Read Online A Winter's Rose by Erica Spindler - Free Book Online Page B

“Guilty as charged. Although my mother did her best to instill in us some of the southern code, she was, I’m afraid, outnumbered. Five sons and a husband who had about as much need for cloth napkins and finger bowls as he did for suits and ties.”
    â€œFour brothers?” Bentley repeated, incredulous. “Are they as big and mulish as you are?”
    He grinned. “Bigger and more mulish.”
    Bentley fanned herself as if overcome by the vapors. “The poor woman.”
    Jackson eased back in his chair, a smile pulling at his mouth. “That poor woman kept all five of us in line.” He shook his head. “She’s not much better than five feet tall and speaks with the softest little drawl. The softer that drawl got, the bigger the trouble we were in.”
    His eyes alight with amusement, Jackson leaned toward Bentley. “Mama would say, `Jackson, darlin’, you were brought up better than that, now weren’t you?’ Of course, by then I always knew I was in big trouble, partly because of the drawl and partly because of the way she was slapping her wooden spoon against her palm. So I would just nod and say, `Yes, ma’am,’ as pretty as I could. Of course, manners that late in the game never did any good, but I always hoped.”
    Bentley laughed. “You’re teasing me.”
    He held up his right hand. “This is the God’s truth. Anyway, then she would say to me, sweet as molasses, `Now, honey, you go apologize to Miss Leigh-Anne and her mama, then you come on back here for your punishment.’” He laughed. “She broke that spoon over my backside more than once.”
    â€œI don’t doubt you deserved it.”
    â€œOh, I did. I was bad.” He cocked his head. “Although my brothers were worse.”
    â€œWorse?” Bentley smiled, charmed by the picture he’d painted of his family. And envious. Her childhood had been so regimented and elegant, so…lonely. She took a sip of her tea, swallowing past the lump in her throat. “Are these bad brothers of yours all grown?”
    â€œWith kids of their own. Two are shrimpers like Daddy. Bobby’s a lawyer and Lee’s career Navy.” He glanced out the window, spotted Chloe, then turned to Bentley. “What about your family? Any brothers?
Sisters?”
    Bentley tightened her fingers on her glass, thinking of the ever-present comparisons between her and her siblings. “Two brothers. They’re just like Daddy. Wildly successful. Busy.” She carefully set aside her drink, then dropped her hands to her lap. “Both are considerably older than I am, and by the time I was in grammar school, they were away at academy.”
    For long moments, Jackson studied her. His eyes were the light, clear blue of an early morning sky, his gaze uncomfortably direct. She had the feeling he saw things about her she preferred to keep secret.
    Unnerved, she looked away. “It was the next best thing to being an only child.”
    Jackson opened his mouth to comment, then shook his head as if deciding otherwise. Frowning, he looked toward the beach again. “I can’t imagine having grown up without my brothers. Without any siblings. It certainly isn’t what I wanted for Chloe.”
    Bentley followed his glance. Chloe was on the beach, laughing with her girlfriends. As if sensing their scrutiny, she looked up and waved.
    â€œShe’ll be fine,” Bentley murmured.
    â€œWill she? I’m not so sure.”
    He spoke from the heart, and Bentley felt a tug of sympathy. “I know.”
    â€œShe’s a lot like her mother.” He drew his eyebrows together. “In every way.”
    â€œIs that all bad?”
    He turned to Bentley. “I think so.”
    Bentley lowered her eyes. She didn’t know the other woman, but from what she’d heard about her from Chloe, she had to agree. And from what she knew of Jackson, Victoria