It was difficult to know how to explain. After clearing his throat a time or two, he finally shrugged. “You were smiling at him, and in a manner that suggested you wereincrediblyfond of him.”
“I am incredibly fond of him, but that doesn’t mean it’s fondness of the romantic type.” Her brows drew together. “You aren’t under the misimpression that every warm smile a lady sends a gentleman means she’s romantically interested in that gentleman, or vice versa, are you?”
“Not if the smiles are directed at a man, say of Mr. Timken’s age, or a relative. However...” He caught Camilla’s eye. “Curtistine and Pauline made a point of smiling at me a lot, and very warm smiles at that. And after the fiascos I experienced with both those ladies, Luella told me that I should have realized, given the warmth of their smiles, that they were sent my way to engage my affections. She then told me that I shouldn’t have smiled so much in return because my smiles obviously lent the misimpression I was romantically interested in both those ladies.”
Camilla turned her head, but not before Owen caught sight of her lips curving into a grin. She dabbed at her lips with her handkerchief, then turned back to him, not a hint of a grin left on her face. “I’m starting to get the impression your sister may enjoy ruffling your feathers.”
“That definitely might explain why Luella dissolved into a fit of laughter when she caught me standing in front of a mirror, practicing smiles that weren’t overly warm,” Owen muttered.
A bit of a snort drifted Owen’s way before Camilla pressed together lips that were definitely twitching, then took a second to dab those lips with her handkerchief again and settled eyes that seemed to be filled with amusement on him. “While I certainlywould have enjoyed seeing that type of practice, tell me this—have you put any of those less-than-warm smiles to good use?”
“I thought, given Luella’s amusement, that I wasn’t capable of enacting a credible less-than-warm smile, so I’ve simply abandoned any attempts to smile in general, which hasn’t been all that difficult since I seem to be garnering more than my fair share of scowls from ladies these days.” He winced. “Curtistine even went so far as to mouth the wordloutwhen I saw her a few weeks ago crossing Main Street in Wheeling.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, you’re not a lout, merely somewhat naïve when it comes to women in general, which is actually rather charming.”
Satisfaction of the male variety began running through him, brought about no doubt by the notion Camilla apparently found him rather charming, which wasn’t exactly the same as finding him completely charming, but it was a far cry from her thinking he was a lout.
Before he could enjoy the satisfaction for long, though, another coonhound came loping across the lawn, baying up a storm the moment it took note of Cleo, Calamity, and Gladys, who’d raced out of the trees to greet the new arrival.
“Oh no,” he muttered as Gladys bounded toward the new arrival, a dog by the name of Alma.
“Since you’re not racing after Gladys, should I assume that’s another one of your dogs?” Camilla asked, shading her eyes with her hand as she kept her gaze on Gladys, who’d already reached Alma. A nuzzle was Gladys’s first order of business, something Alma apparently enjoyed because a second later, the two dogs dashed across the lawn, joined a moment later by Cleo and Calamity.
“Alma’s not mine. She belongs to my great-aunt Elma, but since Alma’s here, and Aunt Elma rarely lets Alma out of her sight, we’re evidently soon to be honored with a visit from a relative of mine who holds the reputation of being difficult.”
“More difficult than Beulah?”
“Beulah looks like a cuddly bunny compared to her sister, who’s been likened to a grizzly bear at times.”
Camilla blinked. “A grizzly bear?”
“Indeed, you know, one of the grouchiest and meanest bears out there.”
“Well, how delightful,” Camilla muttered. “But grouchiness aside, isn’t it a little odd that your aunt Elma named her dog Alma, which is remarkably similar to her name?”
“Aunt Elma choosing Alma for her dog’s name exactly explains my aunt’s difficult attitude. She didn’t make her choice because she thought Elma and Alma were catchy. She did it to annoy her twin sister, Alma, who is the sweetest woman you’ll ever meet. Alma apparently did something to provoke Elma, which is why Elma decided to retaliate, hence the reason for naming her dog Alma.”
“That was a whole lot of Elmas and Almas, enough to make your head spin. However...” Camilla’s eyes twinkled. “Why did your great-grandmother name twin daughters Elma and Alma? One would think twins would be confusing enough without such similar names.”
“It’s West Virginia. We tend to do things a little differently here” was all Owen could think to say, spared from having to embellish his remark when a wagon rumbled into view, Aunt Elma holding the reins, her ever-present rifle propped up against the seat. Surprisingly, Mr. Timken was sitting on the seat beside her, and Miss Hester Baker, Aunt Elma’s long-suffering paid companion, was perched behind the seat in the wagon bed, holding onto what appeared to be chairs, the entire back of the wagon filled with them.
“Where in the world does all this furniture keep coming from?” he asked.
“I told you, Luella’s responsible, but I don’t know any details surrounding her many furniture acquisitions. All I know is that Beulah and I stumbled on Luella’s stash when we were looking for an appropriate place for Esmerelda to sleep at night after I told Beulah her pig wasn’t going to be staying in your new house.”
“Esmerelda’s staying with us?”
“Beulah thinks Esmerelda will be bereft if we take her away from El Cid, and also believes that Esmerelda can double as a guard pig in case any of my would-be abductors show up.”
Owen tilted his head. “Esmerelda is a surly sort, but did you actually tell Meemaw that her prized pig couldn’t sleep in the house?”
“It’s a pig. She belongs outside, and no, Beulah wasn’t thrilled about that, but again, she apparently realizes I’m a formidable opponent and didn’t put up too much of a fuss about it, although she might have mumbled something about me being a menace again.” Camilla grinned. “At the rate I keep incurring the menace statements from her, it won’t be long until she abandons the whole we’re-perfect-for-each-other notion and declares to Wheeling at large that I’m ill-suited to become part of the Chesterfield family.”
Any lingering male satisfaction running through him over Camilla stating she thought he was rather charming disappeared in a flash. “You do realize that it’s somewhat insulting when you keep declaring, and vehemently, that we’re so ill-suited, don’t you?”
She gave his arm a pat. “There’s nothing insulting about it. I’m a matchmaker. That means I’m an expert when it comes to matters of romance.”
“You don’t think I’m capable of romance?”
