“So you still want me to play the part
of Mr. Elliott for you? I could free myself up for a portion of the afternoon.”
Rosemary smiled the tiniest bit. “Do
you think you could pull it off, Papa?”
“I will be the first to admit your
mother is better at making people see things her way, but I believe I could
pass for Mr. Elliott. After all, you had me check over the contracts before you
signed them over the years, so I’m familiar with the legal end of your
business. But you’ll have to tell me about your story line. What’s the hero’s
name again? Henry? Henry Eagle?”
Rosemary groaned. “No, Papa. Henry is
the villain in this case. That’s the name of the new publisher. Henry Cooper.
My hero is Harry Hawk, a half-breed.” She placed a hand on either side of her face and shook her head. “Perhaps my
plan won’t work after all. Henry Eagle. Indeed.”
Her father smiled and took one of her
hands. “I was close, wasn’t I?”
“I’ve molded Harry Hawk after Joseph,
and the stories I write are all based on tidbits I get from the letters sent to
us from Ginger, Basil, and Heather.”
“I can pull it off then, since I read
the same letters. Your sisters and brother do lead exciting lives on the wild
frontier, don’t they?”
“And someday, I’ll get to join them in
St. Louis. But for now, my source of income is about to dry up unless you can
remember our hero’s name.”
“I got it. Harry Hawk. Now, tell me
something about Mr. Cooper. Is he an old ogre with a hunchback?”
Rosemary smiled for the first time
since she sat, as she pictured Henry’s face on a stooped-over body. “No, Papa,
Mr. Cooper is a man in his mid-twenties, I would guess. Tall, dark, and
handsome.”
Her father’s quick glance was not lost
on her.
“And no, don’t get any ideas. You’re as
bad as Mother. I have no interest in him, other than business.”
“All right then, daughter. What time is
your meeting with the handsome Mr. Cooper?”
“It’s at two o’clock. I thought I’d
come by the bank first and go with you to the meeting.”
“You have this all thought out, don’t
you?”
Rosemary smiled, a true smile, finally.
“Well, I have had an overnight to come up with a plan. And I am a writer. When
someone says to find the man and bring him to them, I can usually figure out a
plot device, given enough notice.”
“All right then. I must get to work and
get my day started. I’ll see you at the bank around half past one then?”
“I’ll be there. Thank, you, Papa. Mr.
Cooper will now have no reason to cancel my contract.”
Click on the Fall Blog Hop banner on the right to be taken to The Romance Reviews' site. Have fun and visit often!
I was living vicariously through you as you traveled through New York. I love Glimmerglass Lake as the setting for your upcoming novel. I can't wait to read it! Great post, Becky.
ReplyDelete