Lips That Touch Mine Read Free Page B

surprises, and I don't
accept gifts from men."
    "It's not a gift. It's an invoice for
replacing my window."
    Her eyebrows jerked up with such surprise, he
bit his lip to stop his grin.
    "Well, in that case," she said, thoroughly
flustered as she opened her hand. "I won't apologize for doing it,
but I will accept responsibility."
    Instead of an invoice, Boyd placed the
carving on her palm.
    She frowned, her gaze moving between his face
and the small sculpted piece of wood. "What is this?"
    "I couldn't find any wildflowers in my back
yard, so I brought you this bouquet." He shrugged. "It was the best
I could do in the middle of winter."
    She lifted the carving closer to her eyes and
let out a small gasp. "Where did you get this?"
    "I made it."
    "You did not."
    "I did."
    Wordlessly, she studied the tiny, intricately
carved bouquet of roses that he'd dabbled with for the last few
months, hoping to find the talent and desire to finish the statue
he'd started seven years earlier. All he'd ended with was something
he planned to feed to the stove.
    "This is incredible." She met his gaze, her
own unguarded for the first time. "Did you really carve this?"
    "Yes. And it's really for you."
    She studied it a moment longer then held the
carving out to him. "I don't accept gifts from men. They always
come attached with an obligation to return something."
    "Do you accept apologies?"
    "Of course."
    "Then this is my apology, in material form,
for disturbing you last night."
    "I'm not looking for an apology, Mr.
Grayson." She held out the carving as if to return it. "I want
peace and quiet."
    "Keep it," he urged.
    She glanced at the carving, then back at him.
"I can't accept it."
    "It's nothing but a piece of wood, Mrs.
Ashier." "It's a gift."
    "Well, I'm not going to cart it to church
tonight."
    He took the carving from her and gestured
toward the parlor. "Mind if I toss it in the fireplace?"
    Her eyes widened. "You're going to burn
it?"
    "What else would I do with a bouquet of
wooden roses?"
    "Give it to your mother."
    "Believe me, she doesn't need another carved
piece of wood from me."
    "Well, your shoes are wet with snow. Leave
the carving on the cabinet, and I'll toss it out when I return from
church."
    "It'll only take a moment to remove my
shoes—"
    "I'll dispose of it
later
."
    The crack in her voice surprised both of
them. They stared at each other for several seconds before he
smiled and placed the carving on the cherrywood silver chest that
he'd always admired. "I'd appreciate that, Claire."
    "It's
Mrs. Ashier
, and we're going
to be late for church if we don't leave promptly."
    o0o
    Claire sat in an overfull pew at the Baptist
church where that impudent saloon owner had deposited her before
heading toward the back of the church. He'd whispered that he
didn't want to start gossip by sitting with her, but the way he'd
touched his lips to her ear as he whispered the warning was far
more damaging. Already people were peeping at her, then shifting
their gaze to the back of the church, presumably to see if Mr.
Grayson would nod and acknowledge their suspicions.
    Well, he was here, and that was all that
mattered at the moment.
    She turned her attention to the pulpit where
Dr. Lewis was telling about his heartbreaking childhood filled with
abuse from an alcoholic father. Though he told his story to
motivate others to abstain from the life-destroying vice, there
wasn't an ounce of self-pity in the man. He was a strong and
spiritual speaker whose words immediately began working magic on
Claire and the people around her.
    "There is a frightening change taking place
in the converted Christian," Dr. Lewis said, his voice booming from
the pulpit. "It is the shameful lack of temperance. Not only in
bodily habits, but in intellectual, social, moral, and religious
practices as well. Tonight I want to address one
specific
vice, the
worst
case of intemperance we know, namely the
use of alcohol."
    Amen. Feeling immensely proud of herself for
summoning