When the shopkeeper shook her head, Libby walked out of the shop, dejected. Her ehavi wardrobe certainly didn’t have anything that would work. Going out wasn’t high on her priority list when she’d lived in the city. Certainly not since John had died. She walked toward the bank, withdrew the money for her bull, and met Tom on the sidewalk as she came out.
“Hey, handsome.” She admired his haircut. He would’ve been a lady killer in his early days.
“Hey, yourself.” He ran a hand self-consciously over his hair and a shade of pink tinged his leathered cheeks. “Did you get that pretty dress you wanted?”
“No. They had nothing that looked anything like what I needed. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“Let me show you something when we get home.” Tom smiled mysteriously, and climbed into the truck.
Libby was intrigued, but he wouldn’t say a word. When they drove in, she parked by the shed as always, but instead of heading for the house, Tom went into the shed and started rummaging around. Libby watched him, suddenly realizing what he was doing. He pushed an old trunk toward her and stood up, indicating she should come and look.
“I couldn’t stand to throw away all of your grandmother’s things, Libby.” He stepped out of the way. “So when Aaron told me you were coming, I just packed all her clothes up and put them out here to give you some more room for your own things. Go through them and see if you can find something you can use. She was about the same size as you are.”
Libby opened the trunk, and the smell hit her first. The same smell that was in her bedroom, the subtle smell of roses and powder. It almost brought tears to her eyes.
“I’ll go and make up the bottles for the lambs so they’re ready when Holly gets off the bus.” Tom left her as Libby started to go through the garments.
Everything was packed neatly. It was obvious her grandmother had been a pretty dresses and lace type of woman. There wasn’t a single pair of trousers in the trunk. Libby unfolded every dress and inspected it. Most were daywear, but there were a couple exceptions that held more than a hint of promise. These she didn’t return to the trunk. She took them with her into the house and placed them on the table.
“Thanks, Tom.” She dropped a kiss on his newly cropped head as she passed him.
“Are you going to try them on and get a man’s opinion?”
“Why, aren’t you the helpful charmer today?” She laughed. Hugging the dresses in her arms, Libby headed for her bedroom and changed into the floral dress. It was the one which had first caught her eye. She surveyed herself in the mirror, and opening her wardrobe, pulled out her only pair of high heels. She slipped them on her feet, looked at her reflection again.
The dress was perfect. It hugged her tiny waist and rose to mold her breasts and lift them to fill the low-scooped heart shaped neckline. The sleeveless look showed off her shoulders and a good portion of her back. Holding her hair up onto the top of her head, she looked at herself sideways. She slipped a clip in her hair to hold it up off her neck, admiring the long smooth span of skin slowly losing its pale city color.
Libby turned around to face the mirror again, giving herself a critical gaze. The gathered, full waist flared over her hips, and the skirt fell softly around her knees. It was the color that impressed her the most. It was gorgeous. A soft moss green, with sprays of pink rosebuds in abundance, scattered over the fabric. Libby looked a very feminine version of herself in the mirror, something she hadn’t seen in a long time. Twirling for her own pleasure, she smiled at her reflection.
Tom looked up as the heels tapped down the hallway. “Nathan’s a dead man. No two ways about it. You look so much like your grandmother, Libby, it’s just plain spooky.”
“Thanks. What about the dress?” She twirled again. “Do you think it’s pretty enough for the dance?”
“Hell, yes!” He covered his mouth and apologized. “Sorry but Nathan’s in serious trouble. Are you sure you know what you’re doing with him, Libby? I don’t want to see you hurt in any way.”
Just remember you’re only using him for sex. Aloud, she replied, “I’m a big girl and can look after myself. I’ve been doing it for years.” Though I never had a man like Nathan to deal with before. A shiver ehaviour up her spine, but she ignored it.
Chapter 10
Saturday dawned sunny and bright. Libby rolled out of bed and wandered out to the kitchen for breakfast, keyed up and anxious about the dance that night.
What if Nathan doesn’t turn up? What will I do? Just go with the flow.
She could at least try to have a good time and meet new people, but she was looking forward to teasing Mr. High and Mighty. After all she’d been through, she felt up to the challenge. Today wasn’t a day for farm duties, it was a day for primping and pampering. She sipped her first cup of coffee. Tonight Nathan was going to find out what he was missing.
The kids had their clothes for the dance ready. The boys had both bought new shirts and had Libby wash and press their best jeans. Holly had plenty of pretty dresses to choose from and tried on her whole wardrobe, parading in front of her mother until they came to a mutual decision.
Libby relished the change in her baby. She was thriving on the farm with the responsibility of looking after the lambs. She’d gone from being a scared little girl to a confident child. Holly had never trusted strangers before, but she was so at ease with Tom and
