Shaking off the melancholy thoughts, Coralee focused on the children’s joyous energy. She could have walked with them all day, rediscovering the fun in the most mundane sights through their eyes. When they arrived at the shop, she and the twins sat at the small tables across from the counter and drew pictures. Phillip scribbled his pencil in wild slashes across the paper, then tired of the activity and went to play with a large crate Cat had unloaded that morning. Louisa sat much longer, trying hard to control the pencil and color in the shapes Coralee drew for her.
They hadn’t been back for long before the shop bell jingled and a woman Coralee didn’t know entered. She wore a fashionable, sheer, silk dress with flounces everywhere. From the way she observed the shop with great curiosity, Coralee guessed she hadn’t been in before.
Cat greeted the customer with her best friendly smile. “Welcome to Holbrook’s. What can I help you with today?”
The woman pulled away from her perusal of the variety of bottles on the back shelves. “My father saw a notice about a headache remedy and sent me to ask about it. He suffers terribly most days, but since he had a bout of hallucinations a few months ago, he refuses to take the usual remedies.”
Coralee joined them at the counter, pulse racing as she listened to the woman’s story. This was just what Papa had wanted for his medicine.
Cat gestured to Coralee. “This is my sister, Mrs. Evans. She owns the shop and created the formula you’re asking about.”
“How lovely to meet you, Mrs. Evans. I’m Alyssa Price.” Miss Price dropped into a quick curtsy. Cat smirked at the formality and Coralee shot her a wide-eyed glare. She would never forgive Cat if she offended their first new customer. “I do hope you can help my father. He’s suffered so since refusing any other curative.”
“I think my formula is perfect for your father. We developed it with just such a situation in mind.” Coralee grabbed a bottle of the willow bark tablets she had pressed and measured out enough to fill a small tin. “Have your father take these once a day when he needs relief. When he’s out, come back and we’ll decide if he needs to take them more or less often.”
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Evans. My father will be so pleased to have some relief.” Miss Price paid Cat for her purchase and left the shop with a swish of her lovely flowered skirt.
The sisters met each other’s eyes. Coralee was breathless. Cat suddenly let out an unladylike whoop that made the twins come running to see what was happening. She grabbed Phillip and danced wildly around the shop with him. Coralee was laughing at her sister’s antics and didn’t hear the shop door open again.
“What are we celebrating, ladies?” Jake’s deep voice made her heart leap. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she spun to face him. Of course, he would walk in right when she was acting ridiculous.
Reaching up to smooth her hair into place, Coralee tried to regain her proper composure. “We’re celebrating our first sale of Papa’s formula.”
* * *
Warmth flooded Jake’s chest at Coralee’s announcement. No matter how irrational his feelings had been since their last talk, pride was quick to overtake him. Her hard work was paying off. He grabbed her hands, their softness making him want to hold on forever. “Congratulations, Coralee. I knew you could do it all along.”
She met his eyes briefly then looked away. “I wouldn’t have found the right ingredient without your help.”
He let all he was feeling show in his eyes as he squeezed her hands. In spite of their tense relationship, he was quite proud of her. “The pleasure was all mine.”
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and looked away again. The gesture made his heart race. He let go of her hands and stepped back, needing a little space. He turned to Cat. “I saw your signs on the way here. Your artwork is beautiful, Cat. I’m proud of both of you.”
Phillip reached out his arms for Jake, who took the boy from Cat. “Well, hello, my fine man. How was your day?”
The little boy looked earnestly into his eyes. “Good.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” He smiled down at Louisa when she leaned on his leg. “And how was your day, Miss Louisa?”
Without a word, the girl pulled a scrap of brown paper from behind her back and held it up to him. Taking it, he examined her scribbles. “What a nice drawing. Can you tell me about it?”
“Little baby. When we walked.”
“You saw a baby and then drew a picture of it? How clever.” She grinned, her entire face lighting up.
