Read Online The House at the Bottom of the Hill by Jennie Jones - Free Book Online
Authors: Jennie Jones
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you’ve got the nesting look on your face.’
Sammy poked him in his chest with her finger. ‘I’ll get to the bottom of it, you know I will.’
He patted the top of her head. ‘There’s nothing going on. Keep your nose out of it.’
Charlotte stepped back from their banter.
‘Not so fast.’ Sammy grabbed the sleeve of Charlotte’s blouse. ‘Let’s get out of here now. It takes them ages to wash up while they chat about what’s gone on and my feet won’t put up with standing that long.’
Charlotte indicated the committee members who were gathered around the gavel, collecting papers and collapsing the trestle table. ‘I should help.’ Her tone didn’t suggest complete happiness about the idea, but at least she’d made the effort.
‘Dan will do that for you.’ Sammy nudged him hard in the ribs. ‘Won’t you?’
He grunted in mock pain. ‘Will I?’
‘Hey, everyone,’ Sammy called out. ‘Charlotte wants to help clear up, but if you don’t mind, I’d like her to walk me to my car. Is that okay?’
A few murmurs, some nods and very few smiles.
‘I’ll walk you both down the street,’ Daniel said.
Sammy flounced past him, tucking her arm through Charlotte’s as she went. ‘But then we wouldn’t be able to talk about you.’
He grimaced. ‘Go easy on me, will you?’
‘Don’t worry,’ Sammy said to Charlotte as they walked down the darkened street. ‘The townspeople will come around.’
Charlotte breathed in the quietness of the town. What were the chances? She stared at her little B&B at the end of Main Street, the flamingo pink colour subdued by the dark and the glow of the street lamps. It looked like a flushed rose beneath the night sky. It looked a little special. Maybe this was the way the townspeople saw it.
‘Dan’s coming over for dinner one night next week,’ Sammy said as they walked past the pioneer cemetery with the ever-present white bunting on its picket fence. ‘Will you come too?’
Uh oh. ‘I don’t mean to be rude, Sammy, but is it just him or will you have other guests?’
Sammy glanced over her shoulder and raised her russetcoloured eyebrows. ‘You don’t like Daniel?’
Charlotte didn’t underestimate the coyness in Sammy’s tone. ‘Let’s just say we don’t appear to be able to speak nicely to each other, as I think you noticed.’
‘Something already happened between you?’
‘We had a bit of a to-do the other day at the stock feeders’.’ And another on the hillside. And another tonight.
‘An argument?’
‘Not exactly, but he was rude.’ So had Charlotte been. He was so provokingly charismatic she forgot her manners when around him. ‘Well, he was sort of rude,’ she conceded.
Sammy didn’t respond.
Charlotte swallowed a sigh. She’d belittled a friend of Sammy’s and was behaving in a standoffish manner to what was obviously a genuine hand of friendship. ‘Although he’s nice to Lucy,’ she admitted, ‘and she seems to like him.’ Worst luck.
‘Everybody likes him,’ Sammy said. ‘Dogs, old ladies, drunks.’
‘He’s a hotshot charm-boy.’
‘I know. That’s what makes him so attractive.’
How lucky was Ethan to have captured a wife like Sammy? A bright, vivacious woman who oozed family joy and was obviously deeply in love with her husband. ‘You can say that safely,’ Charlotte said. ‘You’re married.’
‘Safely?’ Sammy stopped, eyes wide. ‘Has Dan made a pass at you?’
‘Certainly not. He doesn’t like me.’
‘Has he flirted?’
‘No—he doesn’t like me.’ He thinks I’m after your husband .
‘Come on, give. What’s happened between you?’
‘Well, when we first met at the stock feeders’, he seemed to be …’
‘Flirting?’
‘No. He twisted my words—’
‘Into some sort of flirty banter?’
‘More suggestive than that.’
‘Flirty suggestive?’
