Courted by Discipline: A Courting Romance (In Hyacinth Book 1) Read online

  “When do you turn eighteen?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Next April. You’ll be getting married just about the time my courting begins.”

  Kathy opened her mouth to state that she wasn’t so sure about this whole courting thing when Cami grabbed her arm, yanking her into a store. “Look at that!” she gasped, pointing to a dress Kathy’s father would be horrified by. Strapless and made of satin, Kathy wasn’t even sure how it held up. There was material covering each breast, but the dip between said material ran all the way down to the mannequin’s navel. “Dad would whip me raw if he so much as saw me looking at it,” Cami admitted. “But wow.”

  “Yeah, Dad’s the same. He’s made me return dresses that covered a lot more skin than this because he thought they were too sexy.”

  Grinning, Cami nodded. “It’s annoying and safe at the same time, isn’t it? And you only have one! I have to deal with my dad and Xan. And sometimes Xan is even more stringent than Daddy is.” She paused as they reached another store. “And he really dislikes Damian.”

  “Why?”

  “No idea. They were good friends years ago but now Xan looks at him as if he was scum.”

  Hearing a little more about Alexander brought to Kathy’s mind how intense he seemed on the night they first met. Even on Sunday there had been the same feeling of a man in control of his own life. But she really didn’t want a drill sergeant running hers.

  They spent another hour at the mall before heading back, neither of them in the mood to actually buy. Cami came home with a new bracelet and Kathy had purchased a couple cookies, but that was it. On the way home they discussed classes and the teachers at Hyacinth Academy. “Most of the teachers are pretty cool,” Cami admitted. “Lafferty, Carol Struthers who teaches science, and Baron Struss who teaches band are the worst.”

  “Baron?”

  “Yeah,” Cami laughed. “When you see his mustache and beard you’ll get it. He looks like what a baron should look like. His name is actually Edgar. The three of them give low grades. In Struthers class, if you get a B, you’ve made it. What classes have you got?” They had four of the same courses, though there was no way to know if they would share the same classroom. “They don’t give us our official schedules until the week before school starts. Oh, be sure to…” Her words drifted off and she grimaced. “I was going to say order your uniforms early because they do take a while, but you can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “If you court, your uniform’ll be different.”

  “I hate that.”

  Cami giggled. “Most girls don’t. Like I said, it’s like wearing a huge diamond on your finger yelling ‘ha, ha, I’ve got my man.’”

  She dropped Kathy off before heading home and Kathy walked into the house. “I’m home!” she called, walking toward the living room with her cookies in hand.

  “Did you have fun?” Carilyn asked looking up as Kathy entered the room.

  “Yes, we did. It was—” Kathy stopped speaking as she realized there was someone else in the room. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize anyone else was here.”

  The lady in question smiled. She had long red hair and deep green eyes and Kathy immediately knew who she was. “Are you Cami’s mom?”

  “Yes, I am. I thought I would come over and get acquainted with your family. Camille has spoken of you as if she’s known you forever and Alexander is rather taken with you as well. I figured it was time to come meet you and your mother. My name is Charlotte Covington.” Charlotte had a soft accent, reminding Kathy of movies she had seen from the south.

  Usually Kathy could talk to someone her parents’ age without a problem, but something about her being Xan and Cami’s mother made Kathy’s brain shut off. “Cookie?” she said, holding out the bag.

  Laughing softly, Charlotte shook her head. “Thank you, dear, no. And I should get going. My two Alexanders will be expecting dinner in a couple of hours. I had best go help Camille fix it.” Standing up, she shook Carilyn’s hand before turning and taking Kathy’s between both of her own. She stared so intently that Kathy wanted to look at the floor but was afraid it would appear rude. Reaching up, Charlotte tapped her cheek lightly. “I agree with my son.” Without another word, she turned and walked from the room.

  After her mother let Charlotte out and came back, Kathy raised an eyebrow. “What does she agree with her son about?”

  “No idea. But it sounds like he’s quite taken with you, so it must be good.”

  “If you say so,” Kathy said, holding out a cookie.

