Small Town Girl Read Online Free PDF

think you’d better show me where those cakes and pies are, sister Kate. The loving couple seem to be in need of a little time alone. Or maybe a lot of time alone.”
    Kate started away with him, but then looked back at Evie. “It won’t be right if you don’t come. Everybody expects you to be there.” She didn’t look at Mike. She couldn’t very well tell him what to do, but she could Evie.
    “Oh hush, Kate.” Evie flashed a look toward Kate. “You wouldn’t go if you didn’t want to. You’d probably just elope to begin with.”
    “Maybe so,” Kate agreed. “But I wouldn’t have had everybody baking for days for a party I claimed I had to have and then not show up.”
    “Girls, girls! No fighting on my wedding day.” Mike laughed and took his eyes off Evie long enough to glance toward Kate. “Go on ahead and let them know we’ll be there soon as I pray over the car and get it started. Nobody will expect the bride to walk.” He smiled back down at Evie. “That way we can make a quick getaway.”
    “After we cut the cake. We have to cut the cake.” Evie was smiling again too. “Kate, make sure Uncle Wyatt has his camera ready so he can take pictures of us getting there. I told him to get extra film.”
    Kate bit her lip to keep from saying anything as she turnedaway from the happy couple. She reminded herself yet again that it was Evie’s day. Next week would be soon enough to tell her sister she wasn’t boss of the world. Or even of Rosey Corner. She hiked up her skirt a little and started off up the road as though she were the one who was late.
    She’d almost forgotten Jay Tanner until he hurried after her. “Wait up. You want me to get my car?”
    “No need. It’s not far.” She didn’t slow down and she didn’t look over her shoulder to see if Evie and Mike had headed toward his car. If they didn’t show up, they didn’t show up.
    Jay fell in beside her, matching her stride. “So you and lucky Carl are planning to elope. Not tonight, I hope.”
    “Whatever are you talking about?” Kate slowed a little to stare over at him. He was nice looking. She couldn’t deny that.
    “You and Carl. Eloping.”
    Kate let out a sigh. “I’m not eloping with anybody. And especially not Carl.”
    “That’s probably good. He didn’t look like the eloping type.” He was pretending to be serious, but his eyes were full of teasing.
    “Oh?” She raised her eyebrows at him. He was acting like he’d known her for years. There was something that easy about him. Something that was making her like him in spite of herself. “What or who is the eloping type?”
    “You.” His smile came back full. “Me.” Now he was the one raising his eyebrows at her. Not just raising them, but waggling them. “What do you say? I’ve got a nearly full tank of gas.”
    She couldn’t keep from laughing. “You’re out of your mind.”
    “No doubt about that,” he agreed. “But we might have some fun.”
    She shook her head at him. “The only place I’m going with you is to Grandfather Merritt’s house to eat wedding cake. Evie’s wedding cake.”
    “Oh well.” He let out an exaggerated sigh. “You can’t fault a guy for trying when he meets an angel.”
    “You’ve been talking to Lorena.” Kate laughed again. “She’s a sweetheart, but I can assure you that she’s the only one who has ever imagined me anything like an angel. Just ask Evie.”
    “Or Mike?”
    She heard the underlying tone of his question, but she ignored it. “Or Mike. He’s been preaching at me since I was fourteen.”
    “Fourteen, huh? He’s been preaching at me since I was eleven. So see, we have something in common already.” He grinned over at her. “We’ve both heard plenty of Mike’s sermons and we love him anyway. You do love him, don’t you?”
    “Of course. He’s my brother-in-law.”
    “Right, he is. And just think. After we elope, he’ll be my brother-in-law too.”
    “You’re dreaming, Mr. Tanner.