To Love an Outlaw (Into the West #1) (A Wattpad Reading List Choice)

Chapter 16

 

On the morning of the barn raising, Callie woke earlier than usual, excited about being able to go out in public with Sonny McQuade to the event. The man melted her more than the Texas sun, just by giving a direct look with those icy blue eyes that warmed like a summer rain when they held hers. She wanted to display that giddiness to the rest of the world, to let everyone see her happiness. It was amazing how a few short months ago she would never have dreamed that being around a particular man would bring her this much joy. Back then she’d measured her contentment in a solitary life, with herself at the reins of the decision-making. Of course, that had not changed now; she just had someone she might be able to share in with her gladness.

Tripping downstairs like a young debutante going to her first ball, Callie West hummed a little tune as she readied the stove and kettle. Taking out the cornbread biscuits she’d baked, she divvied them up into two piles to give to Noah and Mr. McQuade, who were leaving early to get started on the building of the barn. Callie and the other women would show up near midday with the food and drink the men would certainly be clamoring for by then.

After slicing off some cold beef and filling two flasks with lemonade, Callie took a moment to sip the fresh brewed coffee she’d just prepared, as well as take a good hunk of cornbread for her own breakfast. Glancing out the kitchen window, the widow saw movement in the shadows of the barn, but was instantly rewarded by the sight of Sonny McQuade swinging down off his horse and speaking with Noah, who remained in the shadows of that building.

He was here already! Sonny had arrived! She could call him that in her head, though he was still Mr. McQuade out in front of people. Her heart skipped a beat, even as she admonished herself to wrap their midday nourishment and get it out to the two men.

Following thought with actions, Callie made short work of the chore and headed for the kitchen door, heartbeat quickening at the notion that she would be face-to-face with the gunfighter in a matter of minutes. Since the thunderstorm, Callie and Sonny had exchanged pleasantries, had even worked Second Chance together, but Noah Lawson, bless his soul, had always been present. The widow and her beau had been relegated to meaningful looks and speaking glances. Perhaps tonight she might feel his arms wrapped around her in a waltz, or brush her lips across his mouth in a secret kiss… Callie’s insides squished deliciously at the very thought.

This was how a woman should feel around a man! This eagerness, this building excitement at the very thought of being in a certain man’s presence! She felt hot, cold, eager, and nervous, all at once. She patted at her upswept hair; smoothed her skirt in preparation of approaching the gunfighter. Callie wished she could be brazen enough to go out there right now and pull his head down to hers, to whisper in his ear that she’d missed the feel of his body in her embrace, his mouth against hers…

Oh, heck! All these thoughts were just making Callie all hot and bothered, and where could the whole lot lead anyway, right now? He had to be somewhere, she had to prepare for the midday meal, and they both had a teenage audience in their midst! The most she’d succeeded in doing is flush her face and plaster her dress to her body in heated desire! She needed to get a grip on these girlish emotions and be content to wait for the celebration in the evening. But, oh, just his eyes!—

Growling at how easily she got off task, Callie slammed her bonnet onto her hair and tied it under her chin mercilessly, without even a glance toward a mirror, before snatching up the care packages she’d dropped onto the kitchen table during her mooning. She headed out the kitchen door, determined to keep her fantasies in check.

As the widow approached the men with determined strides, she could hear Noah discussing the day’s events with the gunfighter, whom she forced herself not to look at just yet. Act mature, you little fool, and not like a girl Noah’s age!