CHAPTER 13EDNA LAYTON was straightening up the hotel kitchen when Bruce Powell paused in the open door. She turned, startled by his sudden appearance; then a slow smile lighted her dark eyes and she came forward shyly.
Powell smiled in return, finding himself drawn to her unwillingly, feeling a little protective and responsible. “How does it seem to be a city girl?”
Her smile gained a trace of embarrassment, but she was too honest a person to dissemble. “It’s all right, but I’m a little afraid of you.”
“Of me?” Her words caught him off balance.
She nodded. “Henry’s afraid of you, too. Oh, he loves you, and he knows that you are usually right, but he’s said more than once how stern you can be at his mistakes. I know you have never approved of me.”
Bruce Powell said a little dryly, “It
