idecar, she's a yankee."

"only half," tucker said quickly. "she's miss edith's granddaughter."

lulu's eyes narrowed. "edith mcnair? george and edith?"

"yes, ma'am," caroline said with her tongue in her cheek. "i'm staying the summer in my grandparents' house."

"dead, aren't they? yes, they're dead, but they were mississippians born and bred, so that counts for something. that your hair, girl, or a wig?"

"my..." automatically, caroline lifted a hand to her hair. "it's my hair."

"good. don't trust bald-headed women any more than i trust yankees. so we'll see. tucker, you take my cases in and get me a brandy. i need you to call that talbot boy about my car. lost my muffler somewhere in tennessee. maybe it was arkansas." she paused at the base of the steps. "well, come on, girl."

"i was... i was just leaving."

"tucker, you tell that girl when i offer to have a brandy with a yankee, that yankee better drink."

with that, lulu clumped up the steps in her army boots.

"she's something, isn't she?" tucker asked as he switched off the purring ignition.

"something," caroline agreed, and decided she could use a brandy at that.