The Preacher's Daughter Read Online Free PDF

you?”
    She’d never voiced her dreams before, and after revealing an aching piece of her heart to a near stranger, Lorabeth experienced a twinge of embarrassment. Benjamin didn’t look particularly surprised or judgmental, in fact, his ice-blue eyes showed a flattering measure of interest.
    She nodded, bent to pick up one of the bags and placed it on the foot of the bed. “Yes, of course.”
    She’d had her fill of holding back and living up to expectations. She was curious about the opposite sex, fascinated by the relationship her employers shared and eager to spread her wings and experience life to its fullest.
    He could never know how glad she was to experience a taste of the life she’d missed out on. For the first time she felt as though she could actually take a deep breath. The air smelled cleaner. The sun shone brighter. Even this room looked bigger than it had when she’d left it late Friday evening.
    Life was ripe with possibilities. She wanted to pick and taste every last one of them.
    Benjamin took several steps toward the door. “This shouldn’t take you long. You can join us for croquet when you’re finished.”
    His suggestion caught Lorabeth by surprise. Of course she’d heard them talk about playing, but she hadn’t imagined…“I’d be welcome, do you suppose?”
    A line formed between his sandy-colored eyebrows, but his expression quickly smoothed into a teasing smile. “Of course you’re welcome. In fact, the girls will plead for you to be on their team since Ellie will be sitting out. The first game is always boys against girls. Not sure why. See you in a few minutes.”
    He left, closing the door and leaving her alone in the room.
    Lorabeth turned in a wide circle, reveling in the buoyant sense of freedom. She still had just as much work to do, in less time actually, but for some reason just the fact that she was here for good made the weight of it all seem so much lighter.
    The sound of childish voices reached her, and she hurried to slide open the window. The cedar tree blocked much of her view of the yard, but through lower branches she could make out the girls’ colorful dresses. Caleb was helping them do something in the grass.
    The sound of a team and buggy at the front of the house arrested her attention. She couldn’t see the front from her room, but it wasn’t long until the girls squealed and greeted the newcomers. Lorabeth recognized Caleb’s parents, but she’d never seen the other couple.
    Eager to discover what the family was doing, she quickly unpacked only the things she would need this evening, leaving the rest for later. After taking a few minutes to check her hair and dress in the mirror, she hurried down the stairs.
    No one remained in the house. She replaced the crocheted tablecloth Ellie kept on the mahogany dining table, then dried and put away the pans that had been left on the drain board.
    Making her way out the back door, she paused on the shaded porch to familiarize herself with those gathered on the lawn. Her attention was so focused, Ellie’s voice from behind startled her.
    “Did you get settled?”
    Lorabeth turned and found her employer and Caleb’s mother seated in two of the comfortable wicker chairs. Ellie had her feet resting on one of the footstools from the parlor. In the shade behind her chair, David’s cat, Buddy Lee, lay with all four paws tucked neatly beneath him. He spared Lorabeth a blink before closing his eyes.
    “Yes,” Lorabeth answered with a nod.
    “You remember Caleb’s mother,” Ellie said.
    “Yes, of course. Pleasure to see you, ma’am.”
    “And you, dear. I hear we’ll be seeing more of you from now on.” The handsome woman wore her faded red hair in an elegant upsweep.
    Lorabeth smiled. “I hope so.”
    Ellie rested a hand on her rounded belly and sighed.
    “Can I get you anything?” Lorabeth asked.
    She shook her head. “This baby is either a dancer or a runner like Ben.”
    “Benjamin’s a