Chapter Four
The sun was barelyup when Seth Clinkinbeard’s day erupted into a series of calamities. A fence line down in the south pasture, a mare near foaling in the north barn, and an ornery bull causing chaos among the heifers. He was a man more at home under the vast Texas sky than any roof, but today, it seemed even the land he loved was conspiring against him.
Frustrated, he grunted as he struggled with the uncooperative timber needed to repair the fence. His brow was covered in dust, and his shirt stuck to his back from the relentless summer heat. Seth was no stranger to hard work. However, dealing with these issues on such a scorching day was irritating him greatly.
“Can’t believe I’m fussing over a doggone dance,” he grumbled to no one in particular, hammering away his frustration with each determined strike.
He cast a critical eye over the last of his handiwork. It would hold. For now. Glancing at the pocket watch that rarely left his side, a curse slipped past his lips. The matchmaking party – a social affair he viewed as little more than a necessary nuisance – was set to begin in half an hour, and here he was, still wearing his work clothes and stinking to high heaven.
“Should be tending to the land, not prancing around some blasted dance floor,” Seth scoffed, yet a sense of duty propelled him toward his homestead. The Clinkinbeard name carried weight in these parts, and skipping out on Elizabeth Tandy’s well-intentioned shindig wasn’t the right thing to do.
He took long strides, urgency etched into the lines of his face. The house stood silent. He dashed inside, mentally thanking his father for all the windows he’d installed, making the house a bit cooler than the outside.
“All right, Seth, make it quick,” he murmured. Shedding his work clothes with haste, he splashed water from the basin onto his face, scrubbing away the evidence of the day’s trials. He did his best to wash away any scents on him, but he didn’t have time for a bath. He dressed swiftly, choosing a clean shirt and a pair of trousers that didn’t smell.
“Whoever thought a man should have to don a tie in this heat ought to be hog-tied themselves,” Seth complained, struggling with the unfamiliar fabric around his neck. With a final tug, the knot sat acceptably at his collar, and he surveyed himself in the small mirror hanging lopsided on the wall.
“Good enough,” he decided with a resigned shrug. His appearance was rugged, and tonight it would have to suffice.
“Time to face the music,” Seth said, tipping his hat onto his head as he stepped outside once more, the promise of the evening stretching out before him like the open range – vast, unpredictable, and mildly intimidating.
Seth rode his favorite gelding to the country church where the dance was to take place. He knew he was cutting it close, but his day had gotten away from him more than once. A dance wasn’t worth all this fuss, he thought, but there had been no wriggling out of it. Not with David’s matchmaking plans set on finding him a bride.
“Come on, girl,” he urged his mount, patting her neck. “Just a bit further.”
He swung down from the saddle outside the church hall, hitching his ride with practiced ease. Seth straightened his tie with a quick, rough pull and ran a hand through his hair in an attempt at taming the unruly locks. His heart hammered, not from the ride but the prospect of what awaited him inside. He was surprised at how very nervous he was.
Pushing open the doors, Seth stepped into the church. The room hummed with the low murmur of early arrivals, men gathered in loose clusters, speaking in tones that matched the casual air of the evening. His eyes scanned for familiar faces, and there, leaning against the back wall, stood David.
“Thought the night would be half over by now,” Seth joked as he approached, the tension seeping from his shoulders.
David chuckled, his weathered face breaking into a knowing smile. “Figured I’d tell you the wrong time. Knew you’d be late otherwise.”
“Tricky,” Seth said, but he couldn’t help the grin spreading across his face. “So, I’m on time?”
“Better than that, you’re early. Ladies haven’t even arrived.” David’s eyes twinkled with mirth. “We’ve got a meal first, then dancing. No need to rush through supper like it’s a cattle drive.”
