Read Online A Time for Everything by Mysti Parker - Free Book Online Page B

with
women.
    Rounding the side of the church, he
groaned. Mrs. Peabody and the rest of the gossip flock had swarmed
around Portia. They ushered her off under a cedar tree for further
pecking. Harry, Ezra, and Jonny were setting up the picnic. He
started to step in and save her, but she smiled and chatted with
them and didn’t seem too flustered. More hair had fallen onto the
graceful line of her neck. She twirled a lock of it around her
finger and glanced at him. He nodded in return.
    Harry sauntered over with a
conspiratorial look on his face. “Why didn’t you tell me that Lydia
is coming back?”
    Beau pulled his gaze from the women.
“What?”
    “ Lydia Clemons is coming
back from Philly, and you didn’t tell me. She’s got to be what,
twenty, twenty-one by now?” Harry slicked his hair down as though
Lydia were standing right in front of him.
    “ I haven’t thought much
about it since Pa told me. They’ll be staying with us until their
home is renovated.”
    “ You’d better be thinkin’
about it, Beau. Lydia’s had her eyes set on you ever since she was
a child.”
    “ She’s Claire’s little
cousin, for goodness sake. I can’t think of her that
way.”
    “ Yeah, well, Claire’s not
coming back, and you’re not getting any younger.”
    Beau clenched his jaw and bit back
words that were not at all appropriate on church property. He
managed to strain a more neutral statement through his gritted
teeth. “I really don’t want to talk about this right
now.”
    “ Come on, man, think about
it. Why would they come back at all, if not for you? Oliver owns
half of Philly already. It’s not like they have to come back here
to this mess. I’d
bet my bottom dollar they’re coming back because of you .”
    “ Nonsense. They’ve got
roots here, that’s all.”
    Beau scuffed up some grass
with his boot. Harry’s notion had to be way off. His memories of
Lydia consisted of pink ribbons and curly blond hair, skipping
around Paradise Plantation back in its heyday. He could hardly
imagine her as a woman now, especially one interested in
marrying him .
Then again, she had written him several letters since his
return. I’ll forever cherish those days
when you taught me to ride. They were the happiest of my
life…
    Harry shrugged. “I guess we’ll see
then, won’t we? It’ll be fun having old Oliver back in town. He
always had the best smokes.”
    “ We’ve got a lot of work
to do,” Beau said. “I’m not exactly looking forward to entertaining
house guests.”
    “ Portia can help with
that, right?”
    Beau craned his neck to check on her.
She wasn’t smiling anymore, but crossed her arms and fiddled with
her dress collar. The ladies had her cornered against the cedar’s
trunk, all of them gesturing and nodding passionately among
themselves.
    Harry shook his head. “I’ll go save
her.”
    “ No, let me.”
    Beau hurried past Harry
before he could respond. Why he felt compelled to play Sir Knight,
he didn’t know, except he didn’t want to talk about Lydia’s
imminent arrival anymore. And he had hired Portia, after all, or at
least given his consent for Ezra to hire her, so the least he could
do was keep her out of harm’s way.
    He reached the circle of vultures in
time to hear Mrs. Peabody’s scathing remarks. “I’m not sure how you
all do it in Brentwood, but around here at least, it’s considered
proper to wear only black or a very dark gray for at least an
entire year to mourn properly. And your daughter’s been gone for
only eight months? We can lend you something, I’m sure…”
    “ Oh, yes, yes,” the others
clucked in response.
    Beau started to interrupt, but Portia
lifted her chin and addressed them all. “While your concern for my
apparel is appreciated, I do not need nor want your charity. Abby
was the light of my world. I do her memory no justice to go around
wearing darkness. Now if you will excuse me.”
    She pushed past them and seemed
startled to see Beau