“Ah,” Ewan said, waving his hand. “Violet’s right. Women like shiny baubles. Daisy will love it.” He sat up straight in his chair and looked him in the eye. “The ring is nice, boy, but aren’t you forgetting something?”
Forgetting something? “Like what?” he asked, confused.
Ewan puffed his chest out. “Weel, seeing as I’m the man of this house, I don’t recall you asking for my permission to get merrit to my granddaughter.”
Clay’s mouth opened, but he was at a loss for words. Was that how these things were done? He needed to ask her family for their permission? He lifted his eyes to Violet. She was smiling and gave him a wink before nodding her head to Ewan.
Okay, maybe he did.
He closed the ring box and stuck it back in his pocket before clearing his throat. “Mr. Campbell. I love your granddaughter and would like to marry her.” He added, “With your permission,” when Ewan raised an eyebrow at him.
Ewan sat back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest, and Violet’s smile grew before she rolled her eyes. “Stop torturing him, Gramps, and just say yes.”
“I’m thinking,” Ewan said, turning his head to look at Violet. “I can’t be giving away Daisy’s hand in marriage to just anyone.”
He inhaled a breath and met his gaze head-on. “Where will ya live, boy? Surely not that little room behind the jailhouse. That’s not a proper home.”
“No, sir, it’s not. I have a two-bedroom cabin now.”
Violet drew in a sharp breath. “You do? Where?”
He smiled and said, “In Butte.”
Daisy collected her basket from the counter and hooked the handle over her arm. “Will you and Graham be coming home for lunch?” she asked Rose.
Her sister glanced up from the ledger book she had open. “Not today. Gideon wanted to talk to Graham about something, so we’ll be having lunch with him and Victoria today.”
“All right,” Daisy said. “I’ll let Gramps know where you’ll be because he’ll ask when you don’t show up.”
Rose looked at the door. Daisy followed her gaze to see what she was looking at and froze. Seeing Clay standing inside the store stole the air from her lungs. She’d been trying to avoid him all day. The moment she woke, she knew he’d come to the house to see her.
After her crying fit the night before, she’d gone to bed wanting to talk to him, but this morning, the thought of facing him after catching him and Veronica in the barn gave her a small panic attack, so she’d done the only thing she could think of. She ran, hurrying down the back stairs into the kitchen before anyone else saw her, and left the house, hoping to avoid him.
The only problem was, there was nowhere for her to go in this town other than the store. Rose had looked so puzzled when she’d shown up; she’d lied and said she needed a few things, snatching a basket from behind the counter and starting to load it up.
She glanced at the basket now, guilt making her want to put everything back. The things she’d collected weren’t even needed. They’d just been an excuse to avoid Clay and the conversation she knew needed to happen, and now it looked as if that conversation was going to happen right now, whether she was ready for it or not.
The curtain covering the back room was only a few steps away. The desire to run was strong, but the moment she looked back up at Clay, their eyes locking, she knew she couldn’t. Not only would he see her run, but she knew the conversation had to happen. If not now, then later.
His smile said he was glad to see her. A glance around the store made her grit her teeth. Everyone in there was staring at Clay as if he were the day's entertainment. One thing about small towns was that people loved to gossip, and she could only imagine what they’d say about this.
When Clay walked further into the building, his steps slow as he approached her, she forgot how to breathe. He looked exactly as she remembered, even better. Something about the look on his face held a confidence that hadn’t been there before, and it only made him more attractive.
Why did he have to be so blasted handsome? And why was her traitorous heart beating as if she hadn’t witnessed him in Veronica’s arms the night before?
The heartache she’d fought against all night returned, and she was able to look away from him. Rose was smiling at him when she looked her way, her sister saying, “Clay. It’s good to see you back.”
She glanced back at Clay in time to see him say, “It’s nice to be back, Rose.”
His attention was on her a moment later as he closed the distance between them, stopping a few steps away. “Daisy,” he said, by way of greeting. “I’ve missed you.”
Everyone in the store was still staring. Naturally, the mercantile was packed. It usually was on Saturday’s and today was no exception. Their stares made some of the anxiety she felt turn into anger. Did they not have better things to do than be nosy? She had to bite her tongue to keep from telling them all to mind their own business.
She saw Clay reach into his coat pocket out of the corner of her eye. Returning her attention to him, she wasn’t prepared when he pulled out a small box, opening it to reveal the beautiful ring inside, before getting down on one knee right there in front of anyone looking. Her heart nearly stopped as she watched him. She glanced at Rose. Her sister was smiling, her eyes glassy as if she were about to cry.
Clay took her hand, giving it a light squeeze to get her attention. Staring down at him, she swallowed the lump forming in her throat as he said, “Daisy, I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you and vowed that very day, that when I could provide for you, I would get down on one knee and ask for your hand.”
He spoke the words slowly and enunciated them in such a way that she got his meaning without missing much.
