Renegade by Caroline Lee Page B

wondering where Robert was hiding himself, Mac had to chuckle at himself. He, who’d always known he belonged on the water, was going to go stand in the dirt and drop seed yams into rows and hope plants sprouted. He’d actually volunteered to plant food, just so he could be with her. To laugh with her again, to see her smile. To make her smile. What was it about her that was so intriguing?
    He closed his eyes, a smile still on his lips. He wasn’t quite sure why he was so damn attracted to her, but he’d find out.

 
    CHAPTER SEVEN

     
     
    Becks was exhausted, but knew that if she’d be spending all morning tomorrow in the fields—with Mac, for Heaven’s sakes—she’d need her hat. Grandmama had drilled the need for wearing a hat into all of them, going on about creamy skin and the sun causing freckles. Becks had vague memories of the old woman chasing her down, waving a tiny child-sized hat at her. Now she forgot it as often as not, but knew Grandmama was looking down on her, disappointed. So she went to find her favorite broad-brimmed straw hat.
    Yawning, she pushed open the door to the study. She tended to think of it as her mother’s study, or Pearl’s library, since those were the two who spent the most time here. Sure enough, Eugenia was stretched out in her favorite chair, the one they’d carted to Charleston and back again after the war. Her feet were propped up on the ottoman, and she read one of Pearl’s favorite novels. In complete disregard of the fact that they had guests, she’d removed her boots and let down her hair.
    Becks rolled her eyes slightly as she crossed to the cabinet beside her mother’s desk. Not that Becks herself didn’t spend a good portion of her life barefoot, but what Eugenia had done was just a little too close to disrobing in public for Becks’ peace of mind. She was her mother, for Lord’s sakes! Becks didn’t need to think of her disrobing… not with Mac in the house. That suspicious “business partner” relationship was still fresh in Becks’ mind, which might explain the slight flare of completely unnecessary jealousy.
    “Rebecca Becket! I thought you’d be asleep by now. You could barely keep your eyes open during dinner.”
    Becks rifled through the cabinet, ignoring her mother.
    “Did you finish clean-up?”
    “Yes, Mother.”
    “And did McKee help you?”
    Becks narrowed her eyes slightly. “ Yes , Mother.”
    “Ah.” Eugenia closed the book on her finger to hold her spot. “I guess that explains why you’re not in bed yet.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “Only that he’s an attractive young man, Rebecca Beckett. I can see why you’d want to linger over the washing-up.”
    There was no way that she was going to respond to that. Her mother thought Mac was handsome, and was practically encouraging her to dally with him? No, Becks wasn’t going to respond. Instead, she fell back on an old favorite grumble. “Why can’t you just say my name normally?”
    “I am, dear. I named you Rebecca Beckett, and that’s what I’ll call you. If I wanted to call you just Rebecca, I would have named you that.”
    “Why can’t you call me Becks like everyone else?”
    Her mother cocked her head, staring thoughtfully at her. Becks knew that expression; she saw it often enough when she looked in the mirror. It was a vague curiosity, as if trying to figure out what she was looking at. It was a little uncanny to receive it from someone else, but Becks knew that she got most of her mannerisms from her mother. It’s not like her father had put any effort into raising her before his death.
    “Because, Rebecca Beckett, I’m not everyone else.” Becks almost snorted. No, Eugenia Middleton was most definitely not like everyone else. “I’ve tried to teach you to be yourself, and love yourself. Love who you are, and not wish to be someone else. Did you forget?”
    Becks sighed. “No, Mother. I didn’t forget.” Truthfully, she was glad for the