The bay mare that they were driving tonight, however, was technically Tess’s. It had been a birthday gift, although her father still acted as if he were lord and master over his entire domain, including all the horses, even hers.
Without waiting for assistance she approached the side of the cabriolet, hiked her skirts, placed a booted foot on the small step and reached for a handhold with which to pull herself aboard.
The oversize coat was a bother because it hampered her freedom of movement. Nevertheless, she did not intend to stand there and wait for a bossy man who obviously didn’t think she could take care of herself.
She grasped the slim metal roof supports with gloved hands and pulled herself up. Or tried to. She did lift partway off the ground but that was as far as she got. Not only was she stopped abruptly when a portion of the hem of her coat was caught beneath her boot, that yanking action caused her to lose her grip.
Tess was badly off balance before she even realized she’d made an error. Arms cartwheeling like the blades of a misaligned windmill, her body stretched and began a slow motion, backward arc.
Annie screeched. “Look out!”
Tess gritted her teeth. In the split second it took her to realize what was happening, she barely had time to hope her fall wasn’t going to harm her best friend.
Gasping once, Tess stifled a scream. She threw her arms back to try to catch herself, fully expecting to feel the impact of the cobblestones through her skirt and petticoats as she landed.
Then, suddenly, she was caught up in strong arms that swung her away from Annie and safeguarded them both.
“I’ve gotcha. You’re okay,” Michael said, sounding breathless.
Tess’s instincts for self-preservation kicked in and she sensibly looped one arm around his neck to stabilize herself. That brought their faces closer together than they had ever been before.
Her eyes widened. The brim of her elaborately decorated hat was the only thing keeping them apart and she could feel his warm breath through the veil.
She wanted to speak in her own defense, perhaps even to chastise him for taking such liberties. But no suitable words came to her, nor could she seem to find enough fresh air to satisfy her needs.
Michael stared into her eyes. He was not smiling. “Are you all right, Miss Clark?”
Tess tried to take another usable breath, this time succeeding. “Yes.” It was hardly more than a hoarse whisper.
She found it impossible to look away, to tear her gaze from Michael’s. Eyes that she had always known were a rich brown had become bottomless pools of indescribable emotion. Their eddies whirled, drawing her further and further in until she was as lost in their depths as a hapless mariner abroad in a hurricane.
Still, Michael held her close. Neither of them moved. Neither spoke. Tess noticed for the first time that she was actually embracing him and she knew it was wrong to continue to do so. She was also unwilling to relax her hold even a smidgen.
It was Annie whose words finally brought Tess to her senses. The girl grasped her sleeve. “Miss Tess! Are you all right? Are you faint?”
“No.” The denial didn’t sound nearly as firm as she’d intended. She began lean sideways and to push her rescuer away. “I’ll thank you to put me down.”
“Gladly.” Michael set her on her feet so abruptly that Tess swayed for a moment. Although she knew instinctively that he was close enough to catch her again if she faltered, she was determined to thwart any such efforts.
Instead, she reached for Annie’s hand to steady herself. “My coat was caught. I think I may have stepped on the hem. I’m fine, now.”
“I know. I saw,” Annie said. “I’m so sorry. If I’d realized sooner I’d have helped…”
Behind them Michael cleared his throat. “If you ladies are through making apologies, I suggest we be on our way. Once that lecture is over and the crowd disperses, we could be delayed a long time by traffic.”
“I agree,” Tess said.
She took the hand he offered, careful to keep from looking directly at him as she gracefully gained her seat and scooted over to make room for Annie.
What on earth had just happened between her and Michael? She could barely think, let alone recall every thing that had transpired. He had caught her and kept her from falling, of that she was certain, but in the ensuing seconds something extraordinary had passed between them. Something she had never before felt with anyone, let alone an appealing man like him.
There had been a depth to their poignant bond that was inexpressible. And he had felt it, too. She knew he had. Chances were good that he’d be able to continue to mask his emotional involvement but she wasn’t fooled. She’d seen it in his eyes, had felt it in the way he’d held her close. Michael Mahoney had been every bit as touched as she had and no amount of rational thought was ever going to convince her otherwise.
Rational thought? Tess had to smile. There was nothing rational about the way she was beginning to feel about Michael. On the contrary, if she had been anyone but who she was, she might have been foolish enough to imagine she was falling in love with the handsome fireman.
That was impossible, of course. Tess’s smile waned. She sighed. Some things might be changing in the way women perceived themselves but certain constraints of society could never be breached. One of them was the proper choice of a mate. She had standards to uphold. Duties to fulfill. She had already taken on some of the tasks inherent in running her father’s home, such as acting as hostess when he entertained the hoi polloi of San Francisco. There was no way to continue to do that if she turned her back on her place in the normal scheme of things.
A sadness settled over Tess the way the fog often shrouded the bay. Why was it so easy for her to accept Annie and others like her, yet fail to fully accept the person she herself really was?
Michael didn’t speak to his passengers again until he brought the buggy to a halt in front of the Clark estate. The way he viewed the situation, the less he tried to explain, the better. Besides, he hadn’t had time to sort out his thoughts regarding the astounding way Tess had reacted when he’d raced to the rescue and caught her.
I couldn’t stand back and let her fall, he insisted, wondering if perhaps he should have done just that. He was beginning to see that his strong sense of chivalry might prove to be his undoing—unless he was very, very careful in the future.
It was going to be at least another year, maybe longer, before he’d be financially able to support his mother. If she lost her job at the Clarks’ before that time, it would be a serious hardship. And if Gerald Clark had the slightest notion that his only daughter was being squired all over San Francisco by his cook’s son, that was exactly what would happen.
Michael steeled himself for the berating he was certain Tess would deliver in parting. As long as he remained duly deferential, no matter how much it hurt his pride to do so, he figured the evening would end fairly well, considering.
As he prepared to help the ladies disembark, a young groom joined him and took hold of the mare’s bridle.
Michael first helped Annie down, then offered his hand to Tess. So far, so good, he thought. Then he made the mistake of looking into those lovely eyes once again. They glistened like fresh drops of rain on a rose. And her cheeks reminded him of the velvety pink petals.
He blinked to clear his thoughts, to refocus on the task at hand without making a worse fool of himself than he already had. Unfortunately for him, Tess smiled and his heart sped as a direct result.
“Thank you,” she said pleasantly as she stepped down. “It was good of you to agree to accompany us this evening.”
Michael bowed slightly and released her