by Beverly Long
Well, that ought to get the dinner conversation going.
She squatted and with quick, determined movements, she loaded her arms with wood. She entered the cabin and with her back to the rest of the group, she dumped the wood near the fireplace.
“Where’s Sheriff McNeil?” Constance asked, her tone accusing. “I was watching out the window and saw the two of you talking near the wood pile. Then a few minutes later, he rode out.”
It dawned on Bella that Constance seemed too interested. Was it possible that she was checking out Jed? Maybe she had a thing for lawmen? Had she guessed what Bella and Jed were doing at the side of the house?
Bella had a lot of questions and very few answers. She turned to face the room. “Jed and I chatted for just a minute. He mentioned that he’s not going to be able to stay for dinner.” She turned toward Elizabeth. “He said he’ll be back in two hours to pick you up.”
Mrs. Bean made some sort of odd noise in the back of her throat which caused Aunt Freida to slam a dish down onto the stove. She no doubt wanted to defend her friend but likely had no interest in starting a debate with Thomas’s mother.
String Bean put his thumbs in his vest pockets and looked more ridiculous than ever. “I guess he was more bothered about what I told him than he let on.”
“What did you tell him?” Thomas asked his brother.
“I told him that when I was speaking to Ben Stroud at the dance last night, he mentioned that he intended to stay over in Mantosa for a couple of days.”
“Why would that upset Jedidiah?” Elizabeth asked.
“It’s not that he’s staying over,” String said, “it’s the reason why. A couple weeks back, some stranger passed through Shinoah. He and Stroud played cards and Stroud was the big winner. Evidently Stroud had heard that this stranger is on his way to Mantosa. Stroud is already practically counting his winnings, he’s so confident his good luck will hold.”
Thomas shook his head. “I never thought Stroud was all that talented of a card player.”
“I know. He’s been known to stir up a fuss when he loses, too. I imagine Jedidiah is concerned that things will get out of control.”
“This stranger have a name?” Aunt Freida asked.
“Oddest one I ever heard,” String said. “Goes by the name of Rantaan Toomay.”
The potato bowl slipped out of Bella’s hands. It hit the table with a thud. Fortunately, the mashed potatoes stayed in place.
“Is something amiss Bella?” Aunt Freida asked.
Other than it was show time? Bella shook her head and tried to look very innocent. “No. Of course not. Food looks so good I guess I’m just anxious to get started.”
“I’ve always appreciated a woman with a good appetite,” String proclaimed.
***
When Bella woke up on Monday morning, she had a terrible headache. She scooted up in the bed, until her back was propped up against the wooden headboard. She’d left the curtains open the night before and now the gray light of early morning slipped in, casting the room in shadows.
She wanted caffeine and sugar—and then some more of the same. “I’ll have a double Expresso,” she whispered. “And one of those special cinnamon rolls with the pecans on them.”
The rough wooden walls of her small bedroom mocked her. This ain’t no Starbucks, honey, they said.
Damn. Right now she’d give up her purse collection for a Diet Coke and a candy bar. She looked out the window. Her squirrel was back, sitting five feet from the privy, as if he was waiting for her. “Make that a Hershey’s with nuts and we could split it,” she said.
She swore the squirrel smiled. She rolled to her side, sat up, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She winced when her bare feet hit the cold floor.
She’d been cold since she’d arrived in Kansas.
Well, not exactly true. She’d been pretty damn warm right before, during, and after Jed had kissed her. Oh, baby. The man oozed sex appeal and he could kiss like…well, to tell the truth, he could kiss like a man who had been trained to kiss. Like a man who’d gone to kissing college and gotten his doctorate with honors.
However, she was pretty sure it came naturally to him. Sort of the same way the ability to piss her off came to him. He didn’t seem to be working very hard at that either.
