Lulu

By Mary Lou Danielson

Billy inherits his grandmother’s house, barn, and property. Along with the house, he inherits Lulu, the tenant, who turned the house into southern style tearoom. Lulu has eyes for Billy, but Billy has eyes for Terri, the aloof bartender, at the tavern down the road. A constant discord occurs between Billy and Lulu, as he installs a working cabinet shop in the old barn, which stands in near proximity to the prissy, tearoom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mary Lou Danielson
• Release date: Jul 5, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466082557

Mary Lou Danielson

Sit back, relax by a roaring fire, by the pool, or just in a comfy chair. Have a cup of tea or cocoa...or a nice glass of wine. There will be no monsters, mild horror, mild blood and guts, no war, or nightmares. Lull yourself in soft romance and contemporary relationships in the real world, and maybe partake of a few mild sexual scenes. You will be dredged in the emotions of the characters as they pursue love and overcome adversities, broken relationships, or grief and loss. Snuggle with a box of tissues for tears or laugher, but reserve a period of time for my stories to transport you to the land of contentment.Attention quilters: I am in the process of converting my easy to make, quilt patterns to ebooks. You may download them to your computer, ereader, or smartphone."Like me" at the link listed below to my facebook page to receive updates of new ebooks or e-quilt patterns.

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LULU

By Mary Lou Danielson

Published by Mary Lou Danielson

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 Mary Lou Danielson

Cover Artist: Mary Lou Danielson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission of the copyright owner, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This publication is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and events in this book are fictitious or used fictitiously. Any similarity to real people, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author. The author acknowledges that any reference to a trademarked name, has been used fictionally, and are not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

Smashwords Edition license Statement

This eBooks is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBooks may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please download an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this eBook and did not download it, or it was not downloaded for your use only, then you should return to the eBook retailer from whom it was acquired and download your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

Parental rating: This book contains content that may not be suitable for young readers 17 and under. It may contain mildly explicit sexual scenes or mild swearing.

QUILT PATTERN

A link to your complementary quilt pattern is at the end of the story.

LULU

By: Mary Lou Danielson

CHAPTER 1

She answered the door, in a frothy, pink and white costume, and asked, May I help you sir?

In shock, over her appearance, he blurted out What kind of name is Lulu? Everything went downhill from there. She tried to slam the door in his face, but Billy managed to insert the toe of his boot over the threshold to prevent its closing.

The exchange began when he knocked on the door and asked for Miss Farnsworth. He knew her name, but didn’t expect to see a southern belle, in frilly clothes, near Tulsa, Ok. He never understood if Oklahoma was the South or the Midwest.

The soft pink skirt was long and straight to the knee, with three rows of ruffles attached to the bottom. The white blouse, adorned with multiple rows of lace, covered her upper body to the neck and to the wrist. The top of the sleeves were big and puffy. The hem of her dress covered all but the toes of her shoes, which appeared to be antique, high heel boots. She was probably shapely under all her ruffles and lace, but between the poufy hair, the hat, and heels, he wasn’t sure of her height. Makeup masked her age, but he guessed late-twenties.

In response to Billy’s comment, Lulu pushed the door against his boot and said, Remove your foot or I will call the police!

Miss Farnsworth, I’m sorry for being rude, but we need to meet. I’m Billy Paul Baldwin, your landlord.

Peeking through the opening in the door, she said, How do I know you’re who you say you are? You could be some pervert, and why are you so young? Landlords are old.

I assure you, I’m not a pervert, Billy said. Reaching into his pocket, he removed his wallet and showed her his driver’s license. Are you satisfied I’m Mr. Baldwin?

Eyeing him with malice, she replied, Lulubelle Suzanne Farnsworth is my name Sir, and only my closest friends may call me Lulu. Since I have not made your acquaintance, you may refer to me as Miss Lulubelle, if you have occasion to address me in the future.

She turned from the door, but stopped in her tracks as he replied, Hold on Miss Lulu, you seem to have the idea you’re someone special, and polite ladies don’t turn their back on a gentleman.

Half turning her head, she said, Gentlemen do not ask impertinent questions. It would have been proper to say, ‘I am Mr. X, might I make your acquaintance Miss?’ A polite approach shows class, Sir.

Class! Billy said laughing. I’m not sure you understand the word, Miss Lulubelle Suzanne Farnsworth. Class isn’t a fancy dress. In rural Oklahoma, class is keeping the trash out of your yard and the kids and dogs in it. However, may we talk, please?

Slowly opening the door, Lulu stepped back, nervously observing him as he entered the house. Billy gasped as he looked around.

From the outside, Billy’s grandmother’s house looked the same as it had for the twenty-six years of his life, except for new paint and a new front door. Instead of solid wood, it had an etched glass panel in a polished oak frame, with a shiny brass doorknob. Upon closer inspection, the etching was wisteria hanging from a trellis. His eyebrows shot up in surprise, because he wasn’t sure his grandmother would approve of the opulence. She had been a down-to-earth farmer’s wife, who in her younger days, totted hay and milked the cows. Fortunately, when she sold all but these five acres, she had enough money to keep up the old farmhouse. After his grandmother passed last year, he inherited the house, land, and a modest trust fund to keep him going until he could establish his business.

He had never seen so much pink, lace, and little knickknacks. Billy’s grandmother kept a spotless, basic house with sturdy furniture, which lasted his entire life. Her clean, white walls were covered by wallpaper with a pink fuzzy design on a beige background, the wainscoting a soft pink, and the moldings shinny white.

GONE…was his grandfather’s overstuffed chair, where he read countless childhood stories to Billy, as he lay curled in his lap trying to stay awake before bedtime.

GONE…was the old sofa, where he spent a week recovering from a bad case of the flu. He grinned at the thought of all the chicken soup his grandmother fed him. He couldn’t stand the sight of chicken soup for a year.

GONE… were his grandmother’s