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  He shrugged. "Not really, but I did say I'd court you, and I want you to be happy."

  "If I plan our 'date' it'll be something I want to do with you. Playing along would make me very happy."

  He nodded. "Then I can do that."

  The waitress set their food in front of them, seeming to want to linger for a moment. "So when did you get married? I heard something about it, but no real details." She sighed. "News just doesn't travel between here and King as fast as I'd like."

  Savannah smiled at Ashley. "We got married ten days ago. I still feel like we're on our honeymoon."

  Ashley smiled. "Your accent tells me you're not from around here."

  "New York City, born and raised."

  "Really? Have you ever been to a Broadway show? It's always been my dream to go to a Broadway show."

  Savannah nodded. "My mom and I went at least every other month."

  "Wow. I would love to go to New York just once." Ashley sighed. "Hey, if you ever want to go back without Scott, let me know. It would be a really fun place to go for a girl trip!"

  Savannah shrugged. "I'll think about it. Of course, I don't see traveling without my husband in my immediate future. Married for ten days?"

  Ashley laughed. "I can take a hint. Just don't smooch at the table. This place is family friendly!" She wandered off with her tray.

  "Is there anyone you don't know around here?" Savannah wasn't sure if she should be amused or exasperated by running into women he knew every time she turned around.

  He shrugged. "Not a lot. I've lived here my whole life. Didn't you run into people you knew in New York all the time?"

  "Not at all. I mean, occasionally, but with a city that size, everyone does not know everyone else."

  "How sad."

  "Sad?" She'd never thought of it as sad. Sometimes it was nice to be lost in a room full of strangers. She didn't have to worry about anything, because they were all strangers she'd never see again anyway.

  "I think so. How do you have a sense of community when everyone doesn't know everyone else?" He just couldn't imagine constantly being surrounded by strangers.

  "Have you ever gone to a big church?" she asked.

  He nodded, not sure why she'd asked that. "I did in college."

  "Then you know that the sense of community in a big church is how you plug into small groups. Like you hook up with a home group or a Sunday school class." She waited for his nod. "It's the same in New York. I was part of a teaching community at my school. I knew all the parents of all my students. I was part of my church. I was part of a group of people who lived in the same building, and we'd all end up at the same laundry mat. Things like that."

  "It can't be the same."

  "I haven't been here long enough to know that for sure, but no, I don't think it is the same. But neither way is right or wrong. Just different." She took a bite of her soup and smiled. "Do you want to try this?" She wanted to turn him into a soup lover, so she could make soup whenever she wanted.

  He shook his head adamantly. "No thank you!"

  *****

  For supper that night, Savannah arranged the table just how she wanted it, and put candles in the middle. She'd shut off the lights so they could eat by candlelight. She had put candles all over the living room, so they could dance in the dim lights. She loved the idea of eating, and then dancing, and then maybe going out and sitting on the porch for a bit, but she wasn't going to try to plan anything perfectly. If she did, Scott would just find some way to change things, and she didn't want to get frustrated with him.

  When Scott walked into the dining room after showering that night, he immediately flipped the lights on. "I like to be able to see what I'm eating."

  Savannah walked to him and kissed him, instead of shouting at him like she wanted to do. "Take a good look at it then, because we're about to turn the lights back off. Part of the date I've arranged includes eating by candlelight."

  He shrugged, looking at the meal. "What is it?" he asked.

  "It's a shepherd's pie. Don't worry, I made it with bison meat. I won't taint you by forcing you to eat beef." If there was one thing she'd learned quickly about Scott, it was that he refused to eat anything beef. He would avoid red meat altogether if he had to.

  He shrugged and turned the light back off. He'd never eaten a shepherd's pie, but it looked good, so he wouldn't complain. If she wanted to eat in the dark, he wasn't going to try to stop her. He wasn't sure why it was romantic to not be able to see your food, though.

  Throughout the meal, Scott felt like he should whisper because the lights were off, but at least the food was good. He had three servings before he was done. "I like shepherd's pie."

