Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Violet had never considered herself a coward, but as she searched the town from her porch, then rushed down the walkway to the street and behind the closest wagon, she felt like a criminal.
Lunch had been uneventful, thank goodness.
She’d barely been able to enjoy it, fearing Edwin would knock on her door.
Thankfully, he hadn’t, and surprisingly, she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him since the day before.
She almost sent her grandfather to the boarding house to see if he’d left, but in doing so, she’d have to explain why, and as of yet, she hadn’t told Daisy or Gramps about Edwin being in town or why he was here.
But fearing he was still there, had reduced her to this….hiding and jumping behind objects to avoid him seeing her.
Hurrying to a wagon sitting in front of the dress shop, she scanned the town again before darting beside the building and around it to the back door of the mercantile.
Raising her hand to bang her fist against the weathered wood, she waited impatiently for Rose to open it. Long minutes later when it swung open, her sister rolled her eyes before stepping back so she could enter.
“That really isn’t necessary, Violet.”
“Yes, it is. I don’t want to chance Edwin seeing me walk by Mabel’s.”
“Are you sure he’s even still here?”
“I’m not taking any chances.”
Rose hurried back out front. Violet followed her, grabbing her apron and tying it around her waist before heading to the door. A peek outside showed her nothing. There was still no sign of Edwin and that’s the way she preferred it.
Her head throbbed as she hurried back to the counter. She’d woken from a short nap with a killer headache that didn’t seem to want to go away and she had no doubt she’d be downright grumpy by day's end.
The dream she’d had would be the reason for that, she was sure.
She’d dreamt Edwin had rushed into the store, proclaiming his love, before carrying her outside, bridal style, and throwing her on a horse and riding away.
Everyone in town had been there, waving them off, and one face had stuck out.
Josiah’s. He’d been leaning against that porch rail like she saw him so often do, but he wasn’t waving.
He was just—watching. Letting Edwin carry her away without saying a word.
And she woke up mad as hell about it! He was her imaginary fiancé. The least the man could do was put up some sort of fight for her. If it wouldn’t have made her look like a crazy person, she would march over there and give him a piece of her mind.
As the day progressed, every time she saw someone step up to the front door, she’d run behind the curtain that separated the back room from the rest of the store.
Rose hadn’t said anything about her behavior, but she’d thought long and hard about how to handle this Edwin situation and the solution was simple.
She had to stay hidden until he got tired of trying to find her and went home.
Her thoughts wandered most of the day, her gaze sliding to the door every time she walked out from behind the counter, and by late afternoon, she wondered where Edwin was. Why hadn’t he come to the store yet?
She was so lost in thought, she didn’t see anyone approach the door and never looked up until the bell above it rang. Her heart skipped a beat, her lungs seizing until she saw Mabel and Hazel walk inside and breathed a sigh of relief.
Hazel headed for the back of the store as Mabel approached the counter. The look on her face caused anxiety to twist her stomach into knots. She knew something.
Did Edwin tell her about this whole debacle? She wanted to ask if he was still at her boarding house but was afraid the mention of his name might conjure him right out of thin air, so she held her tongue.
Mabel gave her a tiny smile and set a basket on the counter. “Afternoon, Violet.”
“Hey, Mabel.” She glanced into the basket. It was full of preserves and canned fruit. Before she could ask if she wanted to sell them, Mabel leaned over to whisper to her.
“I had an interesting conversation over lunch with a young man who rented a room at the boarding house last night.”
The knot forming in her throat made it hard to swallow and when she did, the gulping noise sounded loud enough that Hazel probably heard it from the back of the store. “Oh? Is that right?”
The woman nodded. “Now you know I don’t like gossiping about my customers, but when he throws a question at me about the people who live here, well I can’t help but ask.”
Violet closed her eyes. She knew what was coming before Mabel even opened her mouth and wondered how long it would take for the news to travel.
If Hazel knew, she’d tell the entire town.
There wasn’t a secret anyone told that Hazel hadn’t spilled.
The woman lived to huddle in small groups and whisper the goings-on of the townsfolk, and the messy situation she found herself in now would be enough fodder for Hazel to chew on for weeks.
