WOMEN OF SURPRISE 02: Lydia's Passion Read online

  Lydia's Passion

  Number II of Women of Surprise

  Tracey J. Lyons

  (2012)

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  Tags: Romance

  Romancettt

  Lydia's aunt Margaret always had a way of meddling in the lives of her three nieces, so it was not shocking to hear that Aunt Margaret had appointed Lydia to be the new schoolteacher in the town of Surprise.

  Lydia is horrified to think that she'll be in charge of a room full of screaming children. She has no experience and cannot believe that this tragic fate has befallen her.

  To make matters worse, Alexander Judson, the head of the school board and the local carpenter who built the school, has serious doubts about her abilities.

  Determined to prove him wrong she throws herself into the position. No one is more surprised by her natural abilities than Lydia herself, but Alexander is still not convinced. His two children are students at the school and bring home glowing reports of Lydia. Clearly the two young children adore her.

  Ever since Alexander's wife died tragically in a freak accident, he was determined that no woman would ever hold his heart, or the heart of his children. Lydia is convinced that Alexander is a wretched man and worries for the well-being of his children. It will take an accident, a little interference from the townspeople, and some forgiveness on both their parts for the two to realize that they are passionate about each other.

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  About the Author

  Tracey J. Lyons holds an Associates Degree in Theatre Arts. Married for twenty years to her high school sweetheart, Tracey and her husband are the proud parents of two grown sons. Andrew is pursuing a career in Criminal Investigative Services, and Timothy is preparing to marry his high school sweetheart! Tracey lives in upstate New York.

  Lydia's Passion is the second book in the Women of Surprise series.

  Tracey loves to hear from her readers.

  A Women of Surprise Romance

  A Surprise for Abigail

  Tracey J. Lyons

  This title was previously published by Avalon Books; this version

  has been reproduced from the Avalon book archive files.

  The entire calamity could have been so much worse. Of course, certain people were making more out of the mishap than was necessary. Thankfully, no injuries were sustained, unless one counted a little wounded pride.

  "Have you gone blind, woman?"

  Lydia stared, seeing clearly the red-faced man shouting and waving his arms about wildly in front of her.

  "I beg your pardon, sir, but I can see just fine!" Lydia dropped down from the buggy seat. Gently, she patted the horse's long neck, quickly quieting the brown mare hitched to the buggy.

  Pulling his hat low on his brow, he narrowed his eyes to look down his nose at her. "I should have known it would be one of you!" Placing his hands on his narrow hips, he continued to stare at her.

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "You're one of Miss Margaret's nieces."

  His response, which came out sounding more like a snarl than civil words, insulted Lydia.

  Lifting her chin up a notch and mustering up her meanest stare, she looked right at him. "I do have a name. It's Lydia Monroe. Do you have a problem with my being one of her relatives?"

  He seemed to back off just a bit. Still not acting quite as contrite as she would have liked, he said, "The only problem I have is with people like you coming through this town at breakneck speed."

  Pretending to ponder his comment, she patiently folded her hands. Sunlight bounced off the high polish of the black buggy. It was a fine day to be out for a ride. Tired of being cooped up after days of nothing but gray cloudy skies, Lydia had jumped at the chance to run to town for a few notions.

  She could have walked the short distance, but making a grand entrance with her Aunt Margaret's new buggy seemed so much more exciting. Not to mention that the deep blue color of her new day gown looked strikingly elegant against the tufted black leather seat.

  The blue bonnet that had arrived in last week's post sat atop her perfectly combed hair. Lydia had even gone to the trouble of putting on her leather riding gloves. One never knew who one would run into in Surprise these days. What with the onslaught of newcomers, a young woman of marrying age could never be too prepared to bump into the next handsome bachelor to come to town.

  Of course she wasn't really in the market for a husband. Lydia liked being a free spirit. Knowing there was still plenty of time left in her life to find the perfect mate brought a smile to her lips. It delighted her to no end knowing that her fine mane of red hair brought more than one appreciative stare from the brawnier sex.

  Her flirtations were harmless fun.

  It was while she'd been having those thoughts that a brown rabbit had bounded out of the tall grass lining the roadway causing Lydia to jerk the reins of the horse hard to the right in an effort to avoid hitting the adorable creature. The horse must have been going a bit faster than she'd thought, for the next thing she knew, the buggy had gone careening around the corner in front of the new school building.

  In an effort to explain all of this, she said calmly, "I'll have you know, Mr. Judson-" oh yes indeed-she knew who this young man was with the wavy brown hair and deep dark brown eyes. "A poor innocent creature was saved because of my quick reflexes."

  His face reddened and he began to sputter. "I'll have you know, Miss Lydia Monroe, that your reflexes almost killed me!"

  Rolling her eyes heavenward, she sighed. "Really there's no need to exaggerate what happened."

  The nerve of the man! It was just a silly little near-accident. It wasn't her fault he'd been standing in the middle of the road looking in the opposite direction.

  Gently, she chided, "Perhaps you were the one in the way."

