Page 62 of Magnolia Summer

Lizzie woke up. Celia hugged her, feeling comforted by her sister’s arms.

“Oh, Lord, save us from the storm outside.”And save me from the storm inside.

* * *

Truett frownedas he walked to the Wilcox place. The storm had knocked over a length of fence around their cow pasture, but he had fixed that fairly quickly.

He wished he didn’t care how the Wilcox farm had fared, but he did. He tried to tell himself he cared only because of Will and Lizzie and the twins. They needed someone to look out for them. But he grudgingly admitted he cared about Celia too. Even if she was cold and unfeeling, then maddeningly flirtatious. Fickle creature.

If he was truthful with himself, he didn’t believe she was cold and unfeeling. But why did she not want to allow him to court her after she had kissed him the way she had?

None of it made sense. And yesterday she had kept standing at the window and staring out at him while he and Will had talked over what to do about the henhouse thief. He had pretended he didn’t notice her, but why was she staring at him?

He should forget about her.

He’d never had much trouble forgetting about any of the other girls he’d known. What was different about Celia Wilcox?

For one thing, most other girls had disappointed him in some way, whether it be through a shallow way of thinking or a lack of character. Celia was neither dull nor shallow and, while she may be fickle, she was not without character.

She’d acted so different yesterday, smiling at him, seeming so anxious to have him come to help Will. It was as if she wanted to say something but was afraid to in front of his mother.

He was probably imagining things. She was only concerned about Will and knew he was missing him.

Well, he wouldn’t play the fool for her. Not again.

Truett scowled as he realized, yes, he would play the fool for her again. It wouldn’t take much coaxing from her, either.

He neared the house and saw Will at the well. The boy looked up and called, “Hey, Truett! Come see what happened to our tree!”

Tree limbs were scattered all over the yard, but they were small ones. Will led him around the house. The giant pecan tree, whose massive trunk stood only a few feet from the kitchen door, had been pulled up by its roots—but not all the way—by the powerful wind. The tree was leaning, as though one root stronger than the others had refused to break in the face of the raging wind and was holding the tree at a forty-five-degree angle . . . over the house.

Truett scrubbed his unshaven cheek with his hand. “Oh. My.”

The tree didn’t budge, but in his mind, Truett saw it toppling the rest of the way over and smashing the small farmhouse in less time than it would take to yell “Timber!”

And smashing whoever was inside.

Will spoke up. “How do you think we’ll get her down without hitting the house?”

“We’ll figure out a way.” There were ways to make a tree fall where you wanted it to, but it was tricky and fairly dangerous. Even more so when it was already leaning the wrong way.

Celia hurried out the front door and down the porch steps. Her eyes were big as she stared at him—the prettiest brown eyes—and then walked straight toward him. His heart jumped in his throat at the way she pressed a hand to her chest, smiled, and said, “I’m so glad you’re here.”

He had to swallow, hard.

He cleared his throat, trying to shrug off the nervous heat crawling up the back of his neck. “Got yourself a little tree problem?”

She looked worried. “Do you know how we can get it down without it falling on the house?”

So . . . Celia Wilcox needed him. He shouldn’t think about it that way. It wasn’t gentlemanly. “I reckon I can get it taken care of for you.”

“That is very kind of you.”

She looked quite humble, especially compared to the way she’d looked the time she told him she didn’t need him.

“What will you do? Will it take long? I’d hate for you to have to be away from your office for very long.”

It would make her feel bad if he emphasized what a long, hard job this was going to be, and how he would have to be away from his office all day. But he would be chivalrous and downplay it.