A Choice of Love by Alena Mentink

Author:Alena Mentink
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Alena Mentink

CHAPTER 21

Matt stood along the sidelines as couples whirled past to the music of a rather rusty fiddle. He made no effort to join in, but he couldn’t keep his foot from tapping in time to the music.

A heavy hand settled on his shoulder. Matt jumped, then realized it was only Ephraim.

Ephraim flicked a finger toward the dancers. “What are you doing here when you should be out there dancing?”

Matt shrugged. Sure, he liked to dance with the right partner, but he didn’t feel like asking any of the young ladies who were still unclaimed. Or any of the ones on the dancefloor, either.

Ephraim settled in beside him. “Where’d you lose Emily?”

“Austin needed a diaper change and a feeding, so she took him out to the wagon.”

A gleam in Ephraim’s eyes warned Matt that teasing was coming. “You’ve been sticking awfully close to her this afternoon, hardly even letting her out of your sight. I wondered how she’d managed to escape.”

Matt stared ahead, coughing to clear his throat. “She had a little run-in with Mrs. Durmond earlier and it shook her up. I talked her out of going home, but I’m determined not to allow that woman to get another chance to harass Emily.”

Ephraim patted Matt’s shoulder. “You’ve been taking good care of my sister and her kids, Matt. You’ve lifted a heavy weight of worry off my shoulders. Thank you. Let me know if you ever need anything, all right? We’re practically family.”

Matt looked at Ephraim, warmth spreading through his chest. Ephraim’s teasing could sometimes step on a person’s nerves, but underneath the laughter, Ephraim was a good, solid man, one Matt would be proud to think of as family. “Thanks,” he murmured.

Ephraim smiled, then turned at a tap on his shoulder.

“Ephraim, you haven’t asked me to dance yet.” Sadie planted her hands on her hips and made a show of frowning at him.

Ephraim raised his eyebrows. “Seems to me you just extended the invitation.”

“Well, you weren’t getting around to it.” Sadie rolled her eyes then smiled at Matt. “Sorry, but I’m going to steal my husband for this dance.”

“Whether he’s willing or not?” Ephraim asked, allowing Sadie to lead him away.

“You better be willing, or you’re in deep water,” Sadie replied.

Matt smiled as he watched them disappear into the crowd, then he glanced around to make sure Joyanna and Grant were still nearby. His gaze fell on a woman pressing through the crowd toward him. Dread gathered in Matt’s middle. Only one woman he knew wore a dress with that much lace on it, and only one woman would ever dare to wear a hat sporting that curling feather.

Matt edged backward, hoping to blend in with those around him, but it was too late.

“Yoo-hoo!” Maude sang out, dashing the final steps to his side. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Matt! You’re a sneaky one, aren’t you?”

Matt gave a weak smile. He thought he’d been flashing plenty of signals, trying to tell her that he wasn’t interested, but she didn’t seem to receive any of them.

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.