Page 61 of Summer Weddings
Charles hadn’t been so silent, however, when he learned about the scheme Sawyer and Christian had concocted to lure women to Hard Luck. Still, he’d changed his tune since meeting Lanni Caldwell. Earlier in the week, they’d announced their engagement.
“Is it true that Abbey—Sawyer’s wife—was the first woman to come here?” Her eyes revealed her curiosity.
“Yes. They got married this summer.”
“But…they look like they’ve been married for years. What about Scott and Susan?”
“They’re Abbey’s children from a previous marriage. I understand Sawyer’s already started the adoption process.” Mitch envied his friend’s happiness. Marriage hadn’t been nearly as happy an experience for him.
“Chrissie’s your daughter?”Bethany asked, glancing over at the children gathered around a Monopoly game.
Mitch’s gaze fell fondly on his seven-year-old daughter. “Yes. And she’s been on pins and needles waiting for school to start.”
Bethany’s eyes softened. “I met her earlier with Scott and Susan. She’s a delightful little girl.”
“Thank you.” Mitch tried hard to do his best for Chrissie, though sometimes he wondered whether his best would ever be enough. “You’ve met Pete Livengood?” he asked, gesturing toward a rugged-looking middle-aged man on the other side of the room.
“Yes. He owns the grocery?”
“That he does. Dotty, the woman on his left, is another one who answered the advertisement.”
Bethany blinked as if trying to remember where Dotty fit into the small community. “She’s the nurse?”
He nodded. “Pete and Dotty plan to be married shortly. The first week of October, I believe.”
“So soon?” She didn’t give him an opportunity to answer before directing her attention elsewhere. “What about Mariah Douglas? Is she a recent addition to the town?”
“Yup. She’s the secretary for Midnight Sons.”
“Is she engaged?”
“Not yet,” Mitch said, “but it’s still pretty early. She just got here last month.”
“You mean to say she’s lived here an entire month without getting married?” Bethany teased. “That must be some sort of record. It seems to me the virile young men of Hard Luck are slacking in their duties.”
Mitch grinned. “From what I’ve heard, it isn’t for lack of trying. But Mariah says she didn’t come to Hard Luck looking for a husband. She’s after the cabin and the twenty acres the O’Hallorans promised her.”
“Good for her. They’ve fulfilled their part of the bargain, haven’t they? I read that news story about the cabins not being anywhere near the twenty acres. Sure sounds misleading to me.” Fire flashed briefly in her eyes, as if she’d be willing to take on all three O’Hallorans herself.
“That’s none of my business. It’s between Mariah and the O’Hallorans.”
Bethany flushed with embarrassment and bent her head to take a sip of her wine. “It isn’t my business, either. It’s just that Mariah seems so sweet. I hate the idea of anyone taking advantage of her.”
They were interrupted by Sawyer and Abbey. “I see you’ve met Mitch,” Sawyer said, moving next to Bethany.
“He’s been helping me keep everyone straight,” she told him with a quick smile.
“Then he’s probably mentioned that in addition to his job with the Department of the Interior, he’s our public safety officer.”
“Hard Luck’s version of the law,” Mitch translated for her.
“My father’s a member of San Francisco’s finest,” she murmured.
“Well,” Sawyer said, “Mitch was one of Chicago’s finest before moving here.”
“That’s right,” Mitch supplied absently.
“I imagine your head’s swimming about now,” Abbey said. “I know mine was when I first arrived. Oh—” she waved at a woman just coming in the door “—here’s Margaret. Margaret Simpson, the high school teacher.”
