The man froze and slowly lifted himself to his full height, raising his hands in the air so she could see them. He turned around and looked at Georgina. She nearly dropped the broom as she gazed upon the most beautiful man she had ever seen.
He stood a full head taller than her, and she was considered tall at five feet, eight inches. He had light skin and dark hair, almost black, that fell around his shoulders. And he had the bluest eyes she had ever seen on a man. They were the color of the Chesapeake Bay when the sunlight hit it just right.
He was definitely muscular, as she could see the way his linen shirt pulled across his arms and chest. He wore a pair of dark pants and brown boots.
She felt her insides expand and a warmth push from her belly upwards. She had never experienced a feeling like this before. It was such an unfamiliar feeling. She must be more tired than she thought.
He was looking at her with confusion. “Do I know you?” he asked.
“I don’t think so, mister. I don’t know anyone here.” She took a large swallow and stood up as straight as she could. “Don’t make any sudden moves.”
“I swear I know you.”
Georgina gave a nervous laugh. “I don’t imagine how you could.” She jabbed the broom in his direction, using it to punctuate each word. “I heard there was a man sneaking into gardens late at night. Was doing terrible things – peeking in windows.”
“That is terrible. I’m not peeking in windows. I was looking under the bench.” He gave a small laugh and lowered his hands. Just a few minutes prior he was doing the exact same thing to that Mr. Pennyworth.
“What’s so funny?” she said, jabbing the broom handle in his direction once more.
“Are you planning on stabbing me with that?” he asked pointing to the broom.
“Oh!” Georgina rested the broom against the wall. She held onto the coal pan just in case.
“Thank you, “ the man said. He gave her a hard look. “You realize you are covered in flour?”
Georgina touched her head, a cloud of dust exploding where she swiped her locks. “I had an accident.” The man snickered. Georgina glared at him. “What are you doing in here?”
“Would you believe it if I said I was looking for a cat?”
“Can’t be too careful, nowadays.” The man scratched his chin. He had the start of stubble appearing, the black hair a stark contrast against his pale skin. “A cat you said?” The man nodded. “Orange stripes?”
The man looked at her thoughtfully. “No,” he said shaking his head. “Gray and white. And very quick,” he added. “I thought I saw him jump over the fence into the garden here.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, Georgina pointed to the small garden shed in the corner of the lot. It was where auntie stored her garden tools. “He went under there.”
The man nodded and walked over before kneeling down and peering under the structure. “Mr. Gladstone, get out of there right now.”
Georgina could hear the cat hiss from under the shed. “I don’t think he is happy with you.”
The man looked back at her, a frown marring his otherwise handsome face. “This is a bother. Cassandra asked me to do one simple thing.” Georgina gave a little giggle. She hadn’t heard anyone else say bother in years. She tried to quell a bit of disappointment as he said the woman’s name.
Oh, bother, Georgina, she thought to herself. You have no business wondering about things like that. Why would it matter anyway, since you are engaged to another?
The man continued. “She went to the theater tonight. Asked me to keep the cat in the house. First chance he gets, the animal is gone.”
“Maybe he doesn’t like you?” Georgina offered.
The man looked back under the shed and then rolled to his feet. “Why would you say that?”
“If he keeps trying to get away from you. You do seem rather cross at him. You aren’t going to hurt him, are you?” Georgina shoved the coal pan towards him.
The man held his hands out towards her, waving them. “No way, lady. That cat isn’t mine.”
“But here you are. Trying to capture it.”
“Just because he escaped from the house.”
“Uh-huh.” Georgina didn’t look convinced.
“Georgina,” her aunt called from inside.
“You might as well go and see her,” Georgina said. “She talks about you all the time. Says you are one of her best customers.” The man looked confused. “Go on.” She shooed him towards the house.
The man went in first, followed by Georgina holding the coal pan in case he decided to do something funny. “Is something burning?” he asked. Georgina took a sniff of the air.
“Oh goodness! My pastries!” Dropping the coal pan to the ground, she pushed by him, running towards the kitchen. Smoke was starting to come out of the bake box. Georgina opened the door and waved the smoke away with her apron. Once it was clear; she removed the tray from the oven and placed it on top of the stove.
“You must always be cognizant of time, Georgina. It can be a baker’s downfall.” Her aunt was using her hand to blow away the smoke that was starting to fill the small house.
The man followed her into the kitchen. Georgina saw Maybelle look at him, back to her and then back to the man. Her eyes opened wide, as she pointed to the visitor. “Who is this, Georgina?”
Georgina dropped her apron and tried to remove some of the flour that was still clinging to it by shaking it out. “Isn’t this your neighbor? He was in the yard trying to get the cat.”
“No, he’s not. I’ve never seen him before in my life.”
Georgina gasped. She had left the coal pan and the broom outside. She looked around quickly and grabbed a cast iron skillet that was hanging up on the wall. She welded it like a knife and pointed it at the stranger.
“Get out right now,” she said.
“But the cat…”
“Leave the cat.” The man backed out of the house into the garden.
“Let me explain,” he said.
