Naomi by Jo Grafford

Author:Jo Grafford [Grafford, Jo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JG PRESS
Published: 2020-08-11T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5: Church Daze

Ruth

Ruth felt all starry-eyed and girlish when Frank drove her and Naomi to church the next morning. A few days ago, he’d seemed all hard and brusque, but she’d come to see him in a gentler light.

A wagon pulled in front of them just as they were entering the parking lot next to the church. The driver cut it so close that Frank had to pull his horses up short. He was muttering such dark oaths that her ears burned.

“Frank!” she admonished quietly. They were about to enter the Lord’s House, for pity’s sake.

“I reckon that’s why your God created Hell,” he snarled. “Fools like that driver need a place to create more havoc in the hereafter.”

“Now, Frank,” Naomi chuckled. “For all we know, it was an older gentleman who’s hard of seeing and hearing. Folks my age and older require a little more grace from our fellow man.”

Alas, the driver who hopped down from the fancy gilded carriage wasn’t any older than Frank. He was wearing a black suit and top hat and was carrying one of those walking sticks Ruth had always found to be foolish.

“Boris Shelton,” he growled. “Now why doesn’t that surprise me?”

Ruth waited until Frank lifted Naomi down and Abigail rushed over to greet her. Then she turned to rest her hands on his shoulders while he lifted her down. “Maybe it’ll make you feel better to know that Boris is wasting his time attending the Mountain Springs Church instead of the one in Silk Valley.”

Frank set her on her feet, glanced around, and quickly flicked a finger against her cheek. “Is he, now?”

“If the only reason he risked his life and limb cutting you off was to come get an eyeful of me, then, yes. He’s utterly wasting his time.”

He grinned down at her.

“Dare I ask what is going through that unruly red head of yours?” she inquired sweetly.

“Certainly, but I can’t promise you’ll like my answer.”

“Oh?”

“I want to kiss you.”

“Right now?” She glanced around them in agitation, hardly able to believe they were carrying on such a scandalous conversation just outside the doors of the church.

“Now, ten minutes ago, an hour from now. Yes, Ruth. I pretty much want to kiss you all the time, but I’m afraid to.”

“Afraid!” She wrinkled her nose up at him, blushing madly. “A big ol’ mountain man like you finds me that terrifying, eh?”

He shrugged, looking sheepish. “I’ve never kissed anyone before, but I reckon you have.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “I was married, Frank.”

“Which means you’ve had plenty of practice. You’ll know right away if I’m doing it wrong.”

“I truly do not believe there’s a wrong way to kiss.”

“Sure there is,” he insisted. “Haven’t you ever been slobbered on by an aging aunt? Or a small child? Or a dog?”

She threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, Frank! You’re going to be the death of me.” She couldn’t believe he was genuinely worried about kissing her for the first time. For entirely different reasons, it was making her knees weak just thinking about it.

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