She could see Agatha was trying hard not to be nasty when she spoke but her tone of voice betrayed her. “If you don’t think about it,” Agatha said in a low voice. “It means you are not very invested. And Gabe deserves to have a woman who is fully invested in him.”
Claire didn’t take her eyes from Agatha’s. “And that’s you, I suppose?”
Agatha smiled. “Well, as I said, he deserves someone fully invested, which I am.”
“Agatha, you’ve only known him for a few weeks. How do you know what he wants? And how can you be fully invested in someone you hardly know?”
“Then why are you pursuing him?” Agatha asked, heatedly. Claire shook her head.
“I am interested in talking to him. I’m interested in him. However, I have my own life and so does he. I don’t have time to go after him every minute of the day like you do.”
“Go after him?” Claire could tell by the rise in Agatha’s pitch, the woman was losing her temper. She braced herself and stifled a sigh.
“Agatha, you need to calm yourself. This is pointless. Gabe will make his own decisions. I have nothing to do with them and neither do you. Stop this. You’re acting like a child.” As soon as the last sentence left her mouth, Claire regretted it. You didn’t just tell an immature person they are acting like a child. You have to keep that to yourself or it gets ten times worse.
She could see by the narrowing of Agatha’s eyes and the clenching of her jaw, this was one time it was going to get nothing but worse. She fought the urge to turn and run through the door, fleeing the entire situation.
She lifted both hands. “I must go to the schoolhouse, Agatha. I really must. I think you should sit and think about this a while, maybe even talk to Gabe about it. Because I have done nothing wrong and I won’t argue with you about it. Gabe will make his decisions. Now, please, I must go.”
She moved backwards toward the door. She thought seriously for a moment that Agatha was going to attack her. “Don’t come near me, Agatha,” she murmured softly.
The other woman stopped in her tracks and stared at her. “I’m warning you, Claire. He’s mine. You leave him be.”
As much as Claire didn’t want to fight, she also wasn’t about to give up an opportunity to be with Gabe. He seemed to return her interest. She frowned and stood her ground. “I don’t answer to you, Agatha. I’ll do what I want. Gabe will do what he wants. You will have to accept what he decides. I can’t believe you’re saying these things today of all days. I don’t need to feel stressed. Now you leave me be. I am going to work.”
She pulled open the door and went through, pulling it closed behind her to indicate Agatha better not follow her out. Despite the clear warning, Agatha pulled the door open again and took a step out onto the porch.
Claire turned to her left and started walking briskly down the street, enjoying the sound of her boot heels thumping on the boards she walked on. She wasn’t going to let Agatha intimidate her. She had half a mind to go to the lumber mill where Gabe was working with his cousin and talk to him about it. He had a way of calming her down. However, she couldn't. She was on her way to the schoolhouse. She didn’t want to let Miss Berry or the students down. She crossed the street and walked up the other side, turning down one of the side streets. She’d walked this route for the last three weeks so that she would remember how to get to the schoolhouse quickly. In fact, she began timing herself to see how fast she could reasonably get there. If she had a horse, it would be faster. However, she would rather walk. It was more pleasant than speeding down the street on horseback.
She tried to shake off the bad feeling her encounter with Agatha left her with. She didn’t want to be tense around the children. They were going to meet her for the first time and she was determined to give them the best impression of her they could possibly get.
Another reason she liked to walk to the schoolhouse was because she passed by the road that led to the lumber mill. The end of the street was cobblestone, as if it led to a village in Italy. She had no idea what possessed the owner to make a road of cobblestone leading to his lumber mill. However, that’s what he had chosen to do. She looked at the road every day and thought to herself, Someday, I’m going to find out what the story is behind that road. No one uses cobblestone.
So far, she had forgotten about the road by the time she got to her destination. She never remembered, even though she passed it on the way back.
As she passed it that morning, she looked for Gabe, hoping he would be on his way there. He’d taken to working with Mark on odd jobs, refinishing old furniture and antiques from the old country. She hadn’t seen or heard him leave before her.
