me.” Releasing her, he got as far away as he could, where he stood trying to catch his breath.
Jesus. She was making him crazy.
As the front door slammed, he tilted his head back and groaned.
* * *
Myra Hawkins and her mother watched as Charlie stalked by them without a backward glance.
“Mama, do you see the way she’s running down the boardwalk? Just look at her skirt, flipping around, ankles showing. It’s disgraceful.” Myra’s face wrinkled as she grimaced.
“Dear, stop looking like you sucked on a lemon. What if Chester Dole is in town today? Do you want him to see you looking like that?” Chloris Hawkins wanted her daughter to marry more than anything else in this world. To tell the truth, it was getting embarrassing. Myra was nearly twenty and without a single offer of marriage. Not even a desperate proposal from one of the Mays brothers, who wouldn’t find a girl to accept them, not in a hundred years.
Not that Chester Dole was the best catch in Edgemont, either, but he did come from good stock. The Doles had a productive cotton farm, Chester had all of his teeth, and he didn’t spit in public. Chloris considered him a fine prospect.
She was no dreamer. Her father had married her to the first man who came asking. It certainly hadn’t been love at first sight, but things had worked out fine.
Poor Myra. Unfortunately, she had taken after her father’s side of the family, and extremely average looks weren’t going to land a prince—like the new editor, for instance. Chloris snorted, then shifted to see if anyone on the boardwalk had heard. Anyway, rumor had it that Lila Dane had set her sights on him.
Everybody knew, what the Danes wanted, the Danes got.
“Mama?”
Her daughter’s flat voice stopped her daydreaming cold. “Yes, dear.”
“Mama, I keep telling you, I don’t even like Chester Dole. He’s a big, overgrown oaf.”
“Hush. Chester is a nice boy. Do you want to end up an old maid like Charlotte Whitney? Is that what you want?” She patted Myra’s arm.
Myra glared at Charlie’s swiftly moving, trim figure. “She’s not really an old maid, not with Tom Walker sniffing around. Oh, Mama, it’s not fair...he’s so handsome.”
Chloris shook her head in reproach. “He may have a liking for her—after all, she’s a pretty girl—but that’s not the kind any man in his right mind will marry. Her parents should have known they were starting something wicked by calling her Charlie.”
Chloris really felt kind of sad when she thought about the poor girl, alone with almost no family. “Just be glad your mama is here to help guide you through life. You don’t realize how lucky you are. Now smile and, heavens, stand up straight.” She grabbed her daughter’s arm and urged her down the boardwalk.
In their haste, they failed to notice the lone figure standing in the open window of the Sentinel office.
Chapter Six
Curiosity
The desire to learn or know.
Charlie pulled a strand of hair from her face, and the window caught her reflection. A clump of flour stained her cheek. She laughed and wiped it off.
Making dough was tedious, but it involved only her hands, which left her mind free. The kitchen curtains billowed like sails on a ship; the healthy breeze marched the scent of cinnamon about the room. She drew a deep breath. The scent of fresh cut grass was in the air, too.
A groan escaped her as she flexed her cramped fingers. Her gaze strayed to the green hills in the distance. If she closed her eyes, she could almost hear the creek gurgling. Decided, she wiped her hands on a dishtowel and headed out the door.
She paused on the porch, not expecting anyone. However, with Chase’s unexpected visit last week and Tom’s yesterday, you never could tell. She glanced at her faded dress and bare feet. She didn’t intend to get caught in trousers again. She drew the line at wearing shoes in her own home, though.
Humming, she strolled toward the creek. She
Jesus. She was making him crazy.
As the front door slammed, he tilted his head back and groaned.
* * *
Myra Hawkins and her mother watched as Charlie stalked by them without a backward glance.
“Mama, do you see the way she’s running down the boardwalk? Just look at her skirt, flipping around, ankles showing. It’s disgraceful.” Myra’s face wrinkled as she grimaced.
“Dear, stop looking like you sucked on a lemon. What if Chester Dole is in town today? Do you want him to see you looking like that?” Chloris Hawkins wanted her daughter to marry more than anything else in this world. To tell the truth, it was getting embarrassing. Myra was nearly twenty and without a single offer of marriage. Not even a desperate proposal from one of the Mays brothers, who wouldn’t find a girl to accept them, not in a hundred years.
Not that Chester Dole was the best catch in Edgemont, either, but he did come from good stock. The Doles had a productive cotton farm, Chester had all of his teeth, and he didn’t spit in public. Chloris considered him a fine prospect.
She was no dreamer. Her father had married her to the first man who came asking. It certainly hadn’t been love at first sight, but things had worked out fine.
Poor Myra. Unfortunately, she had taken after her father’s side of the family, and extremely average looks weren’t going to land a prince—like the new editor, for instance. Chloris snorted, then shifted to see if anyone on the boardwalk had heard. Anyway, rumor had it that Lila Dane had set her sights on him.
Everybody knew, what the Danes wanted, the Danes got.
“Mama?”
Her daughter’s flat voice stopped her daydreaming cold. “Yes, dear.”
“Mama, I keep telling you, I don’t even like Chester Dole. He’s a big, overgrown oaf.”
“Hush. Chester is a nice boy. Do you want to end up an old maid like Charlotte Whitney? Is that what you want?” She patted Myra’s arm.
Myra glared at Charlie’s swiftly moving, trim figure. “She’s not really an old maid, not with Tom Walker sniffing around. Oh, Mama, it’s not fair...he’s so handsome.”
Chloris shook her head in reproach. “He may have a liking for her—after all, she’s a pretty girl—but that’s not the kind any man in his right mind will marry. Her parents should have known they were starting something wicked by calling her Charlie.”
Chloris really felt kind of sad when she thought about the poor girl, alone with almost no family. “Just be glad your mama is here to help guide you through life. You don’t realize how lucky you are. Now smile and, heavens, stand up straight.” She grabbed her daughter’s arm and urged her down the boardwalk.
In their haste, they failed to notice the lone figure standing in the open window of the Sentinel office.
Chapter Six
Curiosity
The desire to learn or know.
Charlie pulled a strand of hair from her face, and the window caught her reflection. A clump of flour stained her cheek. She laughed and wiped it off.
Making dough was tedious, but it involved only her hands, which left her mind free. The kitchen curtains billowed like sails on a ship; the healthy breeze marched the scent of cinnamon about the room. She drew a deep breath. The scent of fresh cut grass was in the air, too.
A groan escaped her as she flexed her cramped fingers. Her gaze strayed to the green hills in the distance. If she closed her eyes, she could almost hear the creek gurgling. Decided, she wiped her hands on a dishtowel and headed out the door.
She paused on the porch, not expecting anyone. However, with Chase’s unexpected visit last week and Tom’s yesterday, you never could tell. She glanced at her faded dress and bare feet. She didn’t intend to get caught in trousers again. She drew the line at wearing shoes in her own home, though.
Humming, she strolled toward the creek. She
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