  Alexander Judson had just finished pounding the last nail into a piece of door trim on the schoolhouse. He and his partner Cole Stanton had been working six days a week for the past month putting the finishing details on the project. The Judson Lumber Company was his business. A month ago, he'd taken Cole on as his partner. It seemed a good fit considering the man could work magic with a simple piece of wood. True craftsmanship like his didn't come along everyday.

  The job was completed one week shy of the start of the school year. He was the head of Surprise's school committee and had as yet to find a teacher. He supposed things would come together all in good time. With the demands on his growing business, new orders coming in as fast as he got them out the door, and taking care of his two children and the housework, it was no wonder he'd been unable to find a teacher. There just weren't enough hours in his day.

  Taking a step back from the front door, he stood on the edge of what would soon be the play yard and admired the handiwork. It was a sturdy building, one that housed not one, but two good-sized classrooms. They'd built desks, enough so each student could have their own, and Cole had surprised him with an additional five this morning, just in case.

  The chairs had been donated by Margaret Monroe Sinclair, self-appointed matriarch of the town of Surprise. As much as Alexander thought she was a meddlesome busybody, he had to admit that Miss Margaret was generous to a fault when it came to her town.

  Those were the thoughts running through his head when this woman with her brilliant red hair and flashy blue dress nearly took his life!

  And now said woman had the audacity to stand before him denying her part in the incident. As far as he was concerned, she had no business handling anything with wheels attached to it, let alone a brand new buggy.

  "I think it might be a good idea if you walked, rather than drove, your horse the rest of the way into Su
rprise."

  It seemed a logical suggestion to him, but he could tell by the look on her face and the spark in those green eyes that shimmered like emeralds, that she was going to argue his point.

  Carefully, she folded her arms, eyeing him with intent. Alexander held his breath, preparing for what he suspected would be a long steady stream of angry words.

  "You know something, Mr. Judson? You are an insolent man, one who I've already wasted enough of my precious time on. Good day!"

  As simple as that, with a quick turn and a flounce of blue skirts, she jumped into the buggy and rode off to town. Rubbing a hand over his jaw, he was tempted to shout "Good riddance!" to her retreating back. Shaking his head, he decided it best to keep his mouth shut.

  He'd already wasted enough time having this little exchange with Miss Margaret's niece. The first of the three nieces had arrived in town earlier this year. Abigail Monroe Stanton was the sheriff and married to his partner. Lydia came soon after, and Maggie arrived last.

  Walking back to the schoolhouse entrance, he started gathering his tools. Abigail and Cole had gotten off to quite the rocky start. First, she'd arrested him for drunk and disorderly behavior, and then she'd kept him in jail on a mistaken burglary charge. It had all come out in the wash in the end, though. Eventually Cole's innocence was proven and the two fell head over heels in love.

  Putting the hammer and bag of nails in the wooden toolbox, Alex shook his head in wonder. Through it all Cole had kept his cool, even helping to apprehend the real criminal, who turned out to be a poor misguided woman named Wanda McGurdy. Alex heard she was spending the next five years in a women's prison in Albany.

  "Hey, what did Lydia want?" Cole stepped out of the cool interior of the building.

  Setting the toolbox on the step, Alex looked up at him and grumbled, "She wanted to run me over."

  Cole grinned. "I take it this means she had the new buggy out for a ride."

  "You could say that. She darn near killed me! She said she was trying to avoid hitting some innocent creature."

  "Innocent creature?"

  "Her words not mine." Standing, Alex picked up the toolbox. Pride swelled as he looked at what the Judson Lumber Company had accomplished. "I'd say this school is ready for the children."

  Glancing around, Cole agreed. "All it needs is a teacher. Any luck in finding one yet?"

  Together the men walked down the pathway to the road. "I haven't had a chance to interview anyone yet. Miss Margaret keeps telling me that she has the perfect candidate. Honestly, with this building and my two children, I haven't had time to meet this person."

  Cole gave him a knowing smile. "I'd be careful if I were you. Miss Margaret always finds a way to get what she wants."

  Alex knew Cole was speaking from experience. The woman had been instrumental in bringing all three of her nieces here and in helping Cole and Abigail find their way to each other. Even though Miss Margaret kept mostly to herself in the big house at the end of town, she still managed to know just about everything that was going on in Surprise.

  "If you want to head home, I can close up the office." Cole's offer came at the end of another long day and normally Alexander would have gone back to the lumberyard and closed up himself. Today, though, he was grateful for the offer.

  "I'd like to get home at a reasonable hour. It's been a long time since I've read a bedtime story to my kids. Thanks. I'll see you in the morning. Tell the sheriff I said hello."

  "Will do."

  Following the pathway that wound its way between the schoolhouse and his lumberyard, Alex walked home feeling as if he'd accomplished a great deal. And yet there was still a hollow place inside of him.

  His wife, Joanna, had died in a tragic accident two years ago. It happened right at the edge of their property. What began as an innocent family picnic ended with his wife's death.

