Page 41 of Montana Bride By Christmas
Annie knew better than to get involved with one of Carly’s teasing arguments.
Carly had a good look around her bedroom. Picked up the picture of Annie’s parents. “It looks to me like you’ve moved right in.”
“I intend to stay, and I’m getting just a little tired of telling everyone that. Hugh advertised for a woman to marry him and provide a mother for Evan, and here I am.”
“I’m guessing you aren’t what he had in mind.”
Her friend’s assessment stung. “Why do you say that?”
Carly shrugged and pretended to look disinterested. “It would seem to me that a man who wants a marriage that doesn’t involve love would do better to find some old maid who is willing to settle for anything. That isn’t you.” She gave Annie a direct look. “You need to stop running from love.”
Annie shook her head. “I’m not running from anything.”
Carly flopped on the bed. “So you say, but Annie, I see the way you two look at each other. If you don’t want to fall in love with the man, I suggest you pack your bags and return to the ranch this very afternoon.”
“I am not going to fall in love.” She ground out each word.
Carly shrugged. “I promise not to say I told you so.” She sprang to her feet. “Now, what is this project?”
Annie gladly changed the subject. “I want to make a dog.”
Carly hooted. “I don’t think you have that ability.”
“A stuffed dog.” She told about Spot and how she hoped Evan would learn some lessons from the stories she made up. “I have some fabric here. I don’t know why I even packed it, except it was in my drawer at the ranch.” It was white flannel and would do quite nicely. The girls cut and fashioned a dog with a brown spot over one of its black button eyes and stuffed it with some rags Annie had found in one of the kitchen cupboards.
They laughed a lot as they worked, making the dog do silly things.
“You really care about Evan, don’t you?”
Annie nodded. “My heart goes out to him. Can you imagine losing your mother and not having a father to show you a little compassion?”
Both of them had lost their mothers and knew the uncertainty it brought.
Carly shook her head. “Poor little tyke. I hope he’ll be okay.” They paused to listen to Hugh’s deep-voiced rumble coming from the kitchen.
Carly gave Annie a troubled look. “I hope you’ll be okay too.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because you are already half in love with Hugh. He says he’d like to find an older woman. A spinster. If he does and you have to leave, I fear you will be terribly hurt.”
Annie shook her head hard, decisively. “I have no intention of falling in love. But I will prove to him that I’m the perfect woman for his need.”
And if she felt a shadow of doubt concerning either of those statements, she wasn’t about to admit it. Besides, she knew better than to put her heart at risk.
CHAPTER EIGHT
When Hugh heard all the laughter coming from Annie’s room as she and Carly worked on whatever project they undertook, he told himself it proved this was not the place for her. How soon before she discovered how restrictive life would be as a preacher’s wife? He’d set his mind to seeing her as only temporary, and then she emerged with a goofy-looking stuffed dog she and Carly had made and talked to it like it was real, gaining Evan’s attention.
Hugh was finding it harder and harder to remember why she was unsuitable.
On Monday morning,Hugh made a quick trip out to get the mail. At the store, he saw an ad posted by the door describing a dog. He leaned closer and read Annie’s name for the person to contact. She was trying to find the owner of the pup in the shed. Why must she continually do things that earn his admiration?
He returned home and forced himself to remain in his office with the door closed. Even so, he could hear the murmur of hervoice and an occasional response from her grandfather. It was all he could do not to slip out and see what she was doing. He pictured her up to her elbows in hot water as she did the laundry. Or hunkered down facing Evan and talking to him. Perhaps using that silly stuffed dog to get Evan’s interest. She’d managed to get through to the boy in many ways, and that earned a lot of respect from him.
He closed his eyes and reminded himself to concentrate. He worked on next week’s sermon in the hopes of keeping his thoughts off her and her admirable qualities.
At noon, she called him to join them for dinner. Wet garments hung from lines behind the stove, filling the air with moisture that beaded on the windows where it froze into intricate patterns.
