Total pages in book: 248
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
“Susanne.” I gave her a nod. “Sorry to break this up, but I need to get Livvy home so she can rest.”
“Now, don’t you fret about that, sugar. Everyone has already heeded the call for help. I’ve already assured her that there won’t be a need for her to do a thing until she heals. Why, I told her she’s in for a treat tonight as you always rave about Mama’s chicken and dumplings. In fact, people are practically falling over each other signing up to bring meals out to her grandmother’s place.” Her voice dropped a good two octaves as she bent slightly forward as if conveying some secret. “I mean, that is where you’re staying, right, Oliv… I mean Livvy?”
I could practically feel the blush heating Livvy’s cheeks, but while Susanne might be a total stranger to Livvy, I was well aware of the games the woman liked to play. “It’s a nice surprise to find you suddenly filled with a sense of community spirit, Susanne, but unless you want all those casseroles going to waste, I suggest you get on the phone and work out scheduling a time for their arrival.” I paused to make sure she heard the next part loud and clear. “At River Waters as Livvy will be our guest for the foreseeable future.”
Susanne’s smile shifted to something far less fake a moment before she seemed to remember she had an audience of more than myself. Her mouth formed a little “O” and she lifted a hand to her throat as if to clutch a nonexistent string of pearls. “Well, I-I don’t know what to say.”
“I highly doubt that,” I said turning my attention from Susanne’s flaring nostrils to the person who really mattered. Seeing Livvy’s widened gaze, I feared I might have just made the situation worse.
“Is everything in the truck?” Livvy asked, her lips twitching enough to have me hoping I’d not broken the Waters’ family creed and embarrassed the woman I cared about in public.
“Everything but you,” I said with a grin. I transferred the baby chicks back into their crate, handed Livvy the pad and box of pencils, and scooped her up in my arms. I was actually a bit surprised to see Susanne hadn’t fled the scene but wasn’t about to stick around for whatever her next volley might be and you could bet there would be one.
Chapter Twelve
Livvy
I’d been running my fingertips over downy yellow feathers when a shadow on the ground in front of me became larger and then stopped. I looked up and smiled as I had the last two times someone new had stopped by to greet me. They’d both been older women who remembered me as Olivia’s granddaughter.
I had to squint slightly as I was looking directly into the sun but that didn’t keep me from seeing the fact this woman was not much older than me. She was also drop-dead gorgeous. Long blonde hair draped over her shoulders and framed a face that was absolutely flawless. She wore a blue dress with a white belt cinched around her waist and white high-heeled sandals that had my toes curling inside the disposable slippers the nurse at the hospital had given me after I’d realized I had no clue where my flip-flops had wound up. While my overalls were bloodied and soiled, there was not a single wrinkle in the drape of her skirt. When she extended her hand, her perfectly manicured nails matched the glossy red polish on her toenails. I couldn’t imagine shaking her hand with mine. I hadn’t washed my hands since the ice-cream parlor, not to mention trying to wipe my backside free of the melted remains of my prize. Add to that the fact I’d spent the last quarter of an hour petting chickens and letting them peck seeds from my hand and I just gave her a wry smile and showed her my palm.
Her smile slipped just a bit but then returned as she dropped her hand. “I just came over to say how sorry we are to hear about your little accident, Olivia. Oh, where on earth are my manners? I’m Susanne St. Helen. I’ve heard Lincoln tell many a story about you and I must say it’s an absolute pleasure to meet the town’s prodigal daughter.”
“Why?” had been the first thought to pop into my head, followed by what sort of stories was Lincoln sharing so freely, but thankfully, I managed not to ask. Instead, I decided to use my “little accident” as an excuse not to offer some mumbled greeting. Instead, I gently shifted the chick off the tablet on my lap and flipped to a new sheet.
“It’s just Livvy,” I wrote and then turned to pad so she could see it.
“Ah, Livvy, now I know why Linc used to say you were just the sweetest little thing. It’s so cute that you still like to use your childhood nickname. I won’t keep you as I know Linc is anxious to get back to the ranch, especially after that storm yesterday. I just wanted to stop by to let you know the town has already set up the schedule to share the burden until you’re back on your feet. You don’t have to worry about a thing… oh, hello, Linc. I was just introducing myself to Olivia.”