Read Online Memories of You by Margot Dalton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Margot Dalton
Ads: Link
hear?”
“I want to hear the truth, son. That’s all.”
Steven got up, wadded his napkin into a ball and threw it on the table, then stalked from the room. In a few minutes they heard the roar of his yellow Mustang and saw the cloud of dust as the car pulled onto the graveled access road, heading for town.
Jon watched the disappearing plume of dust. These challenges between them were getting more frequent all the time, increasingly edgy and tense now that Steven was almost as tall as his father.
“What’s that book, Daddy?” Ari said, clearing his throat nervously. He indicated a volume at Jon’s elbow, bristling with notes and markers.
“Pride and Prejudice,” Jon told him. “By Jane Austen.”
“At breakfast?” Vanessa asked with a grimace of distaste.
“Dr. Pritchard gave all of us our individual research assignments yesterday. I have to compare thework of five modern British novelists with five others from the nineteenth century.”
“Wow,” Vanessa muttered with a rare show of sympathy. “That’s brutal, Daddy.”
“I know. This English class is going to be a lot more work than the others.”
“Why don’t you drop it?” Vanessa asked. “I heard lots of people are dropping classes.”
“Well, I’m not one of them, Van. I believe in finishing things once I’ve started them.”
She shrugged and wrenched the syrup jug away from her little brother.
“I can’t wait to go to the ranch,” Amy murmured, her face shining with happiness. “I just can’t wait. When are we leaving, Daddy?”
“In a few minutes, pumpkin. There’s lots of work to do out there this weekend. Tom needs help getting the yearlings ready for market, and we have to buy a few loads of feed, too. But I’ll sure be burning the midnight oil with all this reading I have to do.”
Jon smiled at the twins, pleased to see how happy they looked. Now it was his older children who worried him the most.
Vanessa seemed more self-absorbed and combative than ever, and he was increasingly worried about Steven…
Jon sighed and returned his attention to his twins. “So, what are you kids planning to do this weekend at the ranch?”
“Stuff,” Ari said serenely.
Jon reached out to stroke Amy’s hair. “How aboutyou, sweetheart? Have you got anything special planned?”
Amy shook her head and gave him a shy smile that tugged powerfully at his emotions. Of all the children, this one was probably the easiest to love. Amy shared her father’s attitudes about many things. She was a thoughtful, gentle child with a vivid imagination.
Jon sometimes wished that the twins weren’t so wrapped up in each other. He would have liked to spend more time alone with each of them separately.
But Amy and Ari were a package deal. If you had one of them, the other was almost always there, too.
“Well, it’s a beautiful fall day.” Jon touched Amy’s rounded cheek with the backs of his fingers. “You kids should have lots of fun playing outside. Maybe you can saddle your ponies and help Tom move the yearlings up to the corrals.”
The twins exchanged a delighted glance but said nothing.
“So, Daddy, what do you think of Dr. Pritchard?” Vanessa picked daintily at her pancake.
“She’s a pretty tough professor,” Jon said, then put down his fork and looked at his daughter in surprise. “How do you know Dr. Pritchard, Van?”
Before Vanessa could answer, Ari spoke. “We know her too. She’s the lady who gave us our tests.”
“I know, Ari,” Jon replied. “Gwen told me you sometimes go to her apartment.”
“Well, I think she’s wonderful,” Vanessa sighed dramatically. “She came to career day at our school yesterday, to talk to us about freelance journalism andto tell us which English courses we need to take next term to get into the right program at college. She’s so gorgeous.”
“Yes, she’s a good-looking woman,” Jon agreed. He hesitated, frowning. Then, “You know, I keep wondering if I’ve seen
“I want to hear the truth, son. That’s all.”
Steven got up, wadded his napkin into a ball and threw it on the table, then stalked from the room. In a few minutes they heard the roar of his yellow Mustang and saw the cloud of dust as the car pulled onto the graveled access road, heading for town.
Jon watched the disappearing plume of dust. These challenges between them were getting more frequent all the time, increasingly edgy and tense now that Steven was almost as tall as his father.
“What’s that book, Daddy?” Ari said, clearing his throat nervously. He indicated a volume at Jon’s elbow, bristling with notes and markers.
“Pride and Prejudice,” Jon told him. “By Jane Austen.”
“At breakfast?” Vanessa asked with a grimace of distaste.
“Dr. Pritchard gave all of us our individual research assignments yesterday. I have to compare thework of five modern British novelists with five others from the nineteenth century.”
“Wow,” Vanessa muttered with a rare show of sympathy. “That’s brutal, Daddy.”
“I know. This English class is going to be a lot more work than the others.”
“Why don’t you drop it?” Vanessa asked. “I heard lots of people are dropping classes.”
“Well, I’m not one of them, Van. I believe in finishing things once I’ve started them.”
She shrugged and wrenched the syrup jug away from her little brother.
“I can’t wait to go to the ranch,” Amy murmured, her face shining with happiness. “I just can’t wait. When are we leaving, Daddy?”
“In a few minutes, pumpkin. There’s lots of work to do out there this weekend. Tom needs help getting the yearlings ready for market, and we have to buy a few loads of feed, too. But I’ll sure be burning the midnight oil with all this reading I have to do.”
Jon smiled at the twins, pleased to see how happy they looked. Now it was his older children who worried him the most.
Vanessa seemed more self-absorbed and combative than ever, and he was increasingly worried about Steven…
Jon sighed and returned his attention to his twins. “So, what are you kids planning to do this weekend at the ranch?”
“Stuff,” Ari said serenely.
Jon reached out to stroke Amy’s hair. “How aboutyou, sweetheart? Have you got anything special planned?”
Amy shook her head and gave him a shy smile that tugged powerfully at his emotions. Of all the children, this one was probably the easiest to love. Amy shared her father’s attitudes about many things. She was a thoughtful, gentle child with a vivid imagination.
Jon sometimes wished that the twins weren’t so wrapped up in each other. He would have liked to spend more time alone with each of them separately.
But Amy and Ari were a package deal. If you had one of them, the other was almost always there, too.
“Well, it’s a beautiful fall day.” Jon touched Amy’s rounded cheek with the backs of his fingers. “You kids should have lots of fun playing outside. Maybe you can saddle your ponies and help Tom move the yearlings up to the corrals.”
The twins exchanged a delighted glance but said nothing.
“So, Daddy, what do you think of Dr. Pritchard?” Vanessa picked daintily at her pancake.
“She’s a pretty tough professor,” Jon said, then put down his fork and looked at his daughter in surprise. “How do you know Dr. Pritchard, Van?”
Before Vanessa could answer, Ari spoke. “We know her too. She’s the lady who gave us our tests.”
“I know, Ari,” Jon replied. “Gwen told me you sometimes go to her apartment.”
“Well, I think she’s wonderful,” Vanessa sighed dramatically. “She came to career day at our school yesterday, to talk to us about freelance journalism andto tell us which English courses we need to take next term to get into the right program at college. She’s so gorgeous.”
“Yes, she’s a good-looking woman,” Jon agreed. He hesitated, frowning. Then, “You know, I keep wondering if I’ve seen
Similar Books
