If the weather forecast of the men who gathered outside of the livery was to be believed, Four Corners was in for a big snowstorm. Apparently these men had been accurate enough in the past that Mary had suggested to Molly school should be canceled for the day. The problem was there were enough children who lived outside of town that getting word would be difficult. Molly decided to hold classes for the morning and if the snow prediction held, release the students at the dinner break.
She had just set the students up with a series of arithmetic problems when the door opened bringing with it a blast of cold air and a bundled up JD Dunn. The distraction was enough for several of the students to turn around.
"Back to work please," Molly said as she walked down the aisle to where JD stood.
"Sorry to interrupt," he said.
"Not at all. Come with me, you're half froze," Molly said, leading him over to the stove at the back corner of the room. She poured him a cup of coffee and he wrapped his hands around the mug gratefully.
"Buck sent me, he and the others think you should close the school now. This looks to be a bad one," he took a sip of the coffee as Molly let her gaze out one of the windows. The clouds did seem to be building and getting heavier. Before she could open her mouth to answer him, the door opened again, this time admitting the father of three of the students.
"Sorry to interrupt, Miss," he said, taking off his hat. "But I've come to take the kids home. Looks to be a bad one."
"Yes, of course," Molly said. "Class," she addressed the students. "Put everything away and gather your things. We're dismissed for the day."
Excited chatter greeted the announcement as the children hurried to put books and slates away in their desks and rushed to the side wall to pull on coats. Two other fathers arrived to gather up their children and arrangements were made that those who lived outside of town all had an adult seeing them home. Billy Travis and a girl named Mae were the last students from town to leave. Molly was helping Mae button her coat; in her haste the little girl had paired the wrong button with the wrong buttonholes leaving the coat gaping. Molly placed the little girls hat on her head.
"Mr. Dunn will walk you and Billy home. Hold his hand and mind what he says," Molly said. Mae nodded her promise.
"Will you come see my snowman when I've built it?" she asked.
"Of course," Molly responded. "Perhaps we'll have enough snow to build him a family." She stood and led the two children to JD.
"We can wait for you," JD said.
"I'll be fine. I'm going to finish some things here and then I'll head home." JD seemed to hesitate before leaving with Bill and Mae. Molly shut the door behind them.
"You should be a mother," a man's deep voice came from behind her. Molly spun around, her hand clutching for the doorknob, ready to pull the door open and run. The man who stood at the other end of the room was dressed in a black pin-stripe suit of a cut and fit that Molly hadn't seen since she was back East. He wore a buttoned up vest over a starched, bright white shirt, the sleeves of which were rolled up over his forearms. The gold chain of a pocket watch gleamed at his waist. His beard was neatly trimmed and it and his hair were salted with grey. Molly had seen him a couple of times with Lily and had asked her about him. All Lily would tell her was that she'd known him for a long time and his name was Deacon Kay. Any other questions had Lily changing the subject.
"I'm sorry," he said, holding out his hands in front of him as he took a couple of steps forward. "I didn't mean to startle you. I hope you don't mind my using the library while you have school?"
Molly let herself relax slightly. Despite any history that Lily may have with him, she also knew if he was dangerous the men in the town would have run him off by now.
"Of course not," Molly responded. The lending library had been Mary's idea and the men were able to easily add space to the new school building for it.
"I'm being rude, I should introduce myself," he walked up to her and held out his hand. "Deacon Kay."
"Yes, Lily told me your name," Molly responded taking his hand. "Molly O'Rourke, very nice to meet you," she said.
"So you've been warned off then?" he responded, holding on to her hand for a few seconds longer than would be considered proper.
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Molly responded. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to use this time to get caught up on some things."
"Of course," he said, giving her a sort of half bow and stepping to the side. Molly nodded her thanks and walked to her desk feeling his eyes on her the whole way. It wasn't until she sat at her desk that he walked back into the library. The soft click of the connecting door closing had Molly letting out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Deacon Kay had the kind of air about him that said he knew he was attractive and had means and would use either or both to get what he wanted - often before the giver knew what they doing.? Even though their interaction was nothing more than an introduction, Molly had the sense she had something he wanted.
The room had grown cool and the light was going dim, which is what drew Molly's attention from her work. She checked her watch. It was not quite three o'clock, but it appeared much later outside. Molly stood and walked over to one of the side windows and looked out. Snow was falling so fast and heavy she couldn't see anything. A strange sort of panic filled her as she went to the door and opened it. She should have view of the town but instead could see nothing. She had to leave, now, before it got full dark. Hurrying back down the aisle she walked to the door connecting the library. She hadn't heard the outside door since Mr. Kay had gone back into the library but she'd also been fully focused on her work. She gave a cursory knock
"Mr. Kay?" she called out, opening the door. "Mr. Kay are you still here?" The sound of a chair being scraped back greeted her and he appeared. "I'm terribly sorry but the storm has come and I must lock up and leave." She said as she walked to the coat rack and pulled on her coat. He walked up to the door and opened it then closed it.
"You're not going out in that and neither am I," he said, walking over toward the stove in the corner and building up the fire.
"We can not possibly stay here," Molly said, pulling on her gloves and gathering her things. "Please stop that, we must go." He stood from the stove and dusted his hands together.
"I'm afraid for the time being we are going to have to stay here. The snow is too heavy and it's only going to get worse. People have died less than three feet from their own front doors in weather half as bad as this. We're staying here."
Molly watched warily as he took two measured steps and stopped in front of the door.
"Fine," Molly said, frustration filling her tone. "If you want to stay here you're more than welcome but I am leaving." She spun on her heal and walked toward the connecting door between the school room and the library.
"Ms. O'Rourke. Molly," Mr. Kay's voice reached Molly's ear and turned around, nearly colliding with him. He placed his hands on her upper arms to steady her. "I'm afraid I can't let you leave. Not in this weather."
Molly's entire being froze. She'd been held at the mercy of a man once and swore she never would be again. Her expression must have shown her fear because he let go of her and took a step back.
"I promise you, whatever you might be thinking, my motives are pure."
"I have a feeling, Mr. Kay, you've never had a pure motive in your life," Molly retorted, pulling off her gloves.
"You're unmarried," he said, with a nod toward her left hand that just appeared out of her glove. Molly unbuttoned her coat but left it on in deference to the still cool room. "Is it your reputation you're concerned with? I don't know what Lily's told you but I'm hardly a scoundrel. Unless you'd like me to be." Where Buck's voice might have gone lighter in tone making such a flirtatious statement, Mr. Kay's went lower, darker. This man could be dangerous to a woman who didn't know better. Molly was thankful she knew better.
"Understand something, Mr. Kay, right here and now. I have faced worse than you and I'm still here. If you so much as lay a finger on me uninvited, I will open that door and scream bloody murder. I've no doubt that at least seven men in this town will come running, storm or no and it will not end well for you. Do you understand me?" Molly understood what she was saying was bluster, for one thing she'd have to get past him to get to the door and for another she doubted with the raging storm if they could hear anything.
"Understood, but just one question, is there any chance of you inviting me to lay a finger on you?" Molly's temper was about to go up when she realized the darkness was gone in his tone and this time he was truly teasing.
"None whatsoever, Mr. Kay," she responded.
"Pity, just think of the story we could tell our children one day of how we met." Molly didn't try to stop herself from rolling her eyes as she walked over to the lamp on the edge of the desk and lit it. It was going to be a long night.
