Beauty for Ashes Page 0,40
go away angry with me. I can’t bear it.”
“I’m not angry.” He jammed his hat onto his head and wrenched the door open. “I’m disappointed.”
Tears rolled down her face. Already her heart ached with grief for the loss of the vital bond that had existed between them. “I’m sorry.”
“Congratulations on your forthcoming wedding. I hope you and Nate will be very happy.”
“You will come to the ceremony?”
“Not likely. I’m leaving soon as I can find somebody to help Mary with the farm. Good-bye, Carrie Lou.”
She watched through the window as Henry climbed onto his wagon and drove away. At the same instant, Griff Rutledge emerged from the mercantile, his arms laden with packages, and started up the street.
Despite her sadness at losing Henry, the sight of Griff made Carrie’s nerves jump. Watching his purposeful strides as he headed for the Hickory Ridge Inn, she felt the odd quivering in her insides returning. Something about him made her feel alive, excited, filled with possibility. She started after him, then chastised herself and sat down again. She was about to marry Nate. These inexplicable feelings for Griff simply would not do.
Finally she put on her hat, took up her keys again, and locked the shop. Regardless of Griff Rutledge’s unsettling effect upon her emotions, her mind was made up. She was through with waiting for perfection. She’d settle down in Hickory Ridge with Nate. Forget all about the horse trainer, his soulful eyes and charming smile, and the way he made her feel.
TWELVE
Following the pungent scent of boiling cabbage and the rattle of silverware, Carrie headed to the kitchen. Mrs. Whitcomb stood over a bubbling pot, steam fogging her spectacles.
“Carrie. Looks like it’s just you and me for supper tonight,” she said. “Pull up a chair.”
Carrie swept aside a deck of Rosaleen’s cards and sat. “Where is everybody?”
“Rachel got a letter from her husband in North Carolina. He found a job—finally—and has sent for her. She tore out of here like the place was on fire.”
“I don’t blame her. They’ve been apart a long time.”
“Too long. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I don’t think so. Even the best of marriages can come undone when people are apart too long.” Mrs. Whitcomb ladled the cabbage into bowls and pulled a pan of cornbread from the oven. “Anyway, Rachel went down to Jeanne Pruitt’s dress shop to pick out a new traveling dress, and Rosaleen went with her. They’re going to the bakery later to buy a cake to celebrate.”
Carrie picked up her spoon. “That’s odd. When I passed the dress shop just now, I could have sworn the place was dark.”
Mrs. Whitcomb sat down and dipped a piece of cornbread into the soupy cabbage. “Maybe Rachel and Rosaleen are already at the bakery. Personally I hope they bring a peach pie instead of cake. I love peach pie, and the season’s almost over. It’s Lucy’s favorite too.”
Carrie tasted the cabbage and wrinkled her nose. Bland as dirt. If only she’d had time to bake a pan of biscuits or a blackberry pie. She reached for the pepper and shook a generous amount into her bowl. “Where is Lucy tonight?”
“At a meeting down at the town church. They’re talking about the Christmas pageant.”
“I miss having the pageant at our church. It’s one of the things that makes Christmas real to me.”
Mrs. Whitcomb buttered another piece of cornbread. “Remember the year Mrs. Lowell’s orphans sang carols? That was the year it snowed knee-deep to a tall Indian.”
Carrie grinned. “I remember. Wyatt Caldwell proposed to Ada that night on a sleigh ride to the top of Hickory Ridge. Can you imagine anything more romantic?”
“Wyatt Caldwell always had a flair for the dramatic. He was very lucky it snowed enough to get that sleigh of his out. I always felt the Lord himself had a hand in that.” Mrs. Whitcomb chewed and swallowed. “I sure do miss having him around town.”
“I miss Ada something awful.” Carrie gave up on the cabbage and pushed her bowl away. “I doubt she and Wyatt can make another trip for a wedding so soon after Henry’s.”
Mrs. Whitcomb grinned. “You’re getting married at last? Are you fooling me, girl?”
“I’m serious. Nate has been after me forever to set a date, and I’ve decided it’s time.”
“Oh?” The hotelier’s brow went up. “I don’t suppose your decision had anything to do with the amount of time he’s spent hanging around here, talking to Rosaleen.”
The niggling thought that Nate was getting