The Homecoming (The Belles of Wyoming Book 6) by Christine Sterling

Author:Christine Sterling [Sterling, Christine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-04-20T04:00:00+00:00

Clementine held back a yawn. It was early Sunday morning and the church seemed especially crowded. Where there might have been one-horse towns, Belle was definitely small enough to be a one-church town.

She listened to Pastor Elkins speak, but didn’t really hear the words. Not that she wasn’t interested, but she was just so tired.

Clementine let her mind drift as she looked out of the window. After a few minutes she heard Pastor Elkins start to introduce the new folks in town, as he did each Sunday

She had stayed up late the night before to help set up the tables and chairs for the dinner today. Paps was glad to be hosting something outside, and Clementine hoped the weather held.

Once the apple pies were baking then she and her mother, along with Martha and Rosalie butchered and dressed a dozen chickens. Those were baked after the pies and cut into pieces for dinner.

Martha made her vinegar potato salad to go with the meal and Rosalie brought up vegetables that they had canned the year before.

Trays of food lined the wall of the insulated ice box Pap’s had in the kitchen. Most houses didn’t have one, but the elder Mr. Johnson had one installed as soon as he read about them in a paper from back east.

It was typically how they prepared the Sunday feast. Every week, it was simple, but hearty. It also allowed the ranch hands to have a home-cooked meal instead of the fare that was cooked at the bunkhouse.

Clementine let her mind drift as she looked out of the window. Suddenly a chorus of chatter filled the church.

Pastor Elkin was doing the introductions as he normally did every Sunday. All heads were turned to the back of the church. Clementine allowed her gaze to follow and suddenly it felt like her heart stopped beating.

Standing at the back was Hank Lucas, his hat in his hands.

Clementine ducked behind her mother’s shoulder, praying he didn’t see her. Curiosity consumed her and she had to see him once more.

She peeked over her mother’s back and took every inch of him in. His hair was still that shaggy brown – the color of chestnuts with streaks of honey where the sun highlighted it and reached his shoulders. His face was the same, except now it definitely looked like man and not a boy. He had full lips and a narrow chin.

His shoulders were broad, and her mouth went dry as she admired the muscles bulging from under the stretched fabric of his waist coat.

She wasn’t the only one who noticed. Eden was sitting right in front of him and appeared to be fawning over the pew. Well, she could have him. If he didn’t care enough to tell her he was coming back to town, then she didn’t care enough to know he was here.

If she could only tell her heart that.

She knew she needed to escape. She whispered to her mother that she wasn’t feeling very well and wanted to get home to relieve the Widow Akers, who was sitting with her father.

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