“I wish I wasn’t,” Hannah said as she leaned forward to attempt to catch the proprietor’s attention.
“Well, he’s awfully foolish. Any man should count his blessings to be with someone as beautiful and kind-hearted as you.”
Hannah’s heart warmed at Vivi’s words. “I’m merely happy to be away from New York and Mr. Donahue.”
“As you should be, but you deserve more. Perhaps he’ll come around,” Vivi replied.
Mr. Warner asked Hannah what she needed before she could say anything more to Vivi. With no direction whatsoever from Rafe, Hannah had narrowed her list down to the essentials.
“Is there a butcher in town?” she asked Mr. Warner after giving him her order. Two men remained at the table, and they were watching her and Vivi with unabashed curiosity. Hannah didn’t know why they stood around; both had crates of foodstuff resting on the table in front of them.
“Harrell, down at the edge of town,” the proprietor said, jerking his head in the general direction. “Surly fellow, though. I’d bring along your husband, if I was you.”
“Thank you,” Hannah replied as the men nearby seemed to hang on every word spoken. Hannah had the uneasy feeling they were interested to discover if she and Vivi were, indeed, married. “I’ll tell DeputyGarland. Be certain to share that with Mr. Watson,” she said, turning to Vivi after intentionally speaking the names of their husbands out loud.
That seemed to be enough for the two men, as they both slunk away from the table toward the front of the store.
Hannah breathed a little easier after they left.
“You needn’t worry about the Cormack brothers,” the shopkeeper said, seemingly reading Hannah’s mind. “They look mean, but they’re chicken. Most either of them would’ve done is ask you the time.”
Hannah gave him a grateful smile. “Have you a wife, Mr. Warner?” she asked.
The man laughed as if she’d told a good joke. “I’ll fetch your order.”
They didn’t have to wait long. He returned after a few minutes with a crate filled to the brim. Hannah lifted it to test the weight. It was heavy, but not impossible to carry to Rafe’s house. She waited while Mr. Warner accounted for every item, took the bills Rafe had given her, and made note of their new account.
“I’ll help you,” Vivi said, taking hold of one side of the crate. “Then you can show me where you’re living. Aside from Beth at the boardinghouse, I don’t know where to find anyone.”
They maneuvered through the shop’s front door, the crate hanging between them. The same two men from earlier still lounged outside, one against the wall and the other beside the bottom of the three steps that led up to the door.
The one by the steps tossed aside the cigar he’d been smoking and moved to stand immediately in front of the bottom stair.
Everything inside Hannah told her to turn around and go back into the shop. But the crate and Vivi were angled behind her, making it impossible to simply turn and run back up the steps. So instead, shedid exactly what she would have done back home. She pushed her shoulders back and her chin up, and looked the man right in his eyes.
“Pardon me,” she said, her voice sounding stronger than she felt inside.
The man didn’t move. He crossed his arms, stared past her toward the crate, and asked, “What’ve you got in there?”
“It isn’t your concern,” Vivi said from behind Hannah. Vivi had never been one to be shy, not from the moment she arrived at the orphanage at twelve years old.
The man ignored her. Instead, he took a step forward to get a better look. He was so close Hannah could smell him, and it started to make her eyes water. She was vaguely aware of his friend moving away from his spot near the wall.
The man closest to Hannah turned his attention back to her. “Hand it over, and you can be on your way.”
Hannah’s mouth opened at the man’s brazenness. She’d run into her share of thieves in their neighborhood in New York, but none had ever confronted her like this in broad daylight. The worst that had ever happened was a young boy who had grabbed a coin from her hand as she’d gone to pay a deliveryman.
“Absolutely not!” Vivi said. “Now kindly move out of our way.”
The other man laughed while the one in front of Hannah frowned. To her surprise, he stepped slightly to the side, giving her just enough room to slip by.
“Thank you—” she started to say.
But before she could finish, he’d reached out and yanked the crate from her hand.
Chapter Nine
“Letgo!”Awoman’sraised voice caught Rafe’s attention as he passed the building that doubled as the post and stagecoach office.
