Milk Money by Cecelia Dowdy Read Free Book Online Page A

Her life suddenly seemed to be speeding out of control, and she wondered what other secrets her father may have been harboring.

four
    When the livestock auction was finished, people cleared out of the enclosure, and Frank touched Emily’s elbow as they walked to the car. It was almost dinnertime. “I guess you need to be getting home to milk the cows?”
    “Both of the brothers are supposed to come tonight for the milking.”
    “Did you want to get a bite to eat? I know how much you hate cooking.” He opened her door for her, and they settled into his vehicle.
    She bit her lower lip, staring out the windshield. “Frank, I don’t know—”
    “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
    “Can’t we talk about it now?”
    “Well, you’re hungry, aren’t you?”
    She nodded, a small smile teasing her full lips. The urge to kiss her flowed through him, and he had to make a conscious effort to ignore the romantic feelings that drifted inside his mind.
    “Of course I’m hungry,” she said. “Then let’s get something to eat.”
    “Okay. Let me call Jeremy and Darren to make sure they’re doing the milking right now.” Once she called and confirmed that both brothers had shown up at her farm and were milking the cows, he drove them downtown to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. After he parked in a garage, they entered the trendy tourist district. “Do you want to eat at the Cheesecake Factory?”
    She nodded as they approached the high-class restaurant. Noise filtered from the dining crowd. When they approached the hostess, she gave them a pager and placed their names on a list. “There’s an hour wait,” she said above the noise. “We’ll page you when the table is ready. Just be sure you don’t go too far away.”
    “A whole hour?” asked Emily.
    The hostess shrugged. “We’re always busy on Saturday evenings.”
    Frank took the pager, and they strolled around the Inner Harbor. The breeze blew over the water, and he invited Emily to sit on a bench. Boats bobbed on the Chesapeake Bay, and throngs of people walked by, many carrying bags of purchases from the shops in Harborplace. A jazz saxophonist played his horn, and several people dropped money into his instrument case. The music surrounded them, the mellow notes filling the air.
    She tilted her head back, closing her eyes. “It sure is nice out here.” The hot wind blew her ponytail, and jealousy filled his soul when several men walked by, giving Emily a second glance.
    “Yes, it is nice. Do you come here often?”
    She shook her head. “Not much. Sometimes my friends and I come out here for dinner. But we haven’t done that in months.”
    They sat in companionable silence, and he was tempted to hold her hand. But he resisted, unsure if she would want him to. The red lights on the pager brightened when the instrument buzzed. “I guess our table is ready,” he said.

    Emily’s stomach rumbled with hunger. Their server approached. “My name is Allen, and I’ll be your server tonight. What can I get you all to drink?”
    Frank’s leg was twitching, and she again wondered if her presence made him nervous. He ordered first. “I’ll have a Coke.”
    She ordered lemonade and a glass of water. Allen soon reappeared, prompting them to place their food orders. “I’ll have the Cajun jambalaya pasta,” said Emily.
    Once Frank had ordered the Jamaican black pepper shrimp, she voiced her concerns about her father. “Do you really think my father would want to sell his farm?”
    He looked at her, frowning. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk to your stepmother about this some more?” He sipped his soda.
    She took a drink of water. “I guess I should. Mom’s hiding something. I can feel it.” She looked at him, trying hard not to stare into his gorgeous brown eyes.
    He sighed, looking sullen. “Like I said earlier, it looks as if your dad
may
have been planning to sell, but I can’t tell for sure.”
    She gripped her water glass.