couldn ’ t help but notice every little move he made. Why did he make her nervous? He wouldn’t pull her hair now. And he wanted their cooperation on the farm sale, so she could count on him being a gentleman. She did her best to appear calm and controlled.
A waitress brought them hot tea and took their orders.
As they were attempting to get acquainted, a large, well-dressed lady rose from a table across the room and approached them. “ Hello, Kyle! Are these the ladies you said I ’ d need to see about Horace ’ s things? ”
Jan heard Kyle groan softly before he answered, “ Hello, Mrs. Robards. Yes, this is Laura Johnson and her daughter, Janita Kerry. Louise Robards, of our county ’ s historical society. ”
They exchanged greetings while Jan wondered why Kyle was upset. Did he dislike interruptions or just this woman?
“ I ’ m interested in whether you ’ ll consider donating some of Horace ’ s antiques to our collection, ” Mrs. Robards said.
“ Oh, I hardly think Horace would have anything your historical society would want, ” Laura said with a laugh.
“ But, I thought.... ” Mrs. Robards frowned, looking shocked.
“ I ’ m afraid this discussion is a bit premature, ” Jan put in. “ We ’ ve just arrived today. We haven ’ t had time to inventory anything yet or to decide what will be done with it. However, if you ’ ll give me your card, I ’ ll be happy to call you if there ’ s anything we don ’ t want that your society might wish to have. ”
“ Thank you, my dear. ” Mrs. Robards smiled and handed over a business card before wending her way through the tables back to her dinner companions.
“ Why did you tell her that? ” Kyle asked. “ You ’ ll have the woman haunting us for weeks. When Louise gets wind of a possible donation, she ’ s like a bloodhound in search of prey. ”
Jan raised her eyes to meet his warm brown ones. She liked the way his dark brown hair waved back from his face. But at the moment, his rugged features held an irritated look that raised her ire. “ What a thing to say, ” she said. “ I ’ m sure she ’ s only trying to do her job. ”
Kyle ’ s mouth twisted in a laugh. “ You don ’ t know her like I do. ”
Jan bit her cheek to keep from asking him how well he did know Louise.
The waitress interrupted with their food and they turned their attention to eating.
A few minutes later a slim, middle-aged man strode up to their table. Anger radiated from his sunburned face . Kyle frowned.
“ Is she the woman selling Horace ’ s farm to you? ” t he man demanded in a harsh tone , nodding at Laura .
Kyle nodded. “ Hello, Alex. Yes. This is Laura Johnson and her daughter, Janita Kerry. Ladies, Alex Porter, who lives on the farm next to Horace ’s . ”
“ Hello, ” he acknowledged , barely softening his tone. “ As Horace ’ s former neighbor and fellow Christian , I want to object to your selling Horace’s farm to Kyle, here. ”
Jan raised an eyebrow and gaz ed at her mother, who lifted a shoulder, as though to deny any knowledge of what he meant .
“ May I ask why you object? ” Laura asked casually, glancing sideways at him. She raised her china cup and sipped her tea.
Jan hid a smile, recognizing her mother ’ s stance as an act covering her anger. Laura didn ’ t like this man.
“ His project will cause water runoff that will do lots of damage to my property, ” Alex said in a harsh tone.
Kyle interrupted, “ Alex, we ’ ve been over this a dozen times. So has the county engineer. He told us both he found no basis for your claims. ”
“ Well, I say he ’ s wrong. And I want to ask you ladies not to sell to Kyle, here. You could sell to me or someone else who ’ ll keep it as farmland. ”
Laura set down her teacup and shook her head. “ I ’ m sorry, Mr. Porter, but we ’ ve already struck a deal with Hart Construction. The land is worth much less as farmland, as I believe you said in your
A waitress brought them hot tea and took their orders.
As they were attempting to get acquainted, a large, well-dressed lady rose from a table across the room and approached them. “ Hello, Kyle! Are these the ladies you said I ’ d need to see about Horace ’ s things? ”
Jan heard Kyle groan softly before he answered, “ Hello, Mrs. Robards. Yes, this is Laura Johnson and her daughter, Janita Kerry. Louise Robards, of our county ’ s historical society. ”
They exchanged greetings while Jan wondered why Kyle was upset. Did he dislike interruptions or just this woman?
“ I ’ m interested in whether you ’ ll consider donating some of Horace ’ s antiques to our collection, ” Mrs. Robards said.
“ Oh, I hardly think Horace would have anything your historical society would want, ” Laura said with a laugh.
“ But, I thought.... ” Mrs. Robards frowned, looking shocked.
“ I ’ m afraid this discussion is a bit premature, ” Jan put in. “ We ’ ve just arrived today. We haven ’ t had time to inventory anything yet or to decide what will be done with it. However, if you ’ ll give me your card, I ’ ll be happy to call you if there ’ s anything we don ’ t want that your society might wish to have. ”
“ Thank you, my dear. ” Mrs. Robards smiled and handed over a business card before wending her way through the tables back to her dinner companions.
“ Why did you tell her that? ” Kyle asked. “ You ’ ll have the woman haunting us for weeks. When Louise gets wind of a possible donation, she ’ s like a bloodhound in search of prey. ”
Jan raised her eyes to meet his warm brown ones. She liked the way his dark brown hair waved back from his face. But at the moment, his rugged features held an irritated look that raised her ire. “ What a thing to say, ” she said. “ I ’ m sure she ’ s only trying to do her job. ”
Kyle ’ s mouth twisted in a laugh. “ You don ’ t know her like I do. ”
Jan bit her cheek to keep from asking him how well he did know Louise.
The waitress interrupted with their food and they turned their attention to eating.
A few minutes later a slim, middle-aged man strode up to their table. Anger radiated from his sunburned face . Kyle frowned.
“ Is she the woman selling Horace ’ s farm to you? ” t he man demanded in a harsh tone , nodding at Laura .
Kyle nodded. “ Hello, Alex. Yes. This is Laura Johnson and her daughter, Janita Kerry. Ladies, Alex Porter, who lives on the farm next to Horace ’s . ”
“ Hello, ” he acknowledged , barely softening his tone. “ As Horace ’ s former neighbor and fellow Christian , I want to object to your selling Horace’s farm to Kyle, here. ”
Jan raised an eyebrow and gaz ed at her mother, who lifted a shoulder, as though to deny any knowledge of what he meant .
“ May I ask why you object? ” Laura asked casually, glancing sideways at him. She raised her china cup and sipped her tea.
Jan hid a smile, recognizing her mother ’ s stance as an act covering her anger. Laura didn ’ t like this man.
“ His project will cause water runoff that will do lots of damage to my property, ” Alex said in a harsh tone.
Kyle interrupted, “ Alex, we ’ ve been over this a dozen times. So has the county engineer. He told us both he found no basis for your claims. ”
“ Well, I say he ’ s wrong. And I want to ask you ladies not to sell to Kyle, here. You could sell to me or someone else who ’ ll keep it as farmland. ”
Laura set down her teacup and shook her head. “ I ’ m sorry, Mr. Porter, but we ’ ve already struck a deal with Hart Construction. The land is worth much less as farmland, as I believe you said in your
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