It was a good thing she was only going to be here a couple more days. She planned to avoid him and heaven help him, if he tried to kiss her again, only to afterwards act like as if it had been the biggest mistake of his life, she was going to wring his neck. That might be a problem, since he was the sheriff. Bart Schneider would probably throw her butt in jail before she could deal with Toomay and once again, she’d have screwed things up.
Not. This. Time.
She slipped on her yellow dress. She ran a brush through her hair and gathered the wad up in a ponytail. When she opened the bedroom door, Aunt Freida was already standing at the stove.
“Good morning,” Bella said.
“Morning dear. How did you sleep?”
“Good.” She’d actually slept better in Kansas than she ever did at home. Probably the erotic dreams featuring Jed were wearing her out. Damn. She hoped whatever tossing and turning she was doing during those brief but very pleasant interludes used up some calories because if she wasn’t mistaken, Aunt Freida had made biscuits and gravy for breakfast.
She really wished she could take Aunt Freida home with her. “Think we’ll be busy today?” she asked.
“Probably about like any other day,” Aunt Freida asked.
Today might to be very different from any other today. Rantaan Toomay was on his way to Mantosa.
After Bella had two helpings of biscuits and gravy, they got the horses ready and drove into town. When Bella and Aunt Freida got to the store, the streets of Mantosa were empty. Bella wondered if the early morning shoppers were still hung over from drinking the spiked punch or had finally come to their senses and decided it was just too damn cold to be out and about.
She looked down the street and could see a faint light coming from the window of the Sheriff’s office. It barely cast a glow out into the street but it was enough to make Bella’s heart skip a beat. Was he there? Would he stop by later? If he did, was she a good enough actress to make him think that she hadn’t given a moment’s thought to yesterday’s kiss or his abrupt departure.
Two hours later, she was halfway through organizing the canned goods when she heard what sounded like a high pitched squeal before the back door slammed shut with a solid thud. She walked toward the back room, scanned the space, and when she didn’t see her aunt, she quickly crossed the room and opened the back door. What she saw made her heart jump into her throat.
There was a glaring patch of ice, almost two feet wide, and Aunt Freida, her eyes closed, lay flat on top of it.
“Oh, no,” Bella cried. Moving fast, but carefully, so that she too wouldn’t slip, Bella knelt down next to her aunt. She put her hand on the woman’s chest and was comforted slightly by her shallow breaths. And there was no blood. That had to be a good sign.
“Oh, Aunt, Freida,” she said. “Open you eyes. I’m absolutely no good at this stuff. Come on, sweetie. Talk to me.”
Aunt Freida licked her lips. Her eyes were still closed. “If it’s all the same to you,” she said, her voice much softer than usual, “I don’t feel much like talking.”
Bella wanted to weep with relief. “I’m going to go get some help,” she assured her aunt.
That got Freida’s eyes to open. “Better see if Doc Winder is in. I’m pretty sure I broke my leg. I heard it crack and it hurts like a son-of-a-bitch.”
Broken leg? That could be fixed. Right. Damn, maybe she could just whistle and one of the many orthopedic surgeons hanging around Mantosa in 1877 would come running? She tried to think of every hospital drama she’d ever seen on television. That was the extent of her medical training.
“I’m going to get you a blanket,” she said. “I’ll be right back.
Don’t move,” she said.
“Not much chance of that,” her aunt said, closing her eyes again.
Bella hurried inside. She grabbed three of the thickest blankets off the shelf and her cloak as well. When she got back to Freida, she left one of the blankets folded and gently lifted Freida’s head so that she could slip the cloth under it. Then she shook out the remaining two blankets and covered Freida.
She buttoned her cloak as she ran toward Dr. Winder’s office. It took her three minutes to get there and another two to tell him what had happened and wait for him to put on his coat and grab his medical bag. It was the longest five minute of her life. Then the two of them make their way back to the Mercantile. Just as they crossed the street, Jed walked out of the Sheriff’s office.
“Jedidiah,” Dr. Winter called. He raised the hand that wasn’t carrying his medical bag. “I may need your assistance here.”
