Free Lorraine Heath by Parting Gifts Page B

and wrapped it around his crooked arm, bringing it over his shoulder.
    “War is no place for a child,” she said, watching the manner in which he worked, concise, wasting not a solitary movement.
    “War’s no place for anyone. Brings out the worst in men.” Grabbing onto the harness, he led the horses back to the wagon. “Brings out the best, too,” he threw over his shoulder as he tossed the rope into the back of the wagon before hitching the horses back into place.
    He grabbed his shirt, slipped it on, buttoning it as he went around the wagon, and came to stand before her.
    “And which did it bring out in you?” she asked.
    “The best, of course.”
    He gave her a smile, the same warm smile he’d given Hannah that first day. Maddie wished he hadn’t. Charles smiled all the time, but none of his smiles ever made her wonder what it would feel like to press her lips against that smile. She knew she shouldn’t have those thoughts now.
    He placed his hands on her waist, and she prayed he couldn’t feel the rapid thudding of her heart that his nearness caused. The smile eased off his face as he stared into her eyes. His Adam’s apple slowly slid up and down, and she felt his fingers tighten their hold. Then he scowled and lifted her into the wagon, leaving her with the uneasy feeling that he’d been privy to her thoughts. He climbed onto the wagon, took the reins, and set the horses into motion with a flick of his wrist.
    In silence, Maddie watched the scenery roll by. Charles had been wrong. The storm hadn’t passed.
    The brass bell above the door clanked as Jesse opened the door. Maddie preceded him into the store, stiffening slightly when he took her elbow and led her toward the counter.
    “McGuire, this is Mrs. Lawson. Whatever she wants, you just put on our account.”
    Angus McGuire’s bushy white eyebrows shot straight up. “Mrs. Lawson, is it? And how long have you been that, lass?”
    Blushing, Maddie wished Jesse hadn’t drawn attention to her. “A few days.”
    “Ah, she’s a pretty one, Jesse.”
    Jesse scowled at her. She lifted her chin. He snorted and laid a list of needed supplies on the counter. “Just get my supplies, will you, McGuire?”
    “Marital bliss didn’t last long,” McGuire mumbled under his breath as he headed to the back room.
    Jesse walked to the back of the store where a huge barrel was filled with nails. He grabbed an empty box and dropped nails into it. Then he returned to the front and set the box on the counter. Maddie was still standing where he’d left her.
    “I don’t want to spend all day in here. Get whatever it is you need so we can get going.”
    “I told you I don’t need anything.”
    “You must have said something to Charles to make him think you needed something.”
    She drew her brows together. “No, I don’t think so.”
    He expelled his breath. “All right. So there’s nothing you need. There must be something you want.”
    “I want to make Charles happy.” She glanced around the overly stocked store. “But I don’t suppose there’s anything in here I could buy that would do that.”
    Astounded and bemused at the same time, Jesse studied her. Some moments she appeared to be a woman of the world, and others she seemed as young as Hannah. He wanted to believe her words were declared to catch him off guard, and they did because within her voice, he’d heard the absolute truth. “Come here.”
    Hesitantly, Maddie followed as he threaded his way toward a distant corner. He stopped and waved his hand over a shelf laden with bottles. His hand seemed that much larger and more masculine next to the small, delicately shaped glass.
    “Pick out some sweet smelling bath salts you can use.”
    Maddie stepped back, flinging her hands to her hips. “Are you saying I stink?”
    He looked toward the ceiling and released a quick burst of air. “No, I’m not saying that. You more than anyone ought to know that I say what I mean.”
    “You didn’t