“Just get out of the yard and close the gate behind you.” She moved the pan in a stabbing motion towards him. It was getting heavy in her hands, so she clasped her second hand around the handle.
“Can I at least…”
“No. Now! Before I find the sheriff, or marshal or whatever they have out here.”
The man looked at her, his blue eyes drilling into her. Finally, he lowered his arms and disappeared behind the fence. As soon as he was through, Georgina ran over and slid the bolt back in place. There. That would prevent anyone else from coming in the yard.
She lowered the pan and looked around the yard. She couldn’t see or hear the cat. Maybe it would find its way home on its own.
She returned inside trying to dismiss thoughts of the handsome intruder. He asked if he knew her. She wouldn’t know why. She hadn’t been in town long enough to meet anyone. Although, she knew she hadn’t seen him before, but there was something eerily familiar about him.
Charlie was just about to drift off to sleep when he heard scratching on the window of his room. He flipped over, trying to ignore it, when he heard the sound again, followed by a loud mew.
The cat!
He hopped out of bed, his feet hitting the floor with a thud. He moved the curtain aside and there was Mr. Gladstone on the other side of the window looking at him. He put his paw on the window and gave it another scratch.
Charlie opened the window, allowing both the cat and a cool breeze to enter the room. He popped his head out of the window, not sure what he was expecting to see. Maybe Mr. Gladstone brought a friend with him.
He could see the garden further down the alley.
Charlie gave a little smile. He had to admit; Max’s neighbor sure had spunk. When he first turned around and saw her pointing the broom at him, he wanted to laugh. Not that it was a laughing matter, but the beauty was covered from head to toe in flour.
She reminded him of someone he had seen in a dream. He did know her. He just could
n’t place where. Her hair was a beautiful blonde and she had rosy cheeks. Or at least he thought they were. He couldn’t really tell because of the flour paste covering her skin.
Her dress was covered with an apron, which protected most of it, but he could see the flour on her shoulders like snow covered peaks.
When she decided to come after him with a cast iron skillet, he knew the best thing to do was leave. It didn’t stop her from haunting his thoughts the rest of the evening.
He realized as he brought his head inside and closed the window that he had totally forgotten about the man in the office. He would have to make a point of mentioning it to Cassie tomorrow.
He headed back to bed to find Mr. Gladstone sitting on the end of the bed, kneading the cover. Charlie tried to shoo him away, but the cat ignored him and circled around twice before settling down.
Charlie just sighed and slid in under the covers. He could hear the sound of the cat purring and he allowed it to lull him to sleep.
Tomorrow was soon enough to ask Cassie the thousands of questions rolling around in his head. Perhaps it was time to talk about what happened.
Chapter 6
“Charlie,” Cassandra called upstairs. “Can you come downstairs; I need to talk to you for a moment.”
Charlie put aside the book he was reading and walked downstairs to follow his sister to the dining room. She motioned for him to sit. There were two cups of coffee on the table.
Charlie settled onto the chair and picked up the cup taking a sip of the warm brew. His sister seemed out of sorts as she looked at him across the table.
“I don’t have any pastries this morning and Mrs. Brown hasn’t stopped by.”
“She stopped by last night,” Charlie said.
“She did?”
Charlie nodded, taking another sip from his cup. “She brought a pot. Like something you’d cook beans in. She put it on the stove.”
“Oh! I didn’t see it.” Cassie got up and quickly went to look in the kitchen, she returned and sat back down. “I guess she did. I was thinking that she’d be by this morning.”
“I take it she didn’t go to the theater with you?”
Cassandra shook her head. Her brown hair bounding against her shoulders. Charlie had always thought his sister was beautiful. In fact, he wasn’t above threatening to thrash someone for looking at her wrong. Even Ian, who was sweet on her, knew better than to mess with Charlie’s little sister. “No. She and Father never showed up.”
“Father seems to be spending quite a bit of time with her. What are your thoughts about that?”
Cassie’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know much about her. She is very nice, and they seem to enjoy each other's company very much. I’m glad to see Father happy.”
“Me, too.” Charlie paused for a moment. “Sometimes I can’t remember what Mama’s face looks like.” He hung his head and looked at the lace tablecloth, tracing the pattern with his finger. “You know, Ian couldn’t find her picture.”
“Her picture? Why was Ian looking for it?”
“I knew I wasn’t going to be able to go back to the apartment. So, Ian went for me and gathered what little bit was left.”
“He is a good friend.”
Charlie nodded. “The best.” Charlie drained his coffee cup.
“Do you want some more?”
“Sure,” he said handing the cup to Cassie.
She disappeared once more, returning in a few minutes with another cup of coffee and some toast. She slid the plate in front of Charlie before grabbing one of the buttery pieces for herself.
“You forgot to leave the lamp lit?”
“What?” Charlie asked between bites.
“I asked you to leave the lamp lit by the door. We were fumbling for the matches in the dark.”
Charlie hit his palm to his head. “I am so sorry. It was a bit of a difficult evening.”
“Did Mr. Gladstone escape?”
