Hard.Įarl waited a moment, then slapped his palm again.

When all murmuring had settled down, Earl raised his arm and whacked Mack on the head with the newspaper. The rest of the company simultaneously shouted, “Wrong!” “I believe Lucy Lewers bobbed me,” Earl replied, sending her a lascivious glance. Winking, he slapped the newspaper against his palm and yelled, “Brother, I’m bobbed!” She tiptoed forward and handed it to Earl. Tillie bit her lip.įinally, Allan finished speaking and handed the laundress next to him a rolled-up newspaper. One by one the rest of the group began to grin. While Allan spoke, Earl quietly removed his blindfold. But, of course, everyone but Mack already knew how it was played. Lucy returned to her seat while Allan explained the game. He grabbed Lucy’s wrist and thrust it back toward her.Īllan shook out of his stupor. Tillie clasped her hands together in her lap, squeezing them. “You sure it’s tight enough? We wouldn’t want you to peek, now.” With a throaty laugh, she slipped a finger beneath the scarf and ran it along the edge, mussing his thick blond hair. The moment Lucy was within reach, Mack whipped the scarf from her hands and tied it around his eyes. Lucy extracted herself from Earl’s grasp, then slinked toward Mack. She returned her attention to the center, her gaze colliding with Mack’s. But Allan simply stood, one hip cocked, an indulgent half smile on his face. Squirming, Tillie looked at her brother to see if he would intervene. He made circles on her waist with his thumbs. Instead of jumping up, Lucy fit a blindfold over his eyes, then looped her arms around him to tie the knot. Tillie stiffened, heat flooding her cheeks.

Grabbing her waist, he plunked her onto his lap.

Maid to Match by Deeanne Gist