“Actually, I don’t believe she ever gave me her name.” He held out a hand to measure off the fictitious nun’s height. “A little woman with dark hair?”
The Zerek girl looked bemused. “You’re sure she was a nun?”
“Absolutely.” Luke lifted the corners of his mouth in a forced smile. “I take it the description doesn’t ring any bells.”
She shook her head, her gaze never leaving his. “None of the nuns I’ve met has hair.”
Realizing his mistake, Luke quickly backtracked. “Well, no. Of course not. I was going by her eyebrows.” He made a slashing motion at his forehead. “Very dark, bushy eyebrows. A big nose. Brown eyes.”
She shook her head again. Then she graced him with another smile. “I’m sorry. I don’t recognize her by the description. Was your business with her important?”
“Not really. Nothing that can’t wait, at any rate.”
The children around her had begun to squirm. One dark-headed little boy who could very well be Tigger’s brother, judging by his looks, tugged on the pigtails of one little girl. The resultant squeal had Luke retreating a step. “Well, I’d better leave you to your storytelling. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Peter!” The Zerek girl leaned around to grab the recalcitrant boy by his wrist. “No hair-pulling. How many times must I remind you?”
“It was only a itty-bitty tug!” Peter cried.
“Nuh-uh,” his victim wailed. “It hurts, Cassandra! He near yanked my hair out!”
So, her name was Cassandra. Luke smiled to himself as he watched her corral the children with a gentleness of hand that only a woman could master. When all was quiet again, she looked back up at him. “Please, won’t you join us?” She patted the ground beside her. “We’ve plenty of seating room, as you can see. You might enjoy yourself.”
Luke had no doubt he would. More amazing was that she had extended the invitation. Given his reputation, which even he had to admit was well-deserved, most of the so-called “decent” young women in Black Jack avoided him. To be seen being friendly with Luke Taggart was to scotch all hope of wangling a marriage proposal from a “respectable” young man.
Without making a conscious decision to do so, Luke pushed open the gate, strode across the patchy lawn, and lowered himself to the ground beside her before he could think better of it. Dimpling her cheek in another radiant smile, she resumed telling the story. Within seconds, Luke was leaning forward again, as enthralled by the story as the children were.
Magic and fairy tales. Looking into Cassandra Zerek’s cobalt eyes, even Luke could almost believe in such things. Superficial though he knew it must be, there was a glow about her—an innocent sweetness in her smile, a guileless look in her lovely eyes. Sitting near her like this made him feel as if he’d just entered a well-heated room after being outdoors on a chill winter day.
In actuality, dark storm clouds still gathered overhead, and the cold wind bit through his jacket. It was crazy, sitting here on the damp grass in his expensive, tailored clothing. Crazy, yet utterly irresistible.
Quite simply, Cassandra Zerek was the most delightful creature he’d ever met. Her mane of sable hair was tied back with a bright red ribbon, at odds with her otherwise drab attire. Just below her prim little collar rested a gaudy paste brooch, the fake jewels lusterless, the gold-colored setting worn away in spots. Despite that, the girl herself seemed to sparkle.
Sweet. It was a word he’d never associated with a woman, but Cassandra struck him as being that and more. She reminded him of a box of gaily wrapped confections, each nuance of her a mystery, yet promising to be delicious.
When she finished the story, the children began to clamor for another. “Not today. You’ve chores to do in the convent, remember. I promised Sister Rachel that I wouldn’t keep you out here past four.”
“Oh, hang it,” Peter grumbled.
Cassandra ruffled his dark hair. “Go on. Away with all of you. I’ll be back tomorrow, and I’ll tell you another story then.” She pushed to her feet and bent to swipe bits of grass from her long skirt. As the children scampered away, she turned a twinkling gaze on Luke, her expression quizzical. “I hope you’ll come again as well, Mr. Taggart. I think the children enjoyed having you with us.”
Luke pushed to his feet beside her, surprised to discover she barely cleared his shoulder. Yet, gazing down at her, he couldn’t honestly say he still found her too well rounded for her height. Taken as a whole, Cassandra Zerek was too uniquely lovely to be measured against the usual standards.