Читать книгу Heart Of A Lawman - Patricia Rosemoor - Страница 14

Bart was still thinking about Josie Wales as he rounded up his kids for supper and herded them into the dining room. Felice had outdone herself, polishing the big pine table, the center of which was decorated with ivory candles of different thickness and heights, interlaced with dried flowers of the region. Five places had been set, so it looked like his father was going to join them for supper.

Both kids went for the same chair. Daniel won the struggle.

“Big jerk,” Lainey muttered.

“Lainey, why don’t you sit here,” Bart suggested, indicating the end chair that was usually his. “And I’ll sit between the two of you.”

“I’m going to help Felice,” his daughter said, already flouncing toward the kitchen.

Bart looked at his son. “Could you possibly go easy on your sister for a while? You can see what a hard time she’s having, can’t you?”

Daniel mumbled, “Yeah, sure,” and looked away.

Leaving Bart to think about Josie some more. That woman had a way about her that inspired his interest, the real reason he’d taken his father’s suggestion to look up Alcina. Not that he hadn’t been glad to see his old friend, as well. Of an age, he and Alcina had gone through both grammar and high school together. At one time, he’d suspected Pa and Tucker Dale had more permanent plans for the two of them, but he’d never been drawn to Alcina in that way, nor she to him. He’d seen her more as the sister he’d never had, not like…

He’d almost thought her name, Bart realized.

Josie Wales.

But, no, that was wrong. He wasn’t attracted to her. His curiosity was piqued, was all. A stranger in a ghost town, getting herself all tangled up in rescuing a discarded cat was an oddity in itself. Plus that stranger had been hurt—he’d seen it both in her face and in the way she’d had trouble moving. But when that stranger played mysterious, as well, not willing to give over one detail of her background, he couldn’t help but wonder…