Jed covered the distance between them in about twelve steps. His eyes made a fast sweep, starting with Bella’s face and ending at her toes. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
It dawned on her that he sounded concerned—which was more than she expected from a man who’d made it clear that she was an inconvenience.
“Freida has slipped on the snow outside the back door of the Mercantile,” Dr. Winder explained.
Jed looked at Bella. She wondered if he was remembering how she’d slipped going into the dance, how he’d pulled her tight into his body, how nicely they’d seemed to fit. She felt warm suddenly and she looked away before he could guess what was making her face red.
Dr. Winder shifted his black bag to his other hand. “Bella tells me that Freida thinks she broke her leg. If that’s true, which I suspect it is since Freida is not a woman prone to exaggeration, I’m going to need a thick board to lay her on and a few strong men to carry her to my office.”
Jed nodded once. “We’ll be there in five minutes.” He took off running the other direction.
Bella took her first deep breath since seeing her aunt. It would be okay. Even if he didn’t like her, Jed really liked Freida. When she and Dr. Winder reached Aunt Freida, the woman opened her eyes and gave them a half smile. “Doc, I think I really did it this time,” she said.
The man rubbed the back of his hand across her aunt’s cheek. “Don’t fret, Freida. I’ll have you dancing again in no time.” He lifted Freida’s long skirt up to her knees and gently ran his hand down the front of her leg. When he got near her ankle, he probed the skin. “It’s broken, for sure,” he said. Just at that moment, Jed, Bart, Wymer, and the bartender from the saloon rounded the corner. Jed carried what appeared to be a thick, wooden door under his arm. Dr. Winder pulled Freida’s dress back down.
“We need to get her to my office,” the doctor said to the men. He looked down. “We’re going to be as careful as we can, Freida, but I’m warning you, it’s going to hurt when we move you.”
Jed squatted down next to Freida. He took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. “With the big dance over, you figured we needed some new excitement?” he asked.
He’d tried but he hadn’t been able to hide his concern. It was in his voice, in the stiff way he held his shoulders.
She watched as Dr. Winder and Jed took the board and slid it up next to Aunt Freida. The doctor put his hand on Aunt Freida’s shoulder. “Roll to your side, Freida. We’ll slip this under you.”
Aunt Freida didn’t argue but once she moved, a soft grunt told Bella it was easier said than done. Jed and Dr. Winder wedged the board up against the side of her body.
“Roll back,” Dr. Winder said.
When she did, Bella could see that her aunt’s eyes were closed and even though it was probably zero degrees outside, there were beads of sweat running down her face.
“Let’s go, Gentlemen,” Dr. Winder said.
Each of the four men took a corner of the board and lifted. When Freida was waist level, Bella reached out a hand to her aunt. “I’ll be right beside you.”
Aunt Freida shook her head. “No, Girl. You need to take care of the store.”
“But—“
“I know it’s a lot to ask, Bella, but can you do that for me?”
She didn’t know anything about managing a store. She did store windows, not stores. And how was she supposed to keep an eye out for Rantaan Toomay? The man was coming. He could arrive at any minute.
“Please,” Aunt Freida added. The woman’s voice sounded weaker.
She squeezed her aunt’s hand. “Of course.”
Dr. Winder had gathered up his bag and now stood next to Bella. “Excellent. That’ll be one less worry for Freida. I’ll set this leg and then give her something for the pain. She’ll sleep most of the day away.”
Great. By the time she woke up, she’d probably be bankrupt. “Sounds like a plan,” Bella said. She bent over and kissed her aunt’s cheek. “I’ll take care of everything here. Once I close up tonight, I’ll be by to take you home.”
Five minutes later, she was standing in the middle of the store, turning in slow circles, not having a clue what to do first, when Jed opened the front door. He still didn’t have a coat on. “We got Freida settled at Doc Winder’s,” he said, before she could ask.
