Promise of Yesterday Read Online Free PDF Page B

Chester to take his seat. “Got more where that came from if you’ve a mind for it.”
    Chester took a hesitant step toward the bench, then stopped and lifted an eyebrow first to Cooper then to her.
    “We already ate.” She pointed at the open Bible. “We were spending some time in the Word. You be sure not to splash on the pages.”
    She didn’t stay to watch him eat, afraid the sight might be more than she could handle. Mrs. Burns’s words came back to her. Yet Chester’s soft eyes that held such fascination for her seemed incapable of hatred. She might as well just admit that he had a way about him that she found appealing.
    Marylu stretched upward and retrieved the scissors she used to cut cloth and snip hair off Cooper when she couldn’t stand looking at the bush on his head a minute longer. Though hair on that man’s head hadn’t been a problem for the last ten years or so. It fell out faster than it grew.
    When she returned to the table, Cooper sat chatting in a low voice to Chester, telling him of life in the area since the great battle at Gettysburg. Chester listened with interest, his bowl not nearly as empty as she expected. She forced herself to watch him spoon some into his mouth. Nothing drooled out the sides. He seemed to take a bit longer to chew and work things around, but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary. She almost sighed her relief then wondered why it mattered so much.
    She worked the scissors in her right hand, the sharp snap gaining the attention of both men. Smile lines appeared beside Chester’s eyes as he chewed.
    “You sharpen these like I asked you?” She directed the question at Cooper.
    “Sure did. Sharpened them real good.”
    She nodded, and with nothing left to do but wait, she sat herself down across from the two men and pulled the Bible close to read more about Saul. And to give herself some time to gather her wits before putting her fingers in the hair of the man who had captured her interest so easily.

    Chester did his best to keep his eyes on his stew or on Cooper’s face, but every time Marylu moved from one place to another, he knew he must be giving himself away. Cooper didn’t seem inclined to tease him none, but Chester didn’t want to let down his guard.
    She captivated him. He imagined he could see the nobility of her character in the fine shape of her nose and the squareness of her jaw. Tendrils of hair popped out from beneath the kerchief she wore on her head and got him to wondering what it would be like to see her without the covering. Was her hair tinged with gray? Would it be curly and short or longer and pulled back?
    He didn’t miss the fine stitching of the dress she wore or the little details that spoke of a woman good with a needle and with access to fine materials. At least finer than most of the women he knew.
    He dipped his spoon and stirred the savory stew, inhaling deeply of the rich scent of beef and potatoes. The woman could cook, though he’d never doubted it for a minute with all the stories of her he’d heard.
    When she snipped the scissors and questioned Cooper, he allowed himself the opportunity to savor every bit of her appearance without the worry of Cooper seeing his admiration. He swallowed the bite of potato he’d been working on and wondered what she thought of him. Did she see a strong man or a coward?
    He fastened his attention on spooning up another morsel of stew. It didn’t matter what she saw. He knew the truth. A woman like Marylu could never admire a man like him, and probably the rumors of his past had reached her by now, swollen with speculation and rife with inconsistencies, but the basic truth was there.
    The very thought clenched his stomach, and he knew the tremors would prevent him from taking another bite. He fisted his hands and dug them into his lap, willing the trembling to stop before it started.
    He stabbed a quick glance across the table at Marylu, relieved to see her attention on the Bible in