A Passing Glance by Amelia C. Adams

Author:Amelia C. Adams [Adams, Amelia C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-09-08T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Parker cinched down the final rope holding the load in place, then tugged on it to make sure it was secure. It was hard to believe they were leaving this place, but at the same time, he knew it was the right thing to do. Miles’ team of bay geldings had been hitched to the front of the wagon not fifteen minutes previous, and while Parker felt guilty for borrowing Miles’ fine animals, he recognized that it was necessary. He’d come back and return them as soon as he was able.

“Oh, I’m going to miss you.” Mrs. Waverly, a neighbor to the south, gave Miranda a tight hug, her gray curls quivering around the edges of her bonnet. “I wish one of our young men had been enough to tempt you to stay.”

“I wish one of your young men had actually been young,” Miranda replied, and they both laughed.

Then Mrs. Waverly turned to Parker. “Best of luck to you. I know Topeka is gaining an asset by your being there.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Waverly.” He stooped and gave her a kiss on the cheek, which made her giggle.

He and Miranda waved goodbye to the small crowd that had gathered to see them off, then he helped his sister into her side of the wagon. As he climbed into his own seat, he swallowed a few times, thinking about everything they’d left behind in the house, thinking about his parents who were buried in this cemetery. It wasn’t so far away that they’d never come back, but still, it felt wrong somehow to move from the place where his parents were buried, as though they were leaving behind the most important part of their legacy.

Miranda laid her hand on his arm. “Are you all right?”

“I’ll be fine. Just a little tired still.”

“And that little bit of moisture in your eyes?” she teased.

“Moisture? What moisture?” He gave her a grin. “I’m all right. You?”

“Oh, definitely. No moisture here either.”

He nodded, then flicked the reins, and the horses began to move. Miranda waved at everyone until their property was far behind them, and then she turned and settled back in her seat with a thump.

“Tell me about Topeka,” she said.

“I’m not sure what else you want to know—I’ve told you everything I can think of.”

“I know I’ve been peppering you with questions, but I’m just so anxious. What if no one likes me? What if my clothes are all wrong and they think I’m some sort of backwards, degenerate. . .?”

Parker laughed. “Your clothes are fine—you look exactly the same to me as the other girls in town.”

She whirled to face him. “You met girls? You never said you met girls.”

He wished he hadn’t broken that silence now. She was liable to drill him with even more questions, and he wouldn’t have a moment’s peace the whole trip. “I did meet some. They were the waitresses at the hotel where I stayed, and their dresses looked very much like yours.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m quite sure.

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