Tulips and Truth (Wildflower Wishes #2) by Mary Manners

Author:Mary Manners [Manners, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sweet Dreams Publications
Published: 2020-04-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

PEYTON SHRUGGED FROM THE FLANNEL shirt she’d donned that morning to ward off the pre-dawn chill. Now, just before noon, sunlight fingered through clouds as a storm moved off to the east.

“Nice shoes.” Reese motioned to the hiking boots on Peyton’s feet. “So you own something besides stilts.”

“I know how to dress for the occasion.” The sky had dropped a sprinkle of rain earlier, turning her hair to a mass of frizzy waves that escaped a ponytail to dance around her face in an irritating tickle. “Did you leave any dirt on the ground?”

“Sure.” Reese swiped soil from his T-shirt as he adjusted his ball cap, shielding his eyes from the sun. “You pull your weight, you know.”

“Glad you noticed.” She turned to reach for a memorial vase, set it into place in a holder along the side of a wrought-iron bench overlooking the pond and majestic willow. “What do you think of a few blooms here?”

“Nice. Perfect.” He watched her clip the ends of a dozen tulip stems and then slip the blooms into the vase. “I’ll get some water.”

When the flowers had their fill of drink, Peyton settled onto the bench to admire the pond, shimmering as sunlight skimmed the surface. Reese joined her.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Peyton sighed as her shoulder brushed his. She settled against him as he rested his arm across the back of the bench, draping her. “Who ever thought a graveyard could be so…peaceful?”

“I come here sometimes to clear my head.” Reese gazed out over the pond. “I don’t know…the willow, the water, they have a calming effect. It usually helps.”

“With your free will?”

He laughed. “Yes, with that.”

“Has it ever gotten you into trouble?”

“More times than I can count.”

“Even now?”

“I don’t know. I suppose I’m more careful in my actions.”

“How so?”

“Deep breaths, prayer.” He turned to face her. “But you saw how much good that did me when I got riled up over the brownstone.”

“You were pretty hot.”

“I let me temper—my will—get the best of me. I almost blew it.”

“So you’re admitting you think my shop is a good idea?”

“I think it’s got merit.” He brushed a smudge of dirt from her cheek with his knuckle. “I also think I’d like to help you make it successful.”

“Why the sudden change of heart?”

“If I told you, I’d only scare you away.”

“I don’t scare very easily.” Something deep inside Peyton slipped into place. Was it one of the missing pieces she’d been searching for?

“Even so…” He sighed and motioned away, toward the willow and what was nestled beside it. “It was nice of you to make a special arrangement for Dad’s grave. My mom was so pleased and touched by the gesture. Me, too. It looks great.”

“It’s the least I can do. If it weren’t for your dad starting the nursery, and for Hattie’s generosity in all of this, I’d never have been afforded the opportunity with the floral shop.”

“Funny how it all comes together, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Dad would be pleased to see the results of his venture…how far the business has come.

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