Page 57 of His Unforgettable Bride
As far as he knew, she only had one encounter. “Me, perhaps.”
She patted his sleeve. “I’m sorry. That was thoughtless of me. But at least I have the note Ruby wrote me.”
“Aah. Evidence.”
“Maybe.” They resumed walking. “I’m thinking about telling the sisters tomorrow.”
“Why not today?”
“Usually, I rush forward willy-nilly, and it’s time to stop behaving rashly.” She paused, then heaved a sigh. “The truth is, I’m afraid I’ll lose my job over this.”
“Tabitha and Livy adore you. They would never fire you over something that is not your fault.”
She nodded, though not convincingly. “Either way, I don’t want to put them in danger. And that’s exactly what my presence in their home will do.”
“We do not know that for certain.” Yes, Ruby had made threats, but surely they could find a way to stop her if they worked together. “When you speak with the sisters, I shall gladly accompany you.”
They had reached the bottom of the hill, and she softly smiled. “Thank you. This is where we part, and I will see you later.”
He tipped his hat and watched her approach the emporium, a stand-alone structure across the street. The white two-story building featured black trim and three empty benches beneath the same number of windows on the front porch. Huckleberry Emporium was written across the upper level in bold print.
A wide, weed-filled footpath to the shop’s right led to the Fraser River. The words Haney’s Hardware scribbled on a board leaned against the outside wall of a square log-built building next door.
After entering, Gray requested the nails from a friendly shopkeeper on duty. They conversed about the mild weather and the price of hammers before he reentered the sunshine with his purchase in tow. When he glanced at the emporium, he discovered Juliet sitting on a front wooden bench, her shoulders slumped with apparent dejection.
His muscles tightened with the need to comfort her and make everything better. Suddenly, a new memory flashed through his thoughts of a girl crying. No, she was sobbing, and he was ignoring her. Another fellow knelt beside the girl, trying to ease her pain while shouting angry words at Gray.
His heart raced at the vividness of the memory, even if the faces were blurry. The same strange despair he had felt previously pulsed to the surface. Who was the sobbing girl of his past that he had ignored? Had she been a sister? A friend? And the fellow? A brother? Or another friend?
He did not know, nor could he place them. But one thing was quite evident—that he had been a selfish and insensitive cad in his former life. Although he had sensed this possibility before, he could no longer deny the truth.
Nor could he ignore Juliet, who required his full attention now as she wept. He would have to ponder the new revelation about himself later.
* * *
Juliet stood and tried to drag in a breath that would chase away her insecurities, but with the fancy new teapot in the basket at her side, she could only think about Ruby’s threat to torch the tearoom.
It was one thing to face danger herself. She’d confronted it often enough throughout her life that it was no stranger. But she couldn’t bear to bring harm to the sisters. Should she move on before she did so?
Yet the thought of leaving this place and the ladies wrenched Juliet’s heart, bringing a sharp pain to her chest. She had already lost so much that she’d loved in her life. How could she bear to lose more?
“Juliet?” Gray’s call drew her attention. Concern etched his handsome face. “Is something amiss?”
Gray. The pain in her chest radiated, and she nearly wobbled. She couldn’t leave him, either. Absolutely couldn’t. Her heart wouldn’t survive losing his friendship, at least not easily.
“It is obvious that something troubles you.” He gestured toward a footpath running between the emporium and the hardware store. “Let us find a private place to talk, shall we?”
Even though sweeping and mopping the kitchen before supper still waited for her back at the house, she followed Gray down a well-trodden route to the water, a chilly breeze swaying the long weeds. Soon, they sat side-by-side in the dried and withered grass on the riverbank in the shade of a paint-peeled fish shanty. The basket with the new teapot, the nails, and the borrowed hats sat beside them on the ground.
A steamboat chugged past. Alongside and behind it, natives paddled two canoes. Had Ruby left town this morning on a vessel? Or did she still linger in Everly?
“Will you tell me what is discouraging you, though I assume the answer is Ruby?” Gray leaned back on his elbow, the breeze teasing his thick hair as he ran his splayed hand through the dried grass.
She’d lost people and homes before, and she’d survived. If she had to move on, she would survive again, wouldn’t she? She leaned back into the grass on her side next to him. The loamy earth filled the air as she propped her head with her hand.
“Tell me.” His voice was soft and pleading and much too hard to resist.
“Has anyone informed you that you are good at issuing orders?” She tried for a lighter tone.
