Lost Lake House (13 page)

Ellie put her chin in her hand and stared
away up the double-rutted track to the main road, with the green
grass waving softly in its center strip. She was a quiet, practical
girl, who simply accepted the little trials of her life that she
could do nothing about. She did not spend her time pining for a
beau—it was not a real cause of heartache, or something that
constantly occupied her thoughts. But there were days, like today,
when the accumulated loneliness of months made her heart weigh
heavy; when she wondered wistfully how the right kind of young man
was ever going to find his way down the road to her isolated
home—and once there, what there possibly was that could make him
want to stay long enough for a second look.

“No man in his right mind would want Ed for
a brother,” she said aloud to herself, and then added as an
afterthought, “and I wouldn’t want to marry the other kind.”

And with this reflection she stood up,
looked round again at the sunny and empty horizon—empty of either
kind—and then picked up the basket and went up the steps into the
house.

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Elisabeth Grace Foley is the author of Peacemaker
Award-nominated Western novella
Left-Hand Kelly
, and short
story collections
The Ranch Next Door and Other Stories
and
Wanderlust Creek and Other Stories
. Her work has appeared
online at
Rope and Wire
and
The Western Online
. Her
other books include a series of short historical mysteries, the
Mrs. Meade Mysteries; and short fiction set during the American
Civil War and the Great Depression.

More books by this author:

Corral Nocturne: A
Novella

Left-Hand
Kelly

Wanderlust Creek and
Other Stories

The Ranch Next Door
and Other Stories

The Silver Shawl: A
Mrs. Meade Mystery

The Parting Glass: A
Mrs. Meade Mystery

The Oldest Flame: A
Mrs. Meade Mystery

The Silent Hour: A
Mrs. Meade Mystery

Elisabeth’s Blog:
www.thesecondsentence.blogspot.com

Twitter:
www.twitter.com/ElisabethGFoley

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