Leonardo (Romancing the Weavers #5) - Kit Morgan Page 0,12

Has Uncle Duncan ever been to Paris?”

“Yes, I believe so.” He turned back to Clayton and resumed their conversation.

“That answers that question.” Savannah glanced at Leo who was still talking with Charles and Fletcher. Fletcher was handsome – no wonder Parthena kept glancing at him. Was eighteen considered marriageable age for the Rileys? Legally she knew he was, but did his family considered him mature enough to marry?

She’d overheard Uncle Colin speak with her father about Leo just before they left Clear Creek. If Uncle Colin deemed Leo too immature for marriage and she grew sweet on him, what would she do? Would they end up writing letters to each other for years like Clinton and Mel? Good heavens, she was approaching the edges of spinsterhood now! Poor Adele was already there. She shuddered at the thought and returned to her pie.

Parthena leaned across the table. “What’s the matter?”

“I’ll tell you later.” Savannah took a bite of pie, not sure why she was so worried about all this. Either she and Leo would suit or they wouldn’t. If they didn’t, it wasn’t the end of the world. There were plenty of young men available in Clear Creek – she just hadn’t set her cap for any of them. But she knew them well enough to tell none of them would suit.

When dessert was finished, everyone retired to the parlor. Parthena casually sat on the piano bench and fiddled with the keys.

“Either play or not, sweetness,” Uncle Colin said. “No one wants to listen to random tinkering.”

“Yes, Father.” Parthena smiled at Savannah and began a waltz.

Savannah blushed, knowing what her cousin was doing. But would Leo take the hint and ask her to dance in front of everyone? For the moment, he was fidgeting on the sofa next to Aunt Belle and Leona. Leona was still going on about weddings, cakes, dresses and everything else that went with matrimony.

Matrimony. When would she marry? She found Leo attractive; who wouldn’t? But she’d grown up with handsome boys who later turned into handsome young men and still had no interest in any of them. Looks weren’t everything.

There was, however, something adorable in the way his eyes flicked around the room, landed on her, then darted away again. At least he was entertaining the idea of dancing. Heck, he was entertaining, period. But what about the rest of him? He seemed intelligent and witty in a shy way. He was so quiet, like Parthena got at times – not sulking or pouty, just going off to be alone.

Some people were like that – Uncle Duncan, for one. Father had told her enough stories about the sort of trouble he and his brothers got into. Father was the hotheaded one, though thank Heaven he’d calmed over the years. Uncle Colin was the biggest troublemaker. And Uncle Duncan was the quiet, brooding leader. But all were sweet, kind gentlemen with characters of steel, forthright and stalwart, generous and loyal, sometimes tipping over into stubbornness.

What were the Cucinotta men like? She should have asked Lucy before they left for Nowhere. Lucy could’ve told her a thing or two, and over the years had, but not the specifics Savannah needed now.

“Well, we should head back,” Leo announced.

Parthena stopped playing. “So soon?”

“We have to be up early, you know.” Uncle Colin stretched. “And we want to get back to town before it gets dark.”

Savannah glanced out the nearest window. It would be dark within the hour. “He’s right, we should go.”

Leo smiled in relief and got to his feet. Parthena frowned and shut the piano lid. Savannah smiled. He’d managed to dodge Parthena’s attempt to get him to dance, which was just as well. With all Leona’s talk of weddings, seeing Leo ask her to dance would only confirm everyone’s idea that they would court.

Soon they were loaded into the wagon and Leo took up the lines. Daniel had stayed in Nowhere to visit his relatives. Would Leo tell him about Parthena’s piano playing? Would they talk of dancing? Was there anything wrong with her talking about it? “You know, for a moment I thought you were going to get up and dance around the parlor.”

Leo started coughing. “Why … cough … would I do that?”

“Perhaps because of all that talk of dancing this afternoon?”

He coughed a few more times.

“Are you catching cold?”

“Of course not.”

She glanced over her shoulder at the others. Uncle Colin had helped her onto the wagon seat instead of the back of the wagon. Was