Lily regarded him. He looked harmless and mild, and she determined after a few moments that it wouldn’t hurt anything to hear him out. She would give him a chance to speak. Then she would end the courtship and be done with him.
As he helped her into the buggy, she was already imagining how life would change with Elijah no longer courting her. She’d be able to wear her favorite blue dress and sing freely without worrying about someone accusing her of vanity or attention-seeking. She thought about Jesse and wondered if he would ask to court her. She dared to hope that the good feelings he said he had were romantic in nature.
Elijah slapped the reins on the horse’s back, and the two of them set out for town. Lily remained silent with her head down. She fidgeted nervously with the sleeves of her dress, which no longer had lace around the edges. She waited for Elijah to say what he wanted to say, and her heart pounded at the thought of telling him she wished to end the courtship.
Elijah spoke after they had driven out of sight of the farm. “Don’t ever make me beg for your presence again. Your duty is to stand by me, and that’s what you’ll do from now on.”
Lily’s head popped up at the sound of his voice, which was threatening. He could have said that he wanted to kill her in the same tone. It had the opposite effect of what Elijah must have thought it might. It gave her the strength she needed to end the courtship. He had just removed any trace of doubt that she’d had about his bad character.
She was about to tell him so when she spotted a man on horseback trotting toward them. Her breath hitched when the rider neared enough for her to see who it was. Her stomach fluttered, both from delight at seeing him and from nerves at the realization that she was two shakes away from being caught disobeying him.
Her nervousness quickly overshadowed her delight when Jesse pulled up next to the buggy and regarded her with a very angry expression on his face. He wore faded tight denims that showed muscular thighs flexing over the saddle, and she thought to herself he looked more like a fearsome cowboy than a mannerly musician.
Elijah pulled the buggy to a stop. “You sure like to show up where you’re not wanted,” he snarled at Jesse.
Jesse crossed his wrists atop the saddle’s pommel in a deceptively relaxed pose. His left hand held the slack reins. “I might say the same about you,” he countered.
“If you refer to my supposed presence at the saloon, you know very well I wasn’t there. I’m a man of God. You falsely accused me, and God will punish you for your lies,” Elijah said.
Lily couldn’t take her eyes off of Jesse’s face with its clenched jaw and eyes shooting daggers. She’d never seen a man look so handsome and fierce. It made her feel weak. She’d probably sink to the ground if she wasn’t seated and supported by the buggy seat. Her stomach tightened into more knots when Jesse turned his hard expression her way.
“Lily, are you here with Elijah of your own accord?”
She understood the reason for the simple question. He wanted to know that she was safe and hadn’t been forced into leaving with Elijah, and he also wanted to know if she had disobeyed him.
“Of course she’s here of her own accord,” Elijah exclaimed. “You think I kidnapped my own fiancée?”
“I wasn’t speaking to you,” Jesse replied, not removing his piercing eyes from Lily’s face.
It didn’t cross Lily’s mind to lie. She wanted only to apologize and to be forgiven. She spoke quietly. “I went willingly, but I shouldn’t have. I’m truly sorry, Jesse.”
“Why are you apologizing to him?” Elijah asked, flummoxed.
Lily barely heard him. The anger and disappointment in Jesse’s eyes were enough to make her cry. A large tear tracked her face.
Jesse urged his horse forward and reined in next to where Lily sat. He grasped her chin and pulled her face forward, the strength in his hand apparent though the touch was gentle. Staring hard into her wet eyes, he said, “You’re sitting next to a vicious man who sliced a woman’s face open with a knife. How dare you go somewhere alone with him? How dare you put yourself in danger?”
“Enough!” Elijah shouted. “I was right about you,” he growled. “You’re sweet on her, that’s why you’re making up lies about me.” Elijah continued to bellow, threatening the Lord’s wrath and quoting scriptures while Jesse and Lily’s eyes remained locked.
Jesse didn’t give Elijah so much as a sideways glance. He continued to speak to Lily. “You’re going to end things with the preacher. Right now. Say what you need to say, and then I’m taking you home.” He released her chin and sat back in his saddle.
Lily didn’t hesitate. She turned to look at Elijah. “I don’t wish to continue our relationship. The courtship is over,” she said simply. She looked at Jesse, and he nodded his approval.