Bayou Beginnings by Kathleen Y'Barbo

Author:Kathleen Y'Barbo [Y'Barbo, Kathleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781593106331
Goodreads: 1906308
Publisher: Barbour Publishing
Published: 2005-08-01T00:00:00+00:00

Thirteen

Knee deep in the thicket with an aching foot, Theo tried to make sense of what he had just heard. The prettiest girl in Latagnier stood right there in front of him, calling him a coward one minute and asking him to stick around the next.

She seemed to think better of the words as soon as she spoke them, for she pressed past him and fled. But she left without taking the statement back, a sign she did mean what she said.

Then there was the business of calling her cher. That endearment hadn’t come out of his mouth in regard to a woman in years.

He should have gone after her. He could have caught her in no time. She wasn’t any bigger than a minute and wore those silly skirts that would more than slow her down.

But if he had, what would he have said? That he didn’t want to leave her, either? That he’d stay?

While the first thought was true, the second was impossible. He and the Lord had a deal, and Clothilde Trahan was not a part of it.

He would miss her. That much was certain. But stay here in Latagnier, give up his plan to head for Nova Scotia? How could he do that for a mere slip of a girl?

He’d spend the rest of his life wondering if she was worth it. No, you won’t.

Ignoring the insistent voice, Theo watched the Trahan woman’s back until she disappeared up the path. When he could no longer see blue skirts and dark hair, Theo turned and headed back to the cabin. The schoolhouse, he corrected. He’d have to start thinking of the place as a school. It was sure going to be one in short order.

That would make Mademoiselle Trahan very happy.

Once she saw his handiwork, she would forget all about thinking he ought to stick around. What did she have in mind for him anyway? Courting? That hardly seemed possible.

He’d fallen hard that night across the supper table, but since then he’d had no trouble keeping his distance. At least he’d managed to stay away.

She’s the one who keeps ending up underfoot.

A thought dawned, and he stopped to savor it. Clothilde Trahan didn’t want him to leave Latagnier, and she couldn’t keep away from the schoolhouse.

What did those two things add up to?

Theo ducked under a low-hanging pine branch, then shook his head.

Nothing that made any sense. Logic told him the Trahan girl didn’t have a brain in her head when it came to men, but his heart told him otherwise. Something in her words today showed her feelings—he just knew it.

Something that said she cared.

He headed back to the site with this thought still chasing him. Picking up the hammer to pound nails reminded him of the expression on her face when he’d been caught off guard while demolishing the wall. As he looked around, he realized just about everything at the schoolhouse reminded him of Clothilde Trahan.

He sighed. The whole idea of taking up with Joe Trahan’s niece just seemed too far-fetched.

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