Read The Old Fashioned Way (A Homespun Romance) for Free Online

sit down together for.  "
    Daniel looked at Sarah, amazed.  The seriousness in her gaze told him she wanted him to accept her invitation to stay on.
    “I want to pay you for my board and lodging,” he said.
    Sarah shook her head.  "Let us take care of you for the next couple of days, though.  If you decide to stay longer, we can talk about the eating arrangements then."  Her innocent smile warned Daniel she was up to something.  "It will make us feel better about the time and expertise you're giving us, won't it Abby?"
    Abby's face was pale.  She looked down at her plate but not before he'd seen the flash of nervousness in her eyes. 
    "Yes, it will."  The dead quality of her voice didn't surprise him.
    Sarah turned an expectant gaze on Daniel.  Left with no choice, he nodded and said, "Thank you."
    Maybe, he thought later as he pulled off his shirt and headed for the bathroom, he'd find out why Abby was so nervous around him in the days ahead.
    What happened to that great search for self, Hawthorn?
    The thought stopped Daniel short.  It had been a while since he'd thought of the purpose of his vacation.
    In fact he hadn't done anything according to plan, since he stepped into the store.
    Daniel told himself he could think just as nicely in Carbon Canyon as he could anyplace else.
    Maybe he should spend part of his vacation having his head examined.  Impulses weren't like him.  Abby Silver's challenge had brought him to Carbon Canyon and her reluctance to have him here had goaded him into staying.  Bruised ego wasn't enough reason to embroil himself in a situation like this. 
    No matter what the arguments, no matter that he was spending his vacation so strangely, Daniel knew he felt good about his decision.  It had been quite a while since he'd experienced this deep sense of contentment.  Under the shower, he did something he hadn't done in ages.  He whistled.
     
     
    Abby stared at the sliver of the moon hanging in the sky.  Far away she heard an owl call to its mate.  The sound was comforting, a part of her childhood memories, of waiting in this room for Gramps to come read to her, for Gran to bring her a glass of warm milk and kiss her goodnight. 
    Childhood with its uncomplicated pattern seemed like a dream.  Being a grownup was entirely different.
    Why had Daniel Hawthorn agreed to stay on? 
    Not that she wasn't glad, Abby told herself quickly.  On the business level he was the best thing that had happened to her and Gran.  It was just that on the personal level she felt unsettled.  She hadn't felt this way in a long time, had vowed she would never let herself feel like this again.
    Abby got into bed and pulled the red and white comforter over her.  Since Rod's death, three years ago, she had carefully buried her feelings.  No, that wasn't right.  She had buried her feelings during her marriage to Rod, not after.  It was the only way she had been able to protect herself.
    Abby thought of the way Daniel's dark eyes rested on her, of the inexplicable attraction she couldn't quell towards him.  She couldn't run the risk of exploring her feelings.  Mistakes cost too much.
    Closing her eyes, Abby murmured, "All you have to do is keep out of his way.  Daniel Hawthorn will be gone by this time next week, and life will return to normal." 
     
     
    Downstairs, Sarah and Agnes looked at each other, as they heard the door of Abby's room shut.
    "What do you think brought Daniel Hawthorn here?" Sarah Trenton asked.
    Hamish looked up from the paper he was reading.  "He said he's been thinking of the store since Abby told him about it."
    "I'll bet my grandmother's brooch, it's not only the store that brought him here," said Sarah Trenton thoughtfully.  "There's something between him and Abby.  She avoids looking at him, and he looks at her more than he wants to."
    "I never noticed anything like that," said Hamish returning to his magazine. 
    The two women smiled at each other in the way women have