  "I'm glad." She got up to put the dishes in the sink and run water over them so the food wouldn't get caked on. "I'll meet you in the living room."

  Scott stood to go into the living room, wondering what the next phase of their 'date' would be. He looked around the living room with a frown. She'd pushed all the furniture against the walls and her iPod was on top of the coffee table. All the lights in there were off too. What did she have against electricity?

  Savannah walked into the room and watched Scott stare around him in astonishment. Her husband had to be the most clueless man to ever walk the face of the earth. She hurried around with the lighter in her hand and lit each of the candles until the room was filled with the soft romantic glow of candlelight.

  When she was finished, she set the lighter down and started the music on her iPod, smiling as the strains of one of her favorite love songs filled the room. She walked to Scott and smiled. "Dance with me?"

  His eyes widened and he stared at her with shock. "Dance? I've never...I don't know how to dance."

  "I'm not looking for fancy footsteps. Just slow dance with me." She took one step closer and put her left hand on his shoulder while she took his with her right. "It's just swaying to the music."

  Scott had never felt quite so big or so clumsy. He was afraid he'd break her toes by stepping on them. Why was she barefoot? Didn't she know she needed steel toed boots for this? "I can't be held responsible for broken toes," he blurted.

  She laughed softly, her head on his shoulder. "You're not going to break my toes. Just dance with me."

  He held her close, but his mind was formulating a plan. If he never lifted his feet, he couldn't step on her, so he'd just sway back and forth. She'd never notice. Would she?

  Savannah chose to ignore the fact that Scott never really moved. She just enjoyed being held by him as they swayed to the music. After the third song, she stood on tiptoe to kiss him, showing her appreciation for his cooperation during the date night she'd planned.

  As soon as she kissed him, Scott knew what to do. He opened his mouth and kissed her back, his hands going down to cup her bottom, stroking her through her shorts. He picked her up, helping her wrap her legs around his waist, and stumbled back the three feet to the couch, his hands stroking her everywhere. This was something he could understand.

  Savannah moaned softly into his mouth. She'd known if she could get him to dance with her at all it would end this way. The man didn't have a romantic bone in his body, no matter how much she wished things were different. It just wasn't in him.

  Chapter Seven

  Scott sat atop his horse watching his men as they rebuilt the fence the bison had knocked down, carefully stringing some electric wire. The bison were proving stubborn about staying on his land, so they needed electric fences to keep them in.

  Jesse rode up beside him. "Things seem to be going better with that new wife of yours."

  Scott shrugged. "Sometimes I think so, and sometimes I don't. I agreed to woo her...you know, act like we're courting but still keep bed privileges, 'cuz I'm not giving up bed privileges." He cleared his throat realizing he really shouldn't have said that. "Anyway, I can't seem to do anything right in her eyes. I to
ok her flowers, and she never even said 'thank you!'"

  "Really?" Jesse asked skeptically. He'd known Scott his whole life. "What kind of flowers?"

  "Well, they were dandelions, but I arranged them really nicely!"

  "You took her dandelions? What did you arrange them in? A beer bottle?"

  "No! It was a root beer bottle. No alcohol involved." He wasn't that stupid when it came to women.

  "Scott? You need to learn how to court a woman. You need to order her some flowers and have them delivered while you're out on the range."

  "How do I know what kind to get?" Scott had never ordered flowers for a woman. How was he supposed to know how to do it?

  "Call them and tell them you need an apology bouquet. They'll put something together for you."

  Scott sighed. "What else can I do?"

  "Why don't you buy her a nice gift? Something you think she'll really use. Frivolous is nice, and the flowers cover that, but sometimes women like to receive stuff they can use too."

  Scott's eyes lit up. "I know exactly what to get her! Thanks for the advice, Jesse!"

  Jesse opened his mouth to ask what the gift was but obviously thought better of it. "Just treat her kindly. Take her dancing."

