Courting Miss Greene Ch. 01

"Hoo-hooo! He's quite the gentleman!" said Ol' Granny. "Now dry your tears, child." The old woman patted Ginny on the shoulder. "Here, have some tea. It will help you calm down."

One evening Ethan was having a drink in the tavern. He had been chatting with Celia and Andrew for a while and then the two of them had left together. Ethan was relieved they were still on speaking terms after what had happened, but he had no desire to be as close to them as before. All of a sudden he perked up. Ginny stood at the bar, buying a bottle of liquor. How unusual!

"Why, Miss Greene! I didn't know you liked to drink so much."

Ginny froze for a moment, but then she gave him a polite smile. "I don't," she replied. "This is for Granny. To help her sleep at night. She also uses it as a disinfectant."

Ethan gaped at Ginny, struck speechless.

"To fight germs that can make you sick," she explained when he did not answer.

"Oh, right!" Ethan cringed. Of course he knew what a disinfectant was! He must have made himself look like a complete idiot: all looks, but no brains! Ethan desperately wanted to say something intelligent, but the words escaped him. He almost started to question himself.

Ginny threw him another smile and turned around to leave.

He needed to be quick. "Ginny, will you let me walk with you?" he asked.

Ginny's eyes widened in alarm. She took a deep breath. "Really, there's no need. But thank you for your kind offer," she answered while she moved away.

Ethan followed her. "But it's dark outside," he insisted.

Ginny glanced out the window. It was not that dark yet, but she did not wish to fall into an argument. "I've been out at night before. I won't get lost," she assured him.

Ethan blocked her path. "But you're going over to Ol' Granny Frye's house again, aren't you? It's dangerous, so near the forest. Wild animals might come out and attack you. And you're such a frail, little thing. You could use a big, strong man to protect you." He straightened his shoulders and smiled down at Ginny, forcing her to look at his broad chest. He could almost hear her ask who was supposed to protect her from that big, strong man.

Ginny did not ask it out loud. Doing so would imply she suspected Ethan to make a move on her. She would avoid the conversation from going in that direction. "Really, Mr. Clark, I'll be fine," she assured him once more. "Thank you for your concern. Please excuse me."

Ethan sighed. Ginny had defeated him. Her formality forced him to obey the rules of etiquette. He had always been a gentleman with her after all. Ethan moved aside with visible reluctance. "Have a pleasant evening, Miss Greene."

"Why, thank you, Mr. Clark."

Ethan's heart ached when Ginny walked out on him once again. A pattern was forming here. Ethan did not like it, but he did not know how to break it either. His relationship with Ginny was not making any progress. They even seemed to be further apart than ever before. Ethan sighed and turned around. He froze in shock.

Vera stood in front of him.

She put a hand on her hip and cocked an eyebrow at him. "What was that all about?" she asked.

"Vera, I--"

The young woman threw him a seductive smile. "You know you could always come to me when you're in need of attention." She played with the buttons on his shirt while she continued. "I know the things you like. It will be good. Just like old times." She gave him a wink.

Ethan wanted to look away, but his eyes were involuntarily drawn to the deep cleavage disappearing into her red dress. His body was tempted by her offer, but his mind was thinking of a way to get rid of her. "Well, Andrew says you're his girl, so..."

"He said what?" Vera threw back her head and laughed out loud. The other patrons in the tavern turned to see what was going on. "Even if that were the case, why would you chase poor freckle-face?" she asked while she tried to compose herself. "You know she doesn't put out, right?"

"Yeah, Ginny's such a prude!" a girl jumped in, prompting her friends to giggle.

"No, she's frigid!" one of the guys added.

"Oh? And how would you know that?" another guy asked him. Everybody in the room laughed and howled at the ensuing speculations.

Ethan's blood rushed to his head while he observed the rowdy scene unfolding before him. "Stop it!" he bellowed. "Stop it! All of you!" The chatter died down and everybody turned to stare at him. "Don't talk about Ginny that way!" he continued. "What did Ginny ever do to any of you?"

Vera frowned at him. "Calm down, Ethan," she said. "Ginny's not here, is she? We're just having a bit of fun. No harm done."

"You're having fun? At Ginny's expense?" fumed Ethan. "You'd drag Ginny's name through the mud for fun? That sweet, innocent girl who never hurt a fly in her life? What did Ginny do to deserve that? Ginny is always good and kind and, well, better than any one of you! You should all be ashamed of yourselves!" Ethan spat out the words while he looked around the room.

