A Headstrong Woman(29)
“Obviously it does concern you or it wouldn’t be a sore spot,” he argued.
“It is not a sore spot, Mr. Stewart,” Alexandria corrected him.
“Do me a favor please? If we’re going to be working together every day do you think you could call me Jonathon?” he looked her direction to determine if she was offended.
“Okay, Jonathon, you can call me Alexandria.”
“How did you meet Elijah, Alexandria?” Jonathon changed the subject.
“I’ve always known Elijah.” Alexandria, not wanting to get into an explanation, shrugged.
It was quiet for a moment before Jonathon spoke again.
“The boys teased you in school right?” Jonathon glanced at her.
“What?” Alexandria frowned at him.
“About your height.”
“Relentlessly,” she admitted. “If not for my mama I might have spent the whole of my school years walking like a hunch back so as not to draw attention to my height.”
“They were either threatened or trying to flirt. Boys can be kind of stupid that way.”
“Trust me they weren’t. Later, it was my petite sisters and friends who got all the callers and attention; it didn’t take me long to figure out the men were put off by my height,” she added.
“I don’t think it was your height that intimidated them,” he countered.
“Intimidated them!” Alexandria’s look was both incredulous and somewhat demeaning as though she felt Jonathon was off his rocker.
“Alexandria, I don’t know you well and haven’t known you long, but as soon as you’re threatened you throw up this front of cool confidence. A confident woman can be very intimidating to a young man,” Jonathon told her.
“No,” Alexandria dismissed him with a shake of her head.
“That’s why your friend had come rushing back into town?”
“What friend; what are you talking about?”
“At the funeral.”
“Lane?” Alexandria was totally flabbergasted. “I have known Lane my entire life!”
“All the more reason you wouldn’t notice.”
“Notice what?”
“The way he watched you.”
“He felt sorry for me; I had just buried my husband.”
“If you say so. There’s also your neighbor who was fawning over you at the house.”
“What neighbor? When did this happen?”
Alexandria’s look was rather comical and Jonathon realized she was completely oblivious of her own beauty.
“I think he owns the land to the west of you.”
“Tristan?” Alexandria was shaking her head again. “Tristan can have his pick of nearly any woman in town, despite all their parent’s warning.”
“I take it he has a reputation?”
“Notorious,” Alexandria confirmed.
“I say you’re blind to men’s interest and that they’re too intimidated to make them known.”
“As I stated, it doesn’t matter,” Alexandria insisted. “Your turn, you have developed quite a following at church, surely you’re aware of that?”
“Perhaps some time in the future I might decide to marry one of them,” he shrugged.
“But not now?”
“No.”
“Then stop fussing at me,” she said triumphantly.
“Point taken,” he smiled; his eyes were twinkling. He wasn’t sure how they had ended up on the topic in the first place though he figured it was only logical that she would remarry and probably in the not too distant future. It was odd for young, propertied widows to remain single for long. If nothing else survival dictated they remarry with haste.
Alexandria wasted no time in getting started upon arriving in town. She entered the dry goods store, measurements in hand and started selecting merchandise. She looked up about half way through her list to find Tristan approaching.
“Mrs. Morris, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you to town on such a cool day?”
“Hello, Mr. Price. I needed to pick up a few items that I had to select for myself. How are you?”
“I’m well. Are you managing okay? Word is you’re keeping the ranch.”
“I am,” she nodded.
“If I can ever help, please let me know.”
“I’ll keep your offer in mind, Mr. Price.”