Mistletoe'd! by Cach Lisa

Author:Cach, Lisa
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, love, holiday, marriage, christmas, historical, mistletoe, historical fiction romance
Publisher: Lisa Cach

Chapter Six

"Mr. Rose isn't coming with us, is he?" Amy asked, fastening the side buttons on her skating skirt. They were in their bedroom, dressing for the outdoors.

"I didn’t invite him, although I think perhaps I should have."

"Why would you have wanted to do that?”

"Amy! Because it would have been a small enough gesture, especially as the poor man has been alone here all this week, thanks to me." After giving her the hair comb, Mr. Rose had come daily to the house inviting her to walk or go for a sleigh ride, but each time she had put him off with protestations that there was too much to do in preparation for the holiday. She had not even let him in the house, or offered refreshments, her discomfort with the gift and all it implied making her uncomfortable in his presence, and yet she was too cowardly to be frank about her feelings. After several days of such treatment, he had ceased calling. For the past few days Catherine had been free of either the sight or sound of Mr. Rose, but with his absence had come a sense of guilt and obligation toward the man, for he had only made the journey to Woodbridge because of her, and had held her in high enough regard to pour out the secrets of his heart. It had been callous of her to brush him off as she had, and with no explanation. She had formerly believed herself a friend to the man, and knew she owed him a face-to-face conversation on what could and could not be between them.

The guilt she felt over her unspoken rejection of Mr. Rose was only compounded by her growing attraction to Mr. Goodman. For the past week her only break from making wreaths, ornaments, centerpieces, and decorated cookies had been walks to Mr. Goodman's store to purchase items that she convinced herself were utterly necessary to the completion of the projects Mama had set for her. She had taken to dawdling there, chatting with him when he was free, or watching him help a customer from the comer of her eye if he was busy, as she pretended to page through the most recent Harper's Weekly. Yesterday she had made certain to mention, as if in passing, that she and Amy would be skating today.

She wondered if Mr. Goodman thought her a pest, or at least a trifle strange, to be spending so much time in his store. She was likely making a spectacle of herself to those who noticed her repeated, lingering presence, but Mr. Goodman himself showed no sign of thinking her visits remarkable. He treated her, she supposed, with the same kindness with which he treated everyone. When he looked at her, there was no hint of the needy-dog look that had haunted Mr. Rose's eyes as he declared his love to her. Mr. Goodman was self-contained, and for all that his character was clear to see on his face, his innermost passions were still private.

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