A Hearth in Candlewood Read Online Free PDF

supposed.
    Surprisingly, his gaze was troubled rather than angry. ‘‘May I come in?’’
    Emma stepped aside and closed the door behind him.
    ‘‘I’ve come about my mother,’’ he explained. ‘‘She’s here, isn’t she?’’
    ‘‘Yes, she is. Please, have a seat,’’ she insisted and pointed to the two straight-back chairs in front of her desk. While he took his seat, she moved behind the desk and took her own. Reassured by his meek demeanor, she assumed his brother was the one with the reputation for having a temper.
    She relished the modicum of authority she wielded sitting behind the massive desk, as suitable for her needs operating the boardinghouse as it was for the former owner, and far superior to a dainty lady’s desk. Rather than trying to justify his mother’s presence here, which would definitely put her on the defensive, she held silent.
    He cleared his throat. ‘‘Let me begin by apologizing to you. Taking in my mother when you already had an overflow of guests must have been incredibly inconvenient, but I’m very, very grateful that you were able to care for her.’’
    ‘‘We can always make room at Hill House for one more. We’re happy to have her with us,’’ she said. ‘‘I’m curious, though. How did you come to look for your mother here?’’
    His dark eyes flashed with guilt. ‘‘I . . . I guess this is my fault. I must have misunderstood her. I thought she said she’d be going home with my brother, so when the storm hit and I lost sight of her, I just assumed she’d left with him. She’d forgotten some of her things, so I took them to my brother’s home first thing this morning. That’s when I found out she wasn’t there like she said she’d be. I headed straight for town, and when I stopped at the General Store to make some inquiries, I was told here would be the most likely place to find her.’’
    Emma nodded.
    He let out a sigh and toyed with the rim of his hat. ‘‘I guess I’m more relieved than anything,’’ he admitted and looked around the room before meeting her gaze. ‘‘If you’ll calculate her bill, I’ll just pay what she owes. I’d like to take her home with me for a few days before she—’’
    Another visitor rang the bell and interrupted him.
    ‘‘I’m sorry. Excuse me just a moment,’’ Emma suggested. She rose, made her way to the door again, and nearly gasped upon opening it.
    Andrew Leonard, all six feet of anger and determination, stood outside and glared at her. ‘‘I’ve come to take my mother home.’’
    She stiffened her back. ‘‘Good morning,’’ she managed. ‘‘Please come in.’’
    He eyed his brother’s wagon, hesitated, then charged past her to get inside without bothering to scrape the mud still clinging to his boots. Belatedly, he removed his hat.
    Before she managed to close the door again, James had gotten to his feet, turned, and faced his brother. They were only a few years apart in age, but anger created a palpable distance between them.
    She sliced the tension that separated the two brothers by walking between them to return to her seat behind the desk. Heart pounding, she folded her hands and rested them on top of her desk. ‘‘Gentlemen, if you’d both be seated . . .’’
    James hesitated, his right cheek twitching. His hand tightened around the rim of his hat and, reluctantly, he took his seat.
    Andrew, however, remained standing. ‘‘Kindly tell my mother I’m here to take her home.’’
    James squared his shoulders. ‘‘As we were discussing, Widow Garrett, I’ll happily settle my mother’s bill before we leave.’’
    ‘‘Apparently my brother is under the mistaken impression that Mother is returning to his home,’’ Andrew argued. ‘‘Regardless of what she may have told you or anyone else, our mother is coming home with me. I certainly won’t begrudge paying whatever it is her lodgings have cost, but I have little time or energy to waste arguing with you,’’ he