“So you just up and came here. For how long?”
“Several weeks. Until after the music festival.”
“Humph. Kirk know you aren’t staying?”
“Of course. Everyone does. I didn’t move here. I’m only on vacation, a sort of working vacation as it were.”
He nodded, looked toward the back door. In another moment, Kirk entered. He kicked off his motorcycle boots and walked in the kitchen in his sock feet.
“All set. Were you able to help Angelica?” he asked, going to the sink to wash his hands.
“Told her the words and what they mean,” Hiram said.
“Once I think I’ve mastered the melody on the violin—fiddle—he’s going to sing it for me,” she said.
“Is that so?”
He looked with surprise at his grandfather.
“I said I would. She can come here when she thinks she’s ready.”
Kirk pulled out the chair next to her and sat in it.
“How did you pull that off?” he asked softly, looking directly at her.
“I just asked,” she said, drawing in a breath, caught by his fabulous good looks and the intense way he regarded her.
She could smell the hint of hogs. She stared back, feeling the fluttering inside that had her craving more. Would he ever kiss her again?
“I had a good voice when I was younger,” Hiram said.
She started a second with the surprise of his comment. Tearing her eyes away from Kirk, she looked at the older man.
“I bet you still do,” she said.
“Tell me about New York. I haven’t been there for years.”
Kirk looked at him. “When were you in New York?”
“Back after your dad took off with your mom. I went to see a play that a friend of Webb Francis wrote. Saw the Statue of Liberty and some other sights. Crowded, dirty, busy. Didn’t like it much. It was a sight to see Broadway at night, though. Gotta admit that was something.”
Angelica smiled.
“It’s still something, all lighted up as bright as day. Plays and concerts, restaurants and bars. Lots of activity. If you were there thirty years or so ago, I bet it’s changed some.”
“I bet it’s still crowded, dirty and busy.”
She nodded.
“Central Park on a nice day is wonderful. I love to eat along the battery, near the water, watching people. And shopping can’t be beat.”
Kirk leaned back in his chair and watched as his grandfather and Angelica talked about New York. She kind of lit up when talking about the things she liked to do in the city.
It was a good reminder she was on vacation in Smoky Hollow. A woman who had spent years in America’s most dynamic city would never settle down in rural Kentucky. Look at Alice. She’d been born and raised here and couldn’t wait to leave.
He needed to heed the signs. Any attraction could go nowhere, so squash it at the get-go. She was beautiful, more so when animated and excited about her topic. He’d be lucky to score a few kisses, maybe another couple of outings together.
Webb Francis wanted him to keep an eye on her. But he couldn’t let her come to mean more than a casual visitor. He’d tried forever after and lost. Maybe one day he’d be attracted to another woman who would be content living in Smoky Hollow. But Angelica Cannon was not the one.
