Free Restless Hearts by Mona Ingram Page B

moment. “You’re smiling. I suppose you’re thinking about that young man of yours.”
    “He’s not my young man.”
    “Nonsense.”
    Sarah gave in. “I suppose I was thinking about Jamie.” She unpacked a teapot and fished around in the excelsior for the lid. “I couldn’t help but notice how well you and Charlie get along, and I was hoping that I experience something similar one day.”
    “You mean with Jamie, of course.”
    Sarah nodded. “I got to know him fairly well during the past four months.”
    Lucy wrapped an apron around her ample waist. Sarah had no idea where it had come from, but she’d stopped being surprised by Lucy a long time ago. “What’s holding you back?” the older woman asked, her tone mild.
    “I don’t know.” Sarah kept her head lowered. Lucy was far too intuitive.
    “Nonsense.” There was that word again. “Of course you know. Your father trampled on your dreams of becoming a doctor and you’re determined not to let a man take control of your life again.”
    Sarah acknowledged her friend’s words with a wry smile. “I hadn’t thought about it quite like that, but you could be right.”
    Lucy remained quiet.
    Sarah continued. “Yes, I think perhaps you are right. It’s something I have to do.” She paused and ran her fingers over the pattern on a large serving dish.
    Lucy watched her, one hand braced on the edge of the packing crate. “It’s not an either or proposition, you know.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Being independent and loving a man.” Lucy nodded to herself. “Find the right man, and you can do both. Not every man wants to control his woman.” She ducked her head. “All right, most of them do, but not all. I can’t offer any guarantees, but I think Jamie is one of those men who admire independence in a woman.” She paused for a moment. “And you think so too, or you wouldn’t care for him. It’s something most women know instinctively. Mind you, some gravitate toward the wrong man every time, but you’re not one of them, in the same way that Jamie isn’t one of those men.”
    “Wow. You’ve really thought this out.”
    Lucy softened her tone. “I’ve had a few more years of experience than you, Sarah. I’ve come to realize that we women spend too much of our lives, and expend too much energy pleasing other people. We need to learn to please ourselves somewhere in the mix, or we become empty shells.”
    Sarah gave a nervous little laugh. “I didn’t know you were a philosopher.”
    Lucy accepted the comment with her usual good humor. “Not a philosopher, my dear. A woman who’s a keen observer of human nature.”
    Sarah stopped working, and looked affectionately at the other woman. “I’m glad you’re my friend, Lucy Davis. I wish you could meet my mother. You’d like her.”
    “I’m sure I would.” Lucy dabbed at her eye with a corner of her apron. “Something in my eye,” she said, her voice suddenly husky. “Come on, let’s get this crate unpacked and then we’ll see what we can round up for supper.”
    As items were unpacked, Sarah became aware of the immense amount of planning Lucy must have put into her packing. Everything that was necessary to start a household was carefully tucked into the crate. As though to confirm Sarah’s opinion, the last item in the crate was a broom. Sarah chuckled.
    “Why are you laughing?” Lucy was re-arranging her spice cans.
    “I’m laughing at your organizational skills.” She glanced at the kitchen floor. “You knew that by the time you finished unpacking, the floor would be littered. I’m impressed.”
    Lucy blushed. “Thank you, my dear. I put a lot of thought into it.”
    “Well, it’s paid off.” The room had been transformed into a functioning kitchen that contained everything necessary to produce a meal.
    Lucy examined the scant foodstuffs Charlie had purchased in anticipation of his wife’s arrival. “Hmmm,” she said. “There seems to be plenty of canned beef,