Read Online Southern Comfort by Amie Louellen - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Amie Louellen
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that sweet look she loved so much.
“If only men were as easy to get along with as you, my baby.”
She grabbed her purse and her dog and got out of the car. No sense putting this off any longer than she had to.
So she had kissed Newland. That didn’t mean anything. It was simply a kiss, and an unwelcome one at that.
Liar!
She pushed that word away. So what? She might’ve kissed Newland Tran, but that didn’t change anything. She was still almost engaged to the most handsome and influential man in Turtle Creek. In all of Alcorn County perhaps. And that was not something that could easily be changed. Not that she wanted it to.
They would be a wonderful, loving couple doing good work for the community and all of its citizens. The thought made her warm inside.
“Aunt Bitty,” she called as she entered the house. “I’m home.” She expected to walk in and find no one, except maybe Bitty in the parlor. Instead she found Newland painting the foyer. “What are you doing?”
He looked down at his paint splattered clothes to the brush he held in his hand to the wall. Apparently he had just slapped on a wet coat of Mint Dream semi-gloss. “I’m painting.”
Natalie shook her head. “Why are you painting?”
“Your aunt asked me to.”
And that was the power of Bitty Duncan. Somehow she could charm the birds out of the trees and sell ice to Eskimos. It had always been that way, and it would be that way until she went to meet her maker.
“Just because my aunt wants you to paint, don’t think you have to.”
Newland turned back to the work at hand. He had done well for a day’s work—almost the entire foyer had a fresh coat of paint. “It wasn’t like I have a lot of other things to do. I spent the morning at the library, then came back to this.”
“What exactly is ‘this’?”
He glanced at her over one shoulder before dipping his paintbrush in the pan. “When I got back here, the tarp was out, the paint was ready, and the brush was in the hands of your aunt.” He shook his head as if to say, what was a guy supposed to?
He was a gentleman. That was for sure. And he wouldn’t let an eighty-five-year-old woman paint a room in her house. Regardless of the fact that it didn’t need paint or, at the very least, her aunt had enough money to hire it done.
“Next time let me know. I’ll hire painters to come out if she wants something painted.”
Newland stopped and turned to look at her, his brown eyes so intent Natalie shifted in her nude colored pumps. “Is that what you do? Just go around like some sexy fairy godmother making everybody’s wishes come true?”
Natalie scoffed. “No.” She wasn’t making everybody’s wishes come true. Her job was to make things run smoothly. Just the way she liked them.
Wait. Had he just called her sexy?
Newland continued to study her for several long seconds until it felt like it stretched into an hour.
“Did Aubie come home?” She had to change the subject and fast. Something in Newland’s look was wholly unsettling. Somehow it brought back that kiss from the night before, and that was something she didn’t want to experience again. Not in the least.
“He’s in the parlor reading a magazine. He said something about a project due tomorrow.”
Natalie closed her eyes. “The science fair.”
Her brother had put off to the last minute what should’ve been done months ago. Now this biology grade was dependent on his interpretation of the dissection of a bullfrog.
“And my aunt?”
“She’s in the kitchen baking some mini quiches for tonight … ?” His voice turned up on the end as if he wasn’t sure he should tell her that part.
“Of course, chick card night.”
Newland nodded. “She said something about that.”
That was the last thing Natalie needed. She had to make sure that Aubie got the rest of his science fair project done—which pretty much meant
all
of his science fair project done. Now she had Newland in here painting the
“If only men were as easy to get along with as you, my baby.”
She grabbed her purse and her dog and got out of the car. No sense putting this off any longer than she had to.
So she had kissed Newland. That didn’t mean anything. It was simply a kiss, and an unwelcome one at that.
Liar!
She pushed that word away. So what? She might’ve kissed Newland Tran, but that didn’t change anything. She was still almost engaged to the most handsome and influential man in Turtle Creek. In all of Alcorn County perhaps. And that was not something that could easily be changed. Not that she wanted it to.
They would be a wonderful, loving couple doing good work for the community and all of its citizens. The thought made her warm inside.
“Aunt Bitty,” she called as she entered the house. “I’m home.” She expected to walk in and find no one, except maybe Bitty in the parlor. Instead she found Newland painting the foyer. “What are you doing?”
He looked down at his paint splattered clothes to the brush he held in his hand to the wall. Apparently he had just slapped on a wet coat of Mint Dream semi-gloss. “I’m painting.”
Natalie shook her head. “Why are you painting?”
“Your aunt asked me to.”
And that was the power of Bitty Duncan. Somehow she could charm the birds out of the trees and sell ice to Eskimos. It had always been that way, and it would be that way until she went to meet her maker.
“Just because my aunt wants you to paint, don’t think you have to.”
Newland turned back to the work at hand. He had done well for a day’s work—almost the entire foyer had a fresh coat of paint. “It wasn’t like I have a lot of other things to do. I spent the morning at the library, then came back to this.”
“What exactly is ‘this’?”
He glanced at her over one shoulder before dipping his paintbrush in the pan. “When I got back here, the tarp was out, the paint was ready, and the brush was in the hands of your aunt.” He shook his head as if to say, what was a guy supposed to?
He was a gentleman. That was for sure. And he wouldn’t let an eighty-five-year-old woman paint a room in her house. Regardless of the fact that it didn’t need paint or, at the very least, her aunt had enough money to hire it done.
“Next time let me know. I’ll hire painters to come out if she wants something painted.”
Newland stopped and turned to look at her, his brown eyes so intent Natalie shifted in her nude colored pumps. “Is that what you do? Just go around like some sexy fairy godmother making everybody’s wishes come true?”
Natalie scoffed. “No.” She wasn’t making everybody’s wishes come true. Her job was to make things run smoothly. Just the way she liked them.
Wait. Had he just called her sexy?
Newland continued to study her for several long seconds until it felt like it stretched into an hour.
“Did Aubie come home?” She had to change the subject and fast. Something in Newland’s look was wholly unsettling. Somehow it brought back that kiss from the night before, and that was something she didn’t want to experience again. Not in the least.
“He’s in the parlor reading a magazine. He said something about a project due tomorrow.”
Natalie closed her eyes. “The science fair.”
Her brother had put off to the last minute what should’ve been done months ago. Now this biology grade was dependent on his interpretation of the dissection of a bullfrog.
“And my aunt?”
“She’s in the kitchen baking some mini quiches for tonight … ?” His voice turned up on the end as if he wasn’t sure he should tell her that part.
“Of course, chick card night.”
Newland nodded. “She said something about that.”
That was the last thing Natalie needed. She had to make sure that Aubie got the rest of his science fair project done—which pretty much meant
all
of his science fair project done. Now she had Newland in here painting the
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