Leonardo (Romancing the Weavers #5) - Kit Morgan Page 0,29

to talk with Colin about or he’d be so distracted by his daughter that … oh, no. Colin was sure to notice, and start asking him questions: what were his intentions with Savannah, why was he looking at his daughter like that … it was a recipe for disaster.

Leo set down his fork, reached for his water with one hand and put the other in his lap. He pinched his leg, hoping the pain would cut through the haze of growing adoration. Why was he so drawn to one young lady and not the other? They were both beautiful, witty, kind, fun. But his heart kept after Parthena, not Savannah, and there was nothing he could do so far to stop it.

But he’d have to do something – he owed it to Savannah and her family. He couldn’t allow himself to get attached to Parthena before giving Savannah a chance. What would her family think? What would his? He’d get an earful from the Weaver men, maybe even tossed down the well. That would be Calvin’s solution. Though if Calvin didn’t do it, he was tempted to toss himself in!

“Leo, are you full already?” Mel asked, handing Harold to Clinton.

“No, just … deciding if I want seconds.”

“There’s plenty here,” Clinton said. “In fact, I think I’ll have some more ham.”

Mel passed him the platter of meat. “Potatoes?”

“Yes, please.” Clinton stabbed a slice and put it on his plate. “Leo?”

Leo, his stomach in knots, took a smaller slice, put it on his plate and cut it up. He saw Colin watching him out of the corner of his eye and was assailed by guilt. Did he notice him staring at Parthena throughout the meal? Was he upset? Did Savannah notice? What about Belle or the others? He glanced at Mel and Clinton, but Clinton was eating and Mel was prying her napkin out of Harold’s mouth.

He chewed, swallowed and fought down a sigh. If he was having this much trouble sitting across the table from Parthena, what would he do tomorrow spending all day with her? He pinched his thigh again. It seemed to help.

But having to resort to causing himself pain was a bad sign. Maybe he was just a little infatuated with her, nothing more. If he spent more time with Savannah, like he was supposed to be doing, maybe he’d discover they had a lot in common and enjoyed each other’s company. Then everyone would be satisfied. But was doing what was expected of him the right thing to do? What about what he and Savannah wanted? Right now she seemed willing to let nature take its course, but how could it when he was spending more time with Parthena than her?

Leo hoped that by dessert, he’d have a plan to put things back on track.

Chapter Ten

“What’s the matter with ya?”

Leo glanced at Calvin and patted Leopold’s neck as they circled the herd. The gray had belonged to Benjamin, who gave him to Leo about five years ago because he thought it would be funny if Leo had a horse with almost the same name. Leo found it embarrassing. He’d told Parthena and Savannah the name yesterday, and both had laughed. Was that what was bothering him?

“Leo?”

He sighed. “It’s nothing.”

Calvin laughed. “Ya sure got me fooled!”

Leo rolled his eyes and looked away. It had been three days since the dinner at Mel and Clinton’s and he still hadn’t gotten to spend time alone with Savannah. She kept inviting Parthena along, which meant he kept comparing them whenever he was with them. But who wouldn’t? He liked them both.

Furthermore, he was becoming more marriage-minded by the day, and realized he could follow Spencer’s advice and take his pick. But he still felt guilty about Savannah coming all this way to see if they’d suit, options or not.

“Ya should take Savannah ridin’ this afternoon when Clinton comes to relieve ya,” Calvin suggested.

“I’ve tried, but others always come along. We never get a chance to really talk.”

“Oh, yeah. That makes it harder, I guess.”

Leo urged his horse closer to the herd. They were in a different pasture than the last time Savannah saw the cattle. He wondered if he should come here when he took her riding.

“I’m gonna look for strays.” Calvin headed for the tree line. Occasionally a cow thought the woods offered better grazing. Silly beasts.

Leo stared after him and sighed again. His thoughts drifted to the Cooke women. He liked Savannah, even though he’d spent so little time