The Emperor's New Clothes (21 page)

There wasn't even the tiniest doubt in Lorelie's mind that there would soon be a countess in the Matthews family. And as pleasant as that thought was, the title was only the icing on the cake. This woman would make Tyler's life rich and happy and probably extremely chaotic. Exactly what he needed. Men should always be kept a bit off balance.

Ophelia would be the perfect wife for Tyler.

And perhaps, with this husband, she'd even manage to remember his name.

“You ride like you were born to the saddle.”

Heat flushed Jenny's cheeks at the admiration in Zach's voice. She leaned forward to pat her horse and hide her face. “Thank you. It seems to come quite naturally for me.”

“I've never seen anybody pick it up so fast.” Zach shook his head in disbelief. “Especially somebody who's never ridden before.”

“Well, I love it,” Jenny said firmly. She and Zach walked their horses at a leisurely pace alongside a bubbling creek. “I feel like I'm on top of the world when I sit up here. And when we run, it's like flying. It's exhilarating and frightening and absolutely marvelous.”

Zach laughed. “It's old hat to somebody like me. I've been on a horse all my life.”

“Ophelia doesn't like them.”

“Your countess?”

“No indeed.” Jenny shook her head. “Ophelia hates horses.”

“Why?”

“It sounds a little silly.”

“Oh, come on. I won't tell.” Zach grinned. “I promise.”

Jenny eyed him for a moment. He did seem sincere. “Very well. She thinks they're big and ill-behaved, but most of all”—Jenny drew a deep breath—“she thinks they laugh at her.”

“I've never heard them laugh.” His voice was solemn, but a twinkle glimmered in his eyes.

“I don't think they do.” She leaned toward him. “But Ophelia would never believe that. She's convinced that she's the laughingstock of every horse that ever came her way.”

Zach frowned in confusion. “How does she hunt foxes, then, if she doesn't like horses?”

“Carefully.” Jenny grinned and reined her horse to a stop. She really had to watch exactly what she said to Zach, but so far, she'd made few mistakes. Any time she'd slipped, she'd always managed to cover it up. They'd spent a great deal of time together, what with Ophelia occupied by the opera house and the Cultural Society. And with every minute spent in his company Jenny thought he was just a little more wonderful. “Why don't we walk a bit?” she said.

“All right.” Zach slid to the ground and strode around his animal to help her dismount. He caught her waist, and she slid against him in a manner that was slow and interesting and exciting. She wore an old pair of pants Alma had dug up from somewhere, and the unusual attire gave her a sense of illicit freedom she reveled in. He held her a moment longer than was necessary, and his gaze meshed with hers. Goodness, was
he going to kiss her? “Here we are,” he said.

He released her, and disappointment mingled with relief. Why didn't he kiss her? Didn't he want to? Didn't she want him to?

“This is one of my favorite places.” Zach nodded at the vista spread before them in a gently rolling valley. The creek gurgled by their side. Far off in the distance, mountains rose like sleeping giants. Here and there, gnarled trees held their own against the wind and weather. “Tye's too. He showed it to me when I was just a kid.”

“It's very pretty.” She leaned back against the rough bark of an oak, and longing surged through her. What a lovely place this was. What a perfect place to live. “I'd love to stay here forever.”

Zach's voice was casual, as if her answer didn't matter. “Why don't you?”

“I can't. Not without Ophelia.”

Zach was quiet for a moment. “How's Miz Lorelie coming with that plan of hers?”

“Plan?”

“You know. To get Tye married off to your countess?”

“Oh, yes, that plan.” Jenny smiled. “I'd forgotten about that for a minute. Sometimes, it's impossible to tell what Ophelia is thinking, but I believe it's going pretty well. They're spending every morning together in town at the opera house. And he's come to the house every evening. It's funny, though.”

“What is?”

“Miss Lorelie. She was so determined to get the two of them together, yet every time Tye tries to get Ophelia alone, Lorelie's right there coming between them. At least that's what Ophelia says. It seems to be driving her quite mad.

“Still, I'm positive she likes him. A lot.” She widened
her smile to a satisfied grin. “She shot him, you know.”

Zach grimaced. “Didn't know that was a sign of affection.”

