Heart and Home(11)

"I'll need to round up all those pigs I plan to raise."

"Pigs?" Naomi and Nedra spoke almost simultaneously.

"It's just a joke," Adam said, making an effort to hide his grin. Jane chewed her lip to keep from laughing outright.

"Well, I would hope so," Naomi said. "Pigs!"

While Naomi was adjusting to the notion that anyone would make a joke  about pigs, Nedra seemed to have already forgotten it. "I'm not sure a  gentleman should expect to learn to ride in one lesson," she said,  shifting her worried gaze from Adam to George and back.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure, either," Adam said, still  grinning. When Nedra's expression turned to alarm, he added, "I'll ask  Mr. Knapp to loan me the oldest, laziest horse he's got. Besides, if I  break anything, I can fix it. I'm a doctor."

Nedra eyed him dubiously. "One would think that a doctor wouldn't take these things so lightly."

"I'm sorry." He made another effort to be serious. "I'll be careful, really."

His eyes were fairly dancing with excitement, Jane noted. "What time  tomorrow are you planning on mounting your first horse?" she asked.

"What time?" He had turned his attention back to his dinner, but paused with his fork halfway to his mouth.

Jane nodded. "I thought we should all turn out to watch the show-I mean, show our support."

Adam laughed along with George. The Cartlands seemed to have missed the joke. Jane wondered if Mr. Bickford was even listening.

Adam laid his fork back on his plate. "I may keep that information to myself. For modesty's sake, of course."                       
       
           



       

"But here's your chance to meet the whole town, Doc," George said.  "They'll all turn out to watch a tenderfoot fall off a horse."

Adam laughed and the Cartlands scowled. Evidently deciding there had  been enough merriment, Naomi and Nedra forced the conversation to other  topics. Bickford excused himself, reminding Jane of the shirt with the  missing button he had left for her in the parlor. The sisters followed  him out of the room. George stood and, after assuring Adam that he would  make the arrangements with Knapp's livery, left as well.

Adam had stood when the ladies did, but resumed his seat once they were  gone. Jane wasn't sure if she should begin to clear the table as a hint  that dinner was over or stay right where she was. She decided on the  latter.

"You're excited about riding, aren't you?"

He nodded as a grin took over his face. "I've read about cowboys and  bandits since I was a kid. I may have to buy a pair of boots."

"And a pair of six-guns?"

"I don't think I'll go that far."

Jane watched him for a moment, marveling at how nice it felt to be near him. "What was your childhood like?" she asked abruptly.

"It was all right. What about you?"

Jane shrugged, not wanting to talk about herself. "It was all right, too, I guess. No horses or puppies, though."

"Me, either," he said. "But that's not as important as the future. And my future holds at least one ride on a horse."

"More than that if you don't break your neck."

"Right," he said. "And I haven't given up on that puppy yet, either."

"Or the pigs?"

He laughed. "I had a real paying customer today."

"Real money?"

"Real money. Rose Finley brought Rosalie by."

"Rosalie? Nothing serious, I hope?"

He shook his head. "Let's get the table cleared."

Jane stood as he did. "You don't need to help." Even as she said it, she  was hoping he would stay. The kitchen seemed so empty with Grams gone.  Fortunately, he shrugged off her token objection.

"Seriously," she began, as they each carried a stack of dishes toward  the kitchen, "when are you going to take your first riding lesson?"

"Seriously?" Adam sat his stack of plates on the kitchen table before he answered. "I don't think I'm going to tell you."

It felt so good to laugh. "I promise not to tell."

He seemed to think it over. She knew she needed to get started on the  dishes. There was food to put away. There was also a companion in her  kitchen and she watched him instead.

"I was considering an hour before dawn."

"No witnesses?"

"Right."

He returned to the dining room. for more dishes, and Jane followed after him, laughing.

At the table he spun around to face her. "So. How good a horsewoman are you?"

"Me? I've never ridden."

"Never?"

"I grew up in the city. Besides, there was no money." Surprisingly, she didn't feel defensive as she said it.

"And no place to go," he added, nodding. "Same for me. But you've been out here awhile."

"Only four years. And it's still true. No money, and now no time."

"Ah," he said, flashing her a grin. "But now you have someplace to go."

She couldn't help smiling at his knowing nod. "Me? Where do I have to go?"

"To Billy Tallon's house. You can help me check his leg."

He turned to the table and began stacking dirty dishes, as if the matter were settled.

"Adam." Jane moved to the other side of the table, hoping her face  didn't reveal how pleased she was that he wanted her along. "I don't  know anything about broken legs."

"You can help me find the farm."

In a minute, nearly everything on the table was either in his stack or  hers. Still they stood across from each other. Jane pretended to be  interested in the table linen. "I've never been there, either."

"Come anyway." The plea in his voice brought her head up. "If I fall and break my neck, you can go for help."                       
       
           



       

She decided he was teasing. She lifted her stack of plates and silver  and headed for the kitchen. "I can't go before dawn. I have breakfast to  fix."

He fell in behind her. "After breakfast, then. I'll help you clean up."

She set her stack down and turned to the water she had left warming on  the stove. What would it be like to ride across the prairie? With Adam?  Not a good idea, she decided. Before she could frame another excuse, he  spoke again.

"I promise to have you back in time to fix the evening meal."

She shouldn't have turned to look at him. She might have been able to  laugh off the invitation. She might have been able to mention the  cleaning that needed to be done. She might have even been able to  convince herself she didn't want to go if she hadn't seen his face and  realized he wasn't teasing.

"You need to get out of this house once in a while," he said softly. "You need to get some fresh air."

He was standing close to her, watching her with those caring blue eyes.  She was keenly aware of her attraction to him, a pull that made her want  to move closer, to touch him. The feeling was so sharp it was almost  painful.

She spun away, finding the soap and shaving tiny flakes of it into the  water, hoping he hadn't noticed her confusion. She hadn't yet found her  voice when he added, "Doctor's orders."

She could hear the humor in his voice and wanted to sigh with relief. As  long as they kept it light, she would be all right. It was when he  turned serious that she was in danger.

Her grandmother's lessons came back to her. Never let them know your  weaknesses. Somehow, arguing that she couldn't go seemed like an  admission of fear, a fear that had nothing to do with horses and  everything to do with her feelings for him.

"All right," she said, turning to give him a smile she hoped didn't appear forced. "Since it's the doctor's orders."

The grin she got in return was almost enough to make her relax. But not  quite. As they washed and dried the dishes, she was careful that their  fingers never touched. She leaned away rather than let their shoulders  brush when he reached for a platter she had just washed. She made sure  that she gave his gentle blue eyes no more than a quick glance.

When the kitchen and dining room were clean, Jane saw Adam to the door,  then entered her bedroom. The big room was across from the parlor, with  the door tucked under the stairs. She and her grandmother had shared it  when they first arrived, leaving the upstairs free for paying guests.  When Grams's illness had forced her into bed most of the day, Jane had  cleaned out the storage room off the kitchen so she would be nearby.  Finally, the poor woman had become too weak to move back and forth, and  Jane had spent her nights in a chair at her grandmother's side.

It seemed odd to sleep alone in this room where she and Grams had shared  so many conversations. She sat down on the bed and tried to imagine her  grandmother beside her. "I would sure like to talk to you, Grams," she  whispered.