  They'd made plans to meet under the big oak tree near the pond. He'd been catching up on lumber orders and was late. Joanna had climbed the tree to free their son Robert's kite. The branch snapped under her weight. He found her lying on the ground, her life already gone.

  Most men would have quickly found a mate if for nothing more than to raise the children. Knowing he couldn't bear the heartbreak of another loss like that, he'd taken what he thought was the easy way out-choosing to bury himself in his work.

  As a result, he was working fourteen hour days and returning home most nights in a surly mood to find his son and daughter tucked in bed. He promised himself tonight would be different. He would celebrate the completion of the schoolhouse by taking his evening meal with Laura and Robert, then reading them their favorite bedtime stories.

  The sound of their laughter reached him before the two-story house came into view. He smiled in spite of himself. It was a comforting sound, a sound that signified home. He spotted them first. The two were playing a game of tag. When he came up over the rise in front of his yard, he saw that Robert was about to tag his younger sister.

  Their laughter stopped when they saw him. Robert and Laura stood side by side, looking up at him expectantly, their smiles all but gone from their little faces.

  "There's no need to stop your game." He spoke softly, as if seeing them for the first time. Robert was growing so fast that the hem of the pants Alexander bought him just two months ago was already creeping up his leg. And Laura needed new shoes. He could see where her toes were wearing the leather thin.

  "Papa, you're home so soon?" Robert slowly made his way to his father with Laura walking along beside him.

  The way they were reacting to his early arrival gave Alexander pause. Was he such a bad father that his children feared him? He hoped not. The only thing they had left in this world was each other. Looking at his children, he reminded himself that he worked long hours to provide a decent home for them.

  During the time he was gone, the grandmotherly widow Mrs. Sutherland cared for them. She'd recently taken up residence in one of the new homes built on Elm Street. Hearing him approach, she stepped out onto the porch.

  "Good to see you home early, Mr. Judson."

  Turning towards her, he couldn't keep the pride from his voice. "We finished the school today."

  "That's wonderful news! Did you hear what your papa said? Your school is done!"

  Laura clambered up into his arms. "Is that true, Papa?"

  Her tiny hands framed his face. Looking into Laura's blue eyes reminded him of her mother, Joanna. The ache in his heart had slowly diminished over the past two years until it was nearly gone.

  "Yes. Mr. Stanton and I pounded the last nail in today."

  Giving Laura a quick hug, he set her back on the ground.

  "I hear there's even a new teacher," Mrs. Sutherland said while smoothing down the front of Laura's dress.

  "I don't know about that. The school committee hasn't completed the interviews." Alexander put his arm around his son's shoulders. "How are you doing, son?"

  Big brown eyes looked up at him. "Good, Pa'. Does this mean we have to go to school?"

  Alex smiled. It seemed his son wasn't too keen on the idea of some schooling. "Yes, you and Laura are both going to the new school." Seeing the doubt in Robert's eyes, he added, "All of your friends will be there. You can see them everyday. Trust me, it'll be fun."

  "What if we get a mean teacher?"

  "Don't forget I'm doing the hiring. So I promise no mean teacher."

  "Mr. Judson, your teacher may have already been chosen." Mrs. Sutherland persisted.

  Turning from his son, he looked at her. "I don't think so. How can that be when I haven't even interviewed anyone for the job?"

  "Oh, I think you know the answer to that question, Mr. Judson."

  Groaning he went into the house.

  "I think the contents of this envelope will explain everything." She handed him the expensive cream colored envelope.

  Turning it over right away he noticed the seal. The wax seal had been stamped with the letter "S". This could o
nly mean one thing-Miss Margaret was involved. With trepidation, he opened the envelope, and taking out the single sheet of stationery, quickly read the neatly scripted words.

  Mr. Judson,

  You will find your new teacher at the schoolhouse tomorrow morning at 9:00 o'clock. I'm quite certain you will find this young woman meets all of your requirements. I'm glad I could be of service.

  Sincerely,

  Margaret Monroe Sinclair

  Lydia didn't know what to think. Alexander Judson was a handsome man by her standards. She couldn't figure out why he'd been so rude to her. It's not like she'd actually injured him in any way. The buggy hadn't touched him-though thinking about it now, she thought it was possible that it might have lightly grazed him.

  Still, in the end there was no harm done. And hadn't she looked attractive in her blue dress and new bonnet? At the very least the man could have tipped his hat to her when she'd taken her leave. Lydia wasn't used to being ignored by men and Mr. Judson's actions had left her ego feeling a tad bruised.

  But why should this bother her, she wondered? There were plenty of men in Surprise whose heads turned when she passed by. Alexander Judson just didn't happen to be one of them. Fine by her. From here on out, she'd pay no attention to him!

  Handing the reins off to Aunt Margaret's stable boy, Lydia went inside the house.

  "Oh, there you are! Miss Margaret was wondering where you went off to," Anna said, giving her the usual pinch-faced smile.

  "I took the buggy out for a ride." Handing her bonnet to the tall, thin housekeeper, Lydia decided to find her aunt.