"Gosh, Ethan..." Vera stared at him. "You really need to get laid!"

Ethan ignored the ensuing snickering. He wanted to say something to get back at Vera. For a moment he thought he would hate her, but then Ethan realized he did not care at all about Vera. He cringed at the thought of ever having been intimate with her. Ethan would not waste any more energy on her. He gave her a cold stare, took a deep breath and with a simple "Goodbye, Vera." he stormed off.

The following days Windfarn buzzed with gossips about the tavern incident. Once they had sobered up, most people who were present that evening were civil enough to leave out the disagreeable part about Ginny. The details were subsequently filtered when they reached the ears of those who were closer to her. All Ginny got to hear in the end was something about Ethan Clark publicly declaring his admiration for her character. Most people assumed he had gotten love-struck after getting under Ginny's skirt, which Ginny kept vehemently denying.

Ethan tried to approach Ginny on several occasions. He failed in doing so because Ginny would make herself scarce as soon as she spotted him. She eventually changed her daily routine in order to avoid him altogether. It frustrated Ethan. He realized he could not be without her. Ethan wanted to apologize to Ginny about the whole situation. He wanted to step up his game and tell her how much she meant to him, how much he cared about her, how much he needed her. Yes, Ethan would tell Ginny how much he loved her. He just needed to get a hold of her one more time. He did not want to resort to stalking Ginny at her house. If he did, she might not come out again at all. Ethan aimlessly wandered the streets, hoping to meet Ginny by chance.

"Mr. Clark!"

He recognized the two girls approaching him as Ginny's younger sisters. Both of them had the same tawny hair and brown eyes. Ethan could not tell which was the older or the younger of the two. Since their names escaped him, he simply greeted them both with "Miss Greene."

"Mr. Clark, could we have a word with you?" asked Abby, the older of the two.

"By all means," answered Ethan in his usual, courteous manner.

Abby worked up some courage to speak. "We'd like to ask you to leave Ginny alone, please."

"Because you're stalking her," explained Lizzy, the younger sister.

Ethan stood guilty as charged. "I didn't mean to cause Ginny any trouble. Can't you tell her I just want to talk to her?"

"I'll do no such thing," answered Abby. "She gets upset whenever someone mentions you."

"And then she cries herself to sleep at night," added Lizzy.

It pained Ethan. He had not expected that. "I'm truly sorry to hear that. Did she tell you why?"

"No, Ginny doesn't want to talk about you," answered Abby.

Lizzy pointed a finger at him. "Because you ravished her!"

Ethan gaped in shock at the allegation. Before he got a chance to speak, the two sisters started to quarrel with each other.

"Shut your mouth, you silly goose!" hissed Abby at her younger sister. "Ginny said he didn't!"

"But Katie saw Ginny rushing from the field in a frightful terror! Then he came down only moments later," argued Lizzy, "looking quite pleased with himself." She cast a suspicious glance at Ethan.

"You'd believe Katie over your own sister? Go stand over there and let me do the talking," commanded Abby.

"But she bled!" protested Lizzy.

"That was her mid-cycle, you nitwit!" hissed Abby.

Ethan pretended not to listen to the girl talk, but all of a sudden he understood why Ginny had been so turned on that day. "I swear I never touched Ginny. Not in any inappropriate way," he told the two sisters.

The girls stopped quarreling at once.

"Oh? And may I inquire as to what would be appropriate according to you?" asked Abby, folding her arms across her chest.

"Yeah, a man like you!" snapped Lizzy, folding her arms like her older sister.

"I held her hand. Once. By accident," answered Ethan.

The two sisters stared at him.

Abby softened up. "Well, good for you," she said.

"Yeah, good for you!" echoed Lizzy.

Abby glared at her younger sister. "Stop imitating me!" she hissed.

Lizzy pouted. "I'm not imitating you!"

"Yes, you are!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Ladies, please!" interrupted Ethan. "Please, I need your help. Just let me speak to Ginny one more time. Perhaps I could stop by your house--"

"NO!!" both girls cried at once.

"Our dad said he would punch your pretty face if you ever showed up at our door!" warned Lizzy.

"Well, he didn't say 'pretty,' you silly!" Abby corrected her.

Lizzy gasped in shock. She had said too much! The girl covered her mouth and turned away, blushing from embarrassment. Abby and Ethan suppressed a chuckle.

