Small Town Girl Read Online Free PDF Page A

“Later.”
    She didn’t let her sigh come out. She kept smiling as Mrs. Jamison stepped up to take Carl’s place and tell her what a nice wedding it was and wasn’t love a beautiful thing.
    When at last Mrs. Jamison turned toward Evie to tell her the exact same thing, Jay Tanner leaned closer to Kate and kept his voice low as he said, “Later, eh? Carl is one lucky fellow.”
    Kate pretended not to understand him as she smiled at the next person in line. By the time every person had come out of the church and wrung her hand and talked about how pretty everything was, her cheeks were frozen in a smile and her dress was sticking to her back. Evie didn’t appear to be faring any better. Her cheeks were bright pink, the curls she’d worked so hard to straighten were going kinky again, and her lipstick was gone, along with her smile. But Mike looked happy enough for all of them as he put his arm around Evie and started to pull her close to him.
    Evie pushed him back. “Watch out, Mike. You’ll mess up my dress. I have to look nice for the reception.”
    She sounded almost cross. Newly married to the most wonderful man in the world and already forgetting to be happy. It was more than Kate could imagine and she had to force herself not to reach over and give Evie a shake.
    “You look nice. You look better than nice.” Mike reached for Evie again and captured her this time, holding her gently as though she were a priceless treasure.
    “They’re all waiting for us.” Evie put a hand against his chest to hold him away.
    “They don’t need us to enjoy your mother’s pies and cakes. Everybody there will have a full plate.” Mike’s smile got bigger. “In fact, why don’t we let Kate make our excuses and just get in the car and head for the hotel in Louisville?”
    “We can’t do that,” Evie protested. “Whatever would we tell everybody?”
    “We wouldn’t tell them anything. We’d be in the car on the way to our honeymoon. But Kate could tell them we were overcome by the heat. It wouldn’t be a lie. I’m warming up to the idea of being a married man for sure.”
    “Why, Mike Champion! What a thing to say!” Evie flushed beet red. That was the thing about being a redhead and so fair skinned. Every emotion bloomed bright on her face.
    Kate knew exactly what was going through Evie’s mind, and Kate’s own cheeks warmed a little too. Evie would be thinking about the awkward conversation their mother had with them both a few nights earlier. About honeymoons and what to expect.
    None of it was new to Kate. She’d found out how babies came to be when she was twelve. She hadn’t bothered asking her mother. She’d gone straight to Aunt Hattie, who helped women birth babies all the time and who told answers straight out if she knew them.
    “It sounds some strange when a body talks it out,” Aunt Hattie had told her after explaining the way things worked. “But it ain’t nothin’ for you to worry your head over. When you meet the right feller and get married, it’ll be natural as breathing.” Aunt Hattie narrowed her eyes on Kate then as she went on. “But you make sure you do wait for the right feller and let the good Lord bless your union before you step down that path. Ain’t much worse for a woman than being led astray by a fast-talkin’ man with no thought of settling down. Babies can come on quick.”
    Evie had found the right man and had stood before theLord and her friends and family and promised to love, honor, and obey till death do them part. So even though her face was burning red, her eyes were soft, yielding, ready.
    Mike’s face had a different look too—one Kate had never seen—as he said, “I’m your husband now, Mrs. Champion.” With eyes tight on Evie’s face, he laughed softly, a low throaty sound.
    Kate turned her eyes away from them. The look they were sharing was too private. Something Jay Tanner must have noted too. He took hold of Kate’s arm and whispered loudly, “I