As he continued to tease her, Lucy couldn’t deny the attraction any longer. Nor, did she wish to.

She wasn’t sure how this had come about.

One moment she’d sworn off men forever. The next thing she knew, she was all blushes, and missish airs.

Did it really matter? She truly liked this man. She thought about her fiancé and how badly he’d let her down. He’d not been the man she’d thought him to be.

Boone? He seemed to be everything she’d originally wanted in a man when she’d accepted Mr. Hargraves’ proposal.

She was attracted. Definitely a must. Though perhaps she’d not realized it until Boone.

He was hard-working. Something Mr. Hargraves had always implied, but she’d never personally seen. The man had spent much of his time spending his family’s money, taking long lunches and socializing frequently.

Watching Boone do his work for the day showed him as quick and competent as well. He’d worked inside and outside her classroom, and she’d noted with her own eyes that the man was industrious, conscientious, and enthusiastic.

Good with kids? Oh, yes. After watching him today, there could be no doubt of that. He’d teased them, coaxed them, and used a myriad of ways to get them to listen, but not once had he been impatient.

She liked his wit. He was funny, charming, and someone she liked to be around.

Yes, it was too soon. Far too soon to feel this way, to think this way. But that didn’t seem to matter, did it?

If he was a drinker as Mrs. Collier proclaimed, Lucy had seen no sign of it. As long as it was firmly in his past, it was something she could overlook.

It wasn’t as if she was perfect.

Still, they would definitely have to discuss it before this went much further as she could truly see herself falling in love with this man.

Was that so wrong?

It didn’t feel wrong, it actually felt exactly right this time.

An honest, hard-working man, who was good with kids.

She glanced at him once more, and admitted that wasn’t it entirely. He was also incredibly attractive.

So, while none of this should be happening at the moment, it was, and she was glad of it.

Her parents wouldn’t approve. She knew that. But perhaps her grandmother would. Regardless, just this once, she was going to throw caution to the wind and think about what she wanted for a change.

So, he was a handyman? It was good, honest work. In all of her dreams about the man she was to marry someday, that one had never even crossed her list.

A doctor, a lawyer, a business acquaintance of her father’s maybe. Mr. Hargraves had, in fact, been the son of a business acquaintance of her father’s.

And she would have been miserable with that cheating man for the rest of her life.

Or, how about someone that made her smile, laugh, and light up like a flame when she saw him? How about someone honest?

Was she actually falling in love for the first time in her life?

She didn’t know.

It was definitely too soon to acknowledge such an emotion.

But why not find out?

She was going to set her cap for Mr. Boone Newby and see what might come of it.

* * *

When school was over, Boone was nowhere to be found, so Lucy gathered her belongings and prepared to walk home, feeling the slightest bit let down.

She hadn’t gone far when she heard a wagon rattling behind her, and turned to see Boone catching up to her.

Relief and happiness bubbled up within her as she waited by the side of the road.

He soon stopped beside her and tipped his hat. “Ma’am.”

“Sir.”

They were both grinning at each other.

“I’ve got myself some fishing gear in the back. Any desire to try your luck?”

“You want me to go fishing with you?”

“I wouldn’t say no to some company.”

“It’s been a long while since I’ve been. When I last went, it was with the entire family and we had a fishing guide.”

“I’m better than any fishing guide.”

No doubt he was.

Once again, she looked into his very handsome face for signs of dissipation and alcoholism. She couldn’t see any.

Maybe she lacked the experience to tell.

“I can see that you’re hesitant.”

“For several reasons.”

“Well, list them, and let’s see if I can put your mind at ease.”

She gathered her courage. If this, whatever this was, was to go any further, she needed to know. She glanced up to where he sat on the wagon. “Apparently, you’re an alcoholic.” She said it so baldly that she blushed at her own daring.

He looked startled, his mouth parting for a moment before he grinned, and then laughed. “I assure you I am not, nor have I ever been, a drunk. Though, I will admit, I do drink socially upon occasion, but even that is rare.”

“Then why would I have been warned of such a thing?”

