The Romancing of Evangeline Ipswich by Marcia Lynn McClure Read Free Book Online

began. “May I ask you something?”
    “Of course,” Jennie assured her with a smile. “Although I bet I can ask the question for you,” Jennie said, smiling with understanding. “You’re going to ask me why I didn’t tell you in my letters that Hutch lived in Red Peak too, aren’t you?”
    Evangeline laughed and nodded, confirming, “Yes! That is exactly what I was going to ask.”
    Jennie still smiled yet shrugged, guiltily. “In truth?”
    “Absolutely,” Evangeline encouraged with a smile.
    “Well, one reason is that…well, I was afraid you wouldn’t come to visit me if you knew Hutch was close by,” she confessed.
    Evangeline shook her head in disbelief. “Why ever would you think that, Jennie? You and I were so close as girls in Boston, and ever since we started exchanging letters, I’ve just realized how much I miss you. Why would you think that Hutch’s living here would keep me from you? For pity’s sake, that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
    Jennie nodded in agreement. “I know. I know,” she admitted. “I suppose it’s just because…well, you’ll understand one day, Evie. Carrying a child just wreaks havoc with a woman’s emotions. I just kept thinking about how…about how in love you had always been with Hutch when we were younger, and I just thought that you might think you’d feel uncomfortable around him and not come to see me.” She reached out, taking Evangeline’s hands in her own. “But now I see this is just like old times when you and I used to have so much fun together, and Hutch was just…just there once in a while,” she explained with excitement. “And besides,” she added, lowering her voice, “it used to be so much fun to watch you wriggle when Hutch paid attention to you, and I’m sure I’ll find that it still is.”
    “Jennie LaMontagne McKee!” Evangeline playfully scolded. “What a thing to say!”
    But Jennie merely laughed and said, “Oh, I remember how over the moon you were for Hutch,” Jennie giggled. “Your cheeks would blush up red as radishes anytime Hutch spoke to you…or even glanced at you for that matter!”
    In truth, simply revisiting memories of how infatuated she had been with Hutchner LaMontagne made Evangeline blush again in that very moment. “Oh, believe me, I do remember,” she admitted. “There were times I thought I might just faint dead away when he looked at me.”
    “That’s because you used to hold your breath when he did,” Jennie reminded.
    Evangeline laughed, “Oh, that’s right! I’d forgotten about that. What a ninny I was, fawning over your older brother like he was some dime novel hero or something.” Evangeline put her hands to her warm, pinked-up cheeks. “I’m so embarrassed remembering it now! Hutch must’ve thought I was the silliest girl in Boston.”
    “Nonsense,” Jennie countered. “Hutch was always very fond of you. He thought you were adorable.”
    “Adorable?” Evangeline giggled, rolling her eyes.
    “Yes, adorable,” Jennie confirmed. “He once told me that he figured you’d turn out to be a very beautiful woman.”
    “Oh, did he now?” Evangeline asked skeptically—even though Hutch had told her she was beautiful just that very day on the wagon ride from the train station to Jennie’s home.
    “Yes, he did,” Jennie answered with a firm nod. “And he was right, wasn’t he?”
    Evangeline sighed and shook her head, brushing aside Jennie’s compliment.
    “Well, I’ll say this,” she began then. “As handsome a young man as Hutch was, he’s even more attractive now. He’s so tall, so broad-shouldered and brawny, with surely as square a chin as I’ve ever seen on a good-looking man. I could never have imagined that he’d improve on what were already such profound good looks.” She paused a moment and then added, “I was quite astonished when he told me he was, as yet, unmarried.”
    Jennie smiled. “Well, you know Hutchner,” she said. “He