Page 16 of The Marshal's Bride
“Quack!” The sound brought a smile to her face. A quick scan of the area showed Hope had moved from the table and was pressing her small body to the window, her nose flattened against the glass. She pressed her small hand against the glass and pounded against it. “Quack, quack!”
Justine peered out the window to see Sam walking over to the livery. Hope pounded on the glass once more. “Don’t do that, darling. We can go visit him.” Lifting Hope onto her hip, Justine walked back to the register.
Maybe Marmee was right. If she could explain her situation, perhaps he would marry her in name only until she could make him love her. All she would ask is that he continue to invest his time in Hope, and she’d do anything he wanted in return.
“Rose, can I get some of the black licorice and lemon drops that Ranger and the marshal prefer? They’re always giving Hope treats she enjoys.”
“I’ll get you a nickel’s worth. Do you want me to have Nate bring everything over to the apartment for you?”
Hope kept pointing out the window. She was nearly vibrating with her need to leave the store, making Justine laugh. “That would be most helpful. I’ll take the candies with me.” Glancing around, she nodded to herself that she hadn’t forgotten anything. Which was silly; they visited often, and the walking was good for Hope too.
Rose handed Justine a paper bag. “I’ll bill your account and you can settle up at the end of the month.”
“Thank you. Come on, Hope, we’ll go say hello.”
The tinkling of the bell above the door heralded their exit from the mercantile. Hope was bouncing on her mother’s hip, demanding to be let down.You asked for a sign, Justine thought, while they crossed the street. As they approached the front of the livery, she saw Sam talking to Hiram and Ranger.
“QUACK!” Hope practically shouted, making Justine jump. The little girl struggled to be put down as Sam’s head came up. His eyes searched for her, and Justine’s breath caught in her throat.
Jacob had never been that attentive to what Hope needed. He hadn’t even been that attentive to Justine, not after she found out she was pregnant. It was unkind to consider that for him, attention and love were just boxes being checked off on his chore list of things to do for life.
She’d loved him and often put his needs ahead of hers. That changed when Hope was born. The baby had to come first. If she was honest, she believed that’s why he’d gone to the horse corral the day he died. Hope had a spring cold, and her teeth were coming in. She’d been clingy and fussy, and he’d been bothered that she wouldn’t quiet down.
Sam was completely different. His attention had been there since that very first day when they boarded the stagecoach.
“Quack!” Justine let go of Hope, and she grinned when the little girl bolted straight into the group of men, arms up, demanding that Sam collect her.
“I see someone’s already got you wrapped around her little finger,” Hiram laughed. “Good luck with that, my friend.”
“I don’t know that you can talk, Hiram. I’ve seen you with Amy and Charity,” Ranger teased.
“Just wait until Sadie makes demands on your time.” Hiram and Sam laughed, Ranger’s grin telling the world that Sadie had already made her demands known.
“The three of you gathered at this hour of the day can only mean trouble. At least Sheriff Hartman isn’t here.” Justine stood at the entrance of the alleyway, leaning against the barn wall, and watched the camaraderie. Hope was happy to sit on Sam’s hip, patting his face with her small hand and planting open mouth kisses against his cheek.
“Why is it my arrival is the one that signals trouble?” Sheriff Hartman’s voice startled her. Stepping up beside her, he grinned.
Justine stood up straight and looked at Whitney. “Nope, whatever it is today, I don’t want to hear about it. I’ll just take Hope home, and one of you can let me know what’s happening tomorrow. Unless it’s about June. Are June and the children all right?” She felt the panic rising inside of her.
“June and the children are just fine,” Ranger soothed her. “There’s really nothing for you to worry about. We’re all friends and sometimes we have enough time to gather.”
Her eyes cut to Sam’s. He wasn’t countering what Ranger had said, but there was concern in his gaze that cut right through her.
“Then we will leave you to it. Come on, Hope, let’s go home.” When Sam didn’t set her down, Justine took a deep breath, nodded her head, and waited for him to cross the livery. “You know she can walk.”
“I do. I can also just carry her up the stairs.” He turned back to Hiram and the others. “I’ll be down in a minute. You know, there would be less concern for the women in this town if there was a diner for us to converge in, instead of standing at the front of your livery.”
“Ooooh, Sam Davis!” Justine couldn’t hold her feelings in anymore. She stomped up the stairs to the apartment with a swish of her skirt, letting the door slam behind her. He would bring Hope up, but right now, she needed a minute. He knew exactly what he was doing and how to hurt her with his words. Of all the people she thought she could trust, now she wondered.
Chapter Six
Sam bounced Hope on his hip as he watched Justine flounce up the steps. It was hard to hide his grin as he admired her cadence right up to the slamming of the door.
“You’ve done it now, friend,” Ranger said.
“But am I wrong?” Sam tapped Hope on the nose, bouncing her until she giggled. “Let me get this little one sorted and then we can take a stroll over to Miss Marcy’s. You know June is probably listening to everything.”
The laughter that followed him all the way up the stairs made him thankful for the camaraderie he’d found here; friends, a stable home and career and if Ingrid Chapman was right, a wife and family weren’t too far reaching in terms of hopes. Now he would just have to convince the lady in question that he was worth a chance.
