Find Wonder in All Things - By Karen M. Cox Page 0,54

brave enough to defy her parents’ wishes. If only she had known he was planning to leave Tennessee. If only, if only, if only . . .

If only he had asked her — just one more time.

The sorrow of it made her sick to her stomach. It seemed as though their love was jinxed at every turn, and all the wrong things had happened at the worst times. Why couldn’t her life ever work out for the best? And why, when she’d managed to carve out a bearable existence for herself, did he have to show up in the middle of it and remind her of everything she lost?

She put on her day hikers and punched open the screen door. This desperate sadness inside her now was the reason she never told anyone about James, and a stab of resentment tore through her that Virginia’s questions had just made her relive it all. She chose a path that would take her through the woods. A nice long walk would help her get her head together. Then perhaps she could be productive for the rest of the afternoon.

Chapter 16

Laurel decided to take her brothers and her sister Spring with her to the annual Woodland Arts Festival. Dylan always enjoyed the woodworking booths, Spring loved the jewelry, and of course Crosby loved to talk to anybody and everybody about the beautiful and competitively-priced building lots down by the lake that just happened to be listed by his real estate company.

All kinds of vendors attended the festival, great local food was available, and it brought together many local artists. Since it was only about an hour’s drive from home, Laurel brought a few crates of her pottery, as well as a few of the brochures Crosby had designed for her. She hoped that attending this year would have the added bonus of taking her mind off James Marshall.

But it was not to be. Laurel had no sooner set up her booth and sent Spring off to get a couple of sodas, when she turned to find a woman standing at the next booth looking at her name with interest. While her companion, a tall, broad-shouldered man with a crew cut, talked to the wood-burning artist next door, the woman approached her.

“Good morning,” Laurel began, smiling.

“Good morning. Your work is beautiful.”

“Thank you. Is there something in particular I can show you?”

“Something for my brother, I think.” She chuckled. “He’s just moved into a new house down the road from us. It’s a temporary arrangement, and I’m trying to get him to stick around permanently. Do you think a house-warming present for a single man is a bad idea?”

“Hmm,” Laurel replied. “Let’s see. A bachelor might use a big bowl — you know, for chips or pretzels or something. You could get a smaller bowl to hold dip. It would be sort of a set.”

“That’s a marvelous idea.”

“I think I might have something back here.” She stepped around the table and looked through a couple of crates. “Ah, here it is. And there’s a small one just like it on the shelf there.”

The woman took the bowl and turned it in her hands. “Yes, it’s lovely and good quality too. Just like the potter.” The woman’s eyes twinkled in her tanned face. “You’re Laurel, aren’t you?”

“I am. I’m sorry, but have we met?”

The woman’s face broke into a wide smile. “Not exactly, but I do feel as if I know you from your sister Virginia’s description and — ” She held out her hand. “I’m Susan. Susan Murtowski. My husband and I met your sister when we were buying our house on the lake. Of course, I’ve known her husband, Stuart, for years — since we were kids really. He’s my little brother’s oldest friend.”

Laurel’s eyes flew open wide. “You’re Susan Marshall,” she stammered, “I mean Murtowski, of course. Yes, Ginny told me about meeting you, and James said — ” She broke off, her stomach dropping. “He said you were living in the area now.”

So, this was James’s beloved sister. Now that she looked more closely, Laurel could see a family resemblance in the green eyes and the engaging smile. She took a deep breath and shook Susan’s hand. “It’s good to meet you.”

Susan’s laugh had a musical lilt to it. “Right back at you. I’ve been waiting quite a while to make your acquaintance, although to tell the truth, we actually have met before.”

Laurel tilted her head and smiled, confused. “We have?” She