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Chapters (53)
  1. Cover
  2. Everyone loves the ladies of Covington!
  3. Also by Joan Medlicott
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright
  6. Dedication
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. Discussion Questions

“What say Sadie and I go back to the hotel? I’m very tired. It’s been a long day. Sadie, you and I can snuggle in bed and I’ll read you a story,” Amelia said.

Sadie nodded. “Don’t be too late, Mama.”

“I won’t.” Sadie kissed Miriam on the cheek.

“Thanks for having dinner with me, and I’m glad we’ll all go to Bandelier,” Ben said.

For another hour, Miriam and Ben sat over coffee, discussing music and poetry, and she talked about teaching in an inner city school in New Jersey. She was a widow, she said, without giving him details, and loved Covington. She spoke about the ladies Amelia lived with and the close bond between them.

“Life is good,” Miriam said.

Ben spoke of his mother, whom he had been very close to and who had died many years ago. She had been to Santa Fe once and loved it. That was why he’d wanted so much to come on this trip. He lived, he said, in Virginia, in Charlottesville, and he was an information technology consultant and building a nice business from his home. He looked deep into Miriam’s eyes. “If you didn’t mind, I’d very much like to drive down to North Carolina and visit with you sometime. It’s not that far, no more than a long day’s drive.”

“That would be nice.” Miriam looked at her watch. “We have a long day tomorrow, Ben. We’d best get back to the hotel.”

“He’s very nice,” Miriam said when she returned to the room she shared with Sadie and Amelia.

“He’s courting you,” Amelia said.

“I guess maybe he is.” Miriam laughed. “And it feels so odd having a man pay attention to me. Still, he’s not pushy, thank God.”

“He does seem nice,” Amelia conceded, thinking for a moment how sad she would be if Miriam married Ben and moved away. Now, that’s really selfish of me, she thought. Hannah would knock her on the side of her head if she could read her mind at this moment.

30

Taos Pueblo

Amelia woke at dawn and dressed, then woke the others, and they called room service and breakfasted in their room, which delighted Sadie. The early-morning air was crisp and cool as they boarded the bus for the field trip to Taos Pueblo. Sadie wiggled into the seat alongside Amelia, and Ben sat beside Miriam across the aisle.