Second Chance Brides (36 page)

“Hmm…” Luke stared at Billy, who suddenly smiled.

“That schoolteacher sure is pretty,” the boy said.

Luke finally cracked a smile and nodded. “She is at that.”

Jack stared at her plate. She ought to tell Luke that Billy was lying about Butch, but then she’d have to admit to being in the alley with him. Maybe that wasn’t so bad. She’d had a chance to do something wrong and had walked away from it. Wouldn’t Luke be proud that she’d done that?

On second thought, she oughta just keep quiet. What would Billy do to her if he knew she’d tattled on him?

She took a bite of buttery biscuit. Maybe Butch would be at school tomorrow. If so, she’d find a way to talk to him and tell him she was sorry.

Luke pushed away from the table. “I reckon I oughta go talk to that Laird boy. Somehow I’ve got to make him see that he can’t steal from decent folk. I thought I’d gotten through to him last time I talked to him, but I guess I was wrong.”

Her ma stood and hugged him. “Be careful, sugar. I just got me a new husband, and I aim to keep him a while.”

Luke stared into her ma’s eyes, and Jack knew if they’d been alone, he would have kissed her. Yuck! Why did grownups do that so often? Seemed a good way to get sick, if you asked her.

Maybe when she talked to Butch, she’d warn him about Billy. It hadn’t taken the Morgan boy long to figure out exactly whom to pin blame on for his own misdeeds. As much as it surprised her, she actually felt sorry for Butch.

Shannon stared at the ledger book, but the numbers all blurred together. The Corbetts had left three days ago and were due back tomorrow. She’d seen Mark just before they left, and the longing gaze he’d given her had made her toes tingle. But she couldn’t dwell on that.

She finished recording the last of the orders and blew the ink dry. She left the ledger open while she filed away the order forms. There wasn’t much left to do here, so she might as well go back to the boardinghouse—or maybe she’d go check on Dan and see how he and the children were doing.

She stared out the window at the livery. How in the world was he managing to run a business and tend to five children? How could Leah just up and leave him like she had?

The bell jingled over the door, and Rand walked in, looking tall and a bit apprehensive.

“Good afternoon.” Shannon smiled. “What brings you to town midweek?”

He tipped his hat and then removed it, twisting the brim with his big hands. “I met a man here who wanted to buy a couple of horses. He lives on the other side of town, so Lookout was about halfway for both of us.”

She nodded. “That makes good sense.” She forced herself to stand still and not fidget. Rand was a kind man, but she couldn’t help wondering what he wanted.

“You’re working late.”

“I had some orders I wanted to get recorded before the Corbett brothers return tomorrow.”

He glanced out the front window and then back at her. “I was…uh…wondering if you would…uh…have supper with me.”

“Today?” As soon as she’d spoken, she realized what a dumb question it was. Of course, he meant today.

He nodded, his ears turning red. “Yep, I thought we’d eat at Polly’s.”

Excitement battled with hesitation. Would she be leading him on by dining with him? But then again, she’d decided to marry the next man who asked her, and she couldn’t do much better than Rand. He was well respected in the town and known for his ethical dealings as a businessman. Besides, if she were to marry him, she’d live on his ranch and only get to town a few times a month, if that much. Mark Corbett would be out of sight, and hopefully out of mind. She nodded.

Rand grinned and blew out a breath. “You took so long to answer I was certain you’d say no.”

“Well, I’ve nearly finished all the work there is to do here, but I should let Mrs. Davis know I won’t be taking supper with her.”

“If you need to finish up here, I can run over and tell her.” His blue-gray eyes looked eager to please.

Shannon nodded and closed the ledger.

“Be right back.” Rand scurried out the door and down the boardwalk.

She tried to imagine life with him, but Mark’s smiling blue eyes intruded into her mind. She grabbed the broom from the corner and swept the dust from the floor as she brushed Mark from her mind.

Rand soon returned and escorted her to Polly’s Café, where they took a seat and ordered the house special, pot roast. He spun tales of his ranch that made her long to see it. “Rolling hills as far as the eyes can see, and when we get a good rain, the grass greens up and wildflowers pop up all over the place. My ma loved all those flowers and used to put vases of them around the house. I never did figure out how she had time to gather them when she had so much other work to do.”

“What type of work?” Shannon ventured to ask.

“Well, she cooked for all the workers, maintained our home, and sewed many of our clothes. There was even a time when we first came here that she would make her own fabric, but once the ranch started turning a profit, Pa insisted she work less and buy her fabric in town.”

Shannon toyed with the edge of her napkin. She could never cook for a crew of hungry cowboys. She barely knew how to cook at all. Maybe this wasn’t such a grand idea.

“Of course, now we have a cook who fixes meals for our workers. I generally eat down there now that my folks are gone.”

She wondered if he was lonely in his big house all alone. But then he saw his workers every day and probably was glad to get away from them for a time.

“I heard that Dan Howard came back from Dallas with a whole wagon filled with kids. That right?”

Shannon nodded. “Aye, five of them.”

“Whew! That’s quite a lot when you’re not used to any of them. I bet he’s sure glad he’s getting married soon.”

Shannon pressed her lips together. Evidently Rand had only heard part of the town’s gossip, but she wasn’t about to mention Leah’s decision to call off the wedding. She still didn’t understand how her friend could leave the man she loved in such a lurch. Leah had hardly left her room, and when she did, it was obvious she’d been crying.

