Delilah said to Nell the following day as she examined one of the bows she’d tied to the railing, trimming it with a fat pair of clippers. “It could go up in a puff of smoke with the slightest spark.” “When’s Pilar getting back?” Nell asked. “This evening, I think.” “Guess what I found.” Delilah looked up at her sister and saw her eyes were dancing. “I’m afraid to ask.” “The jingle bells. They were in the attic.” “Lucky us,” Delilah teased her younger sister as Nell bounded up the stairs to ostensibly find the bells. Delilah was just finishing up her handiwork when her father came stamping through the front door along with Georgina Kincaid and the oilmen. Ira immediately threw an arm out to encompass his domain, showing off a little as he pointed out the handmade wood finishes on the stairs, the cathedral ceilings, the wide plank hardwood floors and the breathtaking views of Dillinger land, as far as the eye could see. She’d heard it all before, but Delilah thought it was a little obnoxious to be spouting off in front of Georgina—especially if Dad wanted to acquire some Kincaid land.
