Lost & Found Love Read Online Free PDF Page B

skirt that left little more than her ankles bare, but made of a material light enough it seemed to caress her body each time she moved. The top was the same way, covering her from wrists to neck. He wondered that someone as free-spirited as she seemed to be was also almost excessively modest. The most revealing thing he’d seen her wear were bicycling shorts, and even then those were capris, falling to around mid-calf.
    “Are you ready?” he asked with a smile he hoped would allay some of her nervousness, and she nodded. They walked companionably next to each other, people greeting him with a wave that Joe happily returned. Too soon, he stopped in front of Evan and Jenny’s huge Victorian home. “There you are. Think you can find your way back home?”
    The response he felt coming died on her lips as a young voice piped, “Pastor Joe! Miss MacVie!”
    Tyler dashed over to them, his long hair flying around his head. Behind him came Mountain Meadow’s Police Chief and his wife, carrying their daughter, Noelle.
    Tyler skidded to a halt next to Tabby, and flushed. “I—I want you to meet Jake and my sister, Holly, Miss MacVie.” His dark brown eyes swiveled to Joe. “Are you eating at Evan and Jenny’s too?”
    Joe shook his head. “No. I walked over to show Miss MacVie the way.”
    Holly and Jake reached them, and Jake spoke up, “Well, I’m sure you’d be more than welcome, Joe.”
    He saw the uneasy shift in Tabby’s expression. Better not to press things too far, since she was already spooked by his profession. He smiled. “Thanks, but not this time. I still have a few kinks to work out of tomorrow’s sermon. I’ll see y’all tomorrow.” He turned to Tabby and murmured, “There, I’ve delivered you safe and sound and didn’t even try to convert you on the way.”
    The uneasiness fled from her expression, and she laughed, “Thank you, Joseph.”
    * * * *
    With mixed feelings, Tabby watched Joseph leave. While she might be reluctant to call a preacher friend, the fact remained he was the closest thing to a friend she had so far in this town. She turned her head in time to see Jake open Evan and Jenny’s front door as if he belonged there. Tabby envied that kind of easy familiarity.
    “Evan? Jenny?” Holly called as they all entered the front hall. To one side, a double set of sliding doors parted. “Oh, there you are.” Holly continued. “We’re here, and we’ve brought Tabby with us. Come on, step up. Don’t be shy.”
    Tabby’s heart thudded to the point she feared it would beat right out of her throat. For a moment, all she saw was Evan’s towering form. He didn’t look entirely happy, and his expression appeared guarded. From behind him stepped a petite, blond-haired woman, her belly swollen with advanced pregnancy. However, that wasn’t what grabbed Tabby’s attention.
    She stared into eyes as golden as her own. Looking at her elder sister felt as though she’d taken a step back in time. Only her mother had never looked as confident as Jenny Richardson did. Tabby took a half step forward, uncertain what she was about to do or say, but then she halted.
    Jenny’s smile of welcome had faded as Tabby stepped from Jake’s shadow. The color left Jenny’s face. Tabby was sure it must have fled hers too. Despite her pregnancy, Jenny was still quick on her feet. She turned to Evan in such a way that he actually took a step back.
    “You should have told me,” she snapped at her husband. “You should have asked.” She turned a hostile gaze on Tabby.
    From the corner of her eye, Tabby was aware of Holly and Jake hurrying Tyler down the hall to the kitchen. Tabby wished Joseph had stayed. Somehow, she had a feeling he would bring calm to this situation because it always seemed to surround him.
    “Who are you?” Jenny hissed after the door swung shut behind Tyler and his family. Tabby raised her chin and saw Jenny do the same thing.
    With a deep breath, she began, “Tabitha MacVie, from