The Husband List by Janet Evanovich, Dorien Kelly Page B

Eddie.”
    Caroline’s father would have laughed at Caroline’s silly comment. For that matter, only a few years ago Mama would have, too.
    Just then, Jack approached. His good humor had returned.
    “Good morning, Mrs. Maxwell,” he said.
    Mama made a harrumphing sound no one could interpret as a hello. Jack’s smile did not fade. Instead it grew broader.
    “Caroline, Amelia, and Helen, it’s a pleasure to see you, too,” he added.
    The twins responded courteously, though Amelia was actually rather impolitely staring at Jack.
    “Good morning, Mister Culhane,” Caroline said. “Did you have a pleasant voyage?”
    “It was an adventure,” he said.
    Caroline nodded absently. She had just noticed that his sleeves were rolled up almost to his elbows. She’d never seen even his forearms bare since they’d been youngsters. His arms were strong and the skin as tanned as his face, as though he’d spent time in the tropics she’d been dreaming of this morning. Her fingers twitched with the desire to feel the firm tautness of his skin. She clasped one hand over the other to stop herself.
    “Did you truly help rescue those poor sailors last night?” Amelia asked Jack. “I heard a crewman talking of it as we lined up to leave the ship.”
    “I pitched in a hand,” Jack replied. “And my spare clothes once we had the four we could find aboard.”
    “But I heard you did more than that. The man was saying that you spotted the men and saved their lives,” Amelia said. “I think you might be a hero, Mr. Culhane.”
    “I’m nothing of the sort,” he said, softening his words with a smile.
    Caroline glanced at her mother to see how she might take this self-deprecation. It seemed, however, that his good manners had bounced right off her.
    Frowning, Mama said, “We must be moving along.”
    “Of course. I apologize for delaying you and look forward to seeing all of you again this season,” Jack said.
    “That is quite unlikely. We will not be entertaining,” Mama proclaimed, as though a lie would settle the matter.
    Jack grinned. “Really? I always find you entertaining, Mrs. Maxwell.”
    Caroline hid her laughter with a cough. And with a tip of his hat, Jack was gone.
    Once they were settled in the Longhornes’ carriage, Mama didn’t speak again, choosing instead to scowl at Caroline from her perch opposite her. The twins ably filled the silence. On Bridge Street they speculated about the precise number of picnics and galas they would attend over the summer. Once the carriage turned south on Thames and into the shopping district, their talk moved to who sold the best chocolates in Newport and whether they might come back later in the day to sample some.
    At Church Street they were on to who had the finer singing voice. Caroline looked out the window at Trinity Church, with its white spire pointing the way to heaven. Her concept of paradise was something more immediate: a book and a blanket beneath a tree, where she might read in peace. Or better yet, no book, but Jack at her side. Caroline sighed at the thought.
    Mama’s scowl turned into a glare. “Do not make the mistake of thinking I will tolerate another summer like last, Caroline. You must get control of yourself.”
    “I agree,” Caroline replied. Of course she gave those words a different meaning from the one her mother had intended.
    Once they had turned east off Belleville Avenue and onto Bath Road, the bustle of the commercial area gave way to quiet. Buildings no longer stood shoulder-to-shoulder. Rolling lawns, elaborate entry gates, and cottages that could house a hundred took over the landscape. In a matter of minutes, they had turned onto a private lane that led to the Longhorne family estate.
    Villa Blanca might not be so large and grand as Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt’s Marble House, just a handful of mansions away, but Mrs. Longhorne had hardly gone short on marble, either. Villa Blanca’s three stories and two angled wings glowed