“It certainly is. If she didn't like him”—Jenny shrugged—“she would have killed him.”

Zach leaned against the tree. “So, do you like me enough to shoot me?”

Her heart fluttered in her throat. He was flirting with her. Like a man flirted with a woman. She'd never flirted before. Still, she could act. How much harder could flirting be? She drew a steadying breath and smiled innocently. “I don't think that's really the question.”

“It's not?” His voice was a lazy drawl.

“No indeed. The question is”—she angled her head in a teasing manner and glanced up at him—“if I shot you, would I kill you?”

His blue eyes simmered, and her stomach somersaulted. He tilted her chin up with a tanned finger. “And would you?”

Goodness, he
was
going to kiss her! How could she possibly kiss him back? At this moment she could barely breathe. Or talk. Or sigh. “No.”

He touched his lips to hers gently, more a whisper than a kiss. Her heart thudded against her ribs so hard she marveled that it didn't burst through her skin. He gathered her closer and she went willingly, far too caught up in truly delightful and completely unique sensations to protest. Not that she wanted to. No indeed. What she wanted…was more.

He deepened his kiss. Her eyes fluttered closed and her knees weakened. Tentatively, she snaked her arms around his neck. He pulled her tighter against him, and she could feel the long, taut length of his body against hers.

A man's body.

She'd never been this close to a man before, a hard, solid man. She'd never been kissed by lips so warm they seemed to melt something deep inside her. She'd never been held by arms that were at once strong and yielding. Goodness, this was confusing and odd and more exciting than she ever would have imagined. If kissing was this exhilarating…She tightened her arms around his neck.

Zach pulled back and stared down at her. She'd never seen desire before, but surely that was the look in his eyes. “Jenny, I—”

“Kiss me again, Zach.” She aimed her lips toward his and closed her eyes. She waited for a long moment, but nothing happened. She opened one eye. “Well?”

“Well what?” A slight smile quirked the corners of his mouth.

She opened the other. “Well, aren't you going to kiss me?”

“I did kiss you.”

“I mean again.”

A shudder ran through him as if he were struggling for control. “I don't think so.”

“Why not?”

“I don't think it would be a good idea.” Gently, he unwrapped her arms from around his neck.

She planted her fists on her hips and glared. “Why not?”

“Because.” He clasped her shoulders and stared into her eyes. “You are as luscious as one of Alma's pies and as pretty as an angel, and if I start kissing you I'm afraid I'll never stop.”

“Good!” She threw her arms back around his neck, closed her eyes, thrust her lips forward and waited. And waited. She opened one eye. “Well?”

“Well…um…” A kind of queasy embarrassment shone on his face.

“Well what?”

“You've never done this before, have you?”

“Is that all?” Relief washed through her. “I thought it was something of importance. No, never, but I am willing to learn.” Once again she closed her eyes and lifted her lips toward his. Once again she waited. And once again she opened one eye. “What now?”

He heaved a regretful sigh. “I've never done this before either.”

Her eyes widened with surprise, and she released him. “You've never kissed a girl before?”

“Well, sure, oh, yeah, I've kissed a girl, plenty of girls, I…” His shoulders slumped and he looked like nothing so much as a chastised puppy. Jenny had always wanted a puppy. “Once. I kissed a girl once.”

“But you know how, don't you?”

“Sure.” He shrugged. “Everybody knows how to kiss. It just kind of comes naturally.”

“Excellent. Then I don't think there's a problem.” She threw her arms around him and closed her eyes. This time she refused to open them. “You're not going to kiss me, are you?”

“No,” he said softly.

“We could learn together?” There was a hopeful note in her voice.

“Jenny.” He groaned with some emotion she couldn't quite define.

She sighed, opened her eyes and stepped back. “I don't understand why you won't even try.”

“I like you, Jenny, I really like you a lot.”

“And I like you,” she said eagerly. “A lot.”

“But, well…” He ran his fingers through his thick black hair. “It's like this.” He took her hand and sat on the hard-packed ground beneath the tree, pulling her down beside him. “Miz Lorelie says there are
two kinds of girls in the world. The kind that are free with their favors—”

“You mean like kissing.” She leaned forward and nuzzled his neck. My, he smelled wonderful. Just like horses and leather and a warm, spicy man.

