NoRegretsColeNC (11 page)

“You
trust me, don’t you?” Willie’s heart raced, scarcely believing the eagerness
with which she’d spoken.

“I’m
not sure.” She gazed out over the creek, watching the water ripple past.

Life
was passing by, too.
So quickly.

“Do it,
Hattie,” he urged. “Forget all the rules. Remember how good it felt this
morning when you climbed down from that wagon? You were doing what
you
wanted, not what you thought you
were
supposed
to do. That’s what
happiness is all about. Make your life worth living. No regrets,” he reminded
her.

“No
regrets,” she repeated with a hesitant smile. “I like that philosophy. I truly
do.” For a moment longer, she watched the current flow. At last, she turned
toward him. “What about you? Do you want to come to the end of your life,
Willie, and look back at all the things you should have done?”

“Like
studying the law?
Is that what you’re getting at?” He exhaled slowly. “I do have a few of my
father’s law books now, but—”

Hattie’s
breasts rose as she drew in a deep breath then thrust out her hand. “I’m
willing to strike a bargain with you. I’ll trust you, and I’ll come to the
boarding house on Friday evening. In return, you’ll dust off those law books
and start studying for the examination. Is it a deal?”

He
clasped her hand in his. “You do like making bargains, don’t you,” he teased,
recalling the agreement they’d made while he was hospitalized. Never mind that
she’d been caught and hadn’t kept her end of it. In truth, she’d risked her
career for him.

“Negotiation
is a necessary skill in life. If the results are mutually beneficial, then
where’s the harm?”

Willie
smiled. Surely there must be an appropriate platitude for the occasion, but he
couldn’t think of one.
Hmmm…maybe the one about fools rushing
in?

* * *
*

Late on
Friday afternoon, Hattie stood before her mirror, turning from side to side.
Should she wear her fancy dress? Years before, while attending school, she’d
worked at odd jobs, then scrimped and saved to have the beautiful, lace-adorned
garment made for her, in hopes of fitting in with her classmates. She’d spent a
great deal on the costume, thinking every young woman should have at least one
frock for special occasions, and hoping all the while that she might someday
have such an occasion on which to wear it.

Now,
she hesitated. Would Willie perhaps think her too vain or too extravagant? She
considered changing but worried at once that he might then think it quite
inconsiderate of her to wear one of her tired old dresses for such a festive
occasion.

A
birthday
should
be festive, and if
she had a proper one, she’d certainly want to celebrate it with style.

Thankfully,
a tap at the door caught her attention before her thoughts could turn morose.
No reason for her to feel sorry for herself. She had a lovely evening planned
with a quite attractive young man. The fact that the widow Tansy Godwin would
be away made it all the more exciting.

The
knocking put a quick end to Hattie’s indecision. She would wear the new gown
with its delicate lace trimmings and slightly immodest neckline. Before opening
the door, she grabbed her lacy shawl and threw it around her shoulders.

“Good
evening, Mrs. Kellerman.” The greeting came out in a breathless rush. Hattie
tried to compose herself somewhat, but she couldn’t contain her excitement. Never
in her life had she ever done anything so deliciously wrong. Going to Willie’s
room would be absolutely immoral, but, of course, no one would ever know. The
thrill of keeping a secret made Hattie’s pulse race.

“You’re
certainly gussied up.” Charlotte drew back and gave one of her famous
once-overs
, taking note of every facet
of Hattie’s appearance, from the loose knot of hair piled atop her head to the
soft-soled slippers upon her feet.

Hattie
gulped and checked her image in the mirror once more. Indeed, she looked as
guilty as she suddenly felt. Lying, she knew, came easily to some people. Why
did it have to be so difficult for her?

“I told
you where I was going. I’ll be properly chaperoned by Emily Sue and her
husband.” As the words spilled out, Hattie’s mind raced to remember the precise
details of the story she’d concocted for the woman’s benefit. A group of
friends from school were having a celebration. Both she and her former roommate
at Miss
Brundage’s
Female Academy had been invited. A
bit flimsy, but what she chose to do on her own time was really none of
Charlotte Kellerman’s business. “I’d love to chat longer, but I agreed to meet
them at four-thirty. It’s already a quarter past.” Pulling her shawl tighter
around her shoulders, Hattie turned toward the door.

“It’s a
long drive to Denver.”

“Yes,
which is exactly why I’m in such a rush.
”

“Seems
peculiar that your friends aren’t picking you up here.”

“It’s a
bit out of the way, actually.
Much easier for me to walk to
the main road.”
She hated argument of any sort and wanted only to get
away as quickly as possible. Hattie grabbed her reticule. “Don’t wait up for
me, Mrs. Kellerman. I’ll most likely be late.”

* * *
*

When
Willie opened the door for her, Hattie hesitated. To step inside and follow him
upstairs to his room would be analogous to the nursery-rhyme fly eagerly
walking into the spider’s lair.

She
knew the poem well, especially its chilling final lines warning that
whomever
climbed those stairs would never come down again.
The thought actually made her laugh out loud.

“Did I
say something wrong? Did I do something?”
Willie—who looked
as flustered as Hattie felt—glanced around the tiny entry room.

Her
throat constricted, and even though she wanted to make a teasing remark that
might set them both at ease, Hattie couldn’t get a word out. She managed to
shake her head.

“Did
anybody see you?” Willie leaned around her and peered out toward the streets.
“Your reputation would be forfeit if the good ladies of this town knew you were
here.” Reaching out, he took her shawl,
then
gave an
appreciative whistle. “You look lovely, Hattie.”

His
gaze lingered on her breasts. Hattie quickly folded her arms across her chest.

