Plain Arrangement (Simple Life, Simply Love SHORTS Book 1) by KQ Salsbury

Author:KQ Salsbury
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub, mobi
Published: 2013-02-03T02:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

“Elizabeth,” Sarah says after what must have been a dreadfully long silence for her. “Would you be mad at me if I told you I left my studies on the porch?”

It is such a welcome change of subject that I cannot help but laugh in relief. “No, Dearest. I might be mad at you if you had not. It was nearly a dust devil earlier today. Reminded me of the drought we had when I was your age. If the winds returned tonight, your books would fly south for winter.”

I ruffle her hair and grab a lantern to light my way to retrieve her books.

As I weave a path through the living room, the metal handle makes a scritch-scratch sound in the stillness of the house and, reflexively, I place my hand on the hot glass to quiet it. Of course, this was not the wisest course of action, but I think my whimper is far less disturbing that the squeaky metal.

Mercifully, the front door is near silent and I find Sarah’s books on the porch swing just as she said I would.

The swing creeks when I lift the books.

A coyote howls in the distance.

I’m no coward, but the animal’s call alarms me and I stand up straight and quick and step backward swiftly with the thought of getting indoors foremost in my mind. In my rush, I misjudge the layout of the porch and crash into a hard pillar.

Or so I thought.

I thought wrongly.

Arms encircle me from behind, a strong hand clamps down at my waist to steady me and the other wraps around my own where I hold the lantern that still swings from our impact.

“Elizabeth?” Nathan’s voice is odd and low behind my ear.

“Y-y-yes?”

His breaths push against my back. The heat of him is everywhere. Too much is happening all at once. Warm air on my neck. Tickling rustles as he fists the fabric of my slip…oh, my slip!

“Oh! I-I am so sorry!” I shake and start forward. “I’m not decent!”

But he doesn’t even seem to notice my movements and holds me fast. Pressure from his thumb at my hip. Radiant heat, circling, coiling.

“No…yes…” It’s as if he’s talking with himself. “Is there now to be no where I might go without being taunted?”

Where his hand covers mine, the lantern sways again as his fingers slide between my own.

“Every day, Elizabeth. Every day you come here and I work harder to steal moments with you than I ever work in the fields.” His whisper is rough, ragged in my ear. “Every single day. Every day I rise before the Almighty and try and guess your path. To do some pointless task along your route. I find you and thank you when others would not. At meals, I sit where you could sit near me…yet you do not.”

The impropriety of our position is not lost on me but I can only focus on his words and the effort to not let my knees buckle out from under me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.