AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I looked at them carefully but didn’t recognize them. I’d never seen them before, which didn’t happen often. “I can’t say as I do.” They were both tall and wide-shouldered and wearing hats like the ones cowboys donned in photographs. “Maybe they just moved here.” I couldn’t see their faces too well because of the shadow from their hats, but they both had strong, square jawlines. Brothers, perhaps?
They stopped a few feet from us. “Howdy. Mind if we sit here?” A gruff voice came from the slightly taller one.
“It’s a public park.” I held my hand over my eyes to see them without the sun being in my eyes and gave them a friendly smile. Mama and Papa had always insisted that we be welcoming to newcomers. “You may sit wherever you like.”
“Thank you.” The shorter of the two took a blanket from a knapsack and spread it on the grass. When they were seated, the taller looked over at us and lifted the brim of his hat to reveal blue eyes with dark lashes. “I’m Mathias Jefferson. This is my brother Boone.” He took off his hat and laid it next to him, revealing dark hair, slicked back with pomade.
“Pleasure.” Boone took off his hat and nodded toward me. An unruly mob of dark curls tumbled down his forehead. He had the same eyes and jawline as his brother, but he seemed slightly smaller in every way—shorter, slimmer, more delicate features.
“James West.” James leaned over to shake hands with each of them. Delphia had glanced up from her book and was scowling in their direction, as if she were irritated to be interrupted from her book.
“I’m Miss Addie Barnes, and this is my sister Delphia.”
“Ah, yes. The famous Barnes sisters,” Mathias said. “We’ve heard some tall tales.”
Delphia laid her book aside and sat up straighter, obviously interested in what these tales might be. “Please, elaborate.”
“You’re the younger one, right?” Boone asked Delphia.
“If it’s any of your business, which it is not, but yes.” Delphia seemed to be taking them in like she might a tall glass of lemonade on a hot day.
“Yeah, you’re the feisty one. We heard stories about you in particular.”
Next to me, James sat up straighter. He wasn’t smiling or acting like his usual friendly self. In fact, he seemed rather hostile. Why was that? Had he taken a dislike to them for some reason?
“What have you heard about me?” Delphia’s fists clenched in her lap, ready for a fight.
“Nothing bad,” Boone said, amusement making his eyes dance. “We’d sure like to hear those, though.”
Delphia lifted her slim shoulders in a dismissive way. “Maybe.”
“We were at your brother’s club last night,” Mathias said. “He mentioned you two, that’s all.”
“And then someone else said you were the only two Barnes ladies left.” Mathias reached into his bag and pulled out a glass jar of water and handed it to his brother.
“Left?” Delphia asked. “Left for what?”
“Marriage,” Boone said.
“Is that all we’re good for?” Delphia raised one eyebrow and glared at him.
“No, miss, I expect not,” Mathias said. “According to a few of the men sitting around the table, all the Barnes women are beautiful. They were right.”
“No sirree, they weren’t lying,” Boone said. “If you don’t mind my saying.”
“We do mind,” Delphia said.
“I’m sorry to offend,” Boone said, flushing. “Your beauty’s flustered me.”
“Well, I do have that effect on people.” Delphia smiled primly.
“Your brother said you’re the rebellious one,” Boone said. “And Miss Addie’s the sweet one.”
I grinned. “True enough.”
James chuckled and inched closer to me. I might have imagined it, though. “Both ladies have protective brothers and a father with a shotgun,” James said, casually. “If you were wondering about that?”
“James,” I said, laughing. “Don’t try to scare them. My father’s a gentleman. He’d never shoot someone.”