Charlotte gave Sammy a can-we-stop-now look.
Sammy grinned. ‘What were you talking
Sammy poked him in his chest with her finger. ‘I’ll get to the bottom of it, you know I will.’
He patted the top of her head. ‘There’s nothing going on. Keep your nose out of it.’
Charlotte stepped back from their banter.
‘Not so fast.’ Sammy grabbed the sleeve of Charlotte’s blouse. ‘Let’s get out of here now. It takes them ages to wash up while they chat about what’s gone on and my feet won’t put up with standing that long.’
Charlotte indicated the committee members who were gathered around the gavel, collecting papers and collapsing the trestle table. ‘I should help.’ Her tone didn’t suggest complete happiness about the idea, but at least she’d made the effort.
‘Dan will do that for you.’ Sammy nudged him hard in the ribs. ‘Won’t you?’
He grunted in mock pain. ‘Will I?’
‘Hey, everyone,’ Sammy called out. ‘Charlotte wants to help clear up, but if you don’t mind, I’d like her to walk me to my car. Is that okay?’
A few murmurs, some nods and very few smiles.
‘I’ll walk you both down the street,’ Daniel said.
Sammy flounced past him, tucking her arm through Charlotte’s as she went. ‘But then we wouldn’t be able to talk about you.’
He grimaced. ‘Go easy on me, will you?’
‘Don’t worry,’ Sammy said to Charlotte as they walked down the darkened street. ‘The townspeople will come around.’
Charlotte breathed in the quietness of the town. What were the chances? She stared at her little B&B at the end of Main Street, the flamingo pink colour subdued by the dark and the glow of the street lamps. It looked like a flushed rose beneath the night sky. It looked a little special. Maybe this was the way the townspeople saw it.
‘Dan’s coming over for dinner one night next week,’ Sammy said as they walked past the pioneer cemetery with the ever-present white bunting on its picket fence. ‘Will you come too?’
Uh oh. ‘I don’t mean to be rude, Sammy, but is it just him or will you have other guests?’
Sammy glanced over her shoulder and raised her russetcoloured eyebrows. ‘You don’t like Daniel?’
Charlotte didn’t underestimate the coyness in Sammy’s tone. ‘Let’s just say we don’t appear to be able to speak nicely to each other, as I think you noticed.’
‘Something already happened between you?’
‘We had a bit of a to-do the other day at the stock feeders’.’ And another on the hillside. And another tonight.
‘An argument?’
‘Not exactly, but he was rude.’ So had Charlotte been. He was so provokingly charismatic she forgot her manners when around him. ‘Well, he was sort of rude,’ she conceded.
Sammy didn’t respond.
Charlotte swallowed a sigh. She’d belittled a friend of Sammy’s and was behaving in a standoffish manner to what was obviously a genuine hand of friendship. ‘Although he’s nice to Lucy,’ she admitted, ‘and she seems to like him.’ Worst luck.
‘Everybody likes him,’ Sammy said. ‘Dogs, old ladies, drunks.’
‘He’s a hotshot charm-boy.’
‘I know. That’s what makes him so attractive.’
How lucky was Ethan to have captured a wife like Sammy? A bright, vivacious woman who oozed family joy and was obviously deeply in love with her husband. ‘You can say that safely,’ Charlotte said. ‘You’re married.’
‘Safely?’ Sammy stopped, eyes wide. ‘Has Dan made a pass at you?’
‘Certainly not. He doesn’t like me.’
‘Has he flirted?’
‘No—he doesn’t like me.’ He thinks I’m after your husband .
‘Come on, give. What’s happened between you?’
‘Well, when we first met at the stock feeders’, he seemed to be …’
‘Flirting?’
‘No. He twisted my words—’
‘Into some sort of flirty banter?’
‘More suggestive than that.’
‘Flirty suggestive?’
Charlotte gave Sammy a can-we-stop-now look.
Sammy grinned. ‘What were you talking
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