Page 26 of Seven Brides for Beau McBride (The McBrides of Montana #3)

“I know I’m supposed to like Virgil, but really I find him tedious. One must keep up one’s Latin, though.”

“Must one?” Beau smiled at her heavy resignation.

“If one expects to teach in a decent school, yes, one does,” she told him. Then she smiled too. “Although I was hoping those days were behind me when I answered your ad. I mean, Junebug’s ad.”

Beau blanched. “Sorry about that.”

“Your sister does strike me as a girl who needs some schooling herself,” Kate said, reaching for her stockings.

Hurriedly, Beau busied himself feeding his horse, pulling his gaze away from the flash of bare skin as her feet emerged from under her skirts. “No, we ain’t got any schools in these parts.”

“But there are all those Langer kids. And more over at the mining settlements, I’m told?”

“We only just got a butcher and a preacher. Give us time and we might get a schoolteacher too.”

“We? You have a butcher and a preacher up in Buck’s Creek?”

“No,” Beau admitted. “I meant Bitterroot. We only got a trading post and a smithy up there. And no kids anymore except Junebug.” He could hear the rustle of her skirts as she pulled her stockings on.

It made him antsy. “I guess I say ‘we’ because Buck’s Creek is kinda remote, and this is our nearest town, even though we’re four hours uphill. ”

“Remote sounds good to me. You can turn around now. I’ve got my boots on.” She sounded amused. “I’ve spent years in the midst of people, mostly children. The idea of some peace and quiet is mighty appealing.”

Beau could picture Kate in Buck’s Creek. She’d fit right in with her practicality and her forthrightness. And her diplomacy would sure come in handy. She was a distracting looking woman too. Copiously so.

“So, which one do you like?” Junebug asked, bailing him up when he went into Mrs. Champion’s cottage to wash up. She followed him into his room.

“Diana,” he said shortly. But he did wonder how he’d feel if he’d met them all before he’d written to Diana.

But he had written to Diana. He had the stack of letters in his bag to prove it.

Letters that were so well-read they were smudgy.

And those letters had turned his head something fierce.

If it was possible to fall in love via correspondence, then that’s what he’d done.

And the woman in the flesh was prettier than a dream.

He made sure to seek her out as soon as he’d washed up for dinner, feeling uneasy and queasy with guilt. Beau was determined to make sure they could have some alone time. So they could talk the way they had in all those letters.

“You seem to have had a busy day,” Diana said flatly, when he knocked on her door to escort her down to dinner. He’d stolen one of the dried flower arrangements from the dining room to offer her.

“Well, this is the highlight of it,” he told her, holding out the flowers.

She stared at him but said nothing.

He sighed. “Diana, I’m sorry. I know this is a right horrible situation for you. But please know it ain’t no picnic for me neither. If it were up to me…”

“It is up to you.” Her blue eyes met his. His palms started sweating and the words dried up. One of her elegant eyebrows rose archly. He wished he could think of a single thing to say to that.

Luckily Ellie came along before the silence could suffocate him.

“Flowers!” she exclaimed, sounding relieved. “He brought you flowers. Isn’t that wonderful, Diana?”

“Wonderful.” But Diana didn’t sound half as pleased as Ellie did, and Beau couldn’t blame her.

“I was hoping you might do me the pleasure of sitting with me at dinner again,” he blurted.

He gave Diana a nervous smile. “I asked Rigby to set us a table of our own. Just the two of us. So, we can, uh, get to know each other a little better.” Although, oh God, it meant he’d have to talk to her. And he was proving bad at it.

She loosened at mention of a private dinner. He saw it happen. The eyebrow lowered and her jaw unclenched. There was even a ghost of a smile as she took the dried flowers from him. “That sounds lovely.”

Beau shot Ellie a panicked look. She gave him an encouraging smile and shooed them downstairs.

As he escorted Diana into the dining room, which had been reconfigured tonight into smaller tables, he tried to remember how to converse.

The sight of all those pretty girls in their finery, watching him closely as he pulled out Diana’s chair for her, made him feel like a rabbit in a fox den.

Ellie mouthed the word compliments at him.

He swallowed hard and sat down.

“I have to confess something,” Diana told him softly as she unfurled her napkin across her lap. “I’m not the pie baking sort.”

Beau exhaled. Thank goodness she was starting things off. “That’s okay. It’s not high on my list of priorities in a wife.”

That pleased her. Her blue eyes gave a little twinkle. “It seems important to your sister.”

“It does. But Morgan’s wife bakes just fine, so there’s no need to worry yourself about Junebug’s stomach.” He could do this. He could talk to her.

“Copious and symmetrical attractions were high on your list, though,” Diana said slowly. “And there are plenty of those in this room.”

Over Diana’s shoulder, Ellie leaned sideways to catch his attention. She was sitting alone. Comp-li-ment her, she mouthed dramatically.

“Uh, not that compare to yours. You’ve got more attractions than all the rest combined,” he told Diana baldly. He winced and glanced at Ellie, but she was no help at all. Rigby had delivered her food, and she was staring at it exultantly. She liked eating as much as Junebug liked pies.

Diana followed his gaze, turning to find Ellie alone at her table. “Oh, El,” she sighed. “Do you mind if she joins us?” she asked Beau. She seemed pained. “I hate to see her alone. I feel bad enough that she’ll be alone after we… I mean… if…” She cleared her throat.

“I don’t mind.” Beau jumped to his feet, a gush of relief washing over him.

He tried not to think about why that was.

It was unsettling to be averse to being alone with your own bride-to-be.

It was just nerves, he reassured himself.

And nerves meant you had feelings for a girl, didn’t they? Which was a good sign.

He couldn’t deny he relaxed as soon as they settled Ellie between them. And he thought Diana did too.

But maybe that was just his imagination.