Jake looked back up at the ladies. “I guess we’d better be on our way.”
Coralee wouldn’t meet his eyes, causing a stab of pain in Jake’s gut. Was she still upset about their disagreement? He wouldn’t blame her. She turned away and straightened a display of bottles on the counter.
Maybe if Jake hadn’t spent the whole week worrying about Charlie Albridge’s relationship with Coralee, he wouldn’t have noticed her behavior. But as he watched, she tugged at her sleeves then smoothed her hair, still refusing to look him in the eye. She looked nervous, uncertain. Almost...guilty. His heart ached. Could she be hiding something? At the very least, it was clear that she didn’t want to talk to him. “Well, I suppose we’ll see you at the Independence Day celebration. Have a good day, ladies.” He tipped his hat to Cat and ushered the twins out the door.
The next two days dragged by. Jake couldn’t stop thinking about what Coralee might be hiding from him. He tried to be reasonable and remind himself that she was still upset about their last encounter. But the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that it had to do with Charlie. Surely she wasn’t still holding a grudge about their fight, so it had to be something else. Someone else. The man had showed up with her more than Jake thought was necessary. And it didn’t seem to be for business, as he’d claimed. By the time Independence Day rolled around, Jake was coiled tight, likely to burst at any moment.
But he had promised to help at the booth Coralee and her sisters were setting up to sell their new medicine at the town celebration. He only hoped Coralee would spend her time out canvassing for customers rather than at the booth.
The air crackled with excitement as Jake walked to the lot beside the church where the town was staging all the events for the day. Phillip walked next to him, holding his hand and taking in all the activity with dancing eyes. Jake carried Louisa, who fussed at the loud explosions of anvils and guns erupting every few minutes. He held her close at first but by the time they reached the church, she was watching with as much fascination as her brother. Jake never ceased to marvel at the bravery the twins possessed, even at their young age.
All around the church building, people gathered to take in the sights at the booths set up by various businesses. Many stopped to admire the stage that had been built and decorated just for the occasion. A group of local musicians situated on the platform tried their best to play a stirring march over the sound of all the explosions. Red and blue streamers were everywhere, white flowers tucked in among the ribbons. Jake was impressed at all Cecilia and her committee had been able to accomplish in a few days’ time.
When they approached the spot where Coralee had set up her table, he was both relieved and disappointed to see that she wasn’t there. Cat greeted him with a quick hug and Cecilia waved from the wagon behind them where she was stringing up a canvas sign with the shop’s name in large letters. “Excellent work on the sign, Cat. It looks wonderful. People will see it from a mile away.”
She shrugged her slim shoulders. “Coralee wanted it big.” They both laughed. Jake jumped in to help the sisters set up their displays while the children played in the back of the wagon. People had come from miles out in the countryside surrounding Spring Hill to celebrate the day. Many paused at the booth, so Jake, Cat and Cecilia spent the next two hours answering questions and making sales as the crowds grew. It was almost time for t
he orations to begin when Cecilia sidled up to Jake, frowning and chewing at her lower lip.
“Jake, have you seen Coralee yet?”
He shook his head. “I figured she was out putting up signs or directing people over here. Is something wrong?”
She fidgeted with the ribbon on her bonnet. “She went out to gather more willow bark from further down the creek. She wanted to have plenty to restock her medicine after today. She was supposed to be back before the program started.”
He straightened, scanning the crowd for a glimpse of Coralee even as he spoke. “She went out by herself? With this many strangers around town? That’s not a good idea.”
“Oh, no, Charlie Albridge went with her. But they still should have been back by now.”
Jake’s vision blurred and heat scalded his belly. She was out there alone with Albridge. He jumped into action. “Keep an eye on the twins for me. I’ll find them.”
He ran to the stable behind the clinic and saddled his horse in a hurry. His heart pounded from more than just exertion as he rode out of town. If that man laid a finger on Coralee, he wouldn’t be returning to town to join in the celebration.
