Free Cinderfella by Linda Winstead Jones

wagon,” Mr. Sweet said to Ash. “By the time you return from assisting the lovely Miss Charmaine Haley with her errand, we’ll be ready to go.”
    Mr. Sweet immediately struck up a conversation with Eula, leaving no room for an argument from either Ash or Charmaine.
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    He was going to have Nathan’s hide when they got back to the farm.
    Charmaine walked silently beside him, her eyes straight ahead. When Ash glanced down he saw sunlight on golden hair, squared shoulders encased in a gray muslin that looked almost silver, a profile as delicate as that of a porcelain figurine.
    Below that fragile face Charmaine Haley had the body of a woman, pure and simple. She was curvaceous and delicate, and with one glimpse at that body his mind was filled with all sorts of indecent thoughts. Thoughts he couldn’t afford to entertain.
    The box Ash carried was ridiculously light — a child could have carried it for miles without tiring.
    He was definitely going to have Nathan’s hide.
    The big Haley house was situated at the edge of town, a good walk from the Markam mercantile but not much of a trip. They passed people on the boardwalk and on the street, people they’d known all their lives and those recently come to Salley Creek. Those people, friends and strangers alike, nodded and stared.
    As they passed a window, a glimpse of their reflection made Ash realize what a ridiculous sight they made — Charmaine in her prim and proper gown, hair perfectly styled, skin like silk, and him in his work clothes, his hair hanging nearly to his shoulders, his beard rough, his skin tough as old leather.
    As they stepped from the boardwalk for the last leg of their walk Charmaine cleared her throat, a soft murmur from deep inside that slender throat that made Ash’s own insides tighten.
    â€œThank you for your help, but I can manage from here.” She tried to take the box from him, as she had in the mercantile, but he didn’t let go. Not yet.
    He could see the Haley house from here, that landmark at the end of the street. Big, white, majestic — it was an imposing structure. “I’ve come this far, might as well go all the way.”
    She squirmed, so slightly she might not have realized that he could see the feeble rotation of her gently rounded shoulders, the ruffling of pale, dainty fingers. “It’s not necessary. . . . ”
    â€œI take it Daddy’s home.” He couldn’t help the wide smile that crossed his face. Charmaine was becoming more and more anxious, and they both knew why. Stuart Haley would dearly hate to see his precious daughter in the company of Ash Coleman.
    â€œWell, yes, I suppose he is, but it’s really not necessary. . . . ” she began again.
    â€œI insist.”
    She sighed in resignation and stepped toward the house at the end of the street. Now that the silence had been broken, Ash decided he’d like this conversation to continue. “Fancy masks,” he said, glancing into the box he held and past the brown paper package atop it all. Bright colors, sparkles and spangles, fluffy feathers.
    â€œYes, they are. Beautiful but frivolous,” she said sharply, but Ash didn’t quite buy it. He’d heard her squeal with her own mask on her face, seen her twirl around in pure delight.
    â€œYour Daddy sure is going to a lot of trouble just to find you a husband,” he said casually. “What, there weren’t any Easterners who suited you?”
    Charmaine stopped in her tracks, and Ash had to take a step backwards to stand beside her.
    Her face went white, her blue eyes widened, and her mouth fell slightly open. It was a mesmerizing sight. “ A husband. I should have known,” she whispered.
    â€œYou didn’t know?” Well, wasn’t he the fool. “Maybe I’m wrong. It’s just a rumor I heard from Verna, that you were looking to get married and this party was a chance to meet the men