Fearless The King Series Book One - By Tawdra Kandle Page 0,42

me. And to me, she was amazing.

We found her in the middle of a greenhouse, working with some kind of plant. Clueless as I was about anything pertaining to gardening, I didn’t know what she had in her hand. But she seemed to know what she was doing.

“Hey, Mom,” Michael greeted her. “How’s it going?”

She looked up, and instantly I knew where Michael had gotten his gorgeous green eyes. The smile that curved her lips stretched to those eyes, and she put down her tools and the plant.

“Hello!” She welcomed me warmly. “You must be Tasmyn. The way Michael has described you, I would know you anywhere.”

“Yes, well, about that… I’m not sure how accurate Michael’s other descriptions were…” I murmured. He laughed out loud.

His mother ignored him completely. “I am so happy to meet you, Tasmyn. I’m Marly.”

I don’t know what I expected Michael’s mother to be like, but it wasn’t this beautiful young woman in slim jeans and a tank top. Her hair was a little darker than Michael’s chestnut brown, and although I guessed it was quite long, she wore it in a messy ponytail, with tendrils curling around her face.

The jitters about meeting Michael’s parents must have made me more susceptible to sensing moods and feelings. Wave after wave of happiness and welcome shone from this woman and made me feel joyful, too.

“Thank you,” I answered her. “I appreciate you inviting me out to the nursery. It’s just beautiful.”

She sparkled even more at that. “We do love it. It’s so rare in life, I think, that you can find something you enjoy doing and are allowed to indulge yourself. I never really saw myself working with plants, but watching Luke, I got curious… and twenty-plus years later, here we are. And I wouldn’t change it at all.”

I looked around the greenhouse, interested. There were tables holding what looked like identical plants up and down the sides of the building. Closer to us, I saw the beat-up wooden table where Marly had dropped her tools. It held a few small pots and some additional gadgets I assumed had something to do with her work.

I also noted a newer model radio with an MP3 player attached to it. I wondered what she listened to out here, working among all the greenery.

Marly saw the direction of my gaze. “Do you enjoy horticulture?”

“I love looking at beautiful plants and flowers, but I know nothing about them. My dad gardens a little, but I never really got into it. It always seems that we just get our yard perfect and then it’s time to move.”

Marly twisted her mouth into a sympathetic face. “Michael said you’ve moved a lot. That’s got to be challenging.”

“It’s got its pros and cons. I’ve been happier to leave some places than others.”

She reached over and grabbed my hand, again reminding me of her son. “We hope you’re here in King for a good long while. Michael, did you ask Tasmyn about dinner tonight?”

He was standing alongside of me, looking at the two of us smugly. “Yes, I did. And I asked Mrs. Vaughn if it was all right, too. It’s fine as long as we don’t keep her out too late.”

Marly laughed. “Okay. Well, Tasmyn, we don’t eat too fancy out here. I’m better in the greenhouse than I am in the kitchen, but Luke runs a mean grill. And all of our vegetables are fresh from the garden.”

“That sounds wonderful,” I replied, and meant it.

“Michael, are you going to give Tasmyn the grand tour? Don’t forget to take her through the Christmas trees. The scent is incredible,” she told me as an aside.

“Yeah, we’re heading out there, if you feel sufficiently introduced.”

She raised one eyebrow at her son. “Tasmyn and I haven’t even begun to know each other. But give us time. We’ll talk more at dinner, and I’ll feel less distracted.” She gestured vaguely toward her plants.

“Cool. That’s our cue to leave, Tas, and let her get back to her tinkering.”

Marly smiled at me. “Enjoy yourselves, you two. Dinner around six-thirty or so. Tasmyn, it was truly a pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Sawyer. It was lovely to meet you, too.”

We walked out of the stuffy warmth of the greenhouse into the relative cool of the outside air, and I took a deep breath.

“I know, it gets kind of oppressive in there, doesn’t it? I don’t know how my mom stands it. I like to be outside in the air. By the way,