"Aside from that," continued Abby. "We cannot arrange such a meeting, Mr. Clark. We're not even supposed to talk to you."

"What should I do then?" asked Ethan. "Please, tell me!"

Abby fell silent for a moment. "You didn't hear this from me, but I suggest you seek Ol' Granny Frye's advice... the day after tomorrow, before noon."

Ol' Granny sat sleeping in her rocking chair on the porch. Down in the garden, Ginny kept herself busy by pulling weeds. She had hoped doing chores would keep her from thinking about Ethan, but it turned out to be of little use. She could not understand why Ethan kept seeking her out all the time. Was it because he admired her character? Ginny shook her head. No, certainly not that! In the end, a man would want a pretty girl with large breasts, long legs and silky hair. Ginny was not that girl. What was the use in getting her heart broken? Why could Ethan not pick someone else and leave her alone? Ginny did not want to hurt Ethan's feelings, but she had to protect herself. Ethan would get over her in time, but she would never get over him.

Ginny's heart ached while she thought about it. A few days before, in a weak moment, Ginny had confided in Ol' Granny about her feelings for Ethan. Since then, the old woman had been showering the girl with unwanted tips and tricks for bed sport. Ginny sighed. Ol' Granny had such a strange way of misinterpreting her problems. Ginny wanted to know how to banish Ethan from her thoughts, not how to make love to him in a hundred different ways!

All of a sudden came the sound of footsteps approaching in the distance. A man's footsteps. Ginny peered over the garden wall down the lane. It was Ethan Clark, of all people! The girl ducked back behind the wall, looking for a place to hide. Hopefully Ethan had not seen her. Where he could be going? Ol' Granny's house was the last one down the lane. Either Ethan was going into the forest... or he intended to pay the old lady a visit. Ginny cringed. Perhaps she should dash off into the forest herself, but she did not want to leave Ol' Granny like that. She did not want Ethan to see her either, especially not with those dirty hands and wearing that dirty frock! Ginny tried to scramble behind a pile of logs in the corner of the wall, but she was too late.

"Ginny, is that you?"

Ginny turned around to face him. "Ethan! What a surprise! And what brings you here... on this sunny afternoon?" she asked.

Ethan cast a glance at the old woman sleeping in the rocking chair. "I actually came to see Ol' Granny Frye for some advice," he answered, "but now that you're here... I think I found what I was looking for." He took a step closer.

Ginny gulped. "What do you mean?" she asked, resisting the urge to back away.

Ethan sighed. "Don't you know, Ginny?"

The girl avoided his gaze and fidgeted with her hands. "I dare not guess."

"I want to be with you, Ginny," said Ethan.

"How can that be?" she asked. "We hardly even know each other!"

"I know it's sudden," he answered, "but I think I know you well enough and I feel very strongly about you, Ginny."

"But... what about Celia?"

Ethan frowned. "What about her? Don't you know I've broken up with her?"

"I do, but... don't you still have feelings for her?"

"Definitely not. I never really had," answered Ethan. "Sure, she's pretty and all, but--"

Ginny could not believe her ears. "You never loved her?"

"No, I didn't," confirmed Ethan, "nor did I love any of those other women I've been with." He knew it was a mistake to add that last sentence before he finished saying it.

Ginny could not ignore it. She folded her arms across her chest and stared daggers at him. "So you really are the kind of man who uses women that way?" she demanded.

"Well, if it's mutual..." Ethan broke off the sentence. It had always just been about sex on his part, but he recalled Celia had wanted more after all. Some of the other women had probably wanted more as well. And Ethan had let them all down. He had let himself down now that he knew better. All of a sudden Ethan felt ashamed of himself.

Ginny bit her lip and gave him a furious look. "You've been degrading those women, Ethan. And yourself as well. I have no intention of getting myself involved in any of that."

"I don't want to degrade you, Ginny," he assured her. Ethan could not justify his past behavior. The best he could do was plead guilty. "I've made mistakes, it's true," he admitted, "but I've changed a lot lately. For the better, I believe. I'm starting to see things differently now, but I can't do it all by myself. Won't you help me, Ginny? You know how I admire you. I want to be a man you can admire in return... a man you can love."

A wave of warmth crept up Ginny's back and spread across her body. Her heart melted. "Oh, Ethan," she whispered, "I already..." Ginny choked up, unable to finish the sentence.

Ethan stepped closer and took her hands in his. He looked at Ginny in expectation, waiting for her to continue.

