Free Melinda Heads West by Robyn Corum

was my job to do it. When my friends got married and asked me to stand beside them, it was my job to do that, too. When my dad died and my mom fell apart, who took care of her — even though I was falling apart inside? Me! And I was fine. I have to be fine. There’s no other choice.”
    Boone stepped up to her, backing her against a tree. “You don’t have to carry the weight of the world, Mindy. You could ask for help.”
    “From who, my little brothers? You?”
    “Maybe.” He leaned in and looked into her eyes. The night enveloped them, creating a quiet place where nothing moved. He raised a calloused hand to her cheek. “So pretty.”
    “Pretty?” Mindy said, with a voice that trembled. “Not me. Never.”
    “Yep. Even with the mud and the mess, you’re one of the prettiest things I ever saw.” Boone smiled, and Mindy stared into his black eyes.
    Boone leaned in closer … closer. Softly, his lips touched hers, surprised when her lips turned up to tentatively meet his. He stepped closer, placing one hand on her slender waist. As she leaned into the kiss, he pulled her even closer, deepening the experience for both of them.
    Mindy made a small sound at the back of her throat, and Boone’s head started to burn. He placed his arms around her and pulled her against him, changing the small, innocent kiss into something more. He swam in the moment. Plunging headfirst into waters that he knew were dangerous. His heart stepped in, crinkling in an odd sort of way as it dashed itself against the rocky borders of possibility.
    Reluctantly, Boone pulled back. He leaned his forehead against hers, breathing deeply.
    • • •
    Mindy gasped. “What was that?” she said softly with a faint smile. Her breath whispered past his face.
    “That was a kiss, Mindy. You said you’d never had one, remember?”
    Suddenly Mindy remembered the rocking stage and her fear that they were all about to plummet over the edge of the cliff. She remembered her panic and the crazy things she had shouted. They came flooding back to her now and she shrank in embarrassment.
    “Is that what this was? A pity kiss?” Mindy took a step back as her face drained of color. Quickly she reached and struck Boone across the face.
    “What? Pity? Did that feel like a pity kiss?” Boone demanded, placing a hand to his blistering cheek.
    “I don’t know. I’m stupid, remember? How would I know the difference?” She turned from him and marched back toward the fire. Over her shoulder she said, “I’ll be sure and ask your wife when we meet.”

Chapter Seventeen
    Boone slapped his forehead. His wife! Of course! He’d forgotten about the picture of his sister, again. There was no telling what Mindy thought of him, after kissing “another woman.”
    Figuring she still considered him a shiftless good-for-nothing, Boone shambled back to the clearing where the two others sat. Mindy and Lucas were involved in an animated conversation about their hometowns. Boone was relieved to see that she was no longer sad, but entranced.
    “My dad died when I was small,” she was saying, “which meant my mom had the burden of raising six children alone — three girls and three boys.” She sighed. “You’d love my sisters. They’re charming and witty and down-to-earth. They’re beautiful and well-mannered … nothing at all like me. I was raised with my brothers so I was somewhat of a hoyden, to my mother’s dismay.” She laughed, a sweet sound that pulled at Boone’s heart and head.
    “I can’t believe you were a trouble to her,” Lucas replied.
    “Oh, I was! Always getting into trouble and getting dirty. At church services, I’d run off and play with the boys, then come back with my dress in tatters and hanging with filth. Oh, I was a trial!”
    “Well, you’ve grown up now.”
    Mindy blushed. “Yes, but I’ve never had my sisters’ easy ways. They married respected young men in our community and take part in the social engagements of the town.