Joline's Redemption (20 page)

Baron was right about his brother, but at the moment, all she could think about was Mark's return. All manner of thoughts raced through her mind. She should leave town right away, but she couldn't. Not yet. Maybe if she stayed at the ranch, Mark wouldn't know she was there. But people talked—and what if one of those women she had helped came in the store when he was here and asked about her? What if Alma Lou returned looking for her when Mark was here? What if—Jo reined in her runaway thoughts and noticed Baron's troubled expression. A bolt of compassion surged through her. “I'm sorry that Mark has caused so many problems that you've had to deal with.”

Baron shrugged. “I'm used to it.”

“I'm still sorry.” She'd been so adrift when Mark left her that she had never considered how his abandoning the store might affect his family. But it was her family she needed to think of now. She nibbled her lip, wondering if she should voice her thoughts. Talking things out often helped, but she wasn't used to relying on others—and she didn't want to sound like a frantic mother. Still … “I'm concerned that if Mark learns he has a son, he will decide to take him from me.”

Baron's eyes widened for a moment. “I honestly don't believe he would do that, but I know more than most what means my brother will go to in order to get what he wants. To be safe, you need to go back to your sister's ranch and stay there. I'll pay you for the days you were supposed to work, but I don't want you here where anyone else can see you until Mark leaves town.”

“While I appreciate your generosity, I can't accept it. But I do think it's a wise thing to stay away from the store for the time being. The fewer people who question me about Mark, the fewer there will be to mention me to him.”

“I'll do my best to get rid of him.”

“How? What will you say to him?”

He shrugged. “I don't know yet, but I'll think of something. He won't want to hang around here unless he has a good reason.”

“What do you think he'll do if he finds out about Jamie?”

Baron rubbed his hand over his clean-shaven jaw. “I don't know for certain, but I imagine he will be enamored with him at first, but then as usual, he'll probably run away from his responsibility.”

“That sounds like Mark.” And running away was exactly what he'd done when he learned she was carrying his child. That was better than what he'd done the first two times she'd told him she was pregnant. She tensed at the painful memories.

“Jo, look at me.”

She did as asked and was touched by the compassion in Baron's eyes.

“I know how to deal with Mark. Trust me to take care of him and to protect you and Jamie.”

Tears blurred her eyes. No man other than her father and grandpa had protected her and asked nothing in return. But then, who was to say he wouldn't ask something of her later? No, she didn't want to believe that, but she'd been wrong before—with devastating results. She backed away, not wanting to think how protected she'd felt, if only for a moment. “Thank you. I suppose I should get back to work.”

“Why don't you go home?”

She shook her head. “I can't. I need the money too bad.”

“Might I ask why?”

She realized that she'd said too much. Of course he'd be curious. She scrambled for a response. “I … uh … can't stay at Lara's forever. She has a growing family and doesn't need the three of us underfoot.”

“From what I've seen of your sister, I think she enjoys having you there.”

“Maybe so. But haven't you ever heard the saying, ‘After three days, fish and family stink'?”

Baron chuckled. “Fish always stink.”

Jo smiled. “True, but they are fun to catch. Grandpa, Michael, and I used to fish the creek near our house in Caldwell.”

“That's an interesting concept—a woman fishing. I'd like to see that sometime.”

Jo warmed under his stare then realized she was still gazing into his eyes and pushed her feet into motion. Mark's brother was the last man on earth she should be exchanging glances with. She hid away in the supply room for the next hour, unpacking several crates of new supplies and listing them in the inventory ledger.

The front bell dinged, and she heard footsteps as more than one person entered. Jo stiffened.

“I'm tellin' you, Hank, you really oughta consider riding in the land run. My cousin, Buster Holmes, got him a nice claim in the run last April.”

“I'll think on it, but Bertha doesn't wanna move again. She likes it here. And there's no guarantee I'd win a claim.”

As Jo listed the last item, her pen paused. If not for the run of '89, she probably never would have met Mark. She thought back to the day she'd first met him, back when she lived in Caldwell. He was handsome—enchanting—and he told her that her red dress looked good with her complexion. But then she had turned and looked him fully in the face, and when he saw her eyes, he changed his mind and stated that blue was her best color. She'd been young then and upset with her sister. And she'd just learned that Alma Lou was getting married and chose someone else to be her maid of honor. That both hurt and angered her. Mark had charmed her and made her forget her troubles for a time. Later, when she left her family and went to Guthrie, looking for work and a place to live, she'd run into him again in his store, which was housed in a tent at the time. She gladly accepted his job offer, and only a week later, they got married.

The snap of her pencil breaking jarred her from her thoughts. What a naive fool she'd been. Pushing the ledger aside, she reached for a lantern she'd just unpacked and a cloth she'd previously set on the desk. She wiped off the glass and base. The globe rattled as she set it on the base. Jo stared at her shaking hand. Mark had done this to her. Could Baron get rid of him as he vowed? Or would Mark discover she was nearby and force himself back into her life? Why did life have to be so uncertain?

Why couldn't she have been more like Lara? More genteel and less stubborn? Quieter and happy rather than dissatisfied and adventurous? Why did she have to fall for two men who had charmed her, used her, and then battered her if she displeased them? Tears stung her eyes, igniting her ire. She batted at them. Tears never helped a thing, and she hated them.

“Jo?”

She jumped and turned away.

“Are you all right?”

“I'm fine.” She cleared her throat. “Just finished listing the new stock in the ledger.”

