Page 65 of Magnolia Summer

“It was with a stick, I heard.” Truett grinned.

She turned a half smile up at him.

“A stick!” Greenbrier hooted, drawing Will and Grady over.

“You must be a feisty little thing!” Greenbrier laughed again, repeating the report of Celia’s snake encounter for their benefit.

Feisty?Truett allowed himself a rueful chuckle.I’ll say she is. Feisty and beautiful and way too beguiling for anybody’s good.

Will and Grady each had a drink and then wandered away with Greenbrier, still discussing rattlesnakes.

“You are feisty,” Truett said quietly, studying Celia’s face, “but I’d call it brave.”

She shook her head. “I’m not brave.” When she met Truett’s gaze, a cloud descended over her expression. “You’re the brave one.”

His heart not only flipped, it flopped like a newly caught fish on a creek bank.

Yep, he was hooked. Again.

Will called out to Truett, “Seven rattles! This big around!” Will held up his hands to show how fat the snake was.

Celia smiled at her brother. And then, without another glance at Truett, began walking back to the house.

“Thanks for the water, Celia,” he called after her.

“You’re welcome. Dinner will be ready in an hour or so. We want you all to join us.”

“We’ll be happy to.”

And when she smiled, he forgave her all, everything, the cold shoulder after the kiss, and whatever else she’d done.

There was something she wanted to tell him, something she couldn’t say in front of anyone else. Could it be she had changed her mind? That she did want him to court her after all? It must be that. What else could it be?

Chapter 19

Celia’s heart hammered as she walked toward the house. She wasn’t sure how a man covered in sweat could look so good. But she was more determined than ever to warn him that his safety—his very life!—was in jeopardy.

When dinner was ready they set up a trestle table outside. Celia and Lizzie served while the men and children ate. The men ate so fast she hardly had time to sit down before they were up and working again.

A couple of hours later, while Celia was getting a blackberry cobbler ready to put in the oven, Will came to the back door.

“Truett says it’s best if you all come on out of the house about now while we see if we can get this tree to fall the other way. Just in case.”

Celia quickly rounded up Tempie, who was playing with her dolls, and Mother, who was sitting in her rocking chair in the bedroom. She hustled them out the door and stood with Lizzie. Harley was already outside.

Truett and the other men shouted back and forth. Carefully but efficiently, they tightened the ropes, then sawed some more, then tightened again. Already the tree was straightening. In a few more minutes it was leaning away from the house.

Truett paused in the process long enough to tell them all to move farther away, out of the tree’s reach, should it fall somewhere other than where they planned for it to go.

Lizzie prayed out loud that God would keep the men—and their house—safe from the tree. Celia joined her silently.And God, please give me a chance to talk to Truett, alone. Please don’t let me seem like a tease.She added,And help me get back to Nashville before I fall in love with him.

It might already be too late for that last request.

Truett pulled on one rope while Will cranked the winch. Greenbrier and Grady sawed until they all heard a loud crack. The two men scrambled out of the way.

“Will!” Truett called out. “Be ready to run!” His voice strained as he pulled on the rope.

Celia held her breath. Several more loud cracks came from the trunk of the tree as it slowly began its descent. It picked up speed and crashed to the ground in the wide expanse between Truett and Will.