A Soft Place to Fall (Shelter Rock Cove) by Bretton Barbara

Author:Bretton, Barbara [Bretton, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance
Published: 2012-04-13T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

If a hydrogen bomb had landed on Cappy's, the result couldn't have been any more dramatic than the sight of Annie Lacy Galloway walking out the door hand-in-hand with Sam Butler. Warren had seen many a fine exit in his day but that was one of the all-time best.

"She knows him?" Roberta asked, breaking the stunned silence.

"No," said Jack.

"I don't know," said Susan.

"Yes," said Hall and Claudia in unison.

Warren claimed Annie's seat. "That's Sam Butler," he said easily, as if hell hadn't just frozen over. "He'll be living in Ellie's old place for a while."

"As if that explains anything," Claudia muttered, rapping her knuckles against the table top.

"I've known him since he was a teenager," Warren went on, ignoring her vexation. "A better man you won't find anywhere."

"Oh my God!" Susan grabbed her husband's arm. "That's the guy with the pizza-eating dog."

Jack gave her one of those looks all men understood. "What the hell are you talking about, Susie?"

She told him the story that Annie had told her, about a man and his dog and a stack of ruined pizzas.

"That's so romantic," Roberta said, oblivious to the glares coming her way from Hall, Susan, and Claudia. "A cute meet, like something from an old Rock Hudson-Doris Day movie."

"You've been watching too much AMC," Claudia snapped. "Life was not created in Hollywood, Roberta."

"I bumped into Annie in the parking lot that night," Hall piped up. All eyes turned toward him. "He took off without bothering to clean up the mess."

"That's the same story I heard," Claudia said, pleased to have a tidbit to add to the mix. She neglected to mention the fact that he did end up cleaning the truck for Annie. She was in no mood to be kind. "I must say he took quite a proprietary air when he brought back the keys to her place."

The gasp at the table brought Gloria running to see what was wrong.

"Annie?!" Susan could barely get the word out of her mouth.

"No way," said Jack.

"Mmmm!" Roberta's eyes twinkled with envious delight.

Mariah and Willa giggled. The boys made gagging noises.

Hall's cheeks were bright pink but his voice was steady, his demeanor cool. "There was something wrong with her front door that first morning. He was there to fix it."

The girls' giggles grew louder and Hall shot them a stern look.

"She's earned the right," said Roberta defiantly. "She's been alone a long time. She's a young woman. Why shouldn't she take a lover?"

"You talk like an old fool." Claudia was rhythmically shredding the paper placemats at the table. "If you can't see he isn't of her class, then perhaps it's time you had your bifocals adjusted, Roberta Morgan."

Roberta glowered at her friend. "And I suppose you never tucked Lady Chatterley's Lover under your mattress."

"And I suppose most of you fine folk went to church this morning," Warren said, lighting up a cigar. "Wonder how Father Luedtke feels about this kind of talk."

"The truth is the truth," Claudia shot back. "There's nothing uncharitable about it.

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