Rafe knew the man wouldn’t simply go back to work. He sighed and set the letter down, crumpling the paper under his hand.
Hawk held up his hands, sensing Rafe’s irritation. “All I’m saying is that you’ll get along better if you do things like offer to go to the general store with her. She wanted you to go.”
“She didn’t,” Rafe said, sharper than he’d meant to.
Hawk raised his eyebrows. “Did something happen between the two of you?”
“Not a thing,” Rafe lied. He’d stick his hands in boiling water before he admitted what had happened at the wedding.
Hawk eyed him a moment longer, until Rafe couldn’t take it any more. He thrust out a letter across the desk. “The sheriff in Saguache County needs a reply. It’s concerning those men we ran out of town last month.”
Hawk moved forward to take the letter, but he didn’t look at it right away.
Rafe sat back and crossed his arms. “You want me to read it to you?”
The corner of Hawk’s mouth turned up in amusement. “You ought to go meet her at the store.”
Rafe muttered a curse before standing and grabbing his hat. “I’ll be making the rounds.”
He let the door slam hard on his way out.
Chapter Eight
Hannahhadneverbeenso happy to see Vivian.
After a visit to the sheriff’s office that had left her more confused than ever, she’d stood awkwardly across the road from the general store. The shop was easy enough to find but gathering the courage to go inside was a different matter entirely. It didn’t help that two men in filthy clothing stood smoking directly outside. The only way to get to the door was to step between them, and one of them was already staring at her from across the road.
Hannah found herself wishing she’d gone to find one of the other girls when Vivi happened to appear, picking her way around the muck and mire that lined the edges of the road.
“Well, we can’t stand out here all day,” Vivi said after she’d had a moment to assess the situation. “And neither of those men look any worse than the sorts I had to wade through at the saloon to leave my new home.”
It was impossible to ignore the bitterness behind Vivi’s words.
“Is it all that bad?” Hannah asked. Perhaps they should have been more particular in their advertisement. Or maybe they ought to have asked more questions when Mayor Cabot sent a letter on behalf of all the men.
Vivi drew in a breath and gave Hannah a long-suffering look. “I would have made a much better doctor’s wife. Or even the mayor, with his boardinghouse. I wouldn’t mind helping to run a boardinghouse.”
“I hope Mr. Watson sees how lucky he is to have you.” Hannah knew her words were of little comfort, but she hoped that by saying them out loud they might come true.
Vivi didn’t reply. She scanned the men by the door again as one shifted his weight to lean against the wall. “Shall we?” She held out an arm, and Hannah laced hers around it.
“It can’t be worse than anything we’ve experienced before,” Hannah said. They’d certainly run into their share of questionable men on the streets in New York.
Together, they crossed the road, taking care not to step in manure or mud. The doorway was narrow, and Vivi dropped Hannah’s arm to go first. She lifted her chin as if she were a wealthy lady from uptown before stepping between the men.
Hannah felt their eyes on her as she mimicked her friend. One of them muttered something unintelligible, and another one responded with a laugh. When the door shut behind her, she took a deep breath, feeling as if she’d just swum across a raging river simply to do the shopping.
“What do you need to purchase?” she asked Vivi as they made their way through the cluttered store. There was more here than she’d anticipated.
“Nothing in particular,” Vivi said as she picked up something that looked like a tool and examined it, her eyebrows knitting together. “I simply needed to get out of that saloon. What do you suppose this is?”
“I don’t know, but it looks dangerous.” Hannah stood on her toes, searching for someone who might be Mr. Warner. She spotted a grizzled looking fellow in an apron standing behind a long table atthe side of the room. Three men waited on the opposite side. “Will you come with me? I need to buy flour and a few other items.”
Vivi followed her to the table. “How is your husband?” she asked while they waited. “He certainly is handsome enough.”
Hannah would have traded handsome for a man who actually wanted to be her husband. “I don’t think he’s happy he was paired with me.”
Vivi gave her an incredulous look. “You can’t be serious.”
