Her gaze shifted to take in his brother too. “Good morning.”
James swept off his hat and dipped a gallant bow from his saddle. “And a fine morning it is, now that you’ve graced us with your presence.”
Mandie laughed, a warm, rich sound that filled the air. “Ever the charmer, James. I see the trip ahead has done nothing to dull your wit.”
“Wit?” James placed a hand over his heart. “You wound me, Mandie. I assure you, my compliments spring from the deepest sincerity.”
She shook her head, still smiling. “Sincere or not, I thank you for them. It’s a lovely start to the day.”
Enoch cleared his throat. “We should get moving if we want to make good time.” He dismounted from the wagon as she descended the porch.
He took the carpetbag from her and placed it to the side so he could use both hands to lift her to the bench. He wasn’t prepared for her softness. Her warmth. The feel of her curves beneath his palms.
When she slid onto the seat, pulling out of his reach, he had to force himself to focus on something other than reaching for her again.
Mandie smoothed her skirts and flashed him a smile. “Thank you.”
He gave a curt nod and grabbed her bag, stowing it under the bench before climbing up beside her. The wagon dipped and creaked under his weight. He was a clumsy ox compared to her fluid grace.
James nudged his horse alongside them. “Ready?”
Enoch nodded, then flicked the reins for the team to follow in behind his brother’s mount.
As the wagon rolled down the dirt track, he couldn’t help but be aware of Mandie’s presence beside him. The sway and jolt of the wagon bench brought them into contact more than once, her shoulder and thigh brushing his.
He kept his gaze fixed ahead, trying to ignore the scent of her hair, the soft rhythm of her breaths. But it was a losing battle. His senses felt heightened, attuned to her every movement.
Mandie seemed oblivious to his inner turmoil, her face alight with quiet happiness as she took in the passing scenery. “It’s so beautiful out here. I don’t think I could ever tire of these mountains.”
Enoch darted a glance at her, taking in the soft smile on her lips, the way the sunlight brought out glints of red in her dark hair. She looked radiant, alive in a way he rarely saw within the confines of the house. “You like being outdoors.”
She turned to him, her eyes bright. “I do. I always have, even as a child. There’s something freeing about open spaces, about being surrounded by nature’s beauty.” Her smile turned wistful. “In Savannah, I often felt…confined. By the expectations of society, the strict rules of propriety. Out here, it’s different. Simpler, in a way, but also more real. Here, I feel like I can breathe. Like I can just be myself, without all the trappings and expectations.”
This woman. She’d so completely echoed what pressed inside his own chest. She’d put into words what he felt each time he rode out into the mountains, looked over the peaks and valleys that stretched farther than any city street could hope to.
Out here, all the duties and restrictions that came with his family title faded away, leaving only him. The man who craved simplicity, who felt most at home under an open sky, with the scent of pine and damp earth in his lungs.
As he glanced down at her upturned face, something shifted inside him.
He swallowed, searching for a response that wouldn’t reveal too much. “I know what you mean. The mountains, the land...they have a way of stripping away all the unnecessary things. Leaving only what’s true and essential.”
Her smile deepened, warming him like a touch. “Yes. Exactly.”
She held his gaze, and for a heartbeat, a connection sparked between them, an understanding that went beyond words.
Then James called back to them, pointing out a hawk circling overhead, and the moment passed.
But as they rode on, occasionally speaking of inconsequential things, he couldn’t get that brief exchange out of his mind.
Maybe he and Mandie had more in common than he’d ever guessed.
That thought made him want to draw closer to her, even as instinct screamed for him to pull back. To protect himself.
Yet he was so tired of being alone. Of holding himself apart, aloof and untouchable. With Mandie, he couldn’t stop longing for...more. Even if he didn’t quite know what that meant. Or whether reaching for it was safe.
The miles fell away beneath the wagon wheels, the sun climbing higher into the cloudless blue sky. Before long, Walnut Springs stretched out in the valley before them. As they neared the main road through town, the sounds of men’s shouts and pounding hammers rose from the sawmill by the river. When Clark had an order to fill, that cacophony usually overshadowed all the other noises from the town.
Walnut Springs wasn’t large, but it held a mercantile with the telegraph office inside. And of course the doctor. A scattering of other businesses lined the street—a blacksmith, a cafeteria with a few rooms upstairs they let out to travelers, a washwoman, and the like. But the mercantile and sawmill were the two businesses the Balfours frequented the most.
