He said nothing else as they approached her house. By the time they reached her door, his heart had slowed and he felt he actually had control over his thoughts—and his intentions.
But then she turned and looked up at him with those pure blue eyes. They were so clear, hesitant and yet inviting, and suddenly, all he could think of was drawing her toward him, watching those eyes close, and kissing her in a way she would never forget.
“Thank you, Deputy Robertson,” she said in a voice so soft he could have sunk into it. She rested a hand on his arm, and he thought he might never catch his breath again.
“Cole,” he replied before thinking.
“Cole,” she repeated, her voice wrapping around his name in a way that made him think of her hands reaching up to wrap around the back of his neck.
He wanted to hear her repeat it over and over. “My name,” he said stupidly.
“Oh.” Her fingers tightened around his arm as she seemed to think it over. He didn’t dare move for fear she’d reject the invitation to call him by his given name. “Well . . . I suppose you could call me Marian. But only because we keep running into each other and it . . . well . . . it makes sense.”
Those pretty eyes found his again. Cole grinned. It was enough. It wasmorethan enough, that little voice in the back of his mind reminded him. But Cole didn’t care about that—or anything—besides Marian right now. His gaze found her lips again, and all sorts of thoughts began to invade his mind when the door opened.
The squeak of the hinges sent Marian stepping backward as she yanked her hand from his arm. A younger version of Marian, this one with lighter hair, looked at him with wide eyes. Then a smile crossed her face.
“You must be Deputy Robertson. I’m Marian’s sister, Miss Jessilyn Scott. And I insist you come in and have supper with us.” She opened the door wider and stepped back.
And Cole had no choice but to ignore the look of horror on Marian’s face and step inside.
Chapter Nine
Marian had never feltso tense at the dinner table. It would be nothing short of a miracle if her jaw ever unclenched and her stiff legs relaxed.
Deputy Robertson—Cole, she thought, trying not to flush—appeared perfectly at ease, however. He conversed easily with her mother, entertained Jessilyn with a few well-placed jokes, and appeared to enjoy answering all of Papa’s curious questions about law enforcement. He complimented Mama’s roast pork, which set her to smiling ever since, and praised the work Papa did to help build the lawyers’ offices near the courthouse.
If Marian wasn’t mistaken, her family liked Cole an awful lot.
“I think what Miss Scott is doing will leave a lasting impression on the children of this town,” he was saying now.
“She’s always wanted to teach,” Mama said proudly.
“And she’s so very good with children,” Jessilyn said. She didn’t look at Marian, which was lucky for her since Marian was prepared to fix her sister with a look that indicated she knew precisely what Jessilyn meant—and it hadnothingto do with teaching.
Even Papa joined in with a smile. He’d become much more optimistic about Marian’s decision to open the school when she brought home her first week’s pay from the town.
