Winnie Griggs by The Bride Next Door

thing,” she continued wistfully, “but it felt big at the time. So I told him to leave me in town to do some shopping and ‘cool off’ while he visited a few farms to try to make some sales. As soon as he was out of sight, I left a note with the owner of the mercantile and headed out on my own.”
    She traced a line on her glass with one finger. “It was cowardly of me, but I knew if I had to look him in the eye and tell him my intentions, I wouldn’t be able to go.”
    Everett wasn’t convinced. There’s no way he would have let Abigail go like that, no matter how much they disagreed on matters. “He still should have headed out after you when he realized you’d gone.”
    “Well, first off, he may not have realized I was gone until the next day. Because if things followed their normal course, he would take whatever money he made on sales and find a card game. Which meant he’d have stayed out until the wee hours.”
    Is that the kind of existence she was accustomed to? How had she held on to her optimism all this time?
    “When he did realize I was gone,” she continued, “and got the note I left for him, he would have read my plea for him not to follow me.”
    Everett frowned. She’d said her relationship with her father was complicated—it seemed she hadn’t been exaggerating. “So you deliberately severed ties with him.”
    “Not permanently. He’ll come back through Turnabout in a few months. By then the break will have healed, and I’ll be settled and we’ll be able to meet on more comfortable terms.”
    There was that seemingly unquenchable optimism again.
    She smiled wistfully. “Someday, I hope Father will be ready to settle down, too, and when that time comes, I’m hoping he’ll move in with me.”
    She shifted in her chair, and her smile brightened. “Now, why don’t we talk about something else. And since you asked me a personal question, I think a question for you is in order.”
    He wasn’t sure he liked that challenging glint in her eye. “Such as?”
    “Such as, why don’t you like dogs?”
    Everett immediately felt his guard go up. But there were worse things she could have asked. “It’s not that I don’t like dogs. I just have no use for them. They are overly exuberant, serve no useful purpose and are always trying to claim your attention. They are fine as hunters or herders, but why would one want a beast like that in one’s home?”
    “They also love you without question, provide warm companionship and never judge you, but instead reward every kind gesture with joy.”
    It almost sounded as if she were describing herself. “I suppose we shall agree to disagree on this.”
    “Have you ever let yourself just play with a dog?”
    He was not going down that conversational path with her. “Not since I was a child.” He pushed those foolish memories aside and changed the subject. “I can see why your father considered this his favorite meal. It’s quite good.”
    To his relief, she followed his lead and the conversation stayed on safe, nonpersonal topics for the rest of the meal.
    Once they stood up from the table, Everett waved toward the adjoining door. “Please don’t forget to close and lock that door before you leave.”
    At her nod, he turned and headed downstairs. She probably thought he was being too much a stickler, but he was a firm believer that you couldn’t go wrong if you followed the rules of propriety to the letter. That was what separated polite society from barbarians.
    * * *
    After Daisy returned to her own place, she locked the door on her side of the wall, just as she’d promised Everett she would. The man was just so rigid in his thinking, so very conscious of appearances. But it wouldn’t hurt to follow his rules.
    Then she turned to Kip. “Ready for our walk, boy?”
    The dog’s tail started wagging furiously, and he gave an excited bark.
    Daisy laughed as she led the way. “How can anyone say they have no use for dogs? Especially a