Uncomfortable Proposition
The children absolutely loved the playground, and Hope promised them they could have an extra few minutes to play after lunch if they did well on their assignments that morning. After school, those who walked home went back outside to play for quite some time before they scurried to their houses, liable to be in trouble for being late. Hope was packing up her items to take home, including the hat she’d have to smuggle upstairs when Nicholas’s wagon pulled in and her plan to be sneaky went out the window.
His mouth was wide as he looked around. Hope decided she may as well go on out and meet him, so she took her regular items and the large hat box and headed for the door. “Good afternoon, Doc.”
“Well, I’ll be, Miss Tucker. How’d this happen overnight?”
“I’m not quite sure,” Hope admitted, “but I have a feeling most of it was constructed off-site.”
“It sure is a marvel. I bet the kids like it. I’ve heard of a few places like this back East, but I ain’t never heard of anyone buildin’ something for youngsters in a place like this.”
“They do like it.” Hope realized she was ahead of her time—that most teachers didn’t realize how important play was for the children, but her school in Lamar had had a rope swing and a four-square box painted on the walkway, and the children loved it. That was nothing compared to this, she realized, but she thought it would make an impact on their ability to learn. Hope gave Nicholas a half-smile, waiting for the next question, assuming she’d have to figure out a way to answer truthfully without having a lot of explaining to do.
“Who do you think is responsible?”
There it was. “I’m not exactly sure. I’ve been saying that the children needed more play equipment since I arrived. I guess one of the parents finally took it to heart.” She pressed her lips together and hoped that would be enough.
Nicholas looked around at the play equipment one more time before he asked, “Whatcha got there?”
Trying to pretend as if she didn’t know what he was referring to, Hope looked at the objects in her hands before saying, “Oh, one of the students brought me a gift.”
“Which one?”
“One of the girls. It was a nice gesture. Now, if you’re ready, Mr. Howard, I would appreciate a lift to your folks’ house, assuming that’s why you’ve come.” She kept her smile pleasant, praying he’d let it go, but he still looked suspicious.
Nicholas nodded and she followed him to the wagon. She set the hatbox inside in order to climb up, and Nicholas helped her by lifting her at the waist, though she really didn’t need it. When he went around and climbed up in the seat, he was still eyeing the box. “What’s it look like?”
Hope let out a long breath. “It’s sort of fancy,” she replied, waving her hand. “I can’t even imagine where I’d wear it.”
“A fancy hat? From one of our children? Where would they have gotten the money for that?”
“I honestly don’t know. Maybe it belonged to her mother.”
Doc didn’t seem to buy that either, but he turned the horses around and headed toward the road without further comment, and Hope prayed that the uncomfortable situation was over.
But it wasn’t. About halfway to his parents’ house, Nicholas cleared his throat. “Did you know there’s a school board election coming up this fall? Mr. Stewart is up for re-election, and I’ve heard that Mr. Canton is considering running against him. I considered throwing my own name in the hat.” He looked down at the box. “But I wasn’t sure what you’d think about that.”
Hope was confused at first. While it seemed like a wonderful idea to have someone like Mr. Canton who genuinely seemed to care about the students as the school board president, she had no idea why Nicholas might think she’d have an opinion as to whether or not he decided to run. “What do you mean?”
“I mean... if I were to run, of course, I’d want to help you in any way I could, but mostly, I’d just want to make sure there were some changes to your contract.” His face was turning a bright red, and Hope had a feeling it had nothing to do with the May afternoon sun.
“What sort of changes?” she asked, a lump forming in her throat. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer.
Nicholas took a deep breath. “I just think... maybe you should be allowed to court, that’s all. There are plenty of bachelors in town who would agree with me. I could run on that platform alone and be sure to win the election.” He chuckled nervously, and suddenly, Hope understood what he was getting at. She had to avert her eyes.
Over the last couple of months, she’d spent a lot of time getting to know the doctor and was very fond of him. He was intelligent and kind, and he wasn’t at all unpleasant to look at. But now that she’d had a feeling of what true sparks felt like, now that she’d had a bit more experience with longing and sleepless nights, she was sure that Nicholas Howard was not the man she’d want to be with, even if someone did come along and change her contract. And since the only man she’d even considered had been pretty clear on the fact that he wasn’t taking another wife, the contract was actually her saving grace at the moment. The way Nicholas described it, the second the document was amended, she’d have gentlemen callers lined up from here to the Mexican border.
Undeterred by her expression, he continued. “Anyhow, Miss Tucker, I just think... well, I mean... you’re a beautiful, intelligent gal, and it’d be a shame if you weren’t allowed to court anybody just on the account of your teaching contract. My understanding is that a lot of school districts are doing away with them sorta rules.”
Hope cleared her throat, glad he had yet to make it too personal. He hadn’t declared his love for her or said he was hoping to court her himself, not yet anyhow. “While I do think any steps toward giving women more rights are positive, Doc, I’m not sure how I feel about amending my contract. Being so new to the area, I haven’t had the opportunity to meet many men, except for my students’ fathers, and I’m sort of happy for it since it has allowed me to focus on my students.” She hoped he’d understand what she was getting at without her having to say more.
Nicholas looked a little hurt. “But you’ve gotten to know me.”
“Yes, and I’m very happy to have you as such a good friend.” She turned to look at him then, praying that she hadn’t hurt his feelings, but she saw his expression shift and realized he was intelligent enough to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
“I see,” Doc said, turning the horse so that the wagon was headed up his parents’ street. He didn’t say anything else, and Hope felt awful. He’d done so much to help her, and he really was a wonderful person. It was just too bad the tingles she’d initially felt when she’d been around him had been snuffed out, replaced by something so powerfully strong she couldn’t even contain it, let alone pretend to understand it.
When he pulled the wagon to a stop, Hope quickly thanked him and then jumped down before he even had a chance to come around to help. She pulled her belongings along with her and rushed up the front steps.
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