Small Town Girl Read Online Free Page B

amused grin as they reached the door of the church. What did she care what Jay Tanner thought? He’d driven in from who knew where. He’d be driving back out to the same place as soon as the festivities were over.
    He wasn’t the kind of guy to let much grass grow under his feet. Mike told them Jay drove up from Nashville. And before that he’d been in Memphis. Not a man who would see anything of interest in a little one-store, wide-spot-in-the-road place like Rosey Corner.
    They formed a line outside on the walkway. Evie claimed a receiving line after the wedding ceremony was every bit as important as the processional up to the altar. It was simply unfortunate the church faced toward the west. The sun was hitting them full force, and Kate hadn’t talked to three people before sweat rivulets began to slide down her sides. The fancy dress was going to be ruined. But at least she wasn’t wearing a black suit like the man beside her. He had to be melting, even if he did appear totally unbothered by the heat as he kept smiling at the people grabbing his hand and welcoming him to Rosey Corner.
    Kate kept smiling too as they all squeezed her hand in turn, while giving her that knowing look and telling her she’d be next. She wanted to ask them, next to do what—faint from the heat? But she remembered her manners. It was Evie’s day, and Kate had promised her mother to be nice no matter how many people asked her when she and Carl Noland were going to follow her sister and Pastor Mike down the aisle into wedded bliss.
    She even managed to keep her smile from flagging when Carl came out the door, his high cheekbones stained red. Nodoubt he’d been getting the same kind of remarks inside the church that she was hearing outside. If so, Carl’s ears were readier to hear them. He was looking at her like a little boy staring at a plate full of his favorite cookies after he’d just been told he could eat them all.
    She liked Carl. She really did. After all, they’d grown up together in Rosey Corner. Had heard each other recite lessons in school. Had waded in creeks catching frogs. Had climbed trees and played hide-and-seek in her yard. But she’d never given the first thought to falling in love with Carl. It wasn’t going to happen.
    She tried to keep the dismay from showing on her face as he grabbed both of her hands and gave her a bashful smile. He wasn’t a bad-looking guy. Ordinary with light blue eyes and brown hair that even with pomade never seemed to lay right on his head. He’d shot up five inches his senior year in school, and even though that had been a couple of years ago, he hadn’t quite figured out what to do with his longer arms and legs.
    But none of that was why she couldn’t fall in love with him. It didn’t have anything to do with how he looked. It was everything else. How he didn’t like books. How he couldn’t imagine going anywhere farther than Edgeville. How he had to ponder every decision until the cows came home. Even something as unimportant as which piece of pie he wanted at a church dinner. He had no imagination at all. Kate needed imagination the way a rainbow needed color.
    She tried to gently free her hands, but he grasped her fingers tighter. His hands were damp with sweat, and when he swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbed a bit.
    “Kate, you look beautiful,” he said, then stuttered a little as he went on. “I–I . . .”
    “You look nice too, Carl.” Kate spoke up fast to cut him off. She had the horrible feeling that all the jibes from the church people were giving him the courage to pop the question rightthere in front of everybody. No way could she let that happen. Not now. Not here. She smiled her best smile and managed to tug her hands loose at last. “We can talk later. You need to go give Pastor Mike your congratulations.”
    He kept his hands reached out toward her for a few seconds before he awkwardly dropped them to his side. “Right,” he said.