the rental houses my mother moved us into. We used to move about every six months, from Louisiana to Alabama and Georgia, then finally Florida. She’d get mad and quit her job, then she’d blame it all on my absent father and the world in general, but mostly she blamed her family and me. Then we’d take off to ‘start over.’ I got tired of starting over.”
“So you came here to live with your grandmother?”
“Yes. I felt safe here. I found stability here.”
“Maybe that’s why you’re back now.”
“Maybe.”
She was still looking down. Heath touched a hand toher shoulder. “Mariel, I don’t know what Sadie has in mind, but I’d enjoy getting to know you more. No strings attached.”
She laughed, the sound moving over the still earth like a soft melody. “I think that’s a given, since we’ll be working together until Easter.”
He got up then. “Well, it doesn’t have to be all work. We could…go to a movie in the city, maybe? Have dinner somewhere. I’d like to see Shreveport. I hear the Red River is pretty, and it does have a rich history.”
“It’s just a lot of water.”
“Ah, but it’s all in the eye of the beholder.”
She grinned, then reached out a hand. Heath pulled her to her feet, her gesture making him think he’d gained a small measure of her trust after all.
Mariel stared at him, her expression thoughtful, then said, “I guess since you listen to flowers, you probably talk to water, too, right?”
He tilted his head, tossed his long bangs over, then grinned back at her. “No, I mostly drink water. But I talk to trees. Completely different thing. A very one-sided conversation.”
“You’re strange.”
“You’re pretty.”
She moved away, the wall back up. “Let’s make a pact, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Let’s agree to get to know each other, with the understanding that we’re here to help Granny and get these lilies out to our florists and nurseries during the holiday rush. As for all the rest…I don’t know. I have a few weeks to decide what to do about Granny’s last will and testament—something I refuse to think about now—and I have some time to make up my mind about you.”
Heath figured that was the closest thing to a commitment he was going to get from Mariel right now. But he could live with that. “Fine,” he said, taking her hand to shake on the pact. “I’m a patient man. I can wait.” He met her confused gaze with a calm challenging look. “After all, I said I was only halfway teasing about falling for you.”
“Well, don’t hold your breath.”
She said it with a stiff smile and a firm handshake.
Then she turned and went inside the house.
Mariel went straight to her bedroom on the second floor. From the rounded bay window that formed a turret on the top of the house, she had a perfect view of the lily field off to the west. Falling across the cushioned box seat, she watched as Heath walked back down the gravel drive. Watched and held her breath.
He’d been halfway teasing her about falling in love.
Did he feel the things she’d been feeling?
Did his heart move twice as fast each time they were together?
Mariel grabbed a ruffled pillow, clutching it as she studied Heath Whitaker. He was tall and lanky, well muscled from working out in the fields. His California tan and sun-streaked longish hair made him look like movie star material, but his gentle eyes and down-to-earth poetic attitude made him prime falling-in-love material.
Which was exactly what Mariel couldn’t do.
She wouldn’t fall for Heath, not even if dear Granny wished it. Not even if she herself secretly thought about it. She was too confused, too unsure right now, to even consider that.
Just fantasies, she told herself. Just silly daydreams.
This place had that effect on her. White Hill had always been a whimsical, magical place for Mariel. A safe retreat from her mother’s wrath and the world’s hard knocks.Granny Hillsboro was a gentle, loving,
“So you came here to live with your grandmother?”
“Yes. I felt safe here. I found stability here.”
“Maybe that’s why you’re back now.”
“Maybe.”
She was still looking down. Heath touched a hand toher shoulder. “Mariel, I don’t know what Sadie has in mind, but I’d enjoy getting to know you more. No strings attached.”
She laughed, the sound moving over the still earth like a soft melody. “I think that’s a given, since we’ll be working together until Easter.”
He got up then. “Well, it doesn’t have to be all work. We could…go to a movie in the city, maybe? Have dinner somewhere. I’d like to see Shreveport. I hear the Red River is pretty, and it does have a rich history.”
“It’s just a lot of water.”
“Ah, but it’s all in the eye of the beholder.”
She grinned, then reached out a hand. Heath pulled her to her feet, her gesture making him think he’d gained a small measure of her trust after all.
Mariel stared at him, her expression thoughtful, then said, “I guess since you listen to flowers, you probably talk to water, too, right?”
He tilted his head, tossed his long bangs over, then grinned back at her. “No, I mostly drink water. But I talk to trees. Completely different thing. A very one-sided conversation.”
“You’re strange.”
“You’re pretty.”
She moved away, the wall back up. “Let’s make a pact, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Let’s agree to get to know each other, with the understanding that we’re here to help Granny and get these lilies out to our florists and nurseries during the holiday rush. As for all the rest…I don’t know. I have a few weeks to decide what to do about Granny’s last will and testament—something I refuse to think about now—and I have some time to make up my mind about you.”
Heath figured that was the closest thing to a commitment he was going to get from Mariel right now. But he could live with that. “Fine,” he said, taking her hand to shake on the pact. “I’m a patient man. I can wait.” He met her confused gaze with a calm challenging look. “After all, I said I was only halfway teasing about falling for you.”
“Well, don’t hold your breath.”
She said it with a stiff smile and a firm handshake.
Then she turned and went inside the house.
Mariel went straight to her bedroom on the second floor. From the rounded bay window that formed a turret on the top of the house, she had a perfect view of the lily field off to the west. Falling across the cushioned box seat, she watched as Heath walked back down the gravel drive. Watched and held her breath.
He’d been halfway teasing her about falling in love.
Did he feel the things she’d been feeling?
Did his heart move twice as fast each time they were together?
Mariel grabbed a ruffled pillow, clutching it as she studied Heath Whitaker. He was tall and lanky, well muscled from working out in the fields. His California tan and sun-streaked longish hair made him look like movie star material, but his gentle eyes and down-to-earth poetic attitude made him prime falling-in-love material.
Which was exactly what Mariel couldn’t do.
She wouldn’t fall for Heath, not even if dear Granny wished it. Not even if she herself secretly thought about it. She was too confused, too unsure right now, to even consider that.
Just fantasies, she told herself. Just silly daydreams.
This place had that effect on her. White Hill had always been a whimsical, magical place for Mariel. A safe retreat from her mother’s wrath and the world’s hard knocks.Granny Hillsboro was a gentle, loving,
Similar Books