Dark clouds were rolling in as Jake urged the horse along beside the winding creek. Great, now the banker may have gotten Coralee stuck out in a storm on top of whatever was keeping them.
The storm was moving fast. Jake spurred the horse on, hoping the old girl wouldn’t give out before he found them. But soon enough he saw a buggy parked near the creek. He rode up and swung down almost before the horse had stopped. The buggy was empty, but he heard voices. The sounds led him to a copse of willow trees where Coralee and Charlie were cutting sections of bark while they talked. The trees were so full that the ominous clouds were hardly visible from underneath them.
Jake tried to breathe calmly as he approached. But they looked so familiar there, hidden away together in the intimate location. Even as he advanced, Coralee laughed at something Charlie said. Jake’s jaw clenched.
“Coralee.” The pair spun to face him, Coralee resting a hand on her chest as if he’d startled her. Good. It was better that he interrupted the tryst than anyone else. “Your sisters sent me to find you. The program has already started and they were worried.”
“Oh, Jake. We lost track of time. We’ll just finish cutting these sections of bark and return to town.”
He planted his feet and crossed his arms, not planning to move a muscle until they completed the task. “There’s a storm coming. You’d better hurry.” He turned to Charlie. “I know you’re new to the area, but storms can sneak up fast out here. Next time, try to keep an eye out.”
Charlie eyed Jake up and down, sliding his hands into his pockets. The deliberate, casual gesture made Jake’s fists clench. Seconds ticked by as they sized each other up. Finally, Charlie turned away and returned to the work. They finished without comment as Jake watched.
Once the bark was packed into baskets, the three of them left the cover of the trees. The wind was picking up and darkness falling fast. Jake’s stomach pitched as he took in the green-tinged sky. That was never a good sign.
“Let’s go, you two. We need to get to shelter.” He helped load the heavy baskets into Charlie’s buggy before mounting Dr. Jay’s horse. They set off toward town, but Jake’s eyes didn’t stray from the heavy clouds overhead. The air felt thick and he had the sinking feeling they weren’t going to make it back before the storm hit.
* * *
The wind whipped at Coralee’s hair, pulling loose strands that she had to keep brushing out of her face. After living most of her life on the prairie, she couldn’t believe she had paid so little attention to the weather and missed the brewing storm. She knew better than to risk getting stuck out in a tornado.
More than anything, the way Jake kept his eyes on the sky and the fast pace he set made her stomach clench. The green tinge on the horizon grew and Jake’s gaze collided with hers. The words were unspoken between them, but they both knew. They had to find shelter now. Jake pointed across the prairie where they could just make out the corner of a small building surrounded by trees.
“Charlie, we have to take cover. Get over to that stand of trees.” When they reached the cover of the overhanging branches, Jake had already dismounted and tied the horse’s reins around a tree trunk. He did the same with Charlie’s horse while they climbed out. Just as the clouds opened and rain started pouring down, all three of them made a dash for the building. Coralee reached for the door, relieved to find it was open.
The cabin was small, but seemed sturdy and there wasn’t any rain leaking in. Cobwebs hung everywhere and dust coated the sparse furniture. There was no doubt it was abandoned.
Coralee crossed the room to watch out a window as the storm moved through. Charlie dropped into a chair at the table and leaned back, crossing a leg over the opposite knee. Jake secured the door and paced from one window to the other. His constant motion made her tense.
The rain came down in bursts, pushed along by the wind as it picked up. Coralee scanned the horizon for a funnel-shaped cloud, thankful when she couldn’t glimpse one. Satisfied that they were safe and only needed to wait out the driving rain, she joined Charlie at the table.
The banker chuckled as he examined his blunt fingernails with a casual air. “That was a bit of a dramatic episode just to get out of the rain, eh?”
