To Love and Cherish Read Free Page B

island, especially during the heat of summer when the air is so heavy you can hardly take a breath and everything feels clammy, even the clothes you put on first thing in the morning. Besides, the only reason Emma is here is because she’s Garrison’s wife.”
    Melinda let his final words hang between them like a swinging pendulum. Either he didn’t understand that marriage was exactly what she wanted, or his declaration of love had meant nothing to him. She didn’t want to believe Evan’s profession of love had been lightly given, yet could he be so dense on only this one occasion?
    Disappointment swept over her as they walked back to the horses. Evan had promised to return the animals by four o’clock so they could be groomed and fed.
    She could think of nothing else to say, no other way to make clear what she had hoped would have been a spontaneous reaction from a man in love.
    â€”——
    Evan leaned forward to help Melinda as she mounted her horse, his mind whirring with confusion. From the day he’d first met Melinda, he’d thought her near perfect. He’d laughed when the other fellows said they didn’t understand women. “You should meet my Melinda,” he had replied. He and Melinda had always understood each other, their words as clear as the blue skies over Bridal Veil and their thoughts as interlaced as the strong cotton twine of a fisherman’s net.
    Until now.
    Melinda was searching for a remedy he couldn’t give her. Surely she realized he couldn’t hire her to fill some nonexistent position. He didn’t have the authority to hire anyone. And had there been a job available, where would she live? The only acceptable place would be with Garrison and Emma O’Sullivan, and they didn’t have a lot of extra room for anyone else in their little cottage. Of course there was Emma’s sewing room, but that wasn’t the point. Having another person move into your home would change things. Emma might be agreeable to such an arrangement. She might even like having another woman around to keep her company during the summer months. But Garrison O’Sullivan was another story—he was a man who didn’t like change. Moving into the O’Sullivans’ home would be impossible, and it was the last place where he wanted to see Melinda.
    By morning he was sure Melinda would accept the fact that there was no choice but to return. Still, his heart ached at the tears in her eyes. He loved her and didn’t want to see her so unhappy. He’d have to write many letters so that their time apart would pass quickly.

    The following morning Evan arrived at Summerset Cottage. Though not the largest cottage on Bridal Veil, no expense had been spared in furnishing the home or landscaping the grounds. Bridal Veil gardeners had been employed to plant and care for the azaleas, hyacinths, ferns, and palms that surrounded the wraparound porch and glassed sunroom, and Evan thought the men had done an excellent job.
    The practice of naming homes had begun with Bridal Fair, the original mansion constructed on the island. That home had belonged to the Cunninghams, who had lived there long before the island had been purchased for a resort. As Evan had heard it said, Victor Morley, the developer, had been a good friend of the Cunningham family. When they fell upon hard times, he had proposed the island a perfect location for a resort. After the grand lodge had been built, others had purchased lots to build their own island getaways, and naming those houses had continued with each new cottage. Referring to the expansive structures that dotted Bridal Veil Island as cottages seemed a bit of a misnomer, especially to the workers who had constructed the lavish houses and the servants employed to work in them. They were certainly the grandest of any Evan had ever known, and he was happy that he could be a part of this stately island.
    Wiping the tops of his