A Cowboy's Heart by Liz Ireland

Author:Liz Ireland [Ireland, Liz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780373290666
Google: T7O1mt2PJuUC
Amazon: 0373290667
Goodreads: 1429867
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1998-12-31T13:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

“A widow!” Maudie exclaimed when she heard Paulie’s stunning revelation about her maid. “I didn’t even know the girl had a husband.”

“Her name’s Mary Ann Murphy. Mrs. Murphy,” Paulie said, sitting on the edge of the tester bed in the small room Mrs. Worthington had escorted her into. This chamber, with its wallpaper festooned with bunches of tiny violets, cheery yellow ruffled curtains, and fine carved cherry furniture, including a pretty bureau and a matching standing mirror next to it, was the nicest room Paulie had ever seen. And for the reasonable sum of five dollars, it would be hers for an entire week.

“Why, that sly girl! I took one look at her, and I knew immediately that she was hiding something.” Maudie sighed. “But I confess, I’m a weak one for a sad story, and that girl spun a yarn the likes of which you’ve never heard. All about looking for her long-lost brother. Yes, ma’am, my husband always did tell me I was a soft touch.” She turned back to Paulie, her hands on her hips. “You like the room, hon?”

Paulie blinked. Maudie Worthington looked so solid, and acted so brusque, she couldn’t imagine anyone pinning the word soft on her. She nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, yes. Very much. I don’t believe I’ve ever spent the night in such a fine place.”

The woman’s face bloomed with approval. “I knew you would! This was my daughter’s room,” she confided, coming closer. “The first moment I laid eyes on you, you reminded me of her.”

The comparison to the unknown daughter made Paulie swell with hope. If she could remind someone of a girl raised in a roomful of violets, maybe her prospects weren’t so dismal after all. “I did?”

“My Abra had a bit of the tomboy about her,” Mrs. Worthington said. “But she also had your lithe frame. Delicate, but wiry.”

Delicate? Paulie puffed up a little more, and caught a glimpse of herself in the beautiful mirror. What she saw almost made her gasp in horror. A coating of dust clung to her skin and clothes, and her hair hung limply down her back. She looked puny, not delicate. But maybe that was because the shirt and britches she wore were dirty, and hung on her thin frame like old worn rags.

“Where is your daughter now?” she made bold to ask, praying nothing had befallen her fellow delicate creature.

“She married a farmer in New Braunfels. A German fellow—very hardworking.” She let out a laugh. “But he still has a hard time keeping up with my Abra!”

Suddenly, Paulie felt an intense liking for this woman. What would it have been like to have grown up with such a champion? Paulie’s father had been the most wonderful person she had ever known, and from what she could remember from her early childhood, her mother was a kind, gentle, beautiful woman. But she had to admit, sometimes during her adolescence and older years, she sorely missed having another woman to turn to for advice.

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