A Bride at Last Read Online Free Page B

her hand on the paper while she read the bits of local gossip gleaned from a variety of sources for this regular feature. Nadine never read it. She couldn’t be bothered. But Grandma read it faithfully. If she read it in “About Town,” it had to be true.
    Nadine finished her breakfast and prepared herself to face down Danielle Laidlaw.
    “Grandma, I need to talk to you.”
    Danielle blinked, put down her fork and crossedher hands on the table in front of her. “This sounds serious.”
    “It is. I like organizing my own social life, choosing my own friends. I don’t think you need to invite suitable young men over for tea.”
    “I didn’t really invite Patrick. He asked himself over. He wanted to see you,” Danielle insisted.
    Nadine stared across the table at her grandmother, ignoring the remark. “I don’t want you inviting anyone over for tea, okay, Grandma?”
    Grandma Laidlaw smiled back at her, unperturbed by Nadine’s pique. “I’m sorry, Nadine,” she continued, her tone contrite. “I’m sorry you feel like I’m interfering in your life. I just want you to be happy, settled. That’s all.” She got up and took the teapot off the stove. “Do you want a cup of tea yet, honey? It’s your favorite kind. I got it in that store on the corner. The one with that good-looking young cashier.”
    “No, thanks.” Nadine frowned, her anger fading. But somehow, she knew her grandma had done it again. Taken the wind out of her sails and then changed tack.
    “Well, then, you probably should get going. Make sure you’re home on time tonight. We’ve got company for supper.”
    Nadine stopped, her frustration trying to find an outlet, trying to find words. “Who?” she sputtered, angry with her own reaction, angry that she couldn’t seem to find the right words to make her grandmother understand.
    “I know you said no more interfering, but I had invited Dr. McCormack for supper tonight a couple of days ago. I can’t change that now. He works in the new clinic I’ve been visiting,” Grandma said quickly.
    Nadine’s resolve from the previous evening returned with a vengeance. Grandma just didn’t get it. If Nadine couldn’t come up with her own boyfriend it looked as if she was going to spend the rest of her life across the supper table from potential suitors as her grandmother recounted her accomplishments, going back to kindergarten. Well, two could play that game.
    “I won’t be home,” she said firmly.
    Grandma frowned. “Why not? You’re not working, are you?”
    She wasn’t and she knew she had to do some fast work to avoid a repeat of last night and many other nights. “Actually…” What, what? She actually was going to do…what? Her mind flew over the possibilities and then latched on to one in desperation. “I have a date.” She smiled in triumph.
    “A date? With who?”
    Oh, brother. Who? “Uh…Trace.”
    Grandma frowned again. “I’ve never heard of this Trace fellow. What kind of a name is that? What is his last name?”
    This was getting harder. She didn’t even know where she had pulled the name Trace from. It had just popped into her mind. Now he needed a last name, to boot. “Trace…Bennet,” she quicklyadded. Nice name, respectable name, she thought to herself. “He’s a great guy. I met him a couple of months ago at the Agribition in Edmonton when I was doing a story on the farm family of the year.” She rinsed off her bowl, unable to look her grandmother in the eye, and bit her lip to stop the flow of drivel mixed with absolute fibs.
    “You never told me about this.” Grandma sounded hurt.
    Nadine shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring a stab of guilt. She reminded herself of the stories Grandma had spun to Patrick and the fact that Grandma had told her Dr. McCormack was coming over only seconds after Nadine had specifically asked her not to invite prospective boyfriends.
    “I’m meeting him in Eastbar,” Nadine said, turning with a smile at her grandmother. “I