Chapter 2

What Harold 'had planned' turned out to be an afternoon visit to the Candy Kitchen, which coincidentally coincided with a large portion of the town's collective plan.

"Well, it is a warm summer day," Marian pointed out when Harold voiced a good-natured grumble about the apparent lack of available seating.

The cool summer breeze which greeted Marian earlier in the morning had transformed into a mild summer day. As a result, many of River City's denizens had taken up residence at the Candy Kitchen and were indulging in decadent sundaes, malts and Ed's personal specialty, the ever-popular strawberry phosphate.

Harold and Marian had managed to secure a table through sheer luck, timing their entrance just as Marcellus Washburn and Ethel Toffelmier were leaving. The two couples exchanged pleasantries, idly commenting on the weather for a few moments and then they were gone, leaving Marian at the table while Harold retrieved their drinks.

As he placed their order, Marian observed Harold at the soda counter, smiling as various townspeople approached the former fly-by-night salesman to say hello. It warmed her heart to see how readily her fellow River City-ziens had accepted Harold Hill after everything had come to light. For all his talk and charm, Marian knew Harold still had the occasional doubt concerning his acceptance there. But as the days passed, she could see those fears being slowly put to rest, and she was glad. Now that he had chosen to make River City his home, she wanted him to feel that he was part of their community.

A part of her felt slightly guilty at that thought, because deep down inside she knew the desire for him to put down roots was motivated by her own unspoken fear that one day he might finally tire of this small-town life and simply leave. It was, she knew, an ungrounded fear, yet nevertheless, it existed.

Shaking her head to clear the unpleasant thought, Marian refocused her attention to the counter and blushed when she realized Harold was watching her with an amused grin. His expression informed her that he had caught her mind wandering, so she merely shook her head and gave him a small smile. He winked back, causing an older couple sitting next to Marian to tut in soft disapproval at the brazen display. Marian had the good grace to blush before silently mouthing for Harold to behave himself. His only response to the mild rebuke was an even wider grin and then he was making his way to their table, a strawberry phosphate in one hand and a root beer in the other.

"Here you are, one strawberry phosphate," he said with flourish as he set the fizzy drink down in front of Marian. He sat down and pulled his root beer closer, taking a sip.

"Delicious. I've wanted one of these all morning," he confessed.

"So have I," she agreed taking a genteel sip from the slender, white straw.

Harold grinned and lifted his eyebrows in mock concern. "You'd best be careful, Madam Librarian. As often as you indulge in strawberry phosphates, your hair might just turn that delightful shade."

"Harold! What a horrible thing to say," she laughed and lightly swatted his arm.

He merely shrugged and took another drink. "It does run in the family," he winked.

"Yes, it does," she admitted. "Mama could hardly believe it when I showed up with blonde curls."

Harold chuckled. "I imagine it was a surprise, but what a lovely one! One can only wonder if your own children will follow the same pattern." He delivered the veiled comment with an innocent smile, but his eyes twinkled mischievously and let her know he knew exactly what he was implying.

Marian could only stare at him for a moment as a slight blush colored her cheeks unsure of how to respond to the brazen compliment. Harold was always the consummate gentleman, but every now and then, he took gleeful delight in catching her off guard. This definitely counted as one of those times.

She finally coughed genteelly in an effort to break the moment. "Yes, well … ah … what did you say you had planned for us this afternoon?" she asked, sipping her phosphate. Harold understood what she was doing and chose not to pursue the matter for now. If he had his way, there'd be plenty of opportunity in the future to talk about things such as that. Besides, he didn't want to make his little librarian uncomfortable. He often had to remind himself that although she could return just as much as he could dish out, she was still quite sheltered in many things and didn't always know how to respond to his teasing comments. He took pity on her and decided to shift the conversation to a more comfortable topic.

"I didn't, actually," he grinned and lightened the mood considerably. "But, I thought we'd rent a buggy and go for a drive."

Marian's eyes widened in startled disbelief. In the few months Harold had been in River City, she'd never once seen him in a buggy or even a motor car. He'd always seemed to prefer to leisurely stroll to wherever it was he needed to be. "Harold, do you even know how to drive a buggy?"

"I'm sure it can't be that hard. What's there to do?" He shrugged nonchalantly. "You hitch up the horses, grab the reins and go."

Marian looked at him in alarm. "Harold! You can't take a buggy out without knowing how to handle it."

"Madam Librarian, for one who is so book-savvy, you certainly can have the wool pulled over your eyes," he laughed covering her hand with his. "I know how to drive a buggy. I wasn't always a con man, you know." He winked at her.

Not amused, she withdrew her hand from beneath his. "That's not funny, Harold. How am I to know you can operate a buggy? I hardly know anything about your past."

Harold winced inwardly. Although it was rare, the topic had surfaced before between them. Even though Harold loved Marian deeply, he wasn't quite ready to divulge all of his past. He knew she loved him, but still ... there were things he wasn't proud of ... even ashamed of. He didn't know if Marian would be so enamored with him if she were to learn all his secrets.

"Marian, I-," he stopped, unsure of what to say. As Marian watched the emotions play across his face, the desire for truth and fear warring within his eyes, she took pity on him, realizing when he was ready to tell her, he would.

"It's all right, Harold." She took his hand. "I shouldn't have said that. We all have things we want to keep private." She gave him a small smile. "Now, how about that buggy ride?"

To be continued …