Zach swallowed. “Yeah.”

“And what's the other kind?” Could she reach his lips from this angle? And even if he wouldn't kiss her, why couldn't she kiss him?

“The kind you marry.”

She froze. “Which kind am I?”

“I'd kind of hoped you were the first.” He stared into her eyes. “But I'm afraid you're the second.”

“The kind you marry?”

“The kind I want to marry.”

“You want to marry me?” Her voice rang with a strange, tense squeak.

Zach nodded solemnly. “Yep. I sure do.”

“Nobody's every asked me to marry them before.” She shook her head in astonishment.

“I'm asking now.” Earnest sincerity rang in his voice. He clasped her hands in his. “Jenny, I've known from the moment I saw you in Alma's kitchen, and that was nearly two weeks ago, that we were meant for each other. We've been together nearly every day, whenever you could get away from the countess, and I haven't changed my mind yet. You sit a horse like no woman I've ever seen. And you're pretty and you're kind of smart and I love you.”

“Damnation,” she breathed.

“What did you say?” His brow furrowed.

“Um…I said….” She smiled with sheer joy. “I love you too.”

“Then?”

She nodded eagerly. “I'll marry you.”

“Well, then, now that we're officially betrothed, I
guess”—a wicked twinkle sparked in his eye—“I can kiss you.”

She shook her head. “I don't think so.” His expression fell and she grinned. “
I
can kiss
you
.”

She threw herself in his arms, and the two of them tumbled backwards onto the welcoming grass. Her lips met his with the eagerness of newly discovered passion. Her spirit soared, and all she wanted was more of the sheer intoxication of his touch. She'd never dreamed love could be like this. No one had ever told her. Why, Ophelia—

The thought of her sister sobered her like a splash of icy water, and she pulled away from Zach and scrambled to her feet.

“What?” Confusion and interrupted passion dazed his eyes. “What happened?”

“Ophelia.”

“Where?” He staggered to his feet and cast a frantic gaze around the area.

Jenny stared. The dear boy really did look rather amusing with his hair all disheveled and bits of grass clinging to his clothes. And that look in his eyes like a sleeper roused out of a deep slumber. “She's not here,” Jenny said.

“Good.” He paused. “Then why did you call her name?”

“Well, I can't possibly marry you until Ophelia is firmly settled with Tye.”

“Why not?”

“Goodness, Zach, if Ophelia isn't matched with Tye and matched soon, she'll insist on leaving Dead End and taking me with her.”

“Why would she want to take you with her? You're just her maid.”

“It's kind of hard to explain exactly. Just take my
word for it. When Ophelia leaves Dead End she'll want me to go with her.”

He narrowed his gaze suspiciously and pointed an accusing finger. “You're hiding something from me.”

“Nonsense.” She tossed her long hair over her shoulder. She couldn't possibly tell him everything. At least not now. “What would I be hiding?”

“I don't know, but you are.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Wives do not keep secrets from their husbands.”

“Really?” Jenny knew absolutely nothing about the rules that governed relations between a husband and wife, but Zach's pronouncement struck her as totally and completely wrong. Besides, she wasn't his wife yet. “We simply have to make sure Ophelia never wants to leave.”

“But you haven't told me—”

“For goodness sakes, Zach, we have to get back. Now. We need to offer our help to Lorelie to get her nephew and my sis—countess together.” She turned to go, but Zach grabbed her arm and twirled her to face him.

“But it doesn't matter, does it?” His anxious gaze searched her face. “You'll stay with me regardless of what she does, won't you?”

Stay with him regardless? Choose between the man she loved and the sister who'd sacrificed her own life for her? It was a choice she didn't want to make. And a choice she didn't have to make right now. But he didn't have to know that. “Of course.”

Relief washed across his face, and he pulled her into his arms for a quick kiss. He released her, and she drew a deep breath. “I suspect we shall do a great deal of that when we're married,” she said.

“I suspect we will.” He grinned. “And I know I'm looking forward to it.”

They strode toward the horses, and Zack helped her into her saddle. He wasn't the only one looking forward to marriage. Kissing and marriage and settling down in one place forever. Everything Jenny had ever longed for was within her grasp.