Read Online Small Town Girl by Ann H. Gabhart - Free Book Online Page A

He’d heard that promise in her laugh while they were running down the road with the kid.
    The party was breaking up. Once the couple of note was gone, the farmers started remembering the cows waiting to be milked. Mothers were gathering up their kids. Even the young people seemed to have lost the sparkle that had been shooting between them all earlier. Jay didn’t have to search for Kate. She drew his eye. He saw her when she slipped away from her friends to disappear around the side of the house.
    He pushed away from the tree he’d been leaning against and followed her. He found her staring at the pump on top of a well in the backyard. Like she needed water but didn’t know how the thing worked.
    “Hey there,” he said softly. “Everything all right?”
    She looked up at him and pushed a smile out on her face. “Everything’s great. I just came out to get some water.”
    Jay looked around. “Be hard to carry it in without a bucket.”
    She clucked her tongue and gave her head a little shake. “I knew I was forgetting something.” Then she grinned a little sheepishly.
    He went over and sat down on the concrete base around the pump. “You want to talk about it?”
    “About what? Forgetting the bucket?” She raised her eyebrows at him.
    “About what’s on your mind that made you forget the bucket.” Jay patted the rock beside him. “Nice comfy seat here. Not much give to it, but I think it’ll hold us up.”
    She sat down beside him. “I can see why Lorena likes you.”
    “Why’s that? Because I call her Birdie?”
    “No, I’m amazed she lets you get away with that. Her given name is very important to her.” Kate looked over at him. “No, because you know how to make people smile.”
    “It’s a learned art,” Jay said.
    “Did you learn it from Mike?” She turned her eyes away from him and looked sorry she’d asked that as soon as the words were out of her mouth. “I mean, Mike had people here smiling in church from his first sermon. Our preacher before that—actually my own grandfather—he didn’t believe much in smiling anywhere. Especially in God’s house. Church was serious business with him.”
    “I’ve learned a lot from Mike. He’s been better than a brother to me, but his smiles and mine are probably some different. Especially his preacher smiles. Me, I just try to level out some bumpy roads with a smile now and then.”
    “You on a bumpy road right now?” She held up her hand before he could say anything. “You don’t have to answer that. I shouldn’t be so nosy.”
    Jay let out a short laugh. “Don’t worry about it. Fact is, I’m most always on a bumpy road. How about you? Your roads all smooth and straight?”
    “Everybody thinks so.”
    “What do you think?”
    She sighed and didn’t answer. Instead she scooted a little to the side and stared at the pump. The handle looked well oiled from many hands pumping it to bring the water up from the deep. Spots of rust were proof the pump had been there a long time. Jay was getting ready to fish around for something else to say when she finally spoke, but she didn’t answer his question.
    “My grandfather Merritt used to take a bath here every morning. Right here at this pump. No matter the weather, winter or summer. Said a man shouldn’t give in to the elements.” She reached up and ran her fingers down the pump handle.
    “So what happened to him? Did he take pneumonia and kick the bucket?” Then thinking about what he’d said, he rushed on. “I didn’t mean to sound disrespectful to the dead.” There were some things a man shouldn’t joke about. Especially to a girl.
    She reached over and touched his arm lightly. “It’s okay. He’s not dead. Still going strong as far as we know. Maybe taking cold-water baths same as always. Just not at this pump any longer. He left Rosey Corner about five years ago.” She looked back at the pump.
    “Left here?”
    “Yeah, surprised us too. Just up and drove away one