“I
don’t think anyone saw me, but I can’t be certain.” She bit her lip, realizing
the need for caution. “Widow Godwin is away? You’re sure of it?” When Willie
nodded, some of the tension dissipated. “Are there any other boarders? Is
anyone likely to come in?”

“Only Mr.
Miller,
and he’s as deaf as that doorknob.” He gestured toward the ornate polished
handle. “Besides, the old gent goes to bed with the chickens and sleeps like a
log all night. I know he’s already turned in. I checked on him earlier.”

Hattie couldn’t suppress her mirth.
“Listen to yourself, Willie Morse.” The teasing banter came easily now.
Being with Willie somehow made her feel relaxed, almost peaceful.
“You fuss about me reciting proverbs and adages, and now you seem to have
caught the habit, too.”

“So I have. It’s all because of you, of
course.”

Hattie gulped. What did he mean by
that? Was he having second thoughts, was he about to tell her they were perhaps
spending
too much
time together? She
braced herself. But the rejection didn’t come. Willie smiled, held out his arm,
and together they strolled up the stairs.

“Close your eyes,” he told her as they
stood at the threshold. “Don’t open them until I tell you.”

“All right.”
She loved the mystery, the excitement, the suspense. Hattie clung to his arm.
With her eyes tightly closed, she listened closely as Willie turned the knob
and pushed the door open. He guided her steps.

“You can open your eyes now.”

The sight awaiting her took her breath
away.

“Oh, my!”
Hattie gasped to see a small lace-covered table, carefully laid out with
elegant place settings, crystal stemware, and sterling silver. A small bowl of
freshly-cut tea roses served as an exquisite centerpiece. “Willie, you did all
of this?”

You
did all of this for me?

“Yes, Hattie. Do you like it?”

“Where did you get these plates?” she
asked, running a finger over the gold rim. A horrid thought crossed her mind.
“You didn’t get into Widow Godwin’s china closet, did you? If she finds out—”

“I brought them back from Denver. My
mother insisted. Actually, they’re not all that fine.” He picked one up and
turned it over, revealing several nicks. “It’s one of her old sets. I tried to
tell her I wouldn’t really have any use for them, but you know how mothers
are.” He coughed. “No, I don’t guess you do. I’m sorry, that was a thoughtless
thing for me to say.”

“It’s all right.” Hattie was beginning
to feel a bit awkward, not because of anything he’d said or done, but from the
very idea of being alone with Willie in what was, actually, a very intimate
setting, complete with candlelight and tea roses. “When you invited me over, I
wasn’t expecting anything like this.” She gestured toward the table. “Are we
having dinner here?”

“We are, indeed.”

“Did you cook? Where?
How?”
She glanced about the little room, taking it all in
for the first time. From the moment he’d first ushered her in, her attention
had been focused on the table, nothing else. Now, she noticed the bed pushed up
against the wall, the small night stand and dresser crammed into the corner.
The room provided only the barest furnishings, reminding her of the cramped
little dormitory she’d shared with Emily Sue at the female academy.

“I set the table, but I didn’t cook the
meal myself,” Willie said. “I hope you’re not disappointed. I don’t have any
culinary skills.”

“No, I wouldn’t expect you to know much
about cooking. I wasn’t expecting to be served dinner.” Hattie wasn’t sure
exactly what she had expected. “When you invited me, here, I guess I thought
we’d sit and chat, share a few thoughts.” Each passing moment found her growing
more nervous. “I intended to wish you a happy birthday, of course.”

“I took the liberty of ordering meals
from the café. I hope you like hashed meat. It comes with cooked onions.
Potatoes, too.”
He opened a drawer in the night stand,
pulled out two string-tied boxes, and handed one to her. “I bought a bottle of
wine, too.”

“You’ve started drinking again?” Dismay
filled her voice.

“One glass of wine isn’t going to harm
me, Hattie Mae. It won’t harm you, either.” He pulled out a bottle. “You’re
looking a bit anxious, you know.”

Yes, she knew.

“To tell the truth, I’m feeling a bit
anxious. I’ve never done anything like this before. I mean, I know you’re going
to be a gentleman. That was our agreement, and I do trust you. All the same, I
wasn’t perfectly honest with the Kellermans. I told them I was going to Denver
with friends.”

“You lied?” Willie laughed. “I can’t
believe my ears.”

She hated to admit it, but, yes, she’d
lied, although she preferred to think of it as merely a little fib. It wasn’t.
It was an outright lie. Hattie winced.

“I do feel awful about it. Maybe this
wasn’t such a good idea. I think I should go now.” She turned, ready to bolt
for the door, but Willie caught hold of her hand.

“You can’t leave. Don’t you see? What
would you tell the Kellermans? How would you explain why you’d returned so early?”
He stared up toward the ceiling, his lips pressed together. “To go to Denver
and back…” He grinned. “And, of course, you’d have to account for spending a
little time there. What are you supposed to be doing in Denver?”

Hattie lowered her gaze.
“Attending a school reunion.
A dance.”

“At the Female Academy?”
He burst into a fit of laughter. “And the Kellermans believed that story? Don’t
they know that old spinster headmistress would never allow such a thing?”

“That’s not at all how I put it. I do
have some wits about me.” She threw a pointed look in his direction. “I said I
was attending a reunion hosted by friends from school…in a private residence,
of course.”

“Very clever of you.”

“Yes, I thought it was.”

Willie folded his arms and grinned. He
leaned back on his heels. “So, you can’t possibly go back to the Kellerman’s
residence until midnight, at the earliest.”

“Oh, I suppose you’re right.” Hattie
realized how little thought she’d given to her plan. Or had she done this
purposefully? Had she deliberately created a situation which would force her to
spend hours alone with Willie? Heat rushed to her face. “I guess I should have
discussed it with you first. Gracious knows
,
I’m sure
you’ll want me out of here long before midnight.”