thank you." She marched over to the mountain, selected a box and hefted it down. "We'll manage. "
He came and lifted it out of her hands while they were still in midair, his height advantage making it effortless for him to pluck it from her.
She turned and gave him a dirty look. "Haven't you got some work to do somewhere?" "Ayup."
"Then why aren't you there?"
"Got my own business, me and my brother. He's working at a job out by the Lily Pond and he'll get along fine till I get there. Where do you want this?"
The carton held her cast-iron frying pans. He handled it as if it contained nothing more than a thimble keep.
"In the kitchen."
He took it there and she followed3 watching
as he set it on the floor beside the iron cookstove.
"Look, Mr. Farley." She lowered her voice. "I heard you whispering and tittering with my brother-in-law upstairs. I think I have a pretty good idea of what that was all about, so why don't you just leave the unpacking to me and my girls and take your leave? I'm not the kind of woman you think I am, and you're not going to gain any advantage by hanging around here acting indispensable. I've got my piano inside. That's all I needed you for, and I thanked you for that. "
He straightened his spine by degrees, angling her an amused expression.
"Why, Mrs. Jewett, you do me an injustice," he said, brushing his palms together.
"No " Mr. Farley, you do me an injustice. I told you before, I'm not a stupid woman. I know men and their ways, and I know perfectly well what preconceived notion the word divorced brings to their minds. Shall we at least agree that I'm bright enough to have figured out what you and Elfred were whispering about upstairs?"
Farley considered her for some time. By Jove, he'd never met a woman like her before, and if truth were told, he wasn't sure why he was hanging around here. Nevertheless, he decided an admission of his first mistake would put them on friendlier terms.
"Very well. Please accept my apology." "No, I will not. "
Farley couldn't decide whether to chuckle or gape. Never having had an apology flung back
Z. 0
in his face before, he gaped. And thrust his chin forward as if he'd just swallowed a horsefly. "You won't?"
"No, I won't. Because it was rude and embarrassing what you did, and since I have no wish to further our acquaintance, I choose not to accept your apology."
A few beats passed before he muttered, "Well, I'll be damned."
"Good," she said, turning away with her nose in the air. "That would please me very much." She disappeared into the living room, leaving
him to gape further. He whipped off his cap, scratched his head (which didn't need it), looked around the kitchen, felt his curiosity about her gather steam, hooked the cap back over his temple (lower than ever) and followed her.
From the doorway between the two rooms he watched her clamber onto a packing crate and reach for a bandbox from high on a stack. The back of her skirt was a wrinkled mess, and the back of her hair was just u1. When she _plain awf
leaned forward the heels of her black high-top shoes lifted off the carton, and they, too, were scuffed and worn down so there was no sole left on them. He assessed her and made no more offers of help.
"I'll be going then." "Yes, please do."
"so do you not want me to do the work on the house then?"
c4suit yourself. That's between you and Elfred. But if you do it, I'll want it understood, you're to knock before you enter and stop staring at my
9- n
hindside the way you're doing right now. I'm not interested, Mr. Farley. Not in you or any man, is that understood?" She stepped down with the bandbox and faced him.
Off came his cap again and he scratched his head in a frenzy of astonishment. "Good God afrighty, woman, you carry a big stick, don't you?"
"Yes, I do. But you haven't lived in my shoes, so don't judge me, Mr. Farley."
"You'd better get one thing straight." He reset his stance and pointed at the bridge of her nose. "Women around
He came and lifted it out of her hands while they were still in midair, his height advantage making it effortless for him to pluck it from her.
She turned and gave him a dirty look. "Haven't you got some work to do somewhere?" "Ayup."
"Then why aren't you there?"
"Got my own business, me and my brother. He's working at a job out by the Lily Pond and he'll get along fine till I get there. Where do you want this?"
The carton held her cast-iron frying pans. He handled it as if it contained nothing more than a thimble keep.
"In the kitchen."
He took it there and she followed3 watching
as he set it on the floor beside the iron cookstove.
"Look, Mr. Farley." She lowered her voice. "I heard you whispering and tittering with my brother-in-law upstairs. I think I have a pretty good idea of what that was all about, so why don't you just leave the unpacking to me and my girls and take your leave? I'm not the kind of woman you think I am, and you're not going to gain any advantage by hanging around here acting indispensable. I've got my piano inside. That's all I needed you for, and I thanked you for that. "
He straightened his spine by degrees, angling her an amused expression.
"Why, Mrs. Jewett, you do me an injustice," he said, brushing his palms together.
"No " Mr. Farley, you do me an injustice. I told you before, I'm not a stupid woman. I know men and their ways, and I know perfectly well what preconceived notion the word divorced brings to their minds. Shall we at least agree that I'm bright enough to have figured out what you and Elfred were whispering about upstairs?"
Farley considered her for some time. By Jove, he'd never met a woman like her before, and if truth were told, he wasn't sure why he was hanging around here. Nevertheless, he decided an admission of his first mistake would put them on friendlier terms.
"Very well. Please accept my apology." "No, I will not. "
Farley couldn't decide whether to chuckle or gape. Never having had an apology flung back
Z. 0
in his face before, he gaped. And thrust his chin forward as if he'd just swallowed a horsefly. "You won't?"
"No, I won't. Because it was rude and embarrassing what you did, and since I have no wish to further our acquaintance, I choose not to accept your apology."
A few beats passed before he muttered, "Well, I'll be damned."
"Good," she said, turning away with her nose in the air. "That would please me very much." She disappeared into the living room, leaving
him to gape further. He whipped off his cap, scratched his head (which didn't need it), looked around the kitchen, felt his curiosity about her gather steam, hooked the cap back over his temple (lower than ever) and followed her.
From the doorway between the two rooms he watched her clamber onto a packing crate and reach for a bandbox from high on a stack. The back of her skirt was a wrinkled mess, and the back of her hair was just u1. When she _plain awf
leaned forward the heels of her black high-top shoes lifted off the carton, and they, too, were scuffed and worn down so there was no sole left on them. He assessed her and made no more offers of help.
"I'll be going then." "Yes, please do."
"so do you not want me to do the work on the house then?"
c4suit yourself. That's between you and Elfred. But if you do it, I'll want it understood, you're to knock before you enter and stop staring at my
9- n
hindside the way you're doing right now. I'm not interested, Mr. Farley. Not in you or any man, is that understood?" She stepped down with the bandbox and faced him.
Off came his cap again and he scratched his head in a frenzy of astonishment. "Good God afrighty, woman, you carry a big stick, don't you?"
"Yes, I do. But you haven't lived in my shoes, so don't judge me, Mr. Farley."
"You'd better get one thing straight." He reset his stance and pointed at the bridge of her nose. "Women around
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