  "We danced in the living room last night. She shut off all the lights, lit candles, and shoved the furniture against the walls. I was afraid to lift my feet for fear I'd stomp on her!"

  Jesse shook his head. "Boy, you need to go home and get on that computer of yours, and look up books on how to court a woman. You are clueless, and we can't spend the whole workday with me coaching you on what to say to your wife. Our bull bison are better at courting the cows than you are at courting your wife. You'd think you'd know what to do by now."

  "How could I? I've never had a wife before!"

  "There's a reason for that, boy. I promise." He sighed. "Only way you'd ever get a woman to agree to marry you is if she didn't talk to you first."

  Scott made a face. He wanted to argue, but he knew the other man was right.

  *****

  Two days later, after she'd finished the lunch dishes, Savannah settled down in Scott's office to see if any new teaching jobs had been posted for the area. The problem was the area was so small that there really weren't many jobs of any kind unless you wanted to ranch.

  There was a knock at the front door, and she jumped to her feet. It was the first visitor they'd had since she arrived. Who could be there? It was too late in the day for Jehovah's Witnesses, but much too early for Mormons. She didn't know of anyone else who would just stop by during the day.

  When she got to the door, she was surprised to see a delivery truck with a flower bouquet on the side, and a young man holding a bouquet of flowers. "Are you Mrs. Ward?" he asked.

  She nodded. "Yes, I am." She was confused. Her husband didn't know how to send flowers the real way. Who could they be from?

  She took them and thanked him. "Give me just a moment, and I'll get a tip for you."

  "No, that's all right, ma'am. The tip was paid already."

  "Oh, well thank you." She took them in and shut the door, setting the vase full of beautiful roses on the counter. She took the card and closed her eyes, shaking her head after she read it. Her husband did not have the makings of a poet. "Violets are blue; Roses are red; Hope this works To get you into my bed -- Scott."

  She couldn't help but laugh. The man was so clueless it was almost funny.

  *****

  When Scott got home, he noticed the flowers on the counter. He walked into the kitchen and hugged Savannah from behind. "You got my flowers."

  "Yes, they're beautiful. Thank you." She turned and kissed him sweetly. "Did you write the poem yourself?"

  He nodded. "I could give Shakespeare a run for his money, couldn't I?" He winked at her, a grin covering his face.

  "Sure," she said uncertainly. "May I give a bit of advice, though?"

  "I guess."

  "Don't quit your day job."

  He made a face. "I tried."

  "You did, and I really appreciate it. The flowers are lovely." She picked up the bowl of mashed potatoes she'd just finished mixing. "If you'll carry these to the table, I'll get the rest."

  He carried the bowl to the table before running back to wash his hands and face. His mother may not have taught him to be a ladies' man, but she had made sure that he knew to always wash his hands and face before a meal.

  After dinner, they were sitting together on the back porch watching the sunset. It was Savannah's favorite time of day. "I got a call from Principal Moore today."

  "You did?" He didn't want her to get the job, but he did. That job was only for one semester, and he didn't want her to make a full year's commitment. He hated feeling so conflicted.

  "I did. He offered me the job for the fall semester. The pay was a little higher than I expected, probably because he realizes that not many would want to commit for just half the school year."

  "Did you accept it?" He held his breath as he waited for her answer. He didn't know if he wanted the answer to be yes or no.

  "Yes, I did. I thought it was a good compromise for us." She turned to him fully, sitting sideways on the swing. "I'll need to go in for an orientation next week."

  He nodded. "That's fine. What day?" He'd have to drive her, so he needed to rearrange his schedule.

  "Thursday. If I can, it would be nice to have my license by then. That way you won't have to always drive me." She watched his face as she suggested driving herself, hoping he'd be agreeable.

  "We'll go Monday for your road test. You're ready." He was reluctant to give her the freedom the license would bring, but he had no idea why.

  She smiled, her face lighting up. "I was hoping you'd say that."

