Miracles in Disguise (The Trampled Rose Series) by Michelle Lynn Brown

rushed to her face, and she quickly bent to pick up her things.
    “Here, let me help,” he said as he set the cups down on her desk and scooped up the paper clips for her. She tried to hide her face behind the veil of her hair.
    “I’m sorry, I thought I was alone,” she said, placing the last of the books on her desk.
    Why does she get so skittish when she realizes she’s not alone?
    “I just wanted to welcome you with a cup of coffee.”
    “Thank you, that was kind.” Her smile was wary.
    “Well, you might not think me so kind after I tell you that Principle Shirley will be evaluating you this morning.” His eyes flicked to her hair, and he picked a paper clip from the edge of one of her curls. “You forgot one.”
    She took it from him, but said nothing as he continued. “It is Mr. Shirley’s policy, not mine. I just wanted to warn you so you could prepare.”
    “Sounds wonderful!” She lifted her chin the tiniest bit in defiance. “You’ll find that I don’t shy away from scrutiny or observation. In fact, I welcome them, for how else will my skills be sharpened if not through examination and criticism?”
    Nathan chided himself for enjoying her discomfort. He hadn’t come with the desire to get her rankled, but seeing her ruffled feathers, he couldn’t help but think she was a strange and beautiful little bird.
    “John Keats once said, ‘every fresh experience points out some form of error, which we shall afterwards carefully avoid.’ I'm sure I’ll gain plenty of knowledge and guidance from Mr. Shirley.”
    “Oh, I’m sure you will.” He heard the hint of sarcasm that trickled into his voice, and wished he could stop smirking. But he found her flushed cheeks and attempt at bravado so beguiling.
    “I’d invite you to sit in as well,” she said with a shrug, “but you have to be getting off to your own class.”
    “Well, actually,” he said, a smile lifting the corner of his mouth, “This is my planning period.” He almost laughed out-loud at her visible struggle to keep an aloof composure.
    “Well, I guess you can join in, as long as Mr. Shirley doesn’t mind.”
    Nathan shrugged his shoulders, and he mentally chided himself for enjoying baiting her so much. She was such a peculiar little woman, trying to work so hard at looking tough and together, but so easily ruffled and frightened. He wondered if she was aware that every time she got angry or nervous she would pull out her defensive dictionary and start using her “English Teacher" words.
    Turning back to her desk, she said, “I better get everything ready, the kids will be here soon. And thanks for the coffee."
    He stood staring for a moment. She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever come across. Her hair hung in luxurious waves down her back, and her scent tickled him in places he wasn’t sure he felt comfortable with. Though she tried to appear cool and collected, two pink spots of frustration tinged her cheeks. Shaking his head as he walked out, he thought, if only she wasn’t so nervous.
    A half-hour later, Nathan again stood in her classroom doorway, this time the one farthest from her desk. He watched as she smiled and greeted the students as they walked in. When Edwin Shirley walked in, she stood and shook his hand, graciously thanking him for visiting her class.
    As the bell rang, she stood and addressed the class. “I have already spoken with Mrs. Rose, and we will be picking up where you left off, reading Faulkner," she said, thumbing to that spot in the book and perching her hip on the edge of the desk.
    As the kids murmured and shuffled through their backpacks, a boy in the back of the class dropped his violin case. The bang jolted her, causing her to drop her book. The kids chuckled, and she looked up, her eyes locking with Nathan. She arched an eyebrow as he took his seat next to Edwin.
    “Where was I?”
    Nathan watched her from the back of the class as she tried to gather her thoughts back