The Wild Belle by Lora Thomas Read Free Book Online Page A

he took one last look at the large tree at the back of the lake looking for the pixie named Andi. He followed Amos back to the house wondering how he would find her.

Chapter Five
     
    When Michael returned to the plantation home, he was greeted again by Amanda. She apologized profusely for her prior behavior and then escorted him up the grand staircase to his room.
    Michael walked over to the floor-length window, pulled back the curtains and opened the large window. The room was in the back of the home facing the river, and he was greeted by a cooling breeze. He took off his waistcoat and tossed it onto a red velvet chair. Turning, he walked to the glass-covered door beside the window, opened it and walked out onto the veranda. Looking to the left and right, he realized that one could walk around the entire house without interruption from here.
    His thoughts returned to the beautiful pixie in the tree. Where had she come from? Who was she? She obviously knew who he was; she had called him by his father’s title. But how did she know of his background? One thing Michael knew for certain was that she was not one of Ott’s daughters. Daughters of wealthy men did not behave so brazenly.
    Michael drew his brows together. But didn’t his sister, Madison, behave in such a way? True, but she was a child then, and she outgrew those antics, which led Michael to the conclusion that his first assessment was correct . . . Andi was not from a wealthy family.
    Michael walked back into the room. Sitting down on the small settee, he took off his black boots. He leaned back, stretched his feet out in front of him and crossed them at the ankles. Leaning his head back on the wall, he closed his eyes. Sleep was about to find him. Suddenly he was startled awake by an object landing in his lap. Michael shot upward quickly and saw a cat in his lap. The cat nudged his hands, demanding attention.
    “How did you get in here?”
    The cat answered with a purr and Michael rubbed its gray head. He looked around the room and noticed the door was cracked open. As he picked up the cat and placed it gently on the settee, he noticed her large abdomen.
    “Don’t get any ideas of having your kittens in here. I can assure you that I do not wish my belongings soiled by your litter,” he told the cat. She answered his request with a loud meow and began licking her paw.
    Michael walked over to the door and pushed it closed, only to find that it cracked open again. He pushed it closed again, and again the door opened. He bent down and examined the doorknob and noticed that the latching mechanism was not working properly. He moved the handle back and forth several times and the latch came out. He closed the door, but the door opened again. This time, Michael closed the door and jiggled the handle, and it stayed closed.
    When he turned to return to the settee, there was a faint knock on the door. He opened it and noticed Ott standing outside.
    “Beggin’ your pardon, Michael, but Mandy forgot to mention that supper will be served at six.”
    “Thank you.”
    “It’s nothing formal, so please do not feel inclined to dress as such. What you had on earlier will suffice. We won’t be having a more formal dinner until Saturday.”
    Michael nodded his head in understanding and closed the door as Ott left, this time remembering to jiggle the doorknob. He looked around and noticed the gray cat had made herself comfortable in the center of his large four-poster bed. She was happily bathing herself and her loud purring echoed throughout the room.
    Michael spotted his sea chest in the corner of the room and walked to it. His belongings had already been unpacked for him and placed in the large wardrobe beside it. He mumbled under his breath. He didn’t like others going through his belongings; that was how things would mysteriously disappear. After a quick inspection, he realized that all his belongings were intact.
    A small mantel clock chimed indicating that it