Lucky Bride

Their new hand’s presence had enlivened the meal. Molly couldn’t remember when the conversation had been so spirited, the laughter so frequent. Certainly not since Papa died. Parker seemed to know a lot about many things. He’d traveled all the way to Paris and had studied for a year at Harvard University before he’d become restless and returned to work at a bank in New York City. He was just a year older than Molly herself, but he’d seen and done wondrous things that she couldn’t imagine doing in an entire lifetime.

Of course, it might be that he was showing off a bit for Susannah. His conversation had been directed her way often enough during the meal. Molly studied the pair as he leaned his dark head toward Susannah’s blond one to catch something her sister was saying. Susannah was wearing a simple blue gingham gown today that made her eyes the deep blue of an autumn sky. The two made an attractive couple. Molly wondered if she should relax her guard a bit and see if anything developed between them. Susannah and Mary Beth had to find husbands at some point, and, goodness knows, there weren’t many candidates to choose from around Canyon City. As Molly drummed absently with her spoon on the table, Susannah gave one of her magical little laughs, bringing a flare of response from Parker’s bright eyes. It was an interesting thought…her sister and a Harvard man.

Suddenly he was addressing her. “So do you agree, Miss Molly?”

“I…I’m sorry. I guess I was daydreaming.”

“Dangerous practice,” Parker said gravely. A hint of a smile twitched his full lips. “You never know what kind of varmint might sneak up on you when you’re daydreaming.”

Molly gave a reluctant smile as Mary Beth explained, “Smokey was saying that with the weather this mild, the cattle should last until Christmas without extra food. Parker asked if you agreed.”

Parker’s gaze had moved back to Susannah. Molly took a deep breath. “Yes, I agree. And we’d better be right, because if we have a hard winter, we’re going to lose some animals. We don’t have too much supplementary feed left.”