A Headstrong Woman(101)

“Besides chicken, what’s his favorite?”

“Biscuits, Mashed potatoes, milk gravy, peas, green beans, and okra,” Alexandria answered without looking up.

Anna was watching her with a speculative stare.

“Did you ask him what he wanted?” Anna asked her.

“No, those are his favorites,” she answered with a frown at her sister.

“How do you know?”

“He eats with us almost every evening, Anna. It’s not too hard to figure out,” she shrugged.

“Now who could that be?” Millie mused when a knock sounded at the front door. She moved to answer it and returned a few moments later to inform Alexandria that it was for her. Alexandria entered the parlor to find Lane pacing it like a caged animal.

“Hello, Lane,” she said cautiously as her mind strayed to their last encounter.

“Alexandria, I want to know what is so repulsive about me that you would pull a stunt like this,” Lane demanded as he thrust the ad at her. Alexandria wanted to groan; this got worse each time it came up. “Mr. Moody says that I can’t hold the lien. Most judges would side with him, whether the law agrees or not. Mr. Moody is, however, willing to forgive and forget my debt if I’ll marry him.”

“He can’t do that!”

“Oh, believe me, he is,” Alexandria answered.

“That still doesn’t explain the ad. I want to marry you, Alexandria. There is no reason for you to marry a stranger.”

“Actually, Lane, Jonathon helped me see how crazy the idea was,” Alexandria told him.

Lane frowned, Jonathon again; the man foiled his plans at every turn.

“Thank God for small favors,” Lane said under his breath. “Marry me, Alexandria and I’ll see to it that this place is always yours. I was going to build a house but we can live here,” he tried persuading her.

“Lane, you deserve to be loved and love is not something I can give you,” she said gently.

“You could learn with time,” he said as he stepped closer to her and reached out to lightly grasp her arms.

“Lane, I can’t marry you,” she said more firmly.

“Can’t or won’t?” Lane’s voice rose. “Alexandria, I have loved you for three years. Three years! Do you know why I left town? Because I couldn’t stand the thought of watching you with Elijah, that’s why!” he yelled in her face. Alexandria frowned and tried stepping away from Lane. He tightened his hold. “I have waited for you for three years!”

“Lane, I never gave you any reason to believe…” Lane cut her off by kissing her roughly.

“Tell me you didn’t feel that?” his face was in hers.

“Let me go!” panic rose in her as images of Nick in her face surfaced in her mind. “Stop!” she screamed and tried to wrestle free from him.

Lane, confused by her sudden panic, frowned and tightened his grip to try calming her.

“Alexandria, calm down,” Lane urged.





Anna looked at Millie with wide eyes and hurried from the kitchen to go for one of the men. She knew better than to intervene herself. She spilled into the yard and started for the bunkhouse. She stopped and turned when she heard a rider approaching. She nearly collapsed with relief when she recognized Raven. She raised her skirts and started down the drive at a run. Jonathon frowned and reined Raven in as he slid from his mount and Anna approached.

“Th…thank God, you’re here. Alexand… Lane is here and Alex…please help!” she panted.

Jonathon bit back a curse and started for the house; Anna was struggling to keep up. He burst into the front door and skidded to a stop at the entry to the parlor.

“Calm down, Alexandria, I’m sorry I scared you, please…” Lane begged as she struggled against him.

“Let go of her you idiot!” Jonathon grabbed Lane by the collar of his shirt. Lane loosed his grip on Alexandria so abruptly that she landed hard on the floor. Anna collapsed by her sister and wrapped her arms around her.

“Get out!” Jonathon shoved Lane toward the door.

Lane glanced back at Alexandria where she sat sobbing in her sister’s arms. Had the woman gone crazy? A glance at Jonathon’s angry face propelled him out the door.

Jonathon returned to the parlor and squatted in front of the women. “What happened?” he asked.

“They were arguing and she started screaming. He wanted her to marry him, I caught that much; then things seemed to turn ugly,” Anna told him.