Chapter 1 #2
Violet watched Josiah stare back at her through the window and wished she could start the entire day over. She would have never stepped foot out of her house.
Standing by her front gate as the stagecoach barreled through town hadn’t been anything new. Why she’d even stopped to watch it, she’ll never know, but seeing Edwin hanging out the window and yelling her name would forever be etched into her brain.
She turned from the window and heaved a breath before pasting on a fake smile, her irritation growing when Edwin stood there grinning at her as if his world were perfect.
Maybe Josiah was right and Edwin was just passing through town. Or he had, in fact, come to learn some things about the business management of the store.
She knew both of those assumptions were wrong the moment his gaze traveled the length of her body and back a few times, the look in his eyes glossing over a bit.
“You’re prettier than I remember, Violet.”
“Um, thank you.” She threw a look at Rose, who was standing behind the counter now. At least her sister looked remorseful at having to call her to come into the store. Rose knew why he was here and that look alone told her Josiah was wrong.
She cleared her throat and looked back at Edwin. “I’m surprised to see you here. What brings you all the way to Silver Falls?”
He straightened, throwing his shoulders back, and grinned. “You did, Violet.”
Something died inside of her at his words. Images of her ma popped into her head, her lovely face beaming down at her as she said, “Nice girls aren’t rude regardless of the situation.”
She’d done as told growing up, but her ma was gone now and those rules didn’t apply in her adult world. They couldn’t.
“I’m afraid I don’t, Edwin. I must say, seeing you here is a complete surprise.”
He stepped toward her and it took everything in her not to run. When he stopped way too close to her, she held her breath when he opened his mouth to speak.
“My pa’s doing poorly,” he said.
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
He nodded. “Thank you.” He inhaled a breath and gave her a tiny smile. “His health is getting worse, and he wants me married and with a family, so I won’t be left here all alone when he’s gone, so…here I am!”
His grin was so wide now she could almost see every tooth in his mouth. She knew what he meant by that statement and it was exactly as she’d expected, but played dumb. “I’m not sure I follow, Edwin. What does your being here have to do with your pa’s dying wish?”
He gave her a wink. “I’m here to get married, Violet.”
“Oh!” she feigned happiness. “That’s wonderful news, Edwin. Who’s the lucky lady?”
He chuckled. “You always were a funny girl, Violet.” In a move bolder than she thought he’d ever have the courage to do, he reached out and cupped her cheek.
Her heart started pounding as she took a step away, his hand hanging in mid-air a moment before he lowered it.
She glanced at Rose, secretly asking her for help, but her sister didn’t say a word. The room started to go hazy her pulse was racing so fast, dizziness making her knees wobbly. She needed to sit down.
Rushing out of the store, she plopped down on the first bench she saw along the sidewalk and inhaled a big breath, drawing in the clean fresh scent of flowers and new grass. The air outside was getting warmer, the sun shining in a cloudless sky.
How had such a perfect day gone so wrong?
Summer had finally come to Silver Falls. A glance up at the mountain told her the warmth was here to stay. The ice that usually clung to the rocks had melted, the waterfall rushing over the side in a torrential downpour flowing full force now and, if she quieted long enough, she could hear it.
There was a clear view of it from where she sat. The jail was across from the store but it sat to the side enough that it didn’t spoil her view of the waterfall and she would have been content to sit there all day had movement from her right not caught her attention.
Her gaze darted to the jail. Josiah was on the porch, staring down the street, but his head turned her way when she heard Edwin join her on the porch. When he stepped into view and got down on one knee in front of her, saying, “Violet, will you—,” she screamed to cut him off and jumped to her feet.
A step back put some distance between them, but he was still on one knee staring at her as if she’d hung the sun just for him. She blew out a frustrated breath.
Like most girls, she dreamed of being married. Her pa had made her and her sister's hope chests and hers was so full, she had to sit on the lid to get it latched, and never in her wildest dreams did she think she’d be turning down a marriage proposal but…she was.
At twenty-three, and with no other offers in sight, she should be ecstatic someone wanted to marry her but standing there looking at Edwin, all she felt was panic.