“Thank you,” Bella said. She thought of Freida lying on the cold ice, her leg badly broken. She thought about the care Jed had shown when he’d knelt down next to Aunt Freida and the strength he’d demonstrated when he and the others had picked up the board. “We could not have managed without your help,” she said, knowing it was true.
She wasn’t surprised when her voice broke. It had, after all, been a stressful half hour.
Jed crossed the room. “It seemed to me like you were managing things just fine. That was quick thinking on your part to cover her with a blanket.”
If he’d been sarcastic or caustic, like he generally was with her, she’d have been fine. But he was nice. That, combined with the suddenly overwhelming responsibility of trying to run Freida’s shop while at the same time she hunted for Rantaan Toomay, was too much. She started to cry.
The blood drained from his face.
She swallowed hard but her tears resembled mannequins in a window display—once the first one teetered and fell, the rest wouldn’t be denied. She sniffed loudly and that seemed to spur him into action. Evidently afraid that she’d want to use his sleeve, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a clean handkerchief.
She reached, he let go. The cloth fluttered to the ground. Both bent to retrieve it, almost knocking heads. She reared back, lost her balance, threw out an arm to catch herself, and in the process, managed to knock his hat off his head.
“Whoa,” he said. He was squatting, so was she. They were close enough that their knees were practically touching. He reached out both arms and grabbed for her shoulders, steadying her. His hands were big, his fingers strong, his touch gentle. “Don’t fret about your aunt,” he said.
Not to worry. She was pretty much beyond fretting. “Don’t tell her I was crying,” she said. “I don’t want her to have something else to worry about.”
He smiled. “I don’t see any tears,” he said. He reached down and picked up the handkerchief. The skin on his hands were red from the cold and stood out in sharp contrast to the white cloth. He crumpled up the fabric and with exquisite care, he gently dabbed at her tears.
It was the nicest thing anyone had done for her in a very long time. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Better?” he asked, offering her the handkerchief.
She nodded. “Perfect.”
He smiled and she was close enough to see a dimple that his mustache normally managed to hide. It made her heavy heart suddenly feel light and before she could even think about what she was doing, she leaned forward and placed her lips on his cheek.
He stilled.
His face was warm, his cheeks rough with a day’s worth of whiskers. She could smell the sharp tang of soap on his skin.
“B
ella?” he said. His voice sounded strangled.
She shifted her mouth, just enough that now her cheek was flush against his cheek. “Yes.”
“I made a promise yesterday,” he said. She could feel his warm breath on her ear and a delicate shiver traveled the length of her spine. “Do you remember what I said?”
Right now she could barely remember her name. They were in the oddest of positions—squatting, weight balanced on the balls of their feet, cheeks plastered together—yet nothing felt odd at all. It felt right.
“Bella,” he prompted.
Oh fine. She remembered. He’d said he was never going to kiss her again. She pulled back, far enough that she could look him in the eyes. “I didn’t make any promises,” she said.
He cocked his head slightly, his eyes full of question. “Bella,” he said again. This time it sounded like a warning.
He obviously didn’t know that warning her was like holding a red flag in front of a bull. For the last ten years, she’d made charging forward an art form.
She leaned into him and settled her lips on his.
CHAPTER TEN
It was sort of like kissing a rock. Hard. Cold. Very unresponsive.
Come on. She ran her tongue across his bottom lip.
Nothing.
She pulled back. His face showed absolutely no emotion.
God, she was such a moron. She stood up, awkwardly. She smoothed down her skirt. “I guess that’s that.”
He nodded. Still squatting, he leaned to his side, grabbed his hat off the floor, and put it on. Then he stood.
Neither of them looked at the other.
He turned, took three steps and then stopped.
Her heart flipped over in her chest.
Two more steps toward the door. Damn, it was cold in the store.
He stopped again. This time he turned and stared at her. It made her nervous and she could feel her flip-flopping heart start to beat way too fast.