Read Online A Wedding on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball - Free Book Online
Authors: Donna Ball
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“Remember? We always display in odd numbers.” He indicated the small silver tray which, as anyone could plainly see, contained only six wrapped Godiva chocolates.
Paul said quickly, “I’m afraid that’s my fault. I ate one.”
Purline rolled her eyes and took the towels to the bathroom, and Derrick gave Paul a disappointed look.
“At any rate,” Paul went on, “the poor girl is a wreck.” He fluffed the arrangement of autumn wildflowers that were displayed in a hammered copper bowl on the table in front of the window. “I honestly don’t know what she’d do without me.”
“All brides are nervous,” Derrick said. “It’s part of their charm.” He examined the arrangement of blue and cream candles in the fireplace with a critical eye. “I don’t know. Time to change the display to firewood?”
“Heavens no,” said Paul. “That would only encourage the guests to light a fire.”
“I don’t know what you’re worried about,” said Purline, returning from the bathroom. “I’m the one that has to clean the ashes.”
Derrick said, “Purline, please …”
“Candy, right.” She paused to fold the throw at the foot of the bed into a neat rectangle, blew a bubble with her gum, and snapped it on the way out.
Paul immediately rearranged the throw into the perfect triangle in which he’d originally placed it. “Lindsay has bigger problems than pre-wedding jitters,” he confided. “She’s nothing but one accident after another, bumping into things, tripping over things, getting hit by things …”
“I knew a woman like that once,” said Purline, returning with the box of candy. “Turned out she was blind in one eye and didn’t even know it.” She held up a gold wrapped chocolate between her thumb and forefinger, showing it to Derrick, and then placed it deliberately in the center of the candy tray.
Paul and Derrick shared a brief concerned look, then Paul said, “I’m sure that’s not it. At any rate, Lindsay is completely convinced there’s a curse on weddings held at Ladybug Farm.”
“She may have a point,” conceded Derrick. He nudged the chocolate that Purline had just placed a fraction to the left, then gave the dish another quarter turn. He stepped back to admire the effect. “If you think about it, every time they’ve tried to host a wedding, there have been problems.”
“If you call a tornado a problem,” agreed Paul.
“Or a runaway bride.”
“I knew a fella that was hexed once,” said Purline, punching up one of the down-filled cushions that lined the Queen Anne love seat in front of the fireplace. “Every one of his teeth fell out, then he lost his job down at the water plant—’course, that might’ve been because he was so ugly, without any teeth—then he cut off his pinky with a band saw, then his wife left him and his dog ran away. Got to where people’d cross the street when they saw him coming, for fear it was catching.”
Paul and Derrick looked at each other with a mixture of skepticism and dismay. Purline began fluffing the pillows on the bed.
“If you ask me,” Derrick said, discreetly returning the center crease to the cushion Purline had just fluffed, “it’s too soon after Lori’s broken engagement. Maybe there is a little lingering bad juju. It’s practically the same date, for heaven’s sake, and she’s even wearing Lori’s gown.”
“Lori, the little heathen, hated the Vera Wang,” Paul reminded him. “She wanted to cut it off at the knees and add a denim jacket!” His eyes darkened with recalled pain. “She said it was fussy! Right in front of me!”
Derrick winced sympathetically. “There, there.”
“I couldn’t snatch it off her fast enough,” Paul said, his tone still disgruntled. He went behind Purline and rearranged the pillows on the bed. “And don’t let me forget—we’ve got to find someone who can get the alterations done in a
Paul said quickly, “I’m afraid that’s my fault. I ate one.”
Purline rolled her eyes and took the towels to the bathroom, and Derrick gave Paul a disappointed look.
“At any rate,” Paul went on, “the poor girl is a wreck.” He fluffed the arrangement of autumn wildflowers that were displayed in a hammered copper bowl on the table in front of the window. “I honestly don’t know what she’d do without me.”
“All brides are nervous,” Derrick said. “It’s part of their charm.” He examined the arrangement of blue and cream candles in the fireplace with a critical eye. “I don’t know. Time to change the display to firewood?”
“Heavens no,” said Paul. “That would only encourage the guests to light a fire.”
“I don’t know what you’re worried about,” said Purline, returning from the bathroom. “I’m the one that has to clean the ashes.”
Derrick said, “Purline, please …”
“Candy, right.” She paused to fold the throw at the foot of the bed into a neat rectangle, blew a bubble with her gum, and snapped it on the way out.
Paul immediately rearranged the throw into the perfect triangle in which he’d originally placed it. “Lindsay has bigger problems than pre-wedding jitters,” he confided. “She’s nothing but one accident after another, bumping into things, tripping over things, getting hit by things …”
“I knew a woman like that once,” said Purline, returning with the box of candy. “Turned out she was blind in one eye and didn’t even know it.” She held up a gold wrapped chocolate between her thumb and forefinger, showing it to Derrick, and then placed it deliberately in the center of the candy tray.
Paul and Derrick shared a brief concerned look, then Paul said, “I’m sure that’s not it. At any rate, Lindsay is completely convinced there’s a curse on weddings held at Ladybug Farm.”
“She may have a point,” conceded Derrick. He nudged the chocolate that Purline had just placed a fraction to the left, then gave the dish another quarter turn. He stepped back to admire the effect. “If you think about it, every time they’ve tried to host a wedding, there have been problems.”
“If you call a tornado a problem,” agreed Paul.
“Or a runaway bride.”
“I knew a fella that was hexed once,” said Purline, punching up one of the down-filled cushions that lined the Queen Anne love seat in front of the fireplace. “Every one of his teeth fell out, then he lost his job down at the water plant—’course, that might’ve been because he was so ugly, without any teeth—then he cut off his pinky with a band saw, then his wife left him and his dog ran away. Got to where people’d cross the street when they saw him coming, for fear it was catching.”
Paul and Derrick looked at each other with a mixture of skepticism and dismay. Purline began fluffing the pillows on the bed.
“If you ask me,” Derrick said, discreetly returning the center crease to the cushion Purline had just fluffed, “it’s too soon after Lori’s broken engagement. Maybe there is a little lingering bad juju. It’s practically the same date, for heaven’s sake, and she’s even wearing Lori’s gown.”
“Lori, the little heathen, hated the Vera Wang,” Paul reminded him. “She wanted to cut it off at the knees and add a denim jacket!” His eyes darkened with recalled pain. “She said it was fussy! Right in front of me!”
Derrick winced sympathetically. “There, there.”
“I couldn’t snatch it off her fast enough,” Paul said, his tone still disgruntled. He went behind Purline and rearranged the pillows on the bed. “And don’t let me forget—we’ve got to find someone who can get the alterations done in a
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