mending—you always keep up with that so well,” Mama stated. “But we’ll check, just to make sure, and I’ll brush whatever needs only that. Tomorrow we can take turns pressing.”
“Thank you, Mama.” Meagan sent up a silent prayer.
Dear Father, thank You for Mama. Please help us to get this loan so that she doesn’t have to work so hard. You know what we need, Lord. I trust that You will provide
.
Meagan sighed as she headed upstairs to see what needed mending. So much depended on the outcome of Mr. Brooks’s visit. It had been so hard to lose Papa. And then to see her mother so willingly give up the household help they’d had ever since Meagan could remember … well, that was hard to watch. Meagan didn’t mind helping her mother at all. What she did hate was the way some of her mother’s friends had just quit calling on her or had stopped sending her invitations. To make things worse, her mother felt it necessary to get a job at the hotel.
Meagan had been trying to help, taking in mending for neighbors and sewing for them. But she didn’t charge much because she felt they were doing her a favor by hiring her. She could make more money for the family, but she would have to go into business to do so. Their future hinged on tomorrow’s meeting.
two
Nate wouldn’t have gone to Abigail’s that evening except that she made it so very hard for him to say no. She was his late wife’s sister and the aunt of his six-year-old daughter. They were family, and she never failed to remind him of it. Not to mention that she was the daughter of the owner of the bank Nate managed. Mr. Connors had made no secret that his daughter knew many rich people who were always in need of a banker. To Jacob Connors’s way of thinking, Nate needed to mingle and make friends of them all.
Abigail always wanted Nate there for a number of reasons. For one thing, she needed his support at these social functions, and his presence was a way to help the bank’s business, too. After all, she invited people who were Nate’s clients—or certainly should be. Of course, she was a banker’s daughter and thought along the same lines as her father—or so she said.
Nate sighed as he raised the knocker on her front door. Abigail had moved into her own home several years before when she’d inherited it from her grandmother. It wasn’t a large home, but it was very nice and in one of the well-to-do neighborhoods in Eureka Springs.
Normally, she hired a butler for her parties, but tonight she opened the door herself and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, as she always did. It never failed to make him uncomfortable. He had a feeling that she would like him to make it a real kiss, but she was Rose’s sister and he just couldn’t do that. He had no doubts that if he asked Rose to marry him, she’d have them walking down the aisle in a matter of weeks. He wasn’t ready for that step.
“I’m so glad you came, Nate. Thank you for arriving early.”
“You say that every time, Abigail.”
“I mean it every time.” She smiled and batted her eyelashes at him as she took hold of his arm and led him into her large parlor. “How is my Natalie tonight?”
“She wanted to come, too. I told her it was one of your stuffy adult parties and she wouldn’t enjoy herself.”
“Nate!”
“Well, she wouldn’t. And she agreed. I promised her I wouldn’t be late.”
“You always manage to leave early, Nate.”
“I have a daughter to take care of, Abigail.”
“I know that. You could have brought her over and put her to bed here.”
“We’ve been over that before, Abigail.” Occasionally, he had let Natalie stay overnight with her aunt Abigail, but that was only when he felt Abigail could give her the attention she needed.
“I know. I’ll have just the two of you over for dinner later in the week.”
“I’ll tell her.”
Nate was relieved when
“Thank you, Mama.” Meagan sent up a silent prayer.
Dear Father, thank You for Mama. Please help us to get this loan so that she doesn’t have to work so hard. You know what we need, Lord. I trust that You will provide
.
Meagan sighed as she headed upstairs to see what needed mending. So much depended on the outcome of Mr. Brooks’s visit. It had been so hard to lose Papa. And then to see her mother so willingly give up the household help they’d had ever since Meagan could remember … well, that was hard to watch. Meagan didn’t mind helping her mother at all. What she did hate was the way some of her mother’s friends had just quit calling on her or had stopped sending her invitations. To make things worse, her mother felt it necessary to get a job at the hotel.
Meagan had been trying to help, taking in mending for neighbors and sewing for them. But she didn’t charge much because she felt they were doing her a favor by hiring her. She could make more money for the family, but she would have to go into business to do so. Their future hinged on tomorrow’s meeting.
two
Nate wouldn’t have gone to Abigail’s that evening except that she made it so very hard for him to say no. She was his late wife’s sister and the aunt of his six-year-old daughter. They were family, and she never failed to remind him of it. Not to mention that she was the daughter of the owner of the bank Nate managed. Mr. Connors had made no secret that his daughter knew many rich people who were always in need of a banker. To Jacob Connors’s way of thinking, Nate needed to mingle and make friends of them all.
Abigail always wanted Nate there for a number of reasons. For one thing, she needed his support at these social functions, and his presence was a way to help the bank’s business, too. After all, she invited people who were Nate’s clients—or certainly should be. Of course, she was a banker’s daughter and thought along the same lines as her father—or so she said.
Nate sighed as he raised the knocker on her front door. Abigail had moved into her own home several years before when she’d inherited it from her grandmother. It wasn’t a large home, but it was very nice and in one of the well-to-do neighborhoods in Eureka Springs.
Normally, she hired a butler for her parties, but tonight she opened the door herself and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, as she always did. It never failed to make him uncomfortable. He had a feeling that she would like him to make it a real kiss, but she was Rose’s sister and he just couldn’t do that. He had no doubts that if he asked Rose to marry him, she’d have them walking down the aisle in a matter of weeks. He wasn’t ready for that step.
“I’m so glad you came, Nate. Thank you for arriving early.”
“You say that every time, Abigail.”
“I mean it every time.” She smiled and batted her eyelashes at him as she took hold of his arm and led him into her large parlor. “How is my Natalie tonight?”
“She wanted to come, too. I told her it was one of your stuffy adult parties and she wouldn’t enjoy herself.”
“Nate!”
“Well, she wouldn’t. And she agreed. I promised her I wouldn’t be late.”
“You always manage to leave early, Nate.”
“I have a daughter to take care of, Abigail.”
“I know that. You could have brought her over and put her to bed here.”
“We’ve been over that before, Abigail.” Occasionally, he had let Natalie stay overnight with her aunt Abigail, but that was only when he felt Abigail could give her the attention she needed.
“I know. I’ll have just the two of you over for dinner later in the week.”
“I’ll tell her.”
Nate was relieved when
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