Wonders Of The Heart. Ruth Scofield

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      “I attended a Midwest community college, which I know isn’t very impressive by any of the big school standards, but I’ve worked steadily since I turned eighteen and I have a good work ethic. Uncle William saw to that. He raised my sister Autumn, and me.”

      “What are you doing here in New York?” Chad asked.

      “I’m a dress designer. Or I want to be. I’ve been putting in my applications around the city and showing some of my sketches.”

      “I see. And do your duties here leave you enough time for all that?” His tone had an edge of sarcasm, but Spring ignored it while Honor gazed adoringly at her brother.

      “She’s bound to be accepted someplace, Chad,” Honor put in enthusiastically. “She’s really good. That dress she was wearing when you came in is for one of the women in our church. She’s a ballet dancer and needed a dressmaker, so Dana suggested—”

      “You run a business out of this apartment?” Chad sat forward abruptly, his tone sharp.

      “Well, it’s not exactly a real business,” Spring answered. “Only a little sewing.”

      “Do you accept money for your services?”

      “Um, yes. A few dollars. But—”

      “You must stop it immediately! This apartment is strictly residential and has an airtight code against using it for business purposes. You could get us fined or kicked out of our lease for such an offence.”

      “Oh, I—I’m sorry. I didn’t realize—”

      “We didn’t know that, Chad,” Honor said, her lower lip beginning to tremble. “Don’t be mad. We just thought to earn a little extra spending money…”

      “Spending money? I think for what I pay you,” he all but sputtered at Spring before turning to Honor, “and your allowance, that you’d have quite enough for mere pocket money. What have you been buying, anyway?”

      Spring decided it wasn’t the time to inform him she hadn’t been paid, or that Honor hadn’t received an allowance for weeks. Already, she knew it would disturb him. He’d learn the necessary details in due time.

      “Nothing out of reason, Mr. Alexander. Only tickets to special exhibits and a few restaurant meals.” Few was the operative word, Spring thought, with New York prices so much higher than what she was used to. “But that didn’t come out of anyone’s salary.”

      “No, I’m sure it didn’t. Household accounts, I suppose. Well, I’ll look at the receipts and do the accounting tomorrow. You did keep receipts, didn’t you?”

      Spring hadn’t meant the expenditures had come from the household accounts, but she guessed he’d discover that soon enough, too. “Actually, I didn’t see a need.”

      His frown deepened. “Really? How did you expect to justify the budget I left for you? What about the credit card bills?”

      “I didn’t see a budget.” She brushed her bangs from her eyes, beginning to feel a little ruffled. “Sorry. But you’ll find everything is in order since I’ve been here, and we have no outstanding bills. We simply pay cash as we go.”

      “Is there anything left from the discretionary fund I left for Mrs. Hinkle’s use?”

      “What discretionary fund?” Spring asked.

      “No, Chad. That’s what I wanted to tell you,” Honor said. “There’s nothing left in the cash account or the credit card limit. Mrs. Hinkle spent it all, including my allowance, in the first ten days after you left.”

      “What?” His mouth dropped as he tried to take in what Honor had said. “But there was enough there to cover everything except the most dire of emergencies, and she was directed to apply to Walter Peebles if there was any greater need. How could she have run through what should’ve lasted three months?”

      “Well, she did. And Uncle Walter turned down a couple of requests she made to him. When I called Uncle Walter, he told me what to do. We notified all our credit card accounts, and closed out the two bank accounts and opened new ones. Dana and Spring helped me do that. But you have to sign the new bank cards, Uncle Walter said.”

      Chad brushed a hand over his face. Had he fallen through a rabbit hole?

      “Let me get this right. You say Mrs. Hinkle took all the cash I’d left for spending money, cashed out the household account, and made inroads on the credit cards, and you caught her jimmying my desk, as well?”

      “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Spring—”

      “Good grief, Honor Suzanne—” Chad nearly shot out of his chair. “Why didn’t you call me? What on earth were you thinking, not to inform me of such a huge problem?”

      “Well, we did tell Uncle Walter. And we told him everything we’d done to take care of it, and he said we’d done the right things and he didn’t see that anything more could be done until you got back and not to disturb you.”

      “Did he lend you money to get by on? Who’s been paying the bills? What have you been using this last month for incidentals and such?”

      “Oh, Chad, that’s where you’ll be so proud of me.” Honor’s adoring smile spread a charm all its own, Spring thought, a loveliness already showing the promise of womanhood.

      “See, Spring and I reached a bargain. She lives here in exchange for being my adult companion and friend. No money exchanged. We share actual expenses. Isn’t that a wow deal? Daddy would say my Alexander blood is showing up.”

      Chad remained quiet for a long moment, his gaze slowly returning to Spring’s. “No money exchanged? Okay, then. What have you been living on for a month?”

      “Well, our cupboards have become a little bare,” Spring confessed with a quick smile. In truth, they had a need to do a major restocking. “But we have another sitting job lined up for tomorrow night.”

      “You’ve been living on baby-sitting pay?” he asked incredulously.

      “Not totally,” Spring replied.

      “Then what have you been living on?”

      “Well, I’ve paid into our mutual kitty a bit,” she admitted.

      His suspicious gaze went as icy as an Alaskan glacier. “All right. What do I owe you? I’m sure there’s a payback for you. What is it you want?”

      Spring sighed. Could this man be any more exasperating?

      Chapter Three

      “You don’t owe me anything, Mr. Alexander.” Spring gave him a straight-on serious look to let him know she hadn’t tried to take advantage of anyone, neither Honor nor him, in his recent absence. Though, she could understand his concern; she was yet a stranger. She certainly realized how difficult it had become these days to accept someone at simple face value.

      “Honor and I made a fair exchange in our bargain,” she continued, hoping he’d see the advantage СКАЧАТЬ