  "We'll go car shopping then too." He cupped her cheek in one hand, kissing her softly. "Congratulations on the job." However mixed his feelings were about the subject, she'd worked hard for her degree, and she'd interviewed well. She deserved to be congratulated.

  She knew how hard it must be for him to say that to her. "Thank you. I'll still do my best to have dinner ready every night." She sucked in a breath, trying to find the best way to ask the question that was on her mind. "How would you feel if we brought back the housekeeper you used before we married? Just for the school year? It would be one less thing for me to worry about."

  He frowned, hating the idea. His mother had done everything around the house for as long as he could remember. He had to keep telling himself that she wasn't his mother, though. She'd been raised differently. Finally he nodded. "I think we'll need to."

  Savannah moved into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Thank you." She could tell it was against his nature to agree, but she was glad when he did.

  He kissed the top of her head. "You're welcome."

  After they'd gone back inside, he remembered the gift he'd planned to give her. Flipping off the light switch, he said, "I have a surprise for you. I'll bring it upstairs."

  She nodded and smiled. Someone must be giving him husband lessons. Two gifts in one day? Who was this man?

  She went into the bedroom and changed into a light nightgown. It was green with spaghetti straps and the hem came to mid-thigh. Perfect for wearing in the summer. She slipped into bed, pulling the covers up under her arms. Even after almost two weeks of marriage, she was shy with him. It was hard to let go of the taboos that were still in her mind about men seeing her body.

  Scott walked into the room with a big grin on his face, carrying a box wrapped in Christmas paper. She could see the paper had been dusty, but he'd wiped it off with his hand.

  He put the gift on the bed in front of her, and her first thought was that she'd have to wash all the bedding the next day. It was due, though, so she bit her tongue. She carefully tore the paper off the box, wondering who the gift had really been for.

  When she opened it, sh
e found something she'd wanted, but seeing it made her angry. It was a beautiful new KitchenAid mixer. It had everything for making gourmet meals from scratch. Remembering their fight, all she could think was that he was trying to force her to cook for him. She couldn't say that to him, though. It was an expensive gift.

  "Thank you," she said softly, not wanting to seem ungrateful. "Who was the gift originally for?"

  "My mother. She died right before Christmas, and I'd already wrapped it." He watched her face for the excitement he expected and was disappointed when it seemed to make her sad.

  "I'll use it." She pushed the wrapping to the floor and set the gift beside it. She didn't know what else to say. He'd acted like he had a special gift for her, but it was covered in dust and meant for his dead mother? Really?

  She slipped under the covers and closed her eyes. How could she possibly voice her regrets? She fought to keep the tears inside, hoping that someday he'd understand how to make her feel good.

  Scott couldn't figure out what her problem was. He'd given her a nice gift. It was something his mother had specifically asked for, and he knew she liked to cook. What had he done wrong now?

  *****

  Savannah was cold to him the following morning, and Scott was still uncertain what he'd done wrong. Finally, halfway through his eggs and bacon, he just asked. "What did I do wrong?" He'd never know how to do things right if she didn't tell him what he'd done wrong.

  She sighed. "You didn't do anything wrong. You just kind of hurt my feelings." It was the simplest way to put it. She hoped he wouldn't press her on it, because she was certain she'd make him mad.

  "How? I really don't understand. I was trying to make you happy by giving you a nice gift. It was something my mother had specifically asked for, so I know it was a good gift."

  "It was a good gift, if it had been given differently." She struggled to find the words to explain something that she really felt like he should already know. "When you told me you had something for me, I got excited. I thought you had found something just for me that was special. What you had was a Christmas gift you had purchased for your mother, before you knew I existed, and you were recycling it." She shook her head. "If you had told me something like, 'I got my mom a gift right before she died, and I think you might be able to use it,' it would have been different. Even if you'd wrapped it in new paper, I probably wouldn't have known the difference. But we had a fight about me cooking very recently, and you gave me a cooking appliance that wasn't really intended for me in the first place and still had dust on it. How is that supposed to make me feel?"