Heart of Gold (A Gold Rush Romance) Read Free Page B

exposed skin.
    So why was she picturing it? Alice had always known that her imagination, her constantly whirring mind, was a hindrance, but this was really going too far. She would need to be very careful to stay in control of herself, and keep her distance as much as possible.
     
    Thomas was nearly giddy. The intriguing Miss Crenshaw was in his house for the entire evening. He had felt the pull of attraction since he met her at a large supper party he attended with Joe’s parents several weeks ago when he first arrived in Shasta. He had been disappointed when there had not been much time or opportunity for him to get to know her better. She had constantly been engaged with others, and he was forced to follow proper etiquette as the new visitor in town and meet everyone, when all he wanted was to speak to this enchanting woman.
    Her bottle-green eyes had caught his interest from the outset—they showed so much more emotion than her calm and pleasant outward demeanor ever displayed. It made him want to know what was happening behind the mask.
    And there was more. Just looking at her sent fire through his veins. Something about the petite woman and her slender form, even the way she stood, as if she was constantly on display, called to him. Everything about her was interesting and made him yearn to find out who she was, and the more he had noticed her, the more hints he found that she might not be the person she appeared to be, or at least not only that.
    Her tight bun and the plain dresses that hid as much as possible bespoke a no-nonsense schoolmarm, but the way her eyebrows arched, the slight edge in her voice, the curve of her lips, all hinted at a different woman underneath. He wanted to know who that other woman was. The real her. She was intelligent, certainly, and sweet enough. That shone through at all times. But she also seemed like she might perhaps be a little fiery, or possibly even whimsical. Or both. He had no idea, but he was going to work hard to find out.
    And if she could assist him with Joe, get the boy to talk to him, so much the better.
    As he showed her and the matronly woman who escorted her to the sitting room, he pictured laughing with Joe, perhaps even—God help him—getting a hug from his nephew-now-adopted-son. Anything but this cold disregard and flashes of anger he had been subjected to since the death of the boy’s parents.
    While they waited for supper to be served, Thomas sat in a chair in the corner of the room as Mrs. Leach, Joe, and Miss Crenshaw interacted. He watched Miss Crenshaw more closely than the others; she was a puzzle he couldn’t help but try to solve. She had seated herself on the couch in the corner of the room, with Mrs. Leach on the outside, essentially putting herself as far from him as she possibly could, and she kept her eyes on Mrs. Leach and Joe, avoiding his gaze.
    The other times they had met, she stayed away from him, too, but he had assumed it was because there was nothing for them to talk about and she had no reason to give him her attention; this, however, was purposeful evasion. His mind whirred, curious.
    It was clear he made her uncomfortable. He needed to figure out if it was a bad kind or a good kind of uncomfortable—like the good kind of uncomfortable he felt when he looked at her. He didn’t even attempt to lie to himself that it mattered little.
    Joe was explaining his Erector set to the women, going through each part of the building he was in the process of creating in excruciating detail. It made Thomas’s heart shrivel slightly. He had gotten Joe the elaborate set when he first came to visit, brought it with him on the long journey from a special shop in St. Louis. An extravagant toy, but he was so happy to meet his sister’s son that it was worth the expense.
    And at first Joe had spoken to Thomas the same way he was now speaking to the two women, showing him every detail in his enthusiasm. Since the accident, though, any time Thomas tried to