Page 45 of Her Gentle Protector
“More money than you have, Petunia,” Baxter replied. “Put it back.”
“You don’t know how much money I have,” she argued, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’ve not sold my furs yet.”
“I know you don’t have two nickels to your name, and that rifle is at least ten dollars. Put it back.” Baxter pointed to the display at the front of the store.
“It’s shore pretty, though. Hey, Mr. Arden!” Petunia picked up the rifle and swung it over her shoulder before stomping off to see the shopkeeper at the register.
“Here you go, Baxter. Five ribbons and I’ll get you that sack of candy. Anything else?”
“Just what was on the list. Total me up and I’m going to get everyone out of here.”
“Fine. Let me get these wrapped up. I have some pretty lace doilies which will do the job. I’ll meet you at the counter.”
Sending the children to wait by the stove up front, Baxter finally turned to his sister. “What are you doing here, Annie?” he asked, concern etched on his face. “You shouldn’t be out in this cold. Neither should you, Mills.”
Annamae watched as Mrs. Arden counted out an assortment of candies from display jars and put them in a large paper sack. “We needed to find a turkey since there aren’t any more chickens in the coop.” Taking the bag Mrs. Arden passed to Baxter, Annamae popped a gumdrop in her mouth and rolled the bag back up. “That’s the least you can give me to replace all the ones you took.”
“Don’t you have chicks?”
“It takes a few months for them to lay or be big enough to butcher.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Petunia wants to go hunting for a turkey.”
“Ask her,” Berry said, tugging on Sawyer’s coat.
“Ask me what?”
“I need help cooking dinner, Thanksgiving dinner for Midge. The children don’t know how to cook.”
“Will you be having Thanksgiving with us, Baxter?” Annamae asked.
“Haven’t decided yet; I’ll stop by and let you know. I better get my wagon loaded if I want to get everything home before it snows.” Giving his sister a kiss on the cheek, he picked up his bag of candy and headed toward the register.
“Come on, Rex. I’m headed home.”
In no time at all, he had loaded his purchases into the wagon. As he motioned for the children to climb into the back, two unfamiliar faces appeared from around the corner of the store. It was Sawyer’s siblings, who had come all the way from Texas to find him. They needed help to transport their heavy suitcases out to the ranch, so Sawyer happily offered to help. They all piled into the wagon and began their journey home together, with the added company of Sawyer’s brother and sister.
After dropping off the two strangers at the farm, Baxter was ready to head back home. “Are you coming, Rex?” he asked.
“Nah. You go on ahead without me.” He was looking at Tillie, Sawyer’s sister. “I think I’ll stay here and make sure everyone gets settled.”
Baxter chuckled. It was easy to see that Rex was immediately smitten with the pretty lady from Texas. “See you later. Come on, Daisy. Let’s go home.”
“Where are we going now?” Ira asked.
“We’ll drop everything off at my house and then I’ll take you home.”
“What are you going to do, then?” Petunia asked.
“I’m going to convince Midge she needs to marry me.”
Chapter Twelve
“Miriam Beale! I know you’re in there!”
Midge rose from her bed and walked over to the window. Baxter was standing outside next to his wagon. She quickly dropped the curtain and turned around, pressing her back against the wall.
“Miriam!” He called her name again. A chorus of giggles erupted from behind her bedroom door. “I saw the curtain move, Midge.”
