind.”

“I did that for your own good, and for the good of the town,” she told him.

“That would be mighty generous of you,” Jared conceded. “But I think there’s more to it. I think you volunteered me to build the church to ease your own guilt for having me thrown into jail.”

Kinsey squirmed a little but kept her chin up. “Is that what you think?”

“It is. And I also think you hope that by getting me involved in what’s going on in town, I’ll start seeing the good side of this place and be more likely to leave Sam here with you.”

“You think that, too, huh?”

“I do.”

Kinsey shifted uncomfortably on the bench. Of course, everything he’d said was true. She’d thought all those things, considered all those possibilities, and come to those conclusions exactly as he’d speculated.

She wouldn’t admit it, though.

“Would you like to know what I think?” she asked.

“What’s that?”

“You think too much,” Kinsey declared. “You have too much time on your hands. You should get busy working on those church plans.”

Jared waved away her concern. “Designing a church isn’t a big deal.”

“You haven’t met Miss Patterson yet,” she warned.

“I’m not worried,” he told her.

“You should at least take a look at the materials you have to work with.”

Jared frowned. “Materials have already been bought? Before a plan was developed and decided on?”

“Miss Patterson ordered everything right away,” Kinsey said. “Of course, no one suspected it would be so difficult to get her to agree to what the church would look like.”

“I’d better have a look at what was ordered.

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