Page 18 of If The Fates Allow
“I would love to.” Entering, Noah set his bag on a side table before shaking John’s hand. “I can do it myself, Lucy,” he said when Lucy attempted to pour him tea. “I’ve spent many long nights in Philadelphia having to make do with just myself.”
Willa narrowed her eyes. He was up to something.
“Is that where you studied?” Lucy asked, nervously watching the parlor door and Noah as he poured. Should their mother unexpectedlyenter, Margaret would not be pleased to see a guest serving themselves. “In Philadelphia?”
“It is, and I enjoyed my time there.” Noah took over the wingback next to Willa. He was so very tall, and the piece of furniture looked positively miniature under him. “Tell me, Mr. Richards. When I came in, I heard the mention of livestock. What type of animals do you have?”
“I was just asking that same question.” Lucy nodded earnestly as she returned to her seat. “Cows?”
“I do have a cow or two,” John replied. “Chickens, of course. Pigs, goats, and the like.”
“Goats?” Noah said, taking a sip of his tea. “Hmm.”
Willa’s head swiveled in his direction. She was becoming accustomed to those little noises he made before unleashing some sort of shocking statement or observation.
Noah spared her a glance. “Have you ever been around goats, Willa? Their fur can set off asthma attacks. We studied a woman who dissolved into fits whenever around them.”
“I have not,” she replied tersely, hating him for ruining this small moment of normalcy. It wasn’t every day she had tea in the parlor with a gentleman caller who had no interest in listening to the way she breathed. “But I am sure I will be fine.”
Noah returned his attention to John Richards. “Are you aware of Willa’s breathing issues?”
If he had doused her in kerosene and set her aflame, Willa would have been less surprised. And less furious. He had no right. Everyone knew of her disorder, but no one had the gall to speak about it openly with a person who was essentially a stranger. “Now is not the time to discuss such things,” she snapped. “We were having a lovely conversation before your arrival.”
The devil was amused, the corners of his lips curving upward as he sampled the tea again. “I think Mr. Richards will agree with me in that any information regarding your well-being remains alovelytopic of conversation.”
Willa now understood why Haven’s female cats attacked their male counterparts so often. “Well, I do not wish to discuss it.”
“What would you rather us discuss?” Noah shot back. “How much you loved dancing at The Gathering, yet I was the only one who asked?”
“No, I would not.” Willa reminded herself not to snarl. “I would like to hear about…”
Everyone waited expectantly, and as her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, her brain decided it was a good time to send the first thing it thought of out of her mouth and into the world.
“Pigs.” Dash it all, she could never handle being under pressure, but there was no going back. “Are they truly clean animals?”
Lucy’s eyes went as round as the saucer on which her teacup rested while Noah choked on his laughter.
“They are,” John confirmed, seeming to relax. “Pigs only roll in the mud to keep cool.”
“Do they overheat easily?” Willa asked, making this positively horrifying conversation worse. “And do they truly eat anything?”
“They overheat no more than a normal animal, and yes, they do eat anything.” John nodded enthusiastically, obviously a connoisseur of pigs. “Even people.”
Lucy popped open her fan, flapping it rapidly. Discussions regarding farm animals and their eating habits were not a topic covered during the social lessons provided by their mother and Bonnie.
“Are you overheating, Lucy?” Noah asked, hiding his smile. “Shall we roll you around in the mud like one of Mr. Richards’ pigs?”
“No, I am most certainly not.” Lucy stood abruptly to march over to the tea cart. “It is a lovely day.”
Willa sighed. It really was going to be a nice day. The first of its kind in months. The temperature outside remained warm, but the afternoon breeze held a crisper tone, signaling that her beloved dry season would arrive soon.
“I want to use the lack of dampness in the air to our advantage,” Noah agreed, rising to join Lucy at the cart. “What say you and I takeWilla and Mr. Richards for a walk outside?” He nudged her shoulder good-naturedly, clearly trying to make amends for intruding. “I’m sure Mr. Richards enjoys the outdoors, and Willa looks as if she needs some fresh air.”
Lucy giggled, utterly charmed by him. “I think that sounds splendid.”
“Explain to me why I am being paraded through the woods on your arm when this entire afternoon was arranged for Mr. Richards and myself to become better acquainted.”
Not answering, Noah maneuvered them around a gnarled root protruding from the ground. The forest path between the Anderson estate and Haven House was full of them thanks to an overabundance of cypress trees in the area.
