“It must be nice to have brothers and sisters. And all those cousins.” Her eyes sparkled as she continued. “And your Aunt Tori and Uncle Jesse. They are so perfect together.”
Michael shook his head. “They weren’t always.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“At one time, back when they were first married, we all thought they would divorce.”
“Really?” Although rare, divorce did occur on occasion, although considered shameful to most people. “That doesn’t seem possible. I’ve never seen two people more in love.”
“It was a long time ago. I consider them very special people.”
“Your whole family is very special. You have no idea how lucky you are.”
He eased the buggy up in front of Mrs. Wilson’s house. All the tightly packed houses on this street were so different from the area they’d left behind. Small, but comfortable residences were well kept, and glowed
with soft light while families talked and rested together.
Visions of his own house, now dark and cold with no one there to welcome him, sent a shiver down his spine. Then the image of Heidi, with an apron on, a stirring spoon in her hand, smiling as he entered the front door, jolted him. The vision seemed so right.
Her clear blue eyes would sparkle as she leaned in for his kiss. She would drop the spoon on the table, and her delicate fingers would slide through his hair as he pulled her close. Then, after supper, they would walk arm in arm up the stairs to the bedroom. Once there, he would remove her clothes, slowly, piece by piece, relishing in her wondrous body. He would place his lips-
“Michael?” Heidi’s voice pulled him from his musings.
He turned, surprised to see her sitting next to him. Why wasn’t she waiting for him at home? “I’m sorry, I was woolgathering.”
She chuckled. “I do plenty of woolgathering myself at times. I wanted to thank you again for allowing me to share your family’s birthday celebration.”
He hopped from the buggy and lifted her down. “I’m glad you came.” He grinned. “I don’t know how happy I am to have Ellie take you under her wing, though.”
“I really like Ellie. And your sister, Rachel, too. And your Aunt Tori, and…”
He tapped her nose with his finger. “I get the idea.”
She stared at his face. “Does it hurt?” Slowly her fingers came up and traced the bruise on his jaw, then the cut on his lip.
“No.” He hardly recognized his voice.
“Are you going to tell me how you got your injures?”
“No.”
“Why not?” She whispered.
Instead of answering, he tugged down her scarf, and slowly lowered his head, until his lips were on hers. He cupped her face with his hands and took possession of her mouth. As his tongue slid along the line of her lips, she opened, and her quiet moan as he circled her mouth and tangled with her tongue almost brought him to his knees. His nostrils were filled with the scent of Heidi, her perfumed breath, her faint lavender fragrance. The softness of her body against his hard bulk raised his temperature, and stirred his manhood.
He curved his arms around her slim shoulders and lower back, pulling her closer. Somewhere in the back of his brain he remembered they stood on the street, in front of her house. Her reputation would be ruined if anyone saw them. He pulled back and ran his knuckles down her cheek. “I’m sorry. Not for kissing you, but for not picking a more private place.”
Heidi’s breath came in gasps, but he didn’t think her problem stemmed from asthma. He arranged the scarf over her mouth to cover her kiss-swollen lips. “Is your breathing okay?”
She nodded, staring at him wide-eyed. He took her arm and they proceeded up the steps to the front door. “Good night,” Heidi whispered before she turned to enter the house. He watched the door close, leaving him feeling as if a cloud had floated in front of the sun.
****
Thankfully, Mrs. Wilson had retired for the night, leaving a small lamp burning in the hall to light the way to the stairs. Heidi slowly pulled off her gloves, unwound the scarf and shrugged out of her coat. The confusion with all the people at the Cochran house didn’t compare to her current bewilderment. Now that Michael had kissed her twice, what did it mean?
Clarence had never kissed her in such a way, and Clarence was her betrothed. Or at least he thought they were still betrothed. She really had to straighten that out with him. Plain and simple. She had no intention of marrying Clarence Manfred. If no other man would have her—and right her heart would accept only one—then she would become like Ellie, and fight for women’s rights, and attend meetings, and have lots and lots of friends.
But what if she could have what she really wanted? Michael. As her husband, her friend, her lover. Even though no one heard her thoughts, she still felt the heat rise in her face, at the idea of Michael as her lover. Clarence had made clear his lack of interest in her that way. But if Michael’s kiss indicated anything, perhaps she wasn’t so unappealing after all.