  “Oh, I say so. He’s coming to dinner again on Friday,” Carilyn called over her shoulder as she walked into the kitchen.

  That took five seconds to get past all the thoughts converging in her head. “What?” Kathy called, trotting after mother.

  For the next two days, Kathy poured over her mother’s cookbooks, trying to find something really tempting for the man coming to dinner. “I don’t know what he likes,” she harrumphed to her mother on Friday after her father had left for work. “How am I supposed to win him through his stomach if I don’t know what his stomach likes?”

  “I don’t think it’s his stomach that has made him interested,” she answered, amused.

  “Then what?”

  “You’re a beautiful girl who tends to speak her mind. I think he likes that.”

  “I thought guys hated that.”

  “Boys your age do, but Alexander’s a man. He’s dated enough to know what he likes and what he doesn’t like. And obviously he likes you. So just be yourself, Kathy. After all, a courting is a pretty serious thing. You want to go into it with both of you knowing what you’re getting.”

  “But I don’t know him at all.”

  “So ask. In fact, ask your father if he can stay after dinner. The four of us can take dessert in the living room and you can ask him anything you want.”

  And that was the problem. When he wasn’t around, she had all sorts of questions, but if he was in the room, Kathy’s brain short-circuited. Maybe she should write out a cheat sheet and hide it in the sofa.

  After fixing a lasagna, a salad, and some chocolate cake for dessert, Kathy did just that. She went upstairs and wrote out a list of things she wanted to know on a piece of paper and went downstairs, stuffing it between the cushion she had sat on last Sunday and the side of the sofa. Afterward, she sprinted upstairs to shower, put on a little make-up, and choose an outfit. Her father hadn’t specifically said a dress and her mother told her to be herself. Taking a deep breath and hoping she wasn’t inviting another spanking, she pulled on a pair of new black jeans and a thigh-length deep green sweater. After pulling on her boots, she went downstairs to check on the lasagna. It smelled wonderful.

  “You look nice,” Carilyn called as she walked by the living room.

  Her father came home a few minutes later just as Kathy set the table. Smiling as he walked in, he inhaled. “Lasagna? You must like Alexander.” Blushing slightly, she nodded. “Hello, beauty two. Where’s my loving wife?”

  “Here,” Carilyn said, walking into the kitchen.

  Before he could respond, Kathy tugged lightly on his jacket sleeve and he turned his attention to her. “Can Alexander stay after dinner?” she asked in a whisper, unable to say the words louder. “I want to get to know him.”

  Reaching up, he squeezed her hand. “I’ll ask him.”

  When the doorbell rang, Gerald went to get it as Carilyn removed the lasagna from the oven and Kathy finished setting the table. Once everything was set, the two men walked into the dining room. Whereas last Sunday Alexander had been in a suit, tonight he wore slacks and a light blue button-down shirt that was almost the color of his eyes. He smiled warmly at her setting off butterflies in her stomach.

  “It’s nice to see you again, Miss Bretherton.”

  Realizing he always called her that, she said, “Please call me Kathy.”

  “And you may call me Xander if you wish.” Looking over her shoulder, he smiled.
“It’s nice to see you again, Mrs. Bretherton. I hope you enjoy a good merlot.” He lifted up a bottle shaped bag and handed it over. “A vintage from one of my favorite wineries, Bingham Cellars.”

  “Thank you, I’m sure we’ll enjoy it.” Carilyn took the bottle from him and took it into the kitchen.

  “I wasn’t sure what else you might like,” Xander said directly to Kathy with a small twinkle in his eye, “but I happened to overhear Cami talking to Mom about your mall trip. She said you were drawn to teddy bears?” Out of the front pocket of his shirt, he pulled out the tiniest teddy bear she had ever seen.

  “Oh,” Kathy said, taking him delicately between her hands. “He’s so cute.” Instantly she knew he would sit on her nightstand. “Thanks,” she said, smiling up at him. Standing so close, she realized Xander was about a foot taller than she was. And that she liked it. It strangely made her feel safe.

