her he was drawn to as much as it was her condition. It reminded him of Becky and the baby he’d already looked forward to before she’d told him the wedding was off. That she was marrying the baby’s father. He’d been hurt and disappointed, but never let it show. Abigail had. She’d been furious, and when she had taken out her anger in her newspaper articles, he’d sought out a new town looking for a newspaper. Within a month, he and Abigail had moved. Two years later, they’d moved again, to Oak Grove. When they’d arrived, he’d promised himself, and warned Abigail, this was their last move. He wasn’t hauling that press another mile ever again.
Frustrated that he was remembering all that, and that Hannah was the reason, he glanced away. The best thing that could happen would be for her to marry one of the men on that list she’d written out.
The list was in his pocket, and at the moment seemed to be singeing his thigh. He’d carried it with him every day and thought nonstop about giving it back to her, but—“Who else will be here tomorrow?” he asked.
“No one that I know of,” she answered. “Angus stopped by yesterday, to let us know that he’ll be taking his meal with Maggie and Jackson.”
Angus O’Leary was an eccentric old Irish bachelor who had more money than he had brains. That wasn’t true. Angus was smarter than men half his age, which had to be pushing three-quarters of a century, and he knew how to charm the ladies. Perhaps it was his tall top hat, or his three-piece suits, but women adored the old codger.
Including Hannah.
Every Sunday, and whenever there was a community event, Angus was the one to escort Hannah. Old or not, Angus took his role of keeping others at bay when it came to Hannah seriously, and did a fine job of it.
Up until this moment, Teddy hadn’t considered that. How well Angus kept others at bay, including those on her list.
“Why?” she asked.
“Just making sure there will be plenty of pie for me.” That wasn’t the reason, but he wasn’t exactly sure what his reasons were. Or why it mattered to him at all.
A shy smile formed as she shook her head slightly. “You certainly must like pumpkin pie, Mr. White.”
“I do,” he admitted, “and do you think you could call me Teddy? I assure you it wouldn’t be improper. Most everyone in town does, even Rhett and Wyatt, and you do call Angus by his first name.”
“Yes, I do,” she said. “Because he insists upon it.”
Suddenly it meant a lot to him to have her call him by his first name, too. “Will it help if I insist, too? Because I will.”
She shook her head, but the smile that grew on her lips gave him hope.
A clatter on the back steps and the opening of the door stopped her from answering. Teddy had to swallow a growl of frustration at the interruption as Brett and Fiona walked in. He should be happy about the interruption. Actually, he should just leave.
“My wife and I have come to a compromise,” Brett said, grinning down at Fiona. “She and Hannah will finish making us breakfast while we clean the turkey you shot. How’s that sound, Ted?”
“Sounds like a fair deal to me,” Teddy answered while he gaze once again settled on Hannah. “How does that sound to you, Hannah?”
Her cheeks took on a pink tinge as she nodded. “I believe that is a very fair deal, Teddy.”
Teddy shut the door of the cupboard he’d thoroughly searched and crossed the room to yell up the stairway. “Abigail, where’s that jar of pickles I bought from Rollie?” Their print shop took up the front two rooms of the building, but the back three rooms as well as the three bedrooms upstairs were their living quarters.
“Why?” Abigail asked as she appeared at the top of the stairs.
“Because I need to take them to Brett’s,” Teddy replied.
Tying the bow of her flowered hat beneath her chin, she started down the stairs. “I ate them.”
“You ate them?”
“Yes. I was up late writing last night and got hungry.”
Normally he didn’t anger easy, but her statement unleashed the coil of frustration that sat inside him lately. “Now what am I supposed to take to Brett’s?”
She shrugged. “I’m sure they’ll have plenty to eat.”
“That’s not the point,” he growled. Overlooking her attitude was not in him today. Hadn’t been the past few days. Never overly pleasant, she’d been even pricklier lately. “It’s good manners to take a gift to the host,” he pointed out.
She rolled her eyes, but said, “You could join the mayor and I at Rollie’s.”
Her attitude irked him. She was his sister, therefore he loved her, but on occasion didn’t like her much. “Is that why you’ve been so testy lately? Because I’m not joining you?”
“You should be joining me,” she said.
There were also times when arguing with her wasn’t worth the effort, and this was one of them. He crossed the room and grabbed his hat off the coatrack.
“Before history repeats itself,” she said.
Although he’d kept his thoughts of late hidden, he should’ve known she’d say something about Hannah sooner or later. “There is no history to repeat.”
“Do you think I’m blind? Or have you forgotten how devastated you were the last time you took up with a pregnant woman?”
“Give the Austins my best,” he growled as he opened the door and strode out.
She shouted his name, but he kept walking, ignoring her. He hadn’t forgotten anything about Becky, including how Abigail had reacted. She’d been against him marrying Becky and then furious when it hadn’t happened.
Giving his head a clearing shake, he looked up at the bright blue sky and told himself he was attending dinner at Brett’s place for no other reason than Brett was his best friend and had invited him. There was no history to repeat itself because he would never fall in love again. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Abigail was right. He had been devastated when Becky had cast him aside. He was older now, and smarter, and would never go down that road again.
Several hours later, Teddy wondered if he should have gone with Abigail. Brett and Fiona were gracious hosts and the meal had quite easily been the best he’d ever eaten. However, the joy that kept weaving its way around inside him came from Hannah. She was happier than he’d ever seen her. Talkative and carefree as she teased Rhett and Wyatt about eating so much they’d forget their parts in the upcoming recital.
It could just be the jubilation filling the house that was affecting him. Children had a way of doing that, and Rhett and Wyatt, who were five and seven, kept everyone at the table laughing.
Both boys had speaking
