them.
Eula waved. Olivia snapped the reins, urging the horse on, and vowed not to give him so much as a passing nod.
Eula thought otherwise. “We must stop, dear. He has seen us."
"Of course he has seen us. He'd have to be blind not to see you waving like a carnival barker."
"Olivia, don't you dare drive past that wagon.” When she didn't respond, Eula threw down the gauntlet. “He'll think you're afraid to speak to him."
The horse gave a startled snort when she jerked on the reins and frowned at Eula. “Nothing could be further from the truth."
"That's good to know.” Eula smiled brightly and called out, “Good afternoon, Matthew. What a nice surprise."
"Hello, Miss Eula.” He reined the team of horses to a stop. “Miss Chandler."
She winced at the formality but merely nodded in reply.
"I envy you ladies, taking advantage of this fine weather for a drive in the country.” He let the reins dangle between his fingers, his eyes never leaving Olivia, and she felt acutely self-conscious. “Unusually warm for April."
Too warm, she thought, hoping her face wasn't as flushed as she felt. She opened her mouth to make her excuses and be on their way, but Eula cut her off.
"Just lovely. When Olivia suggested taking a drive, I just couldn't resist."
Olivia gaped at her. What in the world was she up to? The last thing she wanted was for Matthew to think she was driving past his house in hopes of seeing him.
Matthew glanced at her, his eyes slightly narrowed. His uncertainty was obvious, but she knew any contradiction of her aunt's statement would only make her appear to be denying an ulterior motive.
Though it was barely noon, it was obvious Matthew had already put in a full day's work. The sleeves of his shirt, faded almost white by the sun, were rolled up to the elbow, and several buttons were left undone at the collar. She could see that his chest was bare and quickly looked away. Unfortunately, her eyes were drawn to his forearms, tan and muscular, and the memory of those hands on her breasts made her shrink inside her elegant traveling suit.
His eyes narrowed again, ever so slightly, but this time it had nothing to do with whether she had purposely driven past his farm. He knew exactly what she was thinking, and there was no mistaking the warmth rising to her cheeks.
Olivia gathered the reins for a quick departure and gave Eula a warning look. “I'm sure Mr. Bowen has better things to do than chatter on about the weather."
Eula wasn't fazed. “Where is that pretty little girl of yours, Matthew?"
His expression softened at the mention of his child, and he replied, “One of the sharecroppers sent his daughter to watch her for me today."
"Today? Don't you have a regular nursemaid?"
A warning sounded in Olivia's brain and she twisted the reins tightly around her fingers. The last thing she needed was Matthew Bowen thinking she was concerned about his personal life. It was none of her concern whether he had one child or ten, let alone a nurse to care for them.
He smiled and shook his head. “Nursemaids are a thing of the past, Miss Eula. I make do with whatever help I can get."
"How dreadful. I can only imagine how difficult that must be for you, and she's such sweet thing."
Olivia cleared her throat and managed a polite smile. “We really should be on our way."
His smile faded and he looked her up and down one more time. “Yes, Miss Chandler. I know you're anxious to get on with your ... drive."
Before Eula could say anything else, Olivia snapped the reins and urged the horse into a trot. She ignored her aunt's disapproving glare.
"Olivia, you were not raised to be so impolite. I was not finished speaking with him."
"Then it's a good thing I managed to escape when I did."
Eula's annoyance vaporized and smug certainty took its place. “Just what are you running away from, Olivia?"
She didn't answer, concentrating instead on driving the buggy. The horse could fly and still not get her home fast