Carpenter's Inheritance by Laurie Alice Eakes

Author:Laurie Alice Eakes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2013-08-11T16:00:00+00:00

ten

Lucinda gasped and leaped back. The young man staggered, caught his balance with a hand on the wall, and righted himself.

“John Paul Daggett, what are you doing sneaking in the back door and scaring Miss Bell half to death?” Samantha cried from the doorway of the living room.

“You. . .know him?” Lucinda asked. Her heart slowed and her breathing returned to normal.

The youth nodded. “Yes, she knows me.” He didn’t look at either Samantha or Lucinda. “I didn’t think you’d have company on such a rainy day.”

“I’m open for business.” Now that her fright had been shown unfounded, Lucinda’s pulse increased again, from anger this time. “You could have come through the front door and into the office.”

“Not and risk someone seeing me.” He glanced at Samantha. “Forget you saw me here.”

“Why should she—” His name finally struck Lucinda with the force of a sledge to the brow. “You’re related to the mayor, aren’t you? I think Mr. Templin mentioned you once.”

“He’s the mayor’s stepson.” Samantha’s voice sounded cold. “And he’s been raised with better manners.”

“So have I.” Lucinda took in the boy’s sodden blond hair hanging in his face, and his drenched coat. Likely his leather shoes had soaked through to his skin, too. “I’ll make you some tea—” She stopped. “No, you’d probably prefer hot chocolate.”

“I drink tea if I must. And something hot would be nice. Do you have a radiator?”

“I do.” Lucinda led him to the living room and stopped on the threshold. “Take off your shoes and coat first. This isn’t a fine rug, but I’d rather keep it clean.”

“I don’t know if you want to let him in,” Samantha cautioned. “This doesn’t look right.”

“You can stay and play chaperone, but I have to be alone with male clients. I don’t see what’s wrong with finding out why he sneaked in my back door.”

“He sneaked in your back door. That’s what’s wrong.” Samantha’s mouth pursed.

“I couldn’t come to the office. Everyone would see me.” Teeth chattering, John Paul pulled off his coat and handed it to Lucinda, as though he expected her to take it like a servant.

She was tempted to let it drop on the floor. But she was raised better than that, so she took it and hung it on a hook over the radiator. The entire room would smell like steaming, wet wool soon, but she couldn’t stop that. She couldn’t be responsible for the boy catching a lung fever. That would be the end of her future in Loveland.

If she had a future in Loveland. If. . .

She retreated to the storage room to pull her small bottle of milk from the icebox. With the cold weather, she rarely needed to replenish the ice. The milk stayed fresh for days.

Lucinda returned to her living quarters, replaced the teakettle with a small pan, and poured in a generous amount of milk. Behind her, Samantha spoke to John Paul in quiet but indignant tones. She sounded like a scolding mother.

She should be a mother at twenty-four, as pretty and kind as she was.

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