“Well, if you're certain you're fine, I'll head back out front.” Baron stood there a moment then finally left.

Jo blew out a loud sigh. She probably would be better off if she went home, but she wasn't a quitter.

Baron's footsteps strode her way again.

Jo slid off the stool, swiped her damp lashes once more, and bent over a crate.

“I've been thinking of something. It's not like Mark to let me know he's coming. Normally, he just shows up. It's got me wondering if he might be trying to trick me into thinking that he's coming on the fourteenth.”

Curious, Jo straightened and turned to face him, hoping her nose wasn't beet red. “Trick you?”

Baron nodded. “It wouldn't surprise me if he arrives in town sooner than he indicated in the telegram.”

Jo's heart jolted. “How much sooner?”

He shrugged. “I have no idea, but I don't think you should come to work tomorrow—just in case.”

“You don't think he'll arrive today, do you?”

“Not if he comes by train, which is his normal mode of travel. There are no arrivals today, but there's one due tomorrow.”

Jo squeezed her hands together, trying to decide what to do. The last thing she wanted, next to running into Badger, was encountering Mark again. Maybe she should return to Lara's. But then, she couldn't make the money she needed if she didn't work. Lifting her chin, she looked Baron in the eye. “I'll go ahead and finish out today.”

“If you're sure.”

She nodded. “I am—although I may spend more time back here.”

“That's a good idea. The storeroom could stand a good straightening and cleaning. I've been so focused on the front of the store that I've hardly done a thing back here.”

Jo smiled. “Thank you. You're a kind man, Baron Hillborne.”

He returned her smile as he stood a bit taller. “Thank you. Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will. And when no one's in the store, I'll probably set some things that need to be stocked on the end of the counter.”

“Sounds good. I think I'll get one of the ten-pound bags of rice and resize it to one five-pound and the rest in single-pound bags. The ammunition case needs refilling, so you might check what we're low on and pull out those boxes as you find them.”

“All right.” She watched him turn and disappear into the other room. He was a kind man—unlike anyone she'd met in a long while. The gentle way he spoke to her reminded her of Grandpa, not that their voices were the same, but the tone was similar. Too bad she hadn't met Baron before Mark, but then she would have been far too young for the man. He must be at least ten years older than she.

She stamped her foot. What in the world was she thinking? She wasn't interested in any man—especially Mark's brother.

After the Sunday service, Jack sat on the front bench of the McGradys' buggy, along with Phillip McGrady, while his wife sat in back with Nick and Lee, telling them a story about the first time she rode a horse. Jack glanced over his shoulder to check on the boys. Nick was actually smiling, and Lee had laid his head against the woman's arm.

Jack turned around, feeling more at peace than he had since first meeting Mr. Beatty in Comstock's General Store. He'd prayed last night and again this morning and truly believed the boys were meant to go with Phillip and Emily.

Jack pointed toward the street they approached. “Turn left up there, and then Cora's house is the third on the left.”

“It was nice of your lady friend to invite us to dine with her.”

“She's merely a friend, not”—he waved his hand in the air—“a lady friend.”

Phillip glanced at him. “Forgive me for saying this, Pastor, but I'm not sure she feels that way.”

Jack peeked at the boys again, glad they were fully engaged in Emily's passionate tale. He leaned close to Phillip, keeping his voice low. “What do you mean?”

Phillip grinned. “You really don't know?” He shot Jack a quick glance then focused on turning the team.

“Know what?”

“And Emily thought I was blind when it came to romance.” Shaking his head, Phillip chuckled softly. “That woman is in love with you.”

Jack felt as if someone had walloped him in the chest with a fifty-pound bag of feed. Was that why Cora seemed to show up every time he stepped outside? Why she brought him goodies and wanted to spend time with him? He blew out a sigh.

“It's not a death sentence, you know. Unless you don't feel the same.”

He liked Cora—a lot—but did he love her? He wasn't even sure what love felt like. The only people who'd ever loved him had been his family, but he ran away from them when the pain of what he'd done had become overwhelming. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “I don't have anything to give a woman. Don't even have a house of my own.” He couldn't tell the man that his job was in jeopardy, too. Nor could he talk about the restlessness he'd felt of late. There was something God wanted him to do, but he didn't yet know what it was or where that task might take him. How could he commit to a woman with that hanging over his head?

“A home is important, but your relationship with the woman is foremost. If you truly love her, you'll find a way to make things work.”

But did he love Cora? He did enjoy her cooking and appreciated her help with the boys. She was a good woman, whom any man should be proud to call his own, but was she the woman for him? And that remained the crux of the matter. He didn't know.

“Emily and I were dirt poor when we first started out. All we had was the homestead my uncle sold me the rights to. But now we have a nice house, a barn, and over a hundred head of cattle. We're doing all right for ourselves—except that we haven't been able to have children.”

“I think you've solved that problem this weekend.”

Phillip's gaze shot to his. “Are you saying what I think you are?”

Jack nodded. “I am.” He pointed to a light yellow house. “That's the Sommerses' house.”

A wide grin spread across Phillip's face as he slowed the wagon in front of Cora's home. “Whoa, Fred. Sadie.”

Jack tied the team to the hitching post while Phillip helped Emily and Lee from the buggy. Nick hopped out on his own. Jack winked at him, but the boy's expression remained sober. He was smart enough to know what was happening. Maybe he needed to have a talk with the boy.