  Dinner flew by. Just like before, Xander was a good conversationalist and drew each of them out with questions he seemed genuinely interested in. When the meal was finished, he turned to her. “Am I to assume you made that delicious lasagna?”

  “Yes,” Kathy admitted, grinning.

  “It was wonderful. You have honed great cooking skills. Of course,” he added with a twinkle in his eye, “I’ll have to wait for dessert to really know.”

  “Dessert?” she countered with a straight face. “I didn’t make any dessert tonight.”

  “Kathy,” her father said in a slightly scolding tone as Xander startled for a moment.

  And then the man at the foot of the table burst out laughing. “I’ll have to remember to keep my wits about me on our next meeting, Kathy.” His voice caressed her name sending shivers down her back.

  “Why don’t we have our dessert in the living room?” Carilyn asked. “Kathy?” She stood up and Kathy scrambled to her feet to help clear the table.

  “Is Dad gonna spank me?” Kathy whispered even as she was still riding a high from what just happened.

  “No idea. Let’s cut the cake and get out there.”

  As they walked into the living room, each of them with two plates, it was to find Xander sitting alone on one sofa and Gerald noticeably absent. “He had to take a call,” her suitor explained when the two of them looked around for their missing family member. As Kathy handed him his piece of cake, she realized he was sitting in the spot she had planned to occupy. Which meant the piece of paper was right next to him. Looked like she was on her own for asking questions. Drat.

  Sitting next to him, she took a bite of cake, trying to think of something to say.

  “This is the best non-dessert I’ve ever had,” he said after taking a bite.

  Snorting a laugh, she looked into his twinkling eyes. “Maybe next time I can make a great non-meal.”

  Grinning, he added under his breath. “I look forward to the time I can take you out to eat.”

  Biting her lip to try and stop the grin that crossed her face, Kathy shoved a large piece of cake into her mouth.

  Meanwhile, her mother was obvious about trying not to listen. When her father returned, he spoke with Xander a bit about what kind of law he practiced and once dessert was complete, the man next to her stood, turned just enough so that her parents couldn’t see and winked at her before taking his leave.

  After cleaning up the kitchen, Kathy remembered the note and so that nobody else would find the list with the words THINGS TO ASK ALEXANDER written at the top, she went to the sofa and pulled the cushion aside. There was no note. Figuring it had made its way underneath, she lifted the cushion up. Still no note.

  “Is everything all right?” Carilyn asked, walking up beside her and looking into the space below the cushion.

  “Did you find a piece of paper earlier?” Kathy asked as she plopped the cushion down and dropped to her knees, peeking under the furniture to see if somehow the paper had slid down a hole underneath it.

  “No. What are you missing?”

  “Uh, nothing.” Kathy said, sitting up straight. “I must have put it somewhere else.” Except she hadn’t. Now she had to wonder. What happened to that little piece of paper?

  For a week that thought played around in the back of her mind, slowly going further and further back until she pretty much forgot about it. Thankfully, she found a volunteer position that she could go to as often as she was able. Two hours on any given day at the animal shelter playing with the puppies and kittens. She also got the nerve to sign up for a couple of the classes offered on the event calendar: How to Throw a Dinner Party, because she had no idea even though she had watched her mother do it a couple times, and Flying a Kite, because it sounded like fun.

  Thursday, she walked home from the animal shelter, feeling rather comfortable with the winding streets that comprised her new town. Nothing was straight here and somehow it made sense. Hearing a car coming up behind her, she moved to the very edge of the dirt path and expected the car to pass. Instead, it pulled to a stop and turning, she spotted a black Mercedes. The passenger window rolled down and Xander peered at her from inside the car. “Need a ride?” he asked.

  “I’m just headed home.”

  He opened the door and beckoned her in. “Please. I’d rather take you.”

  Shrugging, because home was only about another fifteen minute walk, she slid into the passenger seat and closed the door.

  “Were you checking out the town?” he asked in a pleasant enough voice, though there was a hint of steel there she didn’t quite understand.

  “No. I’m volunteering at the animal shelter for a couple hours a day. It’s easier to walk than to have Mom ferry me to and from.”

