Weathered Too Young (30 page)

Lark smiled and glanced to Katherine.
Katherine was smiling, nodding in affirmation of Tom’s tale.
Lark was mesmerized. She’d heard Slater and Tom tell stories before, but this one was exceptionally interesting. Slater still hunkered before the fire, shaking his head.

“Keep goin’, Tom,” Katherine prodded.
“Don’t quit there.”

Tom nodded. “Well, ol’ Slater
…
he used to get a might nervous when it came to flirtin’ and sparkin’ and such
…
so he ain’t watchin’ what Johnny’s doin’. He’s too busy lookin’ around
,
feelin’ a little too warm
…
a little too much like side a beef that’s been throw’d to a pack of starvin’ dogs.”

“Oh, come on, Tom,” Slater growled.

Katherine and Lark giggled as Slater exhaled a heavy sigh.

“So, what he does is…he up and empties that whole cup of punch right down his throat.” Tom paused, shaking his head with obvious admiration.
“To this day I don’t know how he gulped down that rotgut without droppin’ dead…or at least coughin’ a bit,” he said.
“Well, next thing we know
,
Slater starts into lettin’ all them pretty girls kiss all over him.
Oh, he was blushin’ beet
-
red all the while…don’t get me wrong
. B
ut all the same…they was kissin’ all over him.
I ain’t never seen the like of it since.”

Lark looked to Katherine
,
thinking Tom might be embellishing the story somewhat.

“It’s true,” Katherine said, however.

“And good old Johnny…he wasn’t one to miss an opportunity,” Tom continued.
“Johnny was a rotten little prankster as a kid
,
and ol’ Johnny fills up Slater’s little punch cup again…addin’ in his own contents again. So when Slater takes a breath from all that smoochin’
,
he picks up his cup…and since he ain’t payin’ a lick of notice to anything else, he slams down another cup full of hard liquor. Now, Lark
,
you know
me and Slater don’t drink as a rule
. A
nd bein’ so young and not toughened up to the strength of whiskey or nothin’…well, that ol’ rotgut
is
startin’ in on ol’ Slater mighty quick.
Before long, Slater starts plain enjoyin’ all that smoochin’.
I looked over
,
and there he was…wrappin’ them girls up in his arms and plantin’ big juicy kisses all over their faces…kissin’
some of
’
em square on the mouth!
”

“All right, all right,” Slater grumbled.
He stood, turning his back to the fire.
“Now, that’s enough of that bull, Tom.”

“Oh no
,
it’s not,” Katherine giggled.
“Finish it, Tom. Oh
,
Lark
…
it gets better!”

Lark’s smile broadened, though jealousy pricked her heart too. She didn’t enjoy thinking of Slater kissing anyone else—no matter what the circumstances.

Tom cleared his throat, looking directly at Slater as he said, “Well
…
to cut a long story into pieces
…
some of them girls’ daddies had to throw Slater out of the social! He was dang near attackin’ everything in a dress he could get his hands on by the time they tossed him out.
A couple of fellers tried to ask him to leave
,
all nice and polite like
…
but Slater just kept kissin’ the girls. It was a sight to see!”

“And the girls were just devastated when he left!” Katherine giggled.
“Sobbin’ and carryin’ on…beggin’ their daddies to let Slater stay at the social.
I thought Emma Jean Gunderson was gonna have a lunatic fit!
The way she was carryin’ on…beggin’ her daddy to let Slater kiss her just once more.”

“I remember that!”
Tom laughed then
,
slapping his knee as mirth overcame him.
“
‘
But, daddy
,
’
she was hollerin’.”

“
‘
It’s just mistletoe…it’s tradition!’
” Tom and Katherine exclaimed in unison.

Lark cupped her hands over her mouth as ripples of laughter overtook her.
She glanced up to Slater
,
and he rolled his eyes with exasperation.

“Ooo, boy!
Was he sick the next mornin’!” Tom laughed.
“Sicker than I ever seen him since!”

Lark’s laughter entirely erupted as Tom and Katherine bent over with mirth.

Slater, however, frowned at his brother and grumbled, “You gotta mouth bigger than any I ever seen, Tom.”
He looked to Lark then, raising one eyebrow rather daringly.
“And what are you snickerin’ at, baby?
It coulda happened to anybody…even you.”

Lark drew a deep breath and tried to calm her mirthful laughing.
She s
tood up from the rocker and
walked a ways from the fire.
The warm
th of the flames
, coupled with her exertive laughter
,
found her too warm.
“Well
,
” she began, trying to stifle her laughter, “I just…I just don’t see how you fell into such a trap
!
I can’t see anybody being that naive…especially you.” Lark sighed as her laughter began to subside to a giggle.
She wiped the moisture for her eyes and saw Katherine and Tom do the same.

“Is that so?” Slater asked.

Lark looked up to see him grinning at her.
“Yes, Slater,” she giggled.
“Not realizing you were drinking something other than punch?
Truly?”
She shook her head in disbelief at his apparent
innocence
.
“Not to mention getting caught under the mistletoe.
You’d think a man like you would’ve been aware of the danger of that.”

“Really?” Slater asked.
“So you don’t think you’re green enough to stumble into that same mess?” he asked.
His eyes narrowed
,
and his handsome, alluring smile broadened.

