Page 86 of Summer Weddings
No use lying about it. “Yeah.”
“Then the pie’s on the house,” Ben said, grinning.
Mitch drove to Bethany’s, grateful to see that the lights were still on. He knocked loudly on the door and would have barged in if she hadn’t opened it when she did.
“Mitch?”
“May I come in?”
“Of course.” She stepped aside.
He walked in and looked around. If Bill was there, he saw no evidence of it.
She’d been combing her hair, and the brush was still in her hand. She didn’t ask Mitch why he’d come.
He suspected she knew.
“Did Landgrin try anything?” Mitch demanded.
Her eyes narrowed as if she didn’t understand the question.
“Landgrin. Did he try anything?” he repeated gruffly.
She blinked. “No. He was a perfect gentleman.”
Mitch shoved his fingers though his hair as he paced the confines of her small living room. He didn’t need anyone to tell him what a fool he was making of himself.
“Will you be seeing him again?”
“That’s my business.”
He closed his eyes and nodded. He had no argument. “Sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have come.” He stalked toward the door, eager to escape.
“Mitch?”
His hand was on the doorknob. He stopped but didn’t turn around.
“I won’t be seeing Bill Landgrin again.”
Relief coursed through him.
“Mitch?”
She was close, so very close. He could feel her breath against the back of his neck. All he had to do was turn and she’d be there. His arms ached to hold her. His hand tightened on the doorknob as though it were a lifeline.
“I won’t see Bill again,” she said in a voice so soft he had to strain to hear, “because I’d much rather be seeing you.”
Chapter5
Aweek after Catherine Fletcher’s death, the town held a memorial service. Although she’d never met Catherine, Bethany felt obliged to attend. She slipped into the crowded church and took a place in the last row, one of the only seats left. It seemed everyone in Hard Luck wanted to say a formal goodbye to the woman who’d had such a strong impact on their community.
When news of Catherine’s death had hit town, it was all anyone could talk about. Apparently the woman’s parents had been the second family to settle in Hard Luck. Bethany knew that Catherine had grown up with David O’Halloran, although a lot of the history between the two families remained unclear to her. But it was obvious that Catherine had played a major role in shaping the town. Folks either loved her or hated her, but either way, they respected her feisty opinions and gutsy spirit.
The mood was somber, the sense of loss keen. Hard Luck was laying to rest a piece of its heart.
A number of people attending the service were strangers to Bethany. The members of Catherine’s family had flown in for the memorial, including an older couple she assumed was Catherine’s daughter and son-in-law. Matt Caldwell, Catherine’s grandson,lived in Hard Luck. Bethany had met him one Saturday afternoon at Ben’s café. She remembered that Matt had bought the partially burned lodge from the O’Hallorans and was currently working on the repairs.
When they’d met, Matt had told her he planned to open the lodge in time for the tourist traffic next June. Bethany was tempted to askwhattourist traffic, but she hadn’t.
