Lily bit her lip and told herself furiously not to cry. Her tears would be angry, frustrated tears, and she didn’t wish to appear that way to Elijah. Again Lily reconsidered her decision to allow the preacher to court her. For months she had rejected his advances, but he was so persistent and her parents so adamant that she allow the courtship to happen that she eventually agreed. Her parents wanted their youngest to be married off and well taken care of like her sisters before her, and they thought only of practical matters, not matters to do with the heart.
Elijah showered her with attention, and he noticed everything about her, which was something Lily had always longed for. The trouble was that he noticed her and didn’t accept her. Lily continued to run her hand along the top of her dress. “I will do your bidding and remake the dress, Elijah,” she said, struggling to keep the tremor out of her voice. She needed to get away from him for a while, to try to repair her hurt feelings, and to think about how to survive the life she was preparing to lead with the preacher.
“Wise decision, Lily,” he responded. He tipped his hat, then turned and walked in the direction of the chapel.
Lily quickly walked the other way, toward the seamstress’s shop. Distracted by her thoughts, she slammed into someone with such force that she would have fallen back hard on her backside if her arms had not been immediately grabbed by the recipient of her impact. She looked up to see who’d caught her, and the man’s grip on her loosened as she did.
She flushed. “I’m dreadfully sorry, Jesse. I wasn’t paying attention. Did I hurt you?”
He smiled and removed his tan Stetson from his head. “Hello there, Miss Lily. No, you didn’t hurt me. But if you had, it would have been the pleasantest possible way of getting hurt. Are you all right?”
“Yes,” she said, looking down and brushing off imaginary dirt from her skirt. The feeling of his strong hands on her arms stayed with her, and she marveled at the deep, soothing sound of his voice.
“Where are you off to in such an all-fired hurry?”
“The seamstress,” she answered. “I need to buy some new calico material and make some alterations to this dress.”
“Ah. I can see how that might be a task requiring urgency,” he teased, and she blushed again. “Allow me to escort you. I would like to ensure the safety of other men along the sidewalk.”
She grinned and fell into step beside him. She tried not to analyze the rush of feelings she was experiencing. Jesse’s presence always gave her the sensation of a million soft pinpricks to her skin. She felt attracted to him in a way she’d never felt toward any man, but usually she was able to ignore it. With his body so close to hers, however, it was difficult to deny the spark of desire she felt.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” he said. “Soon I will need to call you Mrs. Lily.”
She quickly corrected him. “No, Elijah and I are not engaged yet, but he’s been courting me for a month or so now.”
The two of them stopped outside of the seamstress’s shop. “Well, it’s only a matter of time before he proposes, if he has a lick of sense.” He paused, then mused, “From aspiring saloon girl to aspiring preacher’s wife.”
His words saddened her, as they brought to mind all of the dreams she’d put to bed when she accepted Elijah’s offer of courtship. Becoming an entertainer like the Red Rose would never happen, since Elijah didn’t even like it when she sang in private. She looked down and tried to not think about her other ignored dream, which was to be courted by the man standing in front of her.
Jesse cleared his throat. “It might not be entirely proper for me to say, but I think you look all-to-pieces lovely in that dress. Is it new? I don’t recall seeing it before.”
Lily felt a lump growing in her throat. His compliment brought her bittersweet happiness. She loved that he noticed and liked her appearance, but it also served to highlight the preacher’s constant criticism.
Without making eye contact, she said, “I’m sorry, Jesse. I just remembered something I have to attend to immediately at the farm. Good day.” She turned and walked away quickly, her eyes blurring with tears. When she reached the edge of town, she broke into a jog and ran the rest of the way home.
Jesse watched her retreat and felt sharp pangs of regret. He hadn’t meant to offend her, though he could understand how he had. It wasn’t proper for him to comment on her appearance when she was practically engaged to another man. He groaned and walked in the direction of the saloon.