“Of course not,” Lark said, still smiling.
“Why, the only reason little Johnny caught me under twice is because…”

Lark’s smile instantly faded, for Slater had raised an index finger, pointing toward the ceiling.
The delightful humor of the story had distracted Lark. She hadn’t realized—not until that very moment—that she stood directly beneath the sprig of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling.
She quickly glanced up
,
hoping the mistletoe had somehow vanished—knowing that hadn’t.
Indeed, there it hung in all its traditional glory. In truth, she wanted nothing more in the world than to know Slater’s kiss once more.
Yet with Tom and Katherine looking on
,
she was entirely unnerved.
She looked back to Slater to find he was impishly grinning down at her.

Quickly, she looked to Katherine and Tom.
“Oh
…
but surely
…
well, this just doesn’t count.
It’s only for decoration
,
after all,” she said.

Tom chuckled, his eyes bright with amusement.
Katherine giggled, biting her lip trying to restrain her own.

Lark looked back to Slater and gasped as he leaned toward her.
“No…no, no, no,” she whispered, already breathless.

“S
o
you think it was pretty funny, huh?” he asked.
“Me bein’ naive enough to get caught under the mistletoe?”
Lark stepped back from him, but he took hold of her arm.
“Oh no
,
ya don’t. Don’t you try to run away now, you coward. You’ve been caught, baby. And after all…it’s tradition.
You wouldn’t want to be one to break with tradition, now would you?”

“You wouldn’t,” she whispered.
“Not in front of…”

“Oh, I would,” Slater interrupted.

Still, she doubted him.
Would he really kiss her in front of Tom and Katherine—especially Katherine?
Their impassioned moments over a month before had been shared in secret.
Lark couldn’t believe Slater Evans would really kiss her when other people were nearby to witness it.

“Oh, come on, darlin’,” Tom chuckled.
“It won’t hurt none.”

“You know he’s right
. Y
ou know it won’t hurt,” Slater said, mischief and understanding smoldering in his dark eyes.

He was taunting her—teasing her.
She was convinced he wouldn’t kiss her with Katherine looking on
;
he wouldn’t kiss her as he’d kissed her before anyway.
Straightening her posture, Lark allowed an expression of defiance to own her face.
She’d test him—see if he w
ere
only teasing her for the sake of amusement.
Ceremoniously, she turned one cheek upward toward Slater
,
for she knew he would not kiss her in any manner other than what Johnny had in the least of it.

Slater chuckled.
Taking her chin firmly in one hand, he turned
her
to face him. “I don’t think so,” he said.

“I think you’ve been dipping into the punch bowl again,” Lark whispered as her mouth began to water for want of his kiss.

“Maybe,” he mumbled as his head descended to hers. His kiss was light—the way he’d kissed her the first time when he’d
gotten
the barber shave in town.
She hardly knew whether or not it had actually occurred. But by the warm thrill running through her arms and the goose bumps breaking over her body, she knew he had kissed her—a little.

Disappointment immediately enveloped her.
She wanted him to kiss her—so desperately wanted him to.
Yet she’d known he wouldn’t—not in front of Katherine.

“What in tarnation do you call that, Slater?” Tom exclaimed.

“Well, I’m sure she ain’t all that experienced
,
little brother,” Slater said, winking at her.
“You don’t
want me to scare her to death, d
o ya?”

Lark’s heart still ached.
He cared too much for Katherine to kiss Lark in front of her—Lark knew he did.
Oh, it was fine to fiddle with Lark here and there—to flirt with the cook when a jovial mood overcame him—but it wasn’t something he wanted his dear Katherine to own a knowledge of.

Lark’s miserable thoughts were interrupted as Tom stood, strode across the room
,
and pushed Slater’s hand from Lark’s face.
She gasped as Tom gathered her into his arms, forced her body to slightly arching backward, and kissed her square on the mouth.
It was not a fleeting kiss either.
Though Tom’s kiss was not overly forced or impassioned
,
it was more of a kiss than Slater had taken from her.
Furthermore, it did nothing to affect Lark’s senses—other than to startle her.
Still, she had the sense that Tom was only taunting his brother.
After all, it seemed his favorite pastime—teasing Slater.

Tom released her and straightened his collar.
“Now, that is the way to kiss a girl,” Tom taunted Slater, returning to the sofa and depositing himself there once more.
He smiled and winked at Lark.
Katherine giggled, attempting to stifle evidence of amusement when Slater frowned at her.

“Is that so?” Slater asked.
“Well, Tom
,
to tell you the truth of it…I was only tryin’ to spare you the humiliation of puttin’ you to shame
. B
ut since Lark ain’t makin’ much effort to remove herself from where’s she standin’ anyhow…”
Lark gasped as Slater bound her in his powerful embrace.
“Then let’s quit dancin’ around this and get down to some real kissin
’
,” he said.
He smiled as he gazed at her a moment.
“Hold on to your corset strings, baby…
’
cause I’m about to teach you a lesson for makin’ fun of me.”

Lark had determined to struggle—to put off his advances.
After all, what else could she do with Tom and Katherine looking on?
What would they think of her if she allowed Slater to kiss her—if she kissed him in return?
Yet the moment his mouth captured hers, all her determination toward pretenses of propriety vanished.
Slater Evans owned her—owned her heart, her desire, her every breath—and she could not keep from melting against him.
He was irresistible!
Entirely irresistible!
Even for the fact that Tom and Katherine were there
,
she could not resist him
.
His kiss was playful one moment, driven and demanding the next.
He seemed careless of others being in the room—taking her mouth with his in kisses that would flame scandal were they administered in any more public a venue.
He broke the seal of their lips, tasting her upper lip ever so slightly with his tongue as he did so.
Lark fought to keep her knees from buckling as her body weakened—tried to catch the breath
that
had literally been kissed out of her.