A Hasty Betrothal (26 page)
Authors: Jessica Nelson
“Mama.” Pauline pumped cold water into the dishpan and added some hot water from the tank at the back of the stove. “That Mr. McKay sure is tall. His head just about reached the ceiling.” An odd little twinkle beamed out from her blue eyes. What mischief was she up to?
“Yes, he is, sugar. Now be sure to use enough soap chips to get all the grease off the dishes. Make 'em shine.” They'd need to make soap one day soon, once the lavender came to full bloom and she could add it to the saved up ash and fat to give them a nice fragrance.
“Yes, ma'am.” Pauline scrubbed a plate, gently slid it through the clear water in a rinse pan and set it on a tea towel on the counter beside the white porcelain kitchen sink. “He's handsome, and he's got broad shoulders, too.”
Lula May paused in gathering ingredients for tonight's stew. What
was
this child up to? Best to ignore whatever it was. “Uh-huh.” She dug into the vegetable bin and retrieved two large onions.
“Yep, he just about filled this kitchen, didn't he, Daniel?”
“Huh?” Daniel walked into the room, snatched up a tea towel and began drying the dishes.
Lula May would leave it to her daughter to explain. She had some important meal planning to do, and she needed to decide which chicken to kill and pluck. Oh, wait. She'd decided on beef stew. Oh, dear. What was wrong with her?
While she
stewed
over the stew, she couldn't help overhearing Pauline and Daniel discussing Edmund as if he were some splendid knight who'd appeared in their home right out of the pages of their Brothers Grimm fairy tales storybook.
She'd allow that Edmund McKay truly had filled this kitchen, being tall and strong and broad-shouldered. She'd allow that when he'd stood there looking at her, she'd noticed his intense green eyes and that fine shock of thick sandy brown hair. She'd even allow that he was a handsome man, as Pauline had made a point of saying. Andâ
Oh, my.
Why was she letting her small children lead her on this way? She refused to have anything to do with any man. After all, she'd run this ranch with only the children's help for three years. She didn't need a man to tell her what to do and how to run her life. Not Uncle. Not Mr. Edmund McKay. Nobody. And that was that!
Yet off and on throughout the day, her ruminations alternated between her cruel, controlling uncle and the quiet, handsome rancher next door. Neither one seemed to think she was capable of taking care of her family good and proper. Proving them both wrong was a challenge she would gladly undertake.
Copyright © 2016 by Harlequin Books S.A.
ISBN-13: 9781488007996
A Hasty Betrothal
Copyright © 2016 by Jessica Nelson
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