“I’m not sure who would spread such rumors about me, though I have my suspicions. But I assure you they are not true.”

She looked at him and saw nothing but truth in his eyes. “I will admit that you do not seem to be one.”

“All right, what’s your next point of contention?”

“We probably should not be alone together. We ought to perhaps have a chaperone.” Again, she blushed. This man was going to turn her face permanently red. She understood she was implying that they were courting, but what else was this?

He chuckled. “We do things differently here in the West.”

She glared at him for laughing. “I’m sure.”

“Are you coming?”

She hesitated once more before exhaling. “All right.”

With flattering eagerness, he jumped off the wagon and helped her get up and settled.

Once they were on their way, he turned to her. “Tell me more about yourself.”

She blinked, unsure what to say. “As you know, I’m from New York City.”

“Yes.”

What did she tell him that didn’t sound like she was bragging about her background? “My family traveled quite a bit.”

“Really? Where have you been?”

Again, she hesitated. Boone obviously came from humble origins. Still, he’d asked, and it wasn’t like she could hide who she was. “I’ve been to France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, in fact, throughout much of Europe.”

“Did you like it?”

“I did! I love to travel, and I love to meet new people and see how they live.”

“Is this your first time out West?”

“It is. Traveling out here, I saw some of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve ever seen.”

He turned off down a smaller dirt road, and the wagon rocked back and forth until she was forced to clutch his arm. The strength in him, obvious through the material of his shirt, left her feeling slightly breathless. When the road evened out, she didn’t let go.

“Can I ask why you’ve never married?”

She took another breath at the gall of the man. This was not the regular drawing room conversation she was used to. She thought to chastise him, but found herself chuckling instead. She wasn’t anywhere close to a drawing room, and this man’s own casualness seemed to inspire her own.

“If you must know, I was jilted recently.”

His head swung toward her and his brows rose. “I find that very hard to believe.”

“Well, believe it.”

“How did he do it? Did he show up one day and say, it’s over, Miss Rickman?”

She laughed out loud. This man really knew no social boundaries. Well, in for a penny in for a pound. She’d already practically told him her life story. “Actually, his enceinte ladylove showed up at my house to inform me of her due date.”

Boone whistled. “That must’ve been a surprise.”

“It was.”

“And then he showed up and jilted you, is that the way of it?”

“No, not exactly. He did come by and try to see me before I left, but I sent a note down informing him the engagement was off, and congratulating him on the new baby he was expecting.”

Boone laughed out loud. “So, in essence, you jilted him.”

“I must say, it doesn’t feel that way.”

“How does it feel? Is your heart broken?”

She let out a breath, and surprised herself by telling him what she’d told no one but herself.

“Beyond the obvious, that’s what has been the most disturbing about this entire thing. Mostly what I feel is humiliation. And anger that he was lying to me, courting me, the entire time he had another girl.”

“I know men like that. They think they can do and have it all, and it usually comes crashing down around their ears at one point or another. I’m happy for you, that you found out about the other girl, before the wedding, and not after.”

“That’s something else I’m feeling as well. Extreme relief.”

He pulled the wagon to the side of the road near a stream. “So, just to clarify, you are no longer in love with the man?”

She chuckled. “I doubt I ever was, so perhaps he was within his rights to seek it elsewhere.”

“You don’t really believe that.”

“No, I don’t. The man is a lowlife scoundrel, and he should not have trifled with my affections, and my life, if he didn’t want to marry me. If he wanted someone else, he should have proposed to her.”

“Here, here. So basically, you’re here in town to lick your wounds?”

She laughed. This man truly had no boundaries. “Run away, lick my wounds, use my teaching certificate. Take your pick.”

“How about learn how to fish.”

She glanced around at the beautiful location filled with trees, water, and grass. “I told you, I’ve been fishing before.”

“You’re saying that you actually took a worm, put it on a hook, and cast the line yourself?”

She grinned. “All right, you’ve got me there. I once held a fishing pole, and with my father’s help, reeled in a fish.”

He made a scoffing noise as he tied off the reins. “Well, it’s a good thing you’ve come to Butte. It seems that, despite your travel, you still have a lot to learn.”