  His jaw stiffened and he relaxed, almost as though forcing himself to. “Believe it or not, there are some bad parts of town. The area by the shelter is not one of the better ones. It would be more prudent for someone to drive you.”

  “It’s fine. Really. Plus I really enjoy the walk.”

  He pulled in front of her house and turned toward her. “Kathy. Please. Don’t walk down there again.” Surprised by the earnest tone in his voice, she found herself nodding.

  “Okay.”

  A bright smile lit up his face. “Thank you. Now you better get inside before the tongues start to wag that Alexander Covington was seen dropping Kathryn Bretherton off in his car.” He gasped as though shocked and winked at her making her laugh. She climbed out but before she closed the door, he held out an envelope. “This is for you.”

  “What is it?”

  “You’ll find out soon.”

  Without another word, he pulled the passenger door closed and slowly pulled out onto the road. Well, that was curious. As soon as she walked inside, she called, “I’m home!”

  “Hi, honey,” Carilyn called back from the kitchen. “Did you have fun?”

  “Yep,” Kathy said, walking in to join her. “Need some help?” The kitchen counters were covered with a bevy of vegetables and meats. It looked like her mother was recipe creating again.

  “Yes, could you chop those?” Carilyn pointed to the far counter. “I’ll finish these.”

  Placing the envelope to the side, Kathy washed her hands.

  “What’s in the envelope?”

  “I don’t know. Xander gave it to me.”

  “Really? When did you see him?”

  Kathy grabbed a chopping knife and board and went to work. “On my way home. He stopped and gave me a ride.”

  “Well, that was nice of him.”

  “Yeah and after we got here he handed me the envelope and told me it was for me but wouldn’t tell me what it was.” And it was kind of bugging her. She wished she had opened it outside. Once inside, her first thought was to help with dinner.

  “And you don’t want to run upstairs and see?” her mother teased. “What kind of daughter have I raised?”

  Giggling, Kathy finished chopping. “What else do you need?”

  “For you to go upstairs and open your envelope so you can know what’s in
it so that you can make up something to tell me, because the suspense is killing me.”

  “Thanks, Mom!” Kathy grabbed the envelope and quickly made her way upstairs. The warm peach room that welcomed her really felt comfortable and she tapped the tiny teddy bear that sat next to her clock before kicking off her shoes and plopping onto her bed. Once she bunched up the pillows behind her, she opened the envelope and pulled out… the piece of paper she had put inside the cushions.

  “Oh, no.” Heat infused her cheeks as she now knew that he had found the list. He must think her an idiot. Several more pages fell from the envelope and she was half afraid to look at them. Finally figuring they couldn’t be any worse than a guy finding out she was so stupid she had to write herself out a cheat sheet of questions to ask him, she opened up the folded eight-by-ten sheets only to gasp and quickly skim through each one. They were his answers, written in his own hand. And they were so complete that lying there surprised and delighted, she learned more about him than she probably would have at twenty dinners.

  Q1: Ask him what he likes to do for fun

  Well, now that is a full essay possibility, but considering I do not wish to send you to sleep, I will try to be brief. I would have to separate my fun into two categories: fun and stress-relief. For stress-relief, I enjoy racquetball (who doesn’t enjoy hitting a hard ball at a wall, knowing it is coming right back for them), rugby (men who are out to hurt one another by chasing a ball – I have yet to find a woman who understands this), running, and – don’t laugh – bird watching. For fun, I love to sail, travel, channel surf, attend the opera (okay, that was a lie – does anybody actually attend the opera for fun?), play rugby (again men chasing a ball and attacking each other for it; being on top of the scrum is fun… at the bottom it isn’t), and jog by the waterfront... at least in Chicago.

  Grinning as she finished the answer to her first – sort of – question, she stopped when she heard her name called. Putting the sheets down, she walked over and opened the door. “Yeah?”

  “Kathy, sorry honey. Can you come finish cooking the vegetables? I’ve burnt myself and your dad’s coming home to take me to the hospital.” Darting out of her room, Kathy spotted her mother at the bottom of the stairs with a cloth wrapped around her right arm.