by Jillian Hart
"I already am," Jada said, in charge of the cash box as she scooped it from its place beneath the counter and padded away. "Please turn the lamps out, will you? Our business is done for the day. No one is going to be coming through that storm, and it's late anyway."
"He seems to like you, Stella," Mindy commented, leaning over to read what the man had written on the back of his business card. "Why, he wrote us a get-out-of-trouble free card."
"Yes, I know." Stella spun around, reaching out to turn off the closest lamp. "I thought it was nice of him."
"Good for the next time you violate your lease," Mindy read. "Compliments of a grateful and hungry man." She waggled her brows. "I think he really likes you."
"Maybe he's just a decent man. It can happen, you know."
That is the safest way to look at it, Jada thought with understanding. Look at her, all wrapped up in thoughts of Frisco that she couldn't stop and wishing she wasn't still tingling from being near to him.
"Hey, I'll go bring up the leftovers from lunch," Mindy said over the tap of her shoes, heading toward the kitchen. "We might as well eat upstairs here where it's warm. The kitchen stove is banked."
"Good, I'm starving." Stella sidled over the last lamp and turned it down, leaving them in darkness save for the path of light tumbling down the staircase in the back hallway.
While her other sister headed upstairs to feed the fire and turn on more lamps, and Mindy followed with the pot of soup and a pan of rolls, Jada's attention stayed fixed on the shadows of the impenetrable storm. Boy, was she glad they didn't have to go out in that brutal cold, thankful that Frisco had fixed things with their landlord.
This is gratitude, she told herself, not attraction and certainly not hope. She thought of the handsome man, the well-off, out of her league man, likely home and safe right now and thawing out. The image of his chiseled granite face, perfectly handsome and flawlessly proportioned form flashed into her mind, not to be forgotten. It wasn't smart because he was not her type, he was absolutely not interested in her and she knew she would never set her hopes on a man so impossible for her heart to claim, given her past. So why did she give a wistful sigh?
It was a mystery. And she could not seem to stop the tides of her heart.
"What are you doing staring off into thin air and sighing like that?" Stella's gentle alto broke the silence that had settled in the air. She stood on the bottom step, awash in lamplight. "Come upstairs and eat."
"Oh, was I staring again?" She shook her head.
"You were doing more than staring." Stella gestured upstairs, where food and warmth and light waited. "It's okay to wonder after a man, hoping he gets home safe in this weather. I'm doing the same thing."
"Good. I want that for everyone out there," Jada said softly, not taking her gaze off the glass panel of the door solid white from the storm whirling with whipping fury. "At least I don't have to go out panning in that tonight."
"We will be financially tighter because of it." Jada spun around and forced her feet to take her toward the light.
She wanted to comment again how Tristan had sure lit up bright when he'd spoken to Stella, but the words lodged in her throat and remained unspoken. It was something to hope for, wasn't it? It might be interesting to wait and see what might happen.
Not that she, personally, had any hopes of romance, but she would hold out hope for her sister. After all, after her broken marriage years ago, she'd vowed never to let her heart become so vulnerable again.
Besides, Frisco Hayden was not likely even a candidate. And that didn't make her sad. Really, it didn't. (Okay, maybe a little. And, maybe a lot more than that). She drew in a careful breath, glad she could at least breathe normally now that the man was out of her mind.
Although, the sadness remained.
She pushed it aside, squared her shoulders and headed up the stairs after her sister. "It was a nice thing you did, to give Tristan so much of our baked goods."
"I didn't intend to charge him, but he overpaid all on his own."
"The sign of a good man. I packed some of our extra ham with the soup. That should tide him over until tomorrow sometime."
"Good. He looked like he needed help. I should have let him have just bread." Stella's mouth tugged upward in the corners, teasing. "Oh, the kitchen lamp! I forgot to light it. Thanks for doing it for me before we tripped in the dark, Mindy."
"It was the least I could do. Might as well make myself useful since you didn't even notice I was in the room." Mindy rolled her eyes, grinning, as she reached for her soup spoon. "I feared the worst when I saw Tristan stumble into our shop. It was nice of him to make up for Miss Pratt's temperamental lack of understanding."