She dared to glance behind her to see if he was on foot or if he was riding a horse. There was no one behind her except shop owners and a few people traveling to their morning destinations. She turned back around, though she stopped just beyond the cobblestone side road. She could see the schoolhouse from where she was. Maybe if she just stood there for a moment, he might come along.
She glanced around her, growing more embarrassed by the moment.
I can’t just stand here, she thought. It will look obvious to anyone that I’m waiting for him. If I wanted to see him, I should have stayed at the hotel and left later. However, if she left later, she wouldn’t get to the schoolhouse early and that was her goal. She reluctantly turned toward the schoolhouse to walk the rest of the way. She’d hoped to see him before her first day. She wanted him to wish her good luck. She wanted to hear him call her “honey”, the way he’d been doing. She didn’t hear him call anyone else “honey”.
She walked a few steps toward the schoolhouse, turned once more to glance behind her, then turned back to continue on. He wasn’t behind her. She wouldn’t see him that morning.
Gabe was in the kitchen of the hotel, helping himself to a cup of coffee when the door swung open. He turned to see who had entered. It was Elizabeth. She was bouncy and happy, smiling wide at him. “Hello, Mr. Stapleton,” she said happily. “How are you feeling this morning?”
He grinned. “Not as bouncy as you, Miss Beth. Tell me, when are you going to call me by my first name?”
She laughed softly, going to the icebox to take out a container of milk. “When we are the same age.”
His eyebrows pulled together, though he continued to smile. “What? That’s not possible.”
She didn’t say anything in reply. She just looked at him with the same pleasant look on her face, her smile soft and pretty. He laughed.
“Oh, Miss Elizabeth. You got me, didn’t you?”
She giggled and crossed to the egg basket. “I’m going to make breakfast for everyone who is still here. Would you like some, Mr. Stapleton?”
“Who is still here?”
“Well, Miss Underwood went to her first day at the school today and Albert didn’t come back last night… no idea what’s happened to that man… so that leaves us and the Northcotts, who probably won’t come out of their room. And of course, Miss Ainsworth. Oh, and Harry Axton.”
“Harry is quite a character, isn’t he?”
Elizabeth smiled. “He sure is, Mr. Stapleton. He is always talking. I don’t think the man knows how to breathe properly. Maybe he can’t breathe unless he’s talking.”
Gabe laughed while Elizabeth blushed. “Oh my, I’ve been rude. Please forgive the gossiping, sir.”
He shook his head. “I know you had no ill intentions, Miss Beth. I won’t repeat what you’ve said. No one has to know.”
At that moment, the door opened and both Harry and Agatha came through. Gabe was taken aback by the look on Harry’s face. It looked like he’d been slapped and it made him cry. He took his seat without a word and grabbed a folded newspaper from the end table behind him. He unfolded it and hid behind it.
Gabe and Elizabeth shared a look, turning both pairs of eyes slowly to Agatha. She had not said a word since entering either. When she sat at the table, she stared across it to the other side of the room, w
here a window let them see across the back fields.
Elizabeth shrugged and turned back to the stove, where her eggs were sizzling in a cast iron pan. She mixed them around and added some peppers, onions, ham, and cheese to make omelets. In another pan, she had slices of bread and she was toasting both sides, stacking them high on a plate. She wouldn’t make too many. She didn’t think anyone else would be there.
Agatha didn’t relax until Gabe sat in his chair next to her. Somehow she had managed to get the other side of him when Claire claimed the left side. She smiled at him.
“How are you this morning, Gabe?” she asked in a sweet, pleasant tone. He gave her a genuine smile.
“I’m well, Miss Agatha. How are you today? No fainting spells recently?”
Agatha shook her head. “No, but I was thinking about getting a drink in a minute at the Horse N Saddle. What a nice atmosphere that saloon has. It’s because of Sam. He’s very accommodating, isn’t he?”