Ginny averted her eyes, took a deep breath and tried to speak again. "I already..."

Ethan bent down, moving his face closer to hers. Ginny grew nervous and clenched her fingers in his hands. Ethan moved closer still. Ginny fixed her eyes on his cheek.

"I..." she murmured while she craned her neck.

Their lips almost touched...

"Creeak!"

Ol' Granny stirred in the rocking chair, causing the young people to stare at her in shock until they had reassured themselves she was indeed still asleep.

Ginny took a moment to collect herself. She could not believe she was about to declare her love to Ethan! She wanted to tell him she already loved him, she had always loved him and him alone. But saying so would make her vulnerable. Ginny wanted to avoid that at all costs. She withdrew her hands from Ethan's and turned away.

Ethan blinked at his empty hands. He almost had her and then she created a distance between them yet again. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Ginny faced the wall, not knowing how to answer. The moment seemed to stretch forever.

All of a sudden it dawned on Ethan. "I know what you're thinking," he said. Ginny turned to face him again. The look in her eyes confirmed his suspicions. "You're afraid," continued Ethan. "You're afraid to trust me. You think I will break you heart. Maybe not in a year from now. Maybe not in ten years. Or even twenty for that matter. But someday I will break your heart."

Ginny's heart felt like bursting. She backed off against the wall, wanting to get away. Ethan caught up with her and cornered her there. Ginny put a hand on his chest to ward him off. She stared at the ground, unable to face him. His breath warmed her cheek while he continued to speak.

"That's what you're afraid of," he said, "and to prevent that fear of ever coming true, you would rather rob yourself of any happiness we could have shared." His voice cracked somewhere in that sentence. He waited for Ginny's reaction, but she remained frozen. "Well, that's the truth, isn't it?" he demanded. Ethan regretted his tone at once when he noticed she was about to cry.

Ginny blinked away her tears. "So what? It would only be sensible, wouldn't it?" she asked in turn. "You can't mean to tell me your love is everlasting? Like in a fairy tale?" She straightened her back and looked Ethan in the eyes. "Just how stupid and naive do you think I am?" The dam broke and Ginny burst into sobs. She pushed Ethan's arm away and headed for the gate. She did not get far. After a few steps Ginny tripped and fell face down on the ground. Now she cried from the physical pain and embarrassment as well. She had not fallen down in years. It felt as if she was a child all over again.

"Ginny!" Ethan rushed towards her. "Ginny-girl, are you alright?" He helped her back on her feet. "Oh, you... poor thing!" How small and helpless she looked! Ethan used his fingers to brush the dirt from her face. He sighed with relief when Ginny stopped crying, but a little blood formed on her lower lip where it had torn. Before Ethan knew it, his mouth was on hers, licking and sucking at the sweet blood. Ginny clawed at his shirt, but she did not push him away. He might as well give her a real kiss while he was at it. Ethan probed her mouth with his tongue, causing Ginny to jolt as if lightning had struck her spine.

Ginny wanted to say "no," but she could not speak with Ethan's tongue in her mouth. Ethan kissed her with more vigor, pulling her close to his body. Ginny could not help but kiss him back, pushing and twirling her tongue around his. The feeling electrified her. She enjoyed the warmth of Ethan's body hunching over her and his strong arms embracing her. Something hardened against her belly. Ginny wanted to feel it lower... between her legs. She wrapped her arms around Ethan's neck and pulled herself up. She stood on tiptoe, pressing her body against his, but it was not enough.

"We could also lie down," he suggested.

Ginny scowled as if she were offended and pushed Ethan away. He looked hurt and disappointed. Having kissed him, Ginny felt she owed Ethan an explanation. "Yes, we could lie down," she said. "And how could I resist you then? We'd definitely cross all the lines... what with my curiosity and your... experience." She bit her lip and worked up some courage to continue. "I suppose that would make the both of us very happy for a while. Then one day you'll look at me and wonder how you could ever settle for such a plain-looking girl. That would be the end of it. You'll move on and I'll have lost the only love I ever had." Ginny took a deep breath and trembled on her legs. If Ethan remembered the incident by the pond at all, he should understand by now how much he meant to her. Ginny was sure Ethan did not remember, but she did not want to look like a fool by trying to remind him openly.

Ethan blinked at Ginny in confusion. She had just turned him down by declaring her love to him. Was such a thing even possible? Why did it all have to be so complicated? "Hold on," he said. "What did you just say? You think I won't stay with you because of your looks?"