Charlie’s gaze shot across the table to her. “Why do you ask that?”
“I thought I saw him in the alleyway.”
“Where does he go when he escapes?”
Cassie took a sip of her tea. “I honestly don’t know. Max normally finds him. I think he visits a lady cat up the street.”
“He slept with me,” Charlie said.
Cassie raised her eyebrow. “Really?”
“Really,” Charlie said, signifying the subject was closed.
“What else happened?” Cassie asked finishing her toast.
“With what?”
“You said Ian wasn’t able to retrieve the picture, but he retrieved a few things.”
Charlie nodded. “That was it. Apparently, Mr. Weston had already rented out the apartment. Ian was able to slip in as the workers came to clear everything out for the new tenants.”
Mr. Weston was determined to marry Cassie. Otherwise he was going to have their father put in jail for stealing. Charlie tried to disprove the accusations, but no one wanted to go up against Weston. He had too much money and too many resources to make someone’s life miserable. Charlie was the exception and it cost him everything.
Cassie and their father, Hal, had fled west and ended up in the town of Creede. What made them decide on this town, Charlie didn’t know. But he could see that it was the most beautiful place he had ever seen.
“Mr. Weston is… was… I don’t know how to say this… but he is Max’s father. He paid us an unexpected visit right before you arrived.”
Charlie nearly shot out of his chair. “What?”
“Sit down,” Cassie said, waving her hand. “Max hadn’t seen him in years. In fact, they have nothing to do with each other. He came out to see Max. I was the last person he ever expected to see.”
“That man was set on marrying you.”
“Yes. But Max had married me first. I’m so grateful to him for giving me and Father a chance. He can give you one too.”
“Ah no. No way, no how. I’m not going to trade one Weston for another.”
“In the short time you’ve known Max, have you seen him behave in any way but honorable? His father is nothing like that.” Charlie agreed, but he still didn’t like it. “So, what do you say?”
“About what?” he asked.
“About working for Max.”
“Doing what?”
“Helping with the costumes. We secured fifteen new orders last night. The actors are coming back in the winter to perform Macbeth.”
“I don’t follow.”
“They asked us to make the costumes. Father does most of the sewing. I do the measuring and cutting. You could assist Father.”
“I dunno,” Charlie said rubbing his eyes. He could feel the start of a headache. “I just really don’t want to have anything to do with the garment industry. I’m sorry, Cassie.”
“It isn’t clothing. It is costumes.”
Charlie let out a laugh that sounded somewhere between a cough and a bark. “I don’t want to have anything to do with fabric at all.”
Cassie looked at him. She had this way of looking at Charlie the same way their mother did. It made Charlie squirm.
“I was really hoping you would help us,” Cassie said.
“Let me think about it, then.” Charlie knew she wasn’t trying to guilt him into anything.
Fabric and sewing were all Cassie and their father knew. Now he had escaped that industry, he wanted to see all the options laying out before him. Perhaps if he could find a job in town then he would have a real reason for declining the work.
“What are you thinking of doing? You can't stay inside forever. It has been a month since you’ve arrived.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know. Something. Anything. Yell. Scream. Tell us what you’ve been through.”
Charlie shook his head. “I’m not prepared to talk about it right now.”
“You are going to have to discuss it sometime.”
“I think we’ve had this conversat
ion before.”
“You can’t stay here forever.”
Those words caught Charlie’s attention. “I know. It is rather inconvenient having your brother living with you.”
“It isn’t that at all. It is just we are going to have a baby in the spring, and we need all the room we can get.”
“A baby?” Charlie looked at her. Cassie nodded. A feeling welled up from deep inside him, reminding him that he would never be a father. You had to have a wife for that, and he knew that wasn’t going to happen for him.
He looked at Cassie. She was still his sister, but she wasn’t the same woman that left New York. There was definitely something different about her. Softer. Stronger.
Perhaps that is what love can do to a person. Or perhaps it was that she didn’t need to worry about the stress from the factory anymore.
He could either continue to wallow in what-ifs, or he could be happy for his sister. Cassie came around the table and gave Charlie a side-hug. He stood enveloping Cassie in his arms.
“I am going to be an uncle.” He said the words again, “I’m going to be an uncle!” Then he gave a shout of joy. “I’m going to be the best uncle ever.” As Cassie laughed, tears started rolling down her face. Charlie kissed her hair. “I am so happy for you and Max.”
“You can stay as long as you need to. I don’t want you rushing out just because I told you.”
Charlie shook his head. “I won’t. Maybe I’ll take a look around and see what this town has to offer.”
“That would probably do you good.” Charlie drained his coffee and stood to leave. “Oh, we are having company for supper tonight.”
“Do you want me to disappear for a while?” Charlie offered.
“Oh no,” Cassandra said. She looked upset that Charlie would even suggest such a thing. “I just wanted to let you know. We’ll be eating around seven. So, if you can make sure to be back by that time.”
Charlie nodded. He grabbed his jacket from the peg by the front door and headed out to explore his new home.
Beauty and the Baker Page 5