The Unlikely Wife. Cassandra Austin

want to change as we travel. I’ll try to give you plenty of time to enjoy Mr. Kolchek’s hospitality, but you can’t have the whole of the afternoon.”

      He started away again.

      “Wait!” He was polite enough to turn back, and his irritation was barely visible. “Aren’t you eating with us?”

      “That depends.” This time he turned away with enough resolve she didn’t try to call him back.

      She sank down into the seat and watched him go. In a moment they were moving again.

      “He’ll eat with you,” Brooks said, startling her. She had nearly forgotten him.

      “Depends on what?” she wondered aloud. Didn’t he want to eat with her?

      Brooks shrugged. “Care to make a friendly bet?” he asked in a low voice.

      She laughed. “Want me to bring you a steak if you’re right?”

      “I got more on my mind than food. I was thinking more like a kiss.”

      Rebecca’s stomach turned queasy. She tried to laugh it off. “What do I get if I win?”

      He was quiet for a moment than offered softly, “You could bet the same thing.”

      “No deal,” she said, trying not to sound as revolted as she felt. “Gambling’s frowned on in the army.”

      “Is kissing, too?” he whispered. “We could skip the bet and go straight to the payoff.”

      “I need to go change.” She rose to climb over the seat, taking more care than usual not to touch him.

      “I’ll be thinking of you,” he whispered.

      Rebecca scrambled under the canvas and tied the front flap in place. She turned to find Belle and Alicia staring at her. Had they been listening to her conversation with Brooks? They could hardly blame her for what he said.

      “Did you hear we’ve been invited to dine at a stage station?” she asked, making her way to the back of the rocking wagon. It seemed unbearably close. She pulled aside the canvas to let in a hint of a breeze, realizing how peculiar that might seem after tying the front flap.

      “It’s not proper,” Aunt Belle said.

      “Proper? Aunt Belle, I’m sure they invite most travelers to eat with them.”

      “I mean the way you talk to that lieutenant. You are far too familiar. He’s bound to remember how you made eyes at him on the train.”

      Rebecca resisted a sigh of relief. If she had heard Brooks she wouldn’t be so concerned about her behavior toward Forrester. From experience she knew the best tactic with Aunt Belle. “I’m sorry,” she said, letting her head hang slightly. “I forgot myself. I’ll try to act with more decorum in the future.”

      “Good,” stated Belle, evidently willing to accept her vow at face value. “Now, I’m ready to get out of these awful clothes. We’ve only an hour to make ourselves presentable.”

      

      Approximately an hour later the ambulance rolled to a stop in front of Kolchek’s station. Rebecca got her first glimpse of the long low building when Brooks came behind to help them out of the wagon. Aunt Belle had forbidden either her or Alicia to part the canvas for so much as a peek for fear their dresses would get dusty. “It’s hard enough dressing in such a confining space without dust billowing in as well,” she had said.

      The house was built of rough-hewn wood and completely devoid of paint. The roof didn’t even seem to be level. Alicia stepped up beside Rebecca as she studied the building. “That’s ghastly,” she whispered.

      “Rustic,” Rebecca corrected.

      Aunt Belle made an audible gasp as she climbed from the wagon. “My,” she said, joining the girls. The wagon clattered out of the yard, and Belle looked after it with something akin to panic.

      A large woman emerged from one of the three doors that ran along the front of the house. Shading her eyes with one hand she waved with the other. “Come on in out of the sun and have a cool drink. Dinner’ll be ready in no time.”

      “It’s bound to be cooler inside,” Belle said, stepping forward. Rebecca and Alicia followed her onto the porch.

      After they had all introduced themselves, Mrs. Kolchek expressed a need to get back to the kitchen. “You folks just make yourselves at home.”

      “I’d like to walk around a little,” Rebecca said. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”

      Alicia touched her mother’s arm. “I’ll go with Rebecca and see that she doesn’t take too long.”

      “Good idea.” Belle followed the woman into the station.

      “I hope you don’t mind,” Alicia said. “I wanted to apologize for letting Mother overhear your conversation with your lieutenant. I parted the canvas to see why we had stopped. It muffles sound quite effectively the rest of the time.”