He blinked. “You’ve been praying for me?”
She fiddled with the corner of her bag and avoided looking at him. Luke reached over to place a gentle finger under her chin. She didn’t resist when he lifted it until she finally met his gaze. Her rich brown eyes watched him, open and vulnerable. His attention was drawn to her mouth, and he wondered what it would be like to kiss her. Unlike the handful of times the random thought had hit him before, Luke didn’t want to push it aside.
But that would be taking advantage of her trust. Regretfully, he dropped his hand.
“It’s nice to have another sister to pray for me.” Luke leaned back. “I’ve already taken too much of your time today, for which I humbly apologize again. Let’s go over that list, and you can tell me who you want me to bully about getting their tasks done.”
7
Judith clenched her teeth. It took every ounce of restraint in her body to keep from slapping him to put some sense into that stubborn head of his. She took her time removing the papers from her bag to calm her shaking hands.
She wasn’t often sure what was in Luke’s thoughts, but a second ago she’d had no doubt. Having been engaged before, she knew what it looked like when a man wanted to kiss her. For a second, she’d been sure he was going to, and her body had started to tremble in anticipation. But then he hadn’t.
Why did he insist on calling her his sister? She wasnothis sister. No decent man would look at his sister the way he just had. For a second, she let herself imagine what it would have been like to have taken control of the situation herself and pulled his face to hers to kisshim.
He never would have looked at her that way again. And rightly so. No lady would behave in such a way.
Judith wished it were proper for a lady to broach such a topic with a man. Once again, she found herself sympathizing with Frances’s sentiments. It was unfair that men could be obvious in showing their interest in a woman, but if a woman did the same thing, she was consideredfast. Judith gave a mental sigh.
“Some cowboy poetry will be the best lead-in to the Christmas program,” she said, keeping her voice devoid of emotion. Society prevented her from broaching the subject, so she mustn’t allow Luke to see the effect he had on her. “I’m not acquainted with any of the men who write it, so I’m hoping you’ll help with that. It would be especially nice if they had something to share with a message to fit the feel of the holiday and being with families.”
Judith had received a letter from her mother earlier. While she sounded as though she was making the most of her new life, there’d been a melancholy tone to the words. It would be the first Christmas Judith had spent without her mother. Unexpectedly, her eyes filled with tears.
“Are you missing someone?” Luke asked, his voice soft and tentative.
“My mother.” Judith pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes.
“Now that you mention it, I’m surprised she didn’t come with you to live here with Marshall.”
“Mother fled even farther away from New York than I did. Her mother is from England and returned there when my grandfather died. We tried to support each other when the accusations against my father began, but when the police came to the house and arrested him—” The familiar stab of shame hit her, and Judith’s throat tightened.
“It’s all right. You don’t have to talk about it.”
But Judith suddenly had a desperate need to speak of it tosomeone. When she’d first arrived in Wyoming, the pain had still been too strong, and she hadn’t talked of it with Marshall. With the passing of each day, it’d become harder to speak the words and easier to push them deep inside her. She’d thought if she were strong enough, she could force herself to forget what had happened altogether.
“My mother traveled to England to be with her mother and asked me to accompany her,” Judith said with a sniff. “But Grandmother had remarried a man with a title. Rather than bring attention to the scandal, my mother must rusticate at his country estate. She is content with solitude, but I need more people around me. I was afraid I’d go mad surrounded only by my mother and servants. I didn’t understand that, by staying in my childhood home, I’d be abandoned by my fiancé and shunned by the people I’d thought were my friends.” She was crying now.
“Ah, Judith.” Luke set aside the papers and put his arm around her shoulders. She turned into his chest. When her pent-up emotions were spent, Luke patted her shoulder. “Have you talked to Marshall about this?”
“No.” Judith turned away from him and delicately blew her nose.
“Why?”
She shifted to face him. “He doesn’t understand what it was like, and he’s always been thick-skinned. It’s why he was able to leave home and never look back.”
“I’ve known your brother a long time, and I can guarantee you he’s looked back. Many times. Same as I have.” Luke ran his hand over her back once more and moved it to his lap. “Look, we didn’t start off on the right foot—”
“That was my fault, and I must apologize.” Judith wiped at her eyes again. “I was so ill mannered when we first met ... when I met everyone. I was so used to the disdain and condescension back home I assumed everyone here would treat me the same. It was foolish of me.”
“Once again, I understand.” Luke covered her hand with his. “I was angry when I first got here. You can ask Tom. I’d loved my mother dearly, and it’s only recently I was able to forgive her for marrying again. To be honest, I resented Lancaster from the beginning. I was already holding a grudge against the man, even before he started treating me so poorly.”
“How old were you when your mother remarried?”
“Nine.”
“You were a child, Luke.” Judith took his hand in both of hers. “Hewas the adult and should have worked to earn your respect if not your love. I don’t understand how a man who could love his wife so much could treat her son the way he did you.”
“Ever since the girls came to live with me, I’ve been wondering about it myself. Honestly, I think he couldn’t stand that my mother had ever loved another man.”