They talked about menial things as they ate their food, and then Rand escorted Shannon back to the boardinghouse. “Do you like working at the freight office?”

She bristled. He had no idea what a loaded question that was.

“I mean, I just wondered. I know some women enjoy working a job, but most I know prefer tending their home.”

“I work because I must support myself.” Working for the Corbetts was no longer her ideal job, but it paid her room and board and gave her a wee bit extra. “I like doing the book work. I find it quite rewarding.”

Rand nodded. “My ma used to help my pa with our bookkeeping. She always said she was better at calculating than he.” A soft smile tugged at his lips, and he seemed lost in his memories.

Someone was playing the piano in the boardinghouse parlor, and the lively jig switched to a slow tune. The soft music set Shannon in a mood for romance. Her thoughts shifted to Mark, but just as fast, she tugged them back to the man beside her. She could make a life with Rand; she felt sure of it. He was kind, thoughtful, and, she suspected, a good provider. His clothing was always nice, albeit a bit dust-coated, and his boots looked well worn but cared for. If he treated his wife as well, she could live a decent life. She sighed. Maybe not the one she’d dreamed of, but she’d finally have a home. If he asked her to marry him, she would say yes.

“You mind watching the sunset with me?”

Shannon swallowed hard and shook her head. Rand turned left on Bluebonnet Lane, and they walked to the edge of town and stood, watching the sunset. Pink and orange hues turned deep purple as the light left the sky. A near-full moon took up where the sun left off. Crickets sang in the tall grass along the side of the road, and in the distance, a coyote howled.

“I reckon we oughta get back. Thank you for walking with me, Shannon.”

“My pleasure.” She smiled, captured by the intensity of Rand’s expression. Her heart thumped.

He looked as if he was trying to say something but couldn’t quite figure out how to do it. Suddenly, he yanked off his hat and held it in front of him, as if guarding his heart. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but I wondered if you would consent to marry me. I’ve got a nice ranch house, and you’d be comfortable there. We’re close enough that you could come to town once in a while to visit with your friends, and there’s all the beef you could ever want to eat.”

Shannon’s stomach clenched, and her heart nearly leapt from her chest. A rather unconventional marriage proposal, but ’twas what she wanted, was it not?

She had to be practical. Rand wasn’t the man she loved, but she needed a home, and his was as good as any. Her head nodded, but her heart still argued. Was she making the biggest mistake of her life?

C
HAPTER
28

Y
ou kids had better hurry, or you’ll be late for school.” Luke eyed Jack, even though she knew he was talking to the Morgans, too.

She swigged down the last of her milk and stood. “All right. I’m goin’.”

Billy and Tessa followed her into the kitchen, where they all retrieved their lunch pails. They clomped down the hall toward the front door. Jack hated this part of the day, with a full morning of lessons ahead. She longed to run over to the newspaper office and see if Jenny Evans had any work she could do. Ever since Jack had helped the newspaper lady at the bride contest, Jenny occasionally let her assist her or sell papers.

“Jack, hold up a minute.”

She turned to see her papa had followed them to the door.

“You kids go on; I want to talk to my daughter a moment.”

Billy eyed them with curiosity but shrugged his shoulders and walked outside with his sister.

“I wanted you to know that I was finally able to get over to see that Laird boy yesterday evening. He claims he didn’t steal that pie—that he wasn’t even in town.”

Jack’s mouth went dry. Should she tell him it was Billy? What would he do to her if he found out she’d told? She had a feeling he wasn’t the kind of person to go easy on someone who’d gotten him in trouble.

Luke shook his head. “I don’t know as I believe Butch, but he did look sincere. If he was lying, he sure fooled me. Well, anyhow, I wanted you to know I talked with him. Don’t think he’ll be causing any more trouble, since they’re leaving town.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mr. Laird sold all his hog stock, and he and his boy were packing a wagon. Guess they figured the boy had caused enough trouble in town that they’d best move on. Wise decision, if you ask me.”

Butch was leaving? The thought partly made her want to cheer, but it also made her feel bad, for some odd reason. Was it her fault they were leaving their home? How could she ever apologize to Butch if he was gone? She’d have to find a way to go over and see him before he left. If she didn’t repent of her sins and apologize to him, would she go to hell when she died? She swallowed hard, her breakfast churning in her belly.

“You all right, half bit? I thought you’d be thrilled at the news.”

She forced a smile. “Oh, I am. But I need to get to school. Wouldn’t want to be late, would I?”

Luke eyed her as if he didn’t quite believe her, and at times like this, she so wished her new papa wasn’t a lawman. He was too perceptive. She scurried out the door and shut it behind her. How was she going to talk to Butch?

“Wait till you see this,
Jacqueline.”

She hated the snide way Billy said her name, but curiosity pushed her feet in his direction. He pointed to the bank wall, and what she saw on the side of it froze her to the road. Her heart pounded like the hooves of a runaway horse.

Billy hee-hawed. “Ain’t that a hoot?”

“I don’t think that’s very nice thing to do,” Tessa said.

Jack wanted to close her eyes, but the giant, barn red letters stared back at her: J
ACK
is
A LIAR
.

Tessa gasped and pointed across the street. “Look, it’s not just on the bank. It’s also on our new store. Mama isn’t gonna like that.”