"I didn't have the heart to blame poor Chester. He wound up lucky and landed a home with Frisco's boys. And don't get any ideas, either of you. I know you, Stella," Jada eyed her sister as she sat down at the kitchen table. "The last thing Frisco meant to do was to spend time with me. You saw him attempting to escape and walk into that post. He could have knocked himself out."
"He was likely thinking of you, silly goose." Lovingly, Mindy winked before holding the basket of warmed dinner rolls up for Stella to take a few. "I saw with my own eyes how he looked at you, Jada, and that pin is expensive and about the most gorgeous one I've ever seen, not that I'm around much jewelry."
"Oh, I agree, and I think he particularly likes her." Stella chose two rolls and set them down on her plate. "Then again, who wouldn't?"
"Exactly," Mindy agreed. "I get the feeling Frisco likes you very much."
"Well, I'm hoping that you are wrong. Very, very wrong." Jada scooted her chair in closer before she reached for her spoon. "And don't go reading too much into the fact that he apologized. Apologized. Just like a good man does, not that we know a lot about men like that."
"True," Stella rolled her eyes. "I wonder if Pa made it into town or if he's weathering out the storm on his claim?"
"In a tent, you mean." Mindy shook her head, looking like a mix between disbelief, disappointment and resigned amusement. "At least he's living his dream. That's something, right?"
"I'm thinking that only makes Frisco look even better." Jada sighed, there she was, thinking of the man again. It was a compliment to him that he was so different from Pa.
She agreed with her sisters. No one was perfect, but Pa would always be a combination between sympathy, disappointment and love. He'd suffered hard losses in business and had never been the same. She didn't know what to do for him, so she simply loved him anyway. "But it was really classy of Frisco to apologize the way he did and to make up for it. And don't read anything into it, okay?"
"But why not?" Mindy asked, slurping her soup.
"He doesn't really know me, so there's no way he can truly like me. He probably will try to avoid me from now on like I'm contagious with the plague."
"Or the black death," Stella chimed in.
"Oh, you two. I'm trying to get you two married off so I can finally be rid of you." Mindy's laughing statement had Jada nearly dropping her soup spoon and Stella almost choking on a mouthful of buttered dinner roll. "What are the chances of that?"
"Sorry, dear little sister, but you are doomed for disappointment," Jada said sweetly. "At least with me. What about Stella?"
"Yeah, what about Stella?" Mindy took a dainty sip from her spoon, eyes sparkling.
"This is Mr. Duffin all over again, the poor man." Jada rolled her eyes, took another slurp of soup and let the goodness warm her up. "Remember when we were looking for bachelors thinking they might like our bakery? We bake bread and rolls. We have treats and cookies, right? And the first one we get for a customer."
"Our first customer," Mindy corrected around a mouthful of dinner roll, "was Mr. Duffin. I was sure he had a sweet fondness for you, Stella, I really did."
"It turned out he just really loved cookies. He was smiling that way at the display case, not at me, and I knew that the entire time, in fact, every time he comes in. I'm n
ot the one reading whatever she can into things and seeing what isn't there trying so hard to get us married off."
"I just want love for my sisters." Mindy reached for her teacup. "I wouldn't mind it for myself either."
"I want that for you one day, sweetie," Jada said. "I don't care how many times I have to wish for it. I'll do it as much as it takes for the right man to come along."
"Now I'm going to do it too, for both of you." Stella looked up from buttering another roll. "And I won't stop."
The wish was wasted on her, Jada feared, but refused to let that sadness show. She ignored the ache in her chest, where her wishes were buried and hopes she'd laid to rest. "You know, it only takes one good man to change your life."
"What? I hope that's not true." Stella waggled her brows, set down her butter knife and took a big bite of roll. "I love my life just like it is. I wouldn't ever want anything to change this."
