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not looking for a mistress, remember?”
    She threw her skirts down, flushing deeply, hating him so much in that moment
    that she’d have shot him dead if she had a gun. Her entire body felt restless, itchy with
    desire. It was all she could to keep herself from walking over and rubbing against him
    like a barn cat in heat.
    “Doesn’t feel so good, does it?” he asked, his tone strained. She didn’t answer,
    getting up and gathering the picnic supplies as quickly as she could. Then she threw
    them in the back of the wagon and pulled herself up onto the seat. She considered
    grabbing the reins and leaving without him, but he was too quick for her, reaching up
    and snatching them before she had the chance. Then he swung up beside her and
    clucked at the horses to go.
    “You might want to pull some of that grass out of your hair,” he said shortly.
    “Otherwise everyone you see will know exactly what we were doing.”

    33

    Joanna Wylde
    Catherine felt her face grow hot, and jammed her bonnet up and over her head. She
    tied the strings tightly, refusing to acknowledge him.
    Her little game with Wade hadn’t turned out like she’d planned at all.

    34

    Catherine’s Awakening

    Chapter Four

    “Mrs. Masters spoke to me about the teaching position,” George Reynolds
    mentioned to Wade as both men leaned against the counter in the post office. Wade
    grunted.
    “She’s a better candidate than we’d hoped for, that’s the truth,” Reynolds
    continued. “But I can’t help but wonder if she’d last. She’s never lived on her own
    before. You think she’s up to the challenge? I suppose she could always board with one
    of the families, but she said the house was one of the greatest attractions for her. What
    do you think?”
    Wade stayed silent for a long moment, choosing his words carefully before he
    spoke.
    “She’s young and pretty,” he said. “Do you really think she’d last all term without
    getting married? It’s been a full year since Ryan died.”
    Reynolds gave him an assessing look.
    “Anyone courting her?” he asked.
    “Not my place to say,” Wade replied. “We’d sure hate to lose her out on the ranch,
    though.”
    “You trying to tell me something?” Reynolds asked. “I know you’re not on the
    board, but you give enough support to have a say in the decision. We couldn’t have
    built the school without your family’s help.”
    Wade opened his mouth to speak, then closed it as Catherine walked into the post
    office, heels clicking on the polished wood floor. She held a largish bundle wrapped in
    brown paper. Fabric for a dress?

    35

    Joanna Wylde
    “I’m finished at the store,” Catherine said brightly, smiling as she saw Reynolds
    standing next to him. “Why, Mr. Reynolds, I was hoping to run into you today! I
    wanted to ask you if the board has made a decision about the teaching position yet.”
    “I was just discussing it with Mr. Masters,” he said, and his expression grew
    puzzled. “Mrs. Masters, did you fall down?”
    She shook her head, offering him a questioning look.
    “No, why do you ask?”
    “You have grass all over your skirt,” he replied.
    “I told her to be careful where she sat when we stopped for lunch,” Wade
    interjected, keeping his voice utterly bland. “But she’s so impetuous. I guess she rolled
    right off the blanket. You know how women are.”
    Reynolds looked startled, and Wade had to bite back a smile. Catherine’s eyes spat
    fire, but she kept her smile firmly in place.
    “We stopped for lunch at the swimming hole after visiting with the Watsons,” she
    said. “I guess I wasn’t as careful as I should have been. The picnic blanket wasn’t very
    large, and I like to give my brother-in-law plenty of space when he eats. You know how
    cowboys are, you don’t want to get between them and their food.”
    She laughed and Reynolds joined her.
    “To be honest, we haven’t made a formal decision about the job yet, Mrs. Masters,”
    he