A Love of Her Own

Author:Maggie Brendan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC042000, FIC042030, FIC042040
ISBN: 9781441211781
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2010-05-31T16:00:00+00:00

15

On Wednesday, it was all April could do to pass the time until the afternoon rolled around. She noticed that Louise was a very detailed person in everything she did, and April was itching to do something, so she helped Louise fold sheets and offered to help with the dusting. After April nearly dropped one of a pair of oriental dogs, Louise teased that April was better off grooming her horse than helping around the house. Luckily April managed to catch the figurine before it hit the hardwood floor. They’d both laughed in relief.

The two were becoming fast friends. Finally April decided to take a chance on asking her about Mark. “Louise, I got the feeling at supper the other night that you may have feelings for Mark Barnum. I saw how you reacted when he was here attending to Willard.”

Louise’s face showed complete surprise. “What do you mean?” She continued with dusting the windowsill without looking up. “I wonder if you like him more than just a friend.”

A small sigh escaped Louise’s lips. “And what if I do? It’s apparent that he can see only Cynthia, and I have to work with her every afternoon.”

April chose her words carefully. “It could be that he’s not even aware that you care for him. You might need to give him a hint.”

Louise stopped with her dusting and said, “Ha! He doesn’t know that I exist!”

“That’s my point. When you’re around him, you never even make eye contact with him or even stop. You’re always fretting about your next chore. You wouldn’t even know if he was looking at you because you’re too preoccupied with running things perfectly around here.”

Louise put both hands on her hips and remarked, “Are you trying to tell me that he has actually appeared to be interested in me?”

“Well . . . maybe. I have seen him watching you from a distance. It could be that he thinks you don’t want a relationship with any man.” April laid her dusting cloth down and reached for Louise, turning her to look her squarely in the eyes. “I do know this. You need to relax a bit and give men a chance to approach you. And”—April hesitated, then forged ahead—“you could soften your look a bit.”

“What?” Louise straightened her shoulders.

April chewed her bottom lip. “You dress like a matron or a spinster who couldn’t care less one way or the other. Try wearing something more suitable for your age and perhaps do your hair in a different way. Let go a little bit and have fun. You aren’t doomed, you know.”

Louise reached up and patted her tight chignon and fingered her hair. “I . . . I don’t know what to say.”

“I’m not trying to hurt your feelings, Louise. I only want to help you.” April gave her new friend a quick hug.

Louise’s eyes glittered with unshed tears. “I’ve always felt such a responsibility after my father died to take care of my mother and maintain the boardinghouse. There’s never been much time for me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.