“Did you promise to marry a young man from Elkin?” Mabel asked.
Violet blew out a breath. “No. It was just a huge misunderstanding on his part and he’s being hardheaded about it.”
“Hmmm, I see.” Mabel glanced over her shoulder to see where Hazel was, if she had to guess.
“Well, after he threw a snit over your refusal to marry him, he asked me how long you’d been engaged to Josiah.
” She straightened and gave her a sly smile.
“Now, that piece of information threw me.” The woman grinned and raised an eyebrow.
“Is he telling the truth? Are you and Josiah getting hitched?”
That headache started pounding so hard she heard it thrumming in her ears. She knew this was going to turn into a mess. “No, I just told Edwin that, so he’d go home.”
“Oh.” Mabel frowned. “Does Josiah know you told a fib like that?”
“Yes, but thankfully he went along with it.”
Mabel looked surprised. “Well, Josiah has always been eager to help anyone in need.”
Movement near the door grabbed her attention, and she gasped when she saw Edwin beyond the glass panes. She hit her knees and hurriedly crawled to the curtain, barely getting behind it before she heard his voice.
“Ms. Simmons,” Edwin said when he approached the counter. “I’m glad I found you. I wanted to thank you for the wonderful meals and conversation and for listening to me when no one else around here would. You have my gratitude.”
“Oh, well, it was my pleasure, Mr. Wright.”
“I’m headed back to Elkin, so I won’t be needing the room again.”
Violet peeked through the curtain and didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until Edwin turned and left the store. He didn’t even glance around as if to look for her, and it felt as if a fifty-pound sack had been lifted off her back.
She stepped out from behind the curtain and peeked out the front window. Edwin was unhitching a horse from the post in front of the store. Seeing as he came in on the stagecoach, he must have rented it from the livery stable.
She didn’t move until he’d ridden out of sight. The heaviness she’d been feeling since he rode into town eased, and she smiled when she turned back to face Mabel. “Well, looks as if that problem just solved itself.”
Mabel laughed. “Seems as if it all worked out.”
Hazel held up a pair of boots from the back of the store and waved them at her. “When did you get these in?”
Violet lifted her head and said, “Last week,” before turning back to Mabel. “You didn’t say anything to—”
Mabel cut her off before she could finish her sentence. “—Oh, heavens no. I didn’t say anything to anyone about anything.”
Violet smiled. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure, Violet. Now,” she said, pushing the basket across the counter.
“About these preserves. I thought they might be put to use for our Founders Day celebration, but standing and baking for long periods does my back in. Do you think Daisy would be interested in making some pies or tarts with them?”
Violet smiled and grabbed the handle of the basket. “I’m sure she’d love to, Mabel.”
“Oh, good. I’m sure she gets bored staying cooped up in that big old house all day and thought this might give her something to occupy her time.”
“Well, with gramps in and out, she has plenty to keep her occupied.”
They shared a laugh before Mabel finally said her goodbyes. When she grabbed Hazel and left, Violet rounded the counter and walked to the window, the smile on her face so wide her cheeks ached.
She saw Josiah, one shoulder braced against the pole holding up the roof over the small porch of the jail, his arms crossed over his wide chest as he looked down the street toward the saloon.
His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and the corded muscles in his forearms were tanned a golden brown from the sun. His hands under his biceps made the muscles bulge and her eyes drank him in as if she were starved.
The top two buttons of his shirt were unhooked at his neck, which left a small patch of skin visible, and her fingers itched to unhook the rest in order to see the entirety of his wide chest.
Once upon a time, she’d thought he was the perfect man. He was tall, kind, and courageous. Brave too. It took a certain kind of man to take the position as a lawman way out here in the wilds of Montana.
He was the type of man that looked strong and capable of almost anything and was so handsome her pulse leaped wildly every time he looked her way, despite the fact she knew he didn’t see her as anything other than the woman who runs the mercantile with her sister.
She couldn’t remember how long she’d watched him when he first arrived in town, but it had turned into an obsession she knew wasn’t healthy so, she said goodbye to her crush on Josiah Lincoln and moved on.