Well said, Jada thought but kept the words to herself, that was just the best way to phrase it. Her chest ached a bit more, thinking it, but Stella wasn't wrong. Romance hadn't worked out well for her, and as her fingertips pushed the pin on her collar, she tried not to let her heart warm too much for the man who'd bought it for her. He was only being incredibly decent, doing right to the more charming degree, of course, and he was so fine in her estimation that he was far too fine for the likes of her. Or at least that was her excuse and she was sticking to it.
Fine, she might be taking a way out so she didn't have to risk her heart ever again, but it was a fact that the damage done to her life was something that had taken a toll on her. One she struggled with every now and again, she'd trusted a man she shouldn't have and would not forget it.
She was simply glad for the fact that Mindy's spoon slipped, broth landed on her cloth napkin, and that brought a change of topic. Glad for it, Jada rose from her chair to grab another napkin. Mindy rolled her eyes, Stella complimented her on her good aim.
Life was good here, so very good. Jada would never wish for more.
9
At least it wasn't a long-winded blizzard, Frisco thought as he stopped in his parent's parlor to gaze out the window, both hands resting on his hips, gun holstered and strapped to his thigh.
Morning sunshine glinted on melting volumes of snow that had drifted up against the shrubbery, the little picket fence and the side of the house. It looked wet and sloppy out there, but the sky was as blue as a good man's hopes, and he'd take clear skies any day. He followed the scent of coffee into the kitchen, startling Ma where she stood at the sink doing the breakfast dishes.
"Frisco!" Soap bubbles puffed up into the air around her. "You need to make more noise next time. Where did the boys go?"
"Upstairs getting on their extra sweaters. It's going to be a cold journey to the schoolhouse. Do you want more coffee?"
"I'll leave that fresh pot for you and get some later." He glanced around the pleasant kitchen that still smelled of bacon grease and maple syrup. He stepped over a little horse toy left on the floor near the lean-to door, where a herd of carved wooden horses watched from the shadows near the boys' boots. "Otherwise I'm late. Wait, here they come!"
The pleasant stillness of the house's main floor shattered at the first clomp of footsteps thundering down the staircase. A muffled crash echoed through the house, and he reached for his coat to shrug on, waiting for the second crash, which was louder than the first one.
He buttoned up, listening to the drum of little boy feet rushing closer. "Ma, do you need me to pick up anything for you from town?"
"No, I stocked up on the day before that blizzard, as chance would have it. Do you think winter has finally blown itself out? I'm ready for summer and I hear birds out there."
"I wouldn't say no to that." He tugged on his wool hat with the ear flaps before reaching for his Stetson.
"Pa!" Aiden bolted around the corner in his school clothes, looking like a handsome well-behaved boy, except for the fact he was walk-running in the house. "Are you gonna walk with us?"
"Yeah, Pa, are you?" Austin trailed after him into sight, rushing to keep up.
"Boys!" Ma cleared her throat. "You two walk in the house! No running!"
"Yes'm," They chorused and slowed down a pace, but their little-boy exuberance didn't dim. Aiden stepped over the lone wooden horse, Austin stepped over the herd and grabbed their boots. "We are gonna have a fun recess today. Look at all that snow."
"Too bad it won't melt in time," Frisco said ruefully and humorously, winking at his mother who shook her head and said, "Poor teacher," and went back to scrubbing the fry pan. He pulled on his gloves.
"Guess what we're gonna do?" Aiden said, shrugging into his wool coat as his twin did the same.
"Don't tell me you two are going to behave well at school for the first time ever." He winked, kneeling down to help Austin with the boot that was now stuck half-on and half-off his foot.
"It's spelling bee day, Pa." Austin stepped back, boot correctly on, and pulled a blue knit cap onto his head. "I learned my word list and everything."
"Well, that sounds like a first." He winked at his ma and opened the door. "Do you think your teacher will keel over in shock?"
"Probably." Austin took the lunchbox Ma rushed over to hand him.
Aiden reached out to take his. "Thank you, Grandmama. We're gonna not get into trouble today, I just know it."
"That's awfully optimistic thinking, but you keep trying." Ma's smile was rosy, quiet and sincere and full of love for her rather wonderful grandsons.