“You’re not wrong.”

He jumped down and lifted his arms to her.

With a grin, she leaned forward, and he grasped her around the waist, lifted her, and set her on the ground.

This time, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

* * *

Boone had already been starting to like the woman, but her soft expression and honest look at her life and emotions, and the way she shared them with him, was making him really fall for her.

He could feel it happening.

Of course, he was sure it didn’t hurt that he was incredibly attracted to her golden hair, blue eyes, and curvy figure. When she’d held on to him earlier, he’d deliberately slowed the horses to make it last longer.

And the thrill of her not knowing who he was? Well, that just added spice to the mix, didn’t it?

He tried to picture the man who’d won and lost her, tried to feel sorry for the poor beggar, but it just wasn’t in him. He actually felt cheerful instead.

His loss would be Boone’s gain.

Reaching into the back of the wagon, he removed the fishing poles and tackle he’d gone home for before school ended. He’d never been an indecisive man in his life.

He figured his ability to make decisions quickly and decisively and stick with them, had contributed highly to his success.

And just over twenty-four hours after meeting Miss Lucy Rickman, he was convinced she’d be his wife.

Getting her situated on one of his favorite rocks, he admired the pretty picture she made as he handed her his fishing pole. Her blonde hair gleamed in the sunlight, reminding him of gold, his favorite ore. The stuff had made him his first fortune, and he figured the color of her hair was yet another sign.

With a chuckle, he hooked the pail of damp dirt that carried the earthworms and held it out to her. “You know I’m gonna make you bait the hook yourself, right?”

He took the fishing pole from her and she shot a suspicious look at him, then at the pail of dirt. She gingerly took the offering. “Worms, I take it?”

Her face was adorable with her nose scrunched, her pretty blue eyes measuring him. “Can I get you to do it for me?”

“Nope.”

“Just this once, to show me the correct way?”

He laughed and shook his head. “Good try. But you’re gonna have to learn this sometime.”

“Why do I have to learn this sometime?”

“You live in Montana now. How are you gonna find yourself a husband if you don’t know how to use a hook?”

“Who says I’m after a husband?”

“The mayor.”

“He never.”

“Sure did. He’s telling everyone in town that every time he gets a lady teacher they never last a minute as they get snapped up for marriage. He said you’re next.”

“He had no right to say such things about me.”

Boon shrugged.

“And you’re telling me that every one of these school teachers were tested in the art of applying worms to hooks?”

“That, and catching fish.”

Lucy made an indelicate snorting sound that made him laugh again.

“I’d heard that women set their cap for a man, not their hook.”

“Call it what you will, it’s all the same. Now start digging.”

“You’re mean.” With a look of distaste, she hesitated, then stuck one finger in the dirt and dug about. “Where did you get these worms anyway?”

“Dug ‘em up outside my house. So, you see? You got the easy task. If I was really mean, I’d have just brought a shovel and handed it to you.”

That made her laugh and, he swore, as the seconds ticked by, he could almost feel his heart tightening in her presence.

With a look of revulsion, she pulled out a big, fat worm, and held it up in the air. “All right, now what.”

Holding the pole in one hand, Boone carefully detached and held out the hook. “Just stick it right on the end there.”

Again, with a look of extreme distaste, but also of determination, she quickly stabbed one end of the worm onto the hook. “There. I did it. Now, don’t forget to tell all the men in town I’m worthy of marriage.”

He laughed at her dry tone. “I’ll be keeping this to myself.” He winked at her. “I don’t want any competition, now do I? All right, now stick the other end on, and we’re in business.”

She couldn’t seem to meet his gaze as she did so, but then she looked up at him with an expression of triumph. “I bet you didn’t think I’d do it, did you?”

He sighed. “I was kind of hoping you wouldn’t.”

She straightened. “What do you mean by that? I thought it was a test!”

“If you’d refused, I could have done it for you. For a kiss.”

With that, he turned away, but not before he saw her stunned expression.

He chuckled again.

He was so going to marry this girl.