The Counterfeit Cowgirl Read Online Free Page B

wide and guileless. “I did ask you. You said it was private, between you and Uncle Aaron.”
    Aaron heard his sister’s sudden intake of breath as he recalled the conversation in question. They had been discussing the possibility, in carefully couched terms, that Tony might kidnap his two sons in order to get his family back home again.
    “Well, we certainly weren’t talking about any ghost,” Deborah said briskly. “There are no such things as ghosts.”
    “Jason says ghosts kill people.” Joey, unconvinced, held his fork at the ready.
    “Ghosts don’t kill,” Felicity said. “You can take my word for it. And no ghost will even come into a room where there’s a garlic necklace.”
    “I’m going to call Jason’s mother,” Deborah promised.
    Felicity said nothing, but her lively face spoke for her.
    Aaron’s fists clenched. The insolence of the woman. No doubt she blamed Deborah — and him — for intentionally creating the ghost in the children’s minds. Before Aaron could set her straight, his housekeeper, Polly Fitzgerald, approached them at a run. Polly was a distant cousin, a middle-aged widow with no children, and she had become deeply attached to the boys during the past few weeks.
    “Thank the good Lord,” Polly cried. She arrived, panting, and promptly disguised her emotion with an air of exaggerated annoyance. “Now maybe I can get back to work. In case you folks have forgotten, we’re giving a barbecue tomorrow.”
    “Do you have any garlic, Polly?” Pete asked.
    Polly stared down at Pete’s intense face then glanced at her employer. “Of course I have garlic. I keep it so I can make that chicken cacciatore your daddy likes.”
    Deborah’s face paled, and Aaron frowned his disapproval at Polly. In spite of everything, Polly persisted in thinking the best of Tony.
    “You boys get on back to the house,” Aaron said. “I had better help restore Miss Clayton’s house to normal.”
    “Actually, I believe Elmer’s Glue responds to soap and water,” Felicity said, with cheerful optimism. “It’ll probably come up when I scrub.”
    “I’d better have a look at the damages just in case.” Aaron wasn’t a man to shirk his responsibilities. “Two little boys have ways of doing unintended damage.”
    Deborah’s eyes followed her sons as they headed with Polly toward the house. “I’d better come too, Aaron. There’s no telling what they’ve done.”
    “I’ll take care of everything,” Aaron said in his most soothing tones. “You go on back to the house and keep an eye on those two young devils.”
    Felicity smiled at Deborah. “You’d better go talk to them right now about what they overheard. Otherwise, they’ll keep on being afraid to go to bed at night.”
    “I’ll talk to them as soon as I get back,” Aaron said. “Go on back to the house, Deb. I’ll be there as soon as I’ve seen for myself what they did to Miss Clayton’s window sills.”
    “I’m so sorry, Miss Clayton,” Deborah said, stretching out her hands to Felicity. “If they did any permanent damage, of course I’ll take care of it. And thank you so much for bringing them back immediately. I was absolutely petrified — ” She broke off, unable to continue.
    “Please call me Felicity.” She clasped both of Deborah’s hands, smiling warmly. “I doubt Elmer’s Glue constitutes much of a threat to the woodwork. Besides, I enjoyed meeting your sons. They’re very intelligent, handsome young men.”
    Aaron observed with disgust that Deborah was thoroughly won over. Felicity seemed to have a knack for getting on everyone’s good side. Everyone, that is, except him. He knew too much about her to be taken in by that warm, friendly manner.
    “And please come to the barbecue we’re throwing tomorrow evening,” Deborah said. “My boys would love to show you around, wouldn’t they, Aaron?”
    Aaron managed to second the invitation, although it went sorely against the grain with him.
    Thankfully,