There wasn’t anything really wrong with Edwin, he was just—not who she had envisioned her future husband to be as a girl.
He wasn’t the tall, dark-haired rogue who came in and rescued her, whisking her away to his ranch out in the middle of nowhere where they’d live happily ever after.
He was just—Edwin. The irritating skinny boy who followed her around in Elkin that she was nice to because her ma told her to be.
He wasn’t who she wanted.
He wasn’t Josiah Lincoln.
She resisted the urge to glance over at him and kept her attention on Edwin instead. “I still don’t understand why you’re here, Edwin. Why would you think I’d marry you? I’ve not seen you in over eight years.”
His brow scrunched. “Well, we always said we’d get married one day.”
Uh, no we didn’t. She tilted her head while looking at him. “I remember all our conversations from when we were children, Edwin, and I don’t ever recall saying I’d marry you.”
His brow rose. “Sure you did.”
“Noooo,” she said, stretching the word out. “I never once said I’d marry you.”
He scratched his head as if confused and maybe he was, especially if he’d spent the last, however many years, thinking they were engaged.
What if this is the only proposal you ever receive?
The thought gave her a moment of true panic. Was this her only chance at a family? Visions of a life being married to Edwin had her on the verge of running. To flee clean to the other end of the valley and never stop.
Regardless of wanting a family someday, she didn’t want that life with Edwin. Besides, running now didn’t mean he’d leave.
She inhaled a calming breath and gave him what she hoped came off as a friendly smile. “I’m sorry, Edwin, but I’m afraid you’re mistaken. I never agreed to marry you.”
He climbed to his feet and smiled at her as if he were calming a child having a temper tantrum and grabbed her hand. “I remember our conversations too, Violet, and we talked about getting married dozens of times.”
“No, we didn’t.”
“Sure we did.”
“Did you ever say, “Violet, will you marry me?”
He stared at her a moment, his brows lowering as if in thought. “Well, I don’t know if I ever said it quite like that, but you knew what I meant.”
“Nooo…I don’t think so. You may have thought I did, but I never said, ‘Yes, Edwin, I’ll marry you someday.’”
“But you never said you wouldn’t, so that’s practically an agreement.”
She pulled her hand out of his own and laughed. She couldn’t help it. Did he really think just because he talked about marrying her and her not saying anything about it meant she was agreeing?
“Edwin, that’s not how life works. Besides…how do you even know I’m not already married?”
“Because I ask Tanner about you every time he comes to town for your store supplies. If you had gotten married, he would have told me.”
Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.
Josiah was still leaning against the porch post holding the roof up in front of the jail.
He was too far away to see the look in his eyes, but she knew he was finding this too amusing to ignore.
Why else would he still be outside watching this spectacle?
“Violet.” Edwin grabbed her hand again and gave it a light squeeze. “I know this feels sudden to you and maybe you just don’t remember things as I do, but even so, the fact remains that I’m here now to marry you and that’s what I aim to do.”
Her heart started pounding again as her entire life flashed before her eyes. A life that involved Edwin and living in Elkin. She barely held back a shudder and turned her head to look for any escape she could find.
She saw it a moment later and latched onto it for dear life. “I’m sorry, Edwin, but I really can’t marry you.” She turned back to face him and looked him in the eye. “You see, I already have a fiance.”
The shocked expression on his face only lasted a moment. “You already have a fiance?”
“Yes, I do.” She tried to temper her voice to let him know she was sorry she couldn’t marry him but took another step away from the bench. “I’m afraid you’ve come all this way for nothing.”
Edwin scratched his head and squinted at her before slowly shaking his head. “Tanner never said you got engaged.”
“Oh, well, um…that’s because it just happened.”
His eyes narrowed as he stared at her. “I’m not sure I believe you, Violet.”
She gasped dramatically and placed her hand against her chest. “Are you calling me a liar?”
“No.” His lips thinned into a white slash across his face. “But I want to meet him. Where is this man you’re supposed to marry?”
She swallowed to moisten her suddenly dry throat before lifting her arm and pointing across the road. “He’s right over there.