Brian and Torin looked at each other, and then both shrugged.
Cora rolled her eyes. “You’re asking the wrong men, Ivy. These are the ones whoavoidedsociety, remember? How would they know what’s grown in this town? We’d get a better response writing to theSweetwater Springs Heraldand asking if anyone around here grows peaches.”
“I doubt it. Too cold.” Brian frowned. “In Georgia, where I come from, you can find the trees all over. That luscious fruit is one of the few things I miss about home.” He shrugged out of his coat and laid it over the back of a chair.
“Anyway, back to my story…” Cora redirected their attention. “No one except for Lily has pried the recipe from Mrs. Pendell’s tightly closed fists. Last year, she was persuaded to start taking orders to sell them. And she and Mr. Bellaire’s cook, Enid, have become fast friends and have been exchanging Southern recipes. Enid went for a visit to the ranch, and I commissioned one to bring home for us. Since Brian and Hank have become favorites in the Norton-Bellaire household,” Coraexchanged a loving look with her fiancé, “Enid was quite happy to do so.”
Watching the besotted couple fascinated her, and Ivy wished she’d been present to observe their falling in love.I missed out on so much.
Cora touched the cobbler pan. “And I wanted a dessert that would travel well. I thought about a cake, but even with a glass topper, I couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t arrive smushed.”
Jewel wandered in, carrying Brave.
Brian chuckled and shot a grin at Torin. “Look at that cat. You’d think it had known Jewel its whole life. Were you surprised by Ivy appearing with a cat? Just as well it’s here. I received a note from Helmut Junger that the p-u-p-p-y you wanted for J-e-w-e-l had d-i-e-d. But he promised one from the next litter.”
“Thank goodness we didn’t get that p-u-p-p-y,” Torin said, with a noise of relief. “Would have broken someone’s heart and dented mine. Plus, enough chaos has already descended on my house.”
Torin touched Jewel’s shoulder. “Let’s go show Brave her potty box by the back door. Then we’ll give her some privacy while we wash our hands and get ready to eat.” He led his daughter out.
Cora went to pour some water from a kettle on the back of the stove into a basin set in the dry sink. They all lined up to wash up and helped her set the dining table and distribute the food.
Dinner sped by all too fast, with Brian describing the edits to his book and Cora chattering about her cases and the latest news from the Norton-Bellaire household. Jewel ate with a good appetite. Except for a question or two, Ivy mostly listened.
Torin never said a word, except for a few quiet comments to his daughter. He once took his napkin to wipe her food from her face.
Even though he stayed quiet and never made eye contact with Ivy, through her surreptitious glances, she could tell he remained fully engaged in the conversation.As unlike my father as could be.
When they’d finished as much of Mrs. Pendell’s excellent cobbler as they could stuff down, they all worked to clean up, for Brian and Cora needed to drive down the mountain before the light failed.
In the entryway after Cora donned her outerwear, Ivy had to hold back tears, not wanting the others to see her emotions.We had so little time together.
Cora hugged her. “I hadn’t realized how hard it would be to leave you.”
Ivy bent to touch her forehead to Cora’s, inhaling her rose fragrance. “This isnothinglike when you left me in New York, when we didn’t know if we’d ever see each other again.” She kissed her friend’s cheek. “The time will fly by, and we’ll have so much to share.”
Cora took a deep breath. “We must focus on gratitude that this is only for a short while. After the Norton baby is born, God willing, there’ll be no emergencies, and we can spend a lot more time together.”
“Go on with you now.” Ivy made a shooing motion toward the door. With a hollow feeling, she watched her best friend walk out of the house. She moved to the window and saw Cora reach for Brian’s extended hand.
He gave her a look of concern and pulled her closer, obviously checking to see if she was all right.
Ivy let out a sigh.They look like they belong together.
And I will stay behind…with two strangers.
But then Jewel sidled next to her and slipped her hand into Ivy’s. The unexpected sweetness of the gesture made a surge of love go through her, mitigating some of her sadness.
#
Unexpectedly touched by the sight, Torin stood to left of the governess and his daughter, carefully observing them.
Hand in hand, the two watched the departure through the window, waving goodbye until the surrey was out of sight. He could tell Ivy wasn’t as composed inside as she appeared, making him feel an unexpected sense of responsibility toward her.
Just for a few seconds, Ivy’s shoulders drooped before she straightened, as if pulling strength from her center, and turned with a forced smile. “Well,” she said in a tone of false brightness, glancing from Jewel to him. “What shall we do now?” She looked over at Brave, curled up in a patch of sunlight from a side window. “Play with your cat?”
Torin braced himself for his daughter’s tears. A sunny-natured child, Jewel didn’t cry often. But the changes in the last months had upset her equilibrium. Now she’d learned that when her friends drove away, they might not return for days or weeks. Every goodbye hurt her. The certainty she’d known all her life about her uncles’ presence had vanished.
And there’s nothing I can do to lessen the pain of parting.