Gabe nodded. “He tries to be a good man, yes.”
“Would you like to get a drink with me before work?”
Gabe gave her a blank look. “I am going in to the lumber mill. I don’t think I should drink before I go there. I don’t want to take any chances with those saws.”
Elizabeth brought over two plates and set them down in front of her and Gabe. “Here you go, Agatha. What do you plan to do with your day today? I mean, after you get yourself a drink.”
Agatha looked up at Elizabeth with such a sour look, the younger girl retreated hastily to get a plate for herself and Mr. Axton.
CHAPTER TWELVE
NOTHING FOOLS MISS BERRY
NOTHING FOOLS MISS BERRY
Gabe looked out at the schoolhouse rising in the distance on a small hill. He knew Claire was in that building. He wanted to go and see what she was doing.
He grinned. He knew what she was doing. She was teaching little children. She was playing with them and giving them hugs. He could picture her now. She would be the perfect schoolmarm. He hadn’t had much luck himself with the schoolteacher at his schoolhouse. She hadn’t liked him, or maybe it was because he distracted the little girls in the room. They had trouble getting things done because they were always trying to impress him. The teacher didn’t take kindly to it and for some reason, blamed him for their behavior. As he got older, he became resentful and would tell them bluntly that he was not responsible for the behavior of silly little girls.
He turned up the cobblestone road and went on to the lumber mill. After a few moments, he stopped his horse and looked back. It didn’t matter what time he got to the mill. Mark wasn’t counting on him for anything. They were only working a few side projects together for some of the people in Wickenburg who wanted refurbished furniture.
He turned the horse around and went back to the main road. He turned left and continued on to the schoolhouse. She might not be busy. He would make up some kind of excuse for being there. He was checking on the stability of the foundation or something. He would think of some reason for showing up unannounced.
His heart bounced happily in his chest while his stomach turned over, nervously. He lived in the same house as the woman. Why was he so nervous about seeing her now?
He knew why. He just didn’t want to admit it to himself. He told himself before he left Kentucky that he wouldn’t let a woman hurt him. His life in Kentucky was destroyed because he loved a woman. He didn’t want that to happen again.
He stopped the horse again, looking up at the schoolhouse looming over him. He’d almost changed his mind but since he was already there, how could he turn back now?
He looked around. No one had seen him. He might be able to make a clean get-away.
The door opened and Miss Berry came out with a dustpan. She stopped and stared at him in surprise. “Why, Mr. Stapleton! My goodness, what can I do for you, sir?”
The look on her face was comical. He was probably red as a beet, with no way to stop that from happening. He tried to calm himself on the inside and cover it up on the outside.
“Oh, Miss Berry. I… I was just…” He almost said he was there to see Miss Underwood but stopped himself. The woman was working. She wouldn’t want to be disturbed. However, since he was already there…
“I thought I would check to see if you need any repairs since it is the beginning of the school year?”
Miss Berry gave him a wide smile. “I do know of some repairs the schoolhouse needs if you want to come inside and look at them.”
“I’d be glad to.” He dismounted and spun the reins around the hitching post. As he followed her into the building, he hid a sly grin. He’d managed to get his way in. Now to just catch a glimpse of the fair-haired Claire. The rhyme almost made him burst out laughing.
He took off his hat as soon as he passed through the front door. The building was bigger than he thought at first. It was bigger inside than it looked on the outside. The room he’d entered was huge, like the sanctuary of a church. There were children sectioned off in desks in four parts of the room. The children sitting in the seats all looked under the age of 12. In total, there were less than twenty students there. As he walked next to Miss Berry, who was stopping every now and then to speak to a child, he asked, “Where are the older students? You can’t have me believing all the people in Wickenburg only have young children.”
