Blowing on Dandelions: A Novel (Love Blossoms in Oregon Series) by Ferrell Miralee

Author:Ferrell, Miralee [Ferrell, Miralee]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Mothers, Oregon, Romance, Western, Daughters, widow
Publisher: David C. Cook
Published: 2013-05-31T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

Heavy feet clomped down the wood hall and Beth jumped to her feet, her arms wrapped protectively around her waist. “Please don’t say anything to Aunt Wilma. Promise me?”

Katherine rose slowly. “As you wish. You told me very little, and it’s not my place to repeat anything you tell me in confidence. You have my word.”

The girl’s arms dropped to her side as the door flew open.

“Beth? Are you here?” Wilma Roberts stepped inside. “Oh! Hello, Mrs. Galloway. I didn’t realize you were visiting my niece.” She cast a look between the two. “Is anything wrong?”

Katherine moved toward the older woman. “Not at all. I stopped by to see you several minutes ago, and Beth kindly offered me a seat, as she thought you might return any moment. I hope you had a good walk, Mrs. Roberts.”

“Quite.” The tension melted from her shoulders. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“My mother.” Katherine’s words were biting, and almost immediately she wished she could take them back and try again. She hadn’t meant to sound so harsh. “That is, I worried that Mama upset you earlier. I’m afraid she has a rather”—she groped for the right words—“brusque personality at times and isn’t always aware of how she sounds.”

Mrs. Roberts’s brows shot halfway to her hairline. “Humph. That woman knows exactly how she sounds, my dear, and says exactly what she means.” She tossed her parasol on the bed. “I must say that is the only thing I have found to admire about her thus far.”

Katherine knew she must look like a fish gasping its last, so she closed her gaping mouth. “I beg your pardon? You admire her after the way she treated you?”

Mrs. Roberts waved her ring-bedecked hand in the air. “Not at all. Well, I should say, I don’t appreciate the underhanded way she behaved, but that’s not what I meant. Your mother is blunt, but she is not afraid to say what she thinks. I like that. Too many people hide their feelings behind falsities. Now take me, for example. I come right out and ask people a question if I want to know something. I don’t beat around the bush and hint. Mrs. Cooper and I have that in common, I believe. Although I will admit I wish she’d learn to couch her opinions with a bit of courtesy and grace.”

Katherine hardly knew how to respond and shot a glance at Beth. The young woman shrugged but didn’t offer a comment.

“Yes, indeed. And something else. I am quite ashamed that I wasn’t aware your mother had been ill. I have a family remedy that might help. I took a walk trying to clear the cobwebs and hoping to remember exactly what it is. Once I can recall it, I will be sure to share it with her. She’d like that, don’t you think?”

“I …” Katherine tried to get a grip on her whirling thoughts. She’d come hoping to calm Mrs. Roberts’s ire and keep her

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