“That’s understandable. Let’s go in and speak with Callie Mae and see what she has to offer. If you don’t want to stay at The Duchess, she might have another idea. Come on,” he encouraged. “It will be fine, you’ll see.”
He slid his arm around the woman’s waist and ushered her inside. Laurie felt her tummy drop. Who was this woman and why was Matthew being so attentive? Trying to shake off the feeling, she swept all over again, her broom flying.
Stiffening her shoulders, she spoke out loud.
“What Matthew Whittaker does is no concern of yours,” she told herself. “He wants to get married and you don’t. Did you expect that he’d wait forever?”
“Ma, who ya talkin’ to?” Jonah asked coming around the side of the building. “I don’t see a soul.”
“Myself,” Laurie snapped taking her son’s hand and leading him through the front door. “And it’s just plain foolishness is what it is. I have plenty to do that’s more important than eavesdropping on the conversations of others.”
“Ya want me to talk to you? I got nothing better to do,” Jonah asked earnestly.
“Why yes, I do,” Laurie replied while putting her broom in the pantry. She ruffled his hair. “I got a whole bushel of apples to peel for pies and it would be nice to have some company.”
Jonah nodded and climbed on a stool at the counter. If he wondered why her nimble fingers flew, but she said nothing, he kept quiet about it. He’d learned a long time ago that women were not easy to understand. It was best to keep that thought to himself.
“Callie Mae around?”Matthew asked.
A pretty red-haired woman stopped writing and looked up. Her sharp eyed gaze seemed unsettling, and Cara looked away. The last thing she needed was any unnecessary scrutiny.
“She’s gone down to the mercantile. She’ll be back shortly. Anything I can help you with, Matt?”
“I could use a cup of coffee.” Taking off his hat, he directed Cara to a chair before spinning another one around and straddling it. “Would you like a cup?” he asked.
“That would be lovely.”
Nodding, the girl got up and went through a door at the end of the barroom.
“That’s Fancy O’Shea. I should have introduced you.”
“It’s okay. I may not be around long.”
“Did you have a destination in mind, or were you just planning to wander indefinitely?”
“Honestly, I don’t have any plans other than to escape my husband.”
“What’s his name?”
“Micah.” Damn! It rolled right off her tongue before she could stop it. Did one suffer a loss of intelligence while traveling through time? It was something to consider based on the things Morgan had done, and she’d made a number of mistakes since she landed in that tree.
“Micah Whitmeyer? I don’t believe I know anyone by that name. Where is he from?”
“Um…back east,” Cara replied uneasily.
“That explains your accent then,” he said with a knowing nod. “I can pretty much tell when someone isn’t born and raised here. Hey, Marilee, this is Caroline Whitmeyer.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Whitmeyer,” a soft-spoken young woman replied as she glided down the stairs.
“It’s Mrs.,” Matthew corrected. “Mead been around this morning?”
“Not yet. He usually comes in around noon and takes me over to the diner for dinner. Is anything wrong?”
Cara could see the concern in her eyes. She’s the one Mead’s wild about she realized, and she could see why. She was lovely and radiated an inner glow. No wonder he was so taken with her.
“Is there anything I can help you with?” Marilee offered when she reached the bottom of the stairs.
“No, we need to talk to Callie Mae, but she’s out.”