Miss Berry grinned at him, holding her hand out in the direction of the stairs in front of her. “We’ve moved the older children to the classroom upstairs. That’s where Miss Underwood is. She’s been assigned to take care of the older children. I’m not sure she was happy about that, but that’s what the mayor said to do so…”
Gabe looked at her with eyebrows drawn together. “Do you usually do what the mayor wants?”
Miss Berry shrugged. “When it comes to educating our children, he probably knows what’s best.”
Gabe shook his head. “I guess so, Miss Berry. Anyhow are the repairs you need done upstairs?”
She grinned at him as she began up the stairwell. “Some of them are. Nevertheless, we’ll get to them after you have time to talk to Claire. I know that’s why you’re really here.”
Gabe looked at her, aghast, his jaw slack. He clamped his mouth shut. “How did you know that?”
“Because she came in this morning with the same look in her eye that you have right now. Young love. It’s so nice.”
Gabe snorted. “I’m far from young…” he mumbled.
She shook her head. “It is the love that is young, Mr. Stapleton… Gabe, if I may. No matter how old we get, we can still experience the thrill of young love.”
“That is very wise, Miss Berry. Thank you for telling me that.” Gabe felt a relaxing calm pass over him. When he got to the top of the stairs and turned around, he could see the upper level was much like the one below it. Long and expansive with four groups in different corners of the room. He spotted Claire immediately. He stopped and gazed at her, his hat in his hands.
Miss Berry went to Claire and mentioned him, pointing back toward the staircase. Gabe couldn’t tell from the look on her face whether she was happy to see him or not. If he could have ventured a guess, he would have said Claire did not want to see him standing there.
Miss Berry returned with Claire on her heels.
“I’ve told Claire that you are doing an inspection for any repairs. We can’t afford to lose anyone to injury because of something that should have been repaired. I’ve instructed her to walk around the property with you to check for anything that needs to be done. You must keep a good list,” she said to Claire. “We will need a lot of help here. You go ahead and show him. I’ll make sure everyone is doing their work.”
Claire was caught off guard but she now looked pleased. She looked up at Gabe. “You came to see about repairs?”
He grinned. “That’s right.”
“Well, let me show you what I’ve seen so far.” She looked at Miss Berry. “You’ve been here for so many years. Shouldn’t you be
the one to show him what needs to be done?”
“Keep a list and I’ll look at it when you’re done with your inspection. It’s true I’ve been here many years but that might cause me to overlook something, don’t you think?”
Claire didn’t think so but she nodded. “I’d be happy to show Gabe around the schoolhouse.”
Miss Berry nodded properly. She looked at Gabe. “It was nice to see you again, Mr. Stapleton. Thank you for helping us with this.”
“It truly is my pleasure, Miss Berry.”
The older woman turned and went back down the stairs, leaving Claire and Gabe to stand looking at each other for a moment.
“You gonna just stand there, Miss Underwood?” asked a nearby student, a young man of about fourteen with a wicked grin.
Claire turned to give him a smile. “I’ll be back shortly, James. You make sure everyone stays here.”
James laughed. “Where are they gonna go? They wouldn’t be here if they didn’t want to be.”
Claire chuckled. “All right, then. I’ll be back.” She looked back at Gabe, gesturing with her head. “Let’s go to the back rooms, there are a few minor things that can be fixed there.”
Gabe followed her to the two doors on the other side of the room. She opened one to reveal another smaller classroom. There were a few chairs and desks in the room. It was obviously kept for meetings or smaller tutoring sessions.
“Come look at this,” Claire said, flicking her fingers at him.
As he walked behind her, he took in her shape, admiring the way her hips swayed in the pretty dress she was wearing. She had small black slippers on her feet making them look dainty. He wanted to talk to her about other things, like the upcoming festival. He wanted to talk to her about anything other than the repairs the schoolhouse needed. However, he said nothing, admiring her beauty in silence.
She stopped in one corner and pointed down. “Look at this. See the window here leaks when it rains. The water has come in and saturated the floor. You see how these boards are warped. I’m sure the school would love to have this repaired.”
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