Before Coralee could respond, Jake jumped in. “Albridge, I can’t believe you’d be so oblivious. In a heartbeat, a funnel could have touched down and killed us all out there. Here’s a little friendly local advice—don’t mess with prairie storms.”
Charlie’s easy posture went rigid. “Now, that’s uncalled for, Hadley. The lady needed to gather bark, so I went along to see to her well-being. That storm came out of nowhere. I didn’t plan to be out in it.”
Coralee looked back and forth between the two men. What had gotten into them?
Jake stalked to the table and rested both hands on the scarred top, leaning over it into Charlie’s face. “The fact remains, you two were expected back hours ago. Her sisters were sick with worry. That’s hardly responsible of you.”
The banker rose to his feet, coiled intensity written in every movement. “Are you accusing me of something?”
The situation was becoming silly. Coralee heaved a sigh. “That’s enough out of you two. Honestly, you’re behaving like children.”
Jake turned to her, arms crossed over his broad chest. “And you’re behaving like a naive schoolgirl. I guess I shouldn’t expect any less from a woman who runs straight into another man’s arms when things don’t go her way.”
The air whooshed out of Coralee’s lungs. Her eyes burned. She didn’t know where that horrible accusation had come from, but she had a feeling it referred to more than just today’s outing with Charlie.
“Jake.” She couldn’t seem to get any more words past the lump in her throat. She turned away as Charlie rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“Hadley, that could be the most ungentlemanly response I’ve ever seen. And you had the gall to call me oblivious.”
Jake paled as he met Coralee’s eyes then turned on his heel and left the cabin, disappearing into the calming rain. Coralee straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath, blinking away the moisture that had started to gather in her eyes. She wasn’t sure what had upset Jake so much, but she was finished with trying to figure him out.
She turned to Charlie, plastering a tight smile on her face. “Thank you for defending me. I’m sorry Jake was so harsh with you.”
The banker shrugged. “Eh, he’s got a chip on his shoulder about something, but I don’t think it’s really about me. I hate that he accused you of being anything less than a virtuous lady, though. That crossed the line. I’ll deal with him for it, if you want me to.”
Coralee lowered hersel
f into a chair, weariness washing over her. “Of course not, Charlie. We have a history of not trusting each other, that’s all.”
“Is that what caused the outburst, something in your past?”
She hesitated to tell Charlie about her previous relationship with Jake. The banker was a nice man, but she didn’t know him that well. There had been plenty of gossip about her and Jake in the wake of his departure. She didn’t want to start it all over again by speaking imprudently.
Charlie noticed her hesitation and looked down, tracing scratches in the top of the worn table. “I understand if you don’t want to confide in me. Just thought you might like a neutral party to listen.”
He had a point. She let out a slow breath, deciding it was worth the risk to talk with someone who didn’t have a stake in the matter. “At one time, before I married Alan, there were some feelings between me and Jake. It...well, I think you can see that nothing came of it. But now that he’s back in town and we’re spending time together, those old feelings keep trying to come back and I can’t shake them.”
“Ah, I see.” Charlie leaned back in the chair, all seriousness. “I tend to believe there’s a reason when feelings are that persistent. Jake isn’t perfect, sure. But he’s a good man. Maybe you should see where the feelings take you.”
Before she could formulate a response, Charlie stood and peeked out the window. “Looks like the rain has let up and Jake’s waiting for us. Are you ready?”
Coralee nodded and they left the shelter of the cabin. The stifling air had cooled a bit as the storm moved through, leaving everything sparkling with droplets and smelling of damp earth. They rode back to town without speaking, Jake leading the way with his back ramrod-straight atop his horse.
When they reached the outskirts of town, Jake peeled off and headed down Third Street. She supposed he was taking the horse back to the stable, but he didn’t even spare them a glance as he rode away. Charlie looked at her with questions in his eyes, but she just shrugged. She had no excuses or explanations left for Jake’s behavior.
Taking on Twins Page 11