Camilla halted her mare and turned in the saddle. “That’s exactly why I’ve been considering offering her financial backing so she can set up her own business here.”
Owen reined George to a stop, as well. “What makes you think she’d want to stay in Wheeling?”
“She’s mentioned more than once that she finds the locals charming, especially Nems, and loves that everyone simply accepts her exactly how she is, flirtatious nature and all. She also seems to really enjoy having so many ladies from prominent families pleading with her to style their hair. Seems to me she’d have a ready-made book of clients.”
“I thought Bernadette aspired to become an actress.”
“She did, but she’s a practical sort. I think she knows her talent with a pair of shears will provide her with a more secure income than dreams of treading the boards ever will.”
“But if you help her open her own business, you’ll be losing your lady’s maid.”
“True, but as Reverend Braun said during last Sunday’s sermon revolving around verses from Philippians, we should look not only after our own interests, but also the interests of others.”
“Seems like you were really listening to the sermon.”
She laughed. “That’s the point of attending a service—well, that and the fact that Beulah and Elma have taken to quizzing me on the ride home about what Reverend Braun had imparted, which is why I’ve been listening to every word that comes out of his mouth.”
“Why would they do that?”
“They like to keep me on my toes.”
“You don’t seem bothered by that,” Owen said.
She smiled. “I like your grandmother and aunt, even with them being two of the most contrary ladies I’ve ever been acquainted with, and...”
Whatever else Camilla continued to say faded away when he found his attention drawn to her lips again, undoubtedly becausethey were now curved in a most enticing manner, which made them downright impossible to ignore.
He lost all sense of his surroundings until he realized Camilla had stopped talking, as her lips were no longer moving. Drawing in a breath, he forced his attention from her lips and lifted his gaze, all sense of time completely disappearing when he caught her eye and found himself captured by the fact she was staring at him just as intently as he was staring at her. Before he knew it, he was leaning toward her, his attention returning to lips that were now parted ever so slightly, and...
“Ah, Camilla, there you are,” a voice suddenly rang out, which left Camilla drawing in a sharp breath as time returned to normal and a slice of disappointment slid over him because, clearly, the moment he’d been highly anticipating for quite some time had just vanished into thin air.
Forcing himself to settle back in the saddle as Camilla took to doing the same, he gave himself a shake to clear his head right as Lottie and Edward rode up to join them, Lottie edging her mare alongside Camilla’s.
“I hope we’re not interrupting,” Lottie said as she looked to Camilla, then to Owen, arched a brow at Edward, who sent her an arch of his brow in return, then turned her attention to Camilla again.
“Not at all,” Camilla said in a downright chirpy tone, which left Lottie all but gawking at her. “Owen and I simply stopped for a moment because we were, ah...” She glanced around before she gestured to a field off to their right. “Admiring those lovely flowers over there.”
“Those are dandelions,” Lottie said.
“Aren’t they simply spectacular?”
“They’re weeds.”
Camilla waved that aside. “Perhaps, but they’re still lovely, and would look wonderful in those vases Luella found the other day, the yellow ones with the gold rim around them?” She sent a smileOwen’s way, which, unfortunately, had his gaze immediately returning to her lips, until he remembered they had an audience, and a very curious audience at that.
“They would look exceedingly lovely in those vases,” he finally mustered up to say when she narrowed an eye on him. “Which is why I’m now going to gather you a nice bunch of them to put in those vases.”
A second later, Edward was looking at him as if he’d never seen him before, while Lottie sent him a cheeky grin. Realizing everyone was waiting for him to make a move, he swung from the saddle and took a step toward the dandelion field.
“Perhaps while you do that flower gathering,” Lottie began, “Camilla and I will continue on to the house because everyone will be coming over within the hour.” She nodded to Camilla. “Beulah thought you might need my help getting ready since you’re under a time constraint, but before I forget.” She snagged something pink from her lap and held it up. “Beulah asked me to give you this apron, thinking the pink would go well with the afternoon dress you told her you were planning on wearing today.”
Camilla, instead of taking the apron, released a snort. “And here I thought she and Elma had decided to abandon their attempts at skullduggery.”
“They haven’t abandoned anything,” Lottie returned. “However, since we share the same suspicions, I’ve already emptied the pockets of more than a few copies of a particular recipe.”
“Did you throw them away?”
“All but one, because that apple pie is delicious, and I’m certainly going to use the infamous pie recipe the next time I make pie.”