Yeah, rather wonderful. He knew the feeling, he thought, turning away to hold the door for the boys. "Come on with you outlaws, let's get you to school before the bell."
"We've got two tardy marks already," Aiden explained as he stopped to hop two-footed across the threshold and onto the back porch. "Thank you, Grandmama!"
"Thank you, Grandmama!" Austin chorused identically, gave a hop and joined his brother stomping the melting snow on the porch floorboards and tromping down the steps in the bright morning sunshine.
"If we get one more tardy," Aiden explained as Frisco gave Ma a wink, shut the door behind them and joined his sons on the walkway. "Then we have to clean the chalkboards."
"It's awful dusty business," Austin explained, tromping toward the garden gate that would let them out into the alley.
He had foot patrol today, volunteering for the sheriff's office, so he bypassed the stable, leaving his gelding tucked in snug and happy in his roomy box stall, and thought of the contented pony, so joyful to have such a good home with quality hay and grain. That pony was going to work out, as long as he stayed right where he was and they didn't attempt to ride him again. Or he used his door opening skills on the paddock gate.
"Frisco." Mr. Grier looked up from shoveling his back walkway. "Good morning to you. I would confiscate that toboggan if I were you."
"Good to know, and good morning to you, Mitch." He gave a nod, the older man nodded in return and the boys skipped on ahead, their boots scrunching on the wet snow and splashing in melting puddles.
"Do you know what Mr. Grier has?" Aiden's eyes turned as serious as a judge. "A dog."
"A furry, fuzzy dog," Austin chimed in.
"We sure would like one of those."
Huh, so the quest for a pony turned out in their favor, so he could see where the boys were going with this line of questioning, although the real questions hadn't happened yet. Oh, he was no dummy. He could see what was coming. "Well, you boys know that getting a dog is a big decision. It's not something you just jump into, and it's my decision."
"But we'll be really good, Pa." Aiden's voice went up a couple of notes, high and sweet and full of heart. "Please, Pa?"
"What if we're really good?" Austin asked. "We'll turn over a new leaf."
"And we can stop getting in trouble and everything," Aiden said with great hope. "That way you can't say no."
"Give me two years to think on it." Frisco gave a glance in both dire
ctions before leading the way across the street. "Two years ought to give me enough thinking time."
"Two years?" Aiden hung his head, defeated by disappointment. "But, Pa, we can't wait that long."
"We'll die of loneliness for a dog." Austin gave a heartfelt sigh. "Are you sure you can't take faster to think on it?"
"Very sure." He thought of his poor mother and father, who would have to deal with some of those puppy accidents in the house. Hmm, maybe a grown-up dog would be a solution for down the road, and not far down the road. The boys were almost old enough, but it wasn't easy being firm. If he showed his cards, he would never have the upper hand again. "I don't like dogs."
Aiden rolled his eyes at the obvious. "You are just saying that."
"That's not true!" Austin protested. "You gotta love dogs, Pa! Everybody does."
"I tell you what." He hesitated at the intersection, where the schoolhouse was in clear view. "We'll talk about this in two years, just like I said. That will give me plenty of ruminating time."
"Ruminate?" Aiden grinned, showing off both dimples. "That's on my spelling list!"
"R-O-O-M-A-N-A-T," Austin spelled out. "Yep, we're gonna do real good this time."
"Hey, that's a real improvement," he told his boys as he waved them away. "Now, on with you. Go bother your teacher for a while instead of me."
Wide, dimpled grins beamed up at him. "We're starting a new leaf."
"A new leaf!" Austin parroted over his shoulder as they stormed away, charging toward the schoolhouse yard and to their friends waiting for them.
The poor schoolteacher, Frisco thought, and poor me. He was going to have to deal with this new dog issue. As if the new pony wasn't enough, although that was working out well. He smiled, took a step onto Third Street and saw the newspaper office opening for the day.
"Howdy, there, Frisco!" Yancey looked up from his snow shoveling and grinned wide. "Good to see you out and patrolling in this weather. Folks are having a lot of problems getting around, wrecks and all. I'm just about ready to send Jonathan out on deliveries. I got your copy if you want it now."