Twice Blessed by Sharon Gillenwater

Author:Sharon Gillenwater
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2004-09-24T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Ty brought in another load of wood, stacking it on the floor by the full wood box next to the kitchen stove. He had split a similar amount and brought it into the living room. “That should keep you nice and warm for a few days.”

“Thanks.” Camille stood near the stove, letting the heat warm her thoroughly. She had gone outside with him after dinner and held the lantern so he could see. They had worked at the side of the house out of the wind, so it wasn’t bad. Her new coat kept her from getting overly chilled.

The vigorous exercise kept Ty warm. He had even slipped off his jacket halfway through the job.

Camille had been fascinated watching him chop the wood, particularly after he’d shed the suit coat. She had seen other men do the job, but hadn’t really paid much attention to them. It had never occurred to her how much coordination and precision the task required. Not to mention the strength and stamina needed to provide such a large supply. He was a very competent man in so many ways.

“Bless you, boy.” Nola, as she had insisted Camille call her, patted Ty’s cheek with her wrinkled hand as if he were indeed a boy. “My bones told me we had a storm headed this way, but I didn’t see Silas today to ask him to cut more wood for us. I think it’s going to be a doozy the way my joints ache.”

“You knew I was coming by and wouldn’t let you freeze.” Ty put his arm around her shoulders, hugging gently. “Now, I’m ready for that cup of tea and some of Hester’s coconut cake.”

“You go on into the living room and rest,” said Nola. “Camille and I will bring in the tea and cake.”

“I could use a little pampering. It’s been a long day.”

“Not without a bit of excitement, either.” Camille smiled at him as she unbuttoned her coat. “Shall I write up the incident at the Tripoli for the paper?” She had no intention of trying such a thing. It would turn out to be far too biased.

“No need. By morning, it will be all over town anyway.”

“Probably all over town already.” Nola picked up a long knife to cut the cake. “You want a big piece, Ty?”

“Yes, ma’am. About half of it will do.” He grinned and sauntered into the living room.

Nola cut him a generous piece of cake, but not half of it. “Don’t want to give him bad dreams.”

“He could probably eat half of it, given how hard he was working out there.” Camille set the tea service, cups and saucers on a large tray.

“Admirable sight, isn’t it? Watching a strong man chop wood. I always stopped what I was doing when my husband was tending to that chore.” Nola paused in the middle of cutting another piece of cake, her expression wistful and a bit sad. “He looked so good swinging that ax. All man.” She took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.