Carol Cox (9 page)

Caleb carried an open crate of canned peaches from the back room and plunked it down on the floor next to the wooden stepladder. Tucking one can under his arm, he picked up another one in each hand and climbed the ladder to add them to the neat stack on the top shelf. Ophelia Pike had once informed him she didn’t care for peaches, so she wouldn’t have any objections to him putting them there.

“Can I help, Papa?”

Caleb looked down into the eager face of his young son, whose wide brown eyes held an earnest expression. Maybe he was trying to make up for the incident with the frog. Caleb glanced at Levi’s hands. “Where’s Freddie?”

The little boy pointed toward the counter. “I put him away like you told me to. He’s in a box in my fort.”

“In that case, why don’t you hand me those cans one at a time so I don’t have to keep going up and down this ladder? That would be a big help.” He smiled at the way his son’s chest puffed out. Maybe that was all the boy needed—a little more responsibility.

The bell jingled as he set the last can in place. Putting one hand on the shelf to maintain his balance, he turned to see Benton Woodbridge step inside. Caleb never called him by his given name, though. From their first meeting, he had picked up on the locals’ habit of calling him the Professor. As far as Caleb knew, the man had never been a teacher of any kind, but his air of culture and his store of knowledge had earned him the nickname.

The Professor walked across the store, dressed as always in neat black trousers and matching coat, a dark gray vest over his gleaming white shirt, and a jeweled stickpin in his cravat. Caleb smothered a grin. Definitely not typical western
garb. Caleb still didn’t know why the Professor had chosen to live in Cedar Ridge, but having learned early on that prying into someone else’s background wasn’t tolerated in the West, he’d never tried to find out. Whatever the reason Woodbridge had for being there, Caleb was glad to have him around, and he was gratified that the Professor counted him as a friend.

He descended the ladder, picked up the empty crate, and set it on the end of the counter. “What can I do for you today?”

The Professor brushed an imaginary bit of lint from his sleeve. “I’m in need of a pound of sugar, if you please . . . and a bit of conversation.”

Caleb grinned. “It’ll be a pleasure to oblige you . . . on both counts.”

The door burst open, and a wild-eyed woman stormed inside the mercantile. Caleb recognized her as Ava Morgan, one of the town matrons who swarmed around Ophelia Pike like flies drawn to honey.

She skidded to a halt as the door swung closed behind her and peered around the store’s interior with a frantic expression.

Concerned, Caleb stepped forward. “May I help you?”

Mrs. Morgan pinched her lips together and looked askance at him and the Professor. “I wish to speak to Miss Ross.”

“I’m afraid she isn’t in at the moment. Is there some way I can assist you?”

His customer wavered, then reached into her reticule and produced a dark brown bottle. Holding it aloft, she advanced on Caleb. “I purchased this tonic from Miss Ross three days ago.”

Caleb nodded, eyeing her warily.

“It’s supposed to calm the nerves and help the digestion. It says so right here on the label.” She waved the bottle in front of his nose.

Caleb resisted the urge to back away. If this tonic was guaranteed to soothe the nerves, it obviously hadn’t lived up to its promise. He gave her his most reassuring smile. “The effects may not be immediate. Sometimes it takes a little while to work.”

“Oh, it worked, all right.” The irate woman shook the bottle, sloshing the liquid inside.

Caleb tilted his head and spread his hands wide. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“It started working right after I swallowed the second spoonful. It’s worse than castor oil. I couldn’t get ten steps away from—” A crimson wave suffused Mrs. Morgan’s cheeks. “I honestly thought I was going to die. I would have come in yesterday, but I could hardly hold myself erect.”

Caleb took the bottle from her hand and frowned. The label was for Mrs. Bickham’s Nerve Tonic. But Mrs. Bickham’s remedy came in a green glass bottle. That dark brown bottle looked more like . . .
Oh, no.
He moved to the shelves that held the vet supplies.

“Mr. Nelson, I am not finished.” His red-faced customer trailed behind him.

Without answering, Caleb pulled a bottle of Peterson’s Drenching Solution off the shelf and weighed it in his hand. Sure enough, it was the same shape and color as the one Mrs. Morgan had returned.

“Mr. Nelson, are you listening to me? I demand that you take this dangerous substance off the shelves at once. It’s a menace to the public.”

“I’m dreadfully sorry.” Caleb interrupted the diatribe and held out both bottles. “The labels must have gotten switched somehow. What you took was actually a solution to be given to bloating cattle.”

“Oh!” Mrs. Morgan pulled a lace-edged handkerchief from her sleeve and pressed it to her lips. A small convulsion rippled across her shoulders.

“I’ll be happy to refund your money,” he said. “Or I can exchange this for a bottle of the real Mrs. Bickham’s remedy, if you’d prefer.”

Mrs. Morgan’s shoulders shook again. She returned the handkerchief to her sleeve and drew herself erect. “I’ll take the refund. I have no intention of giving you the opportunity to poison me a second time.”

Apologizing profusely, Caleb withdrew a handful of coins from the register and counted the refund amount into the woman’s outstretched hand. Giving him a curt nod, she pivoted and marched out the door.

The Professor moved closer and peered at the mislabeled bottle. “How do you suppose such a mistake could have taken place?”

Caleb returned the drenching solution to its place on the shelf, then held the offending bottle up to the light. “It was no mistake. Look at this.” He traced his finger along the edge of the label, where a faint residue showed on the brown surface. “The original label has been removed. You can see a bit of the torn edge remaining. The Mrs. Bickham’s label was pasted over the same spot.”

The Professor gave him a questioning look. “You’re saying it was done deliberately?”

Caleb nodded grimly. “It would appear so.” He strode out
the back door and poured the contents of the bottle into the dust of the alley.
Who could have done such a thing?

Levi?

He rejected the notion as soon as it entered his mind. Replacing the label like that was beyond a six-year-old’s ability. Besides, that kind of subterfuge didn’t fit Levi’s character. Caleb couldn’t deny that his young son created more than his share of mischief, but the boy wasn’t truly malicious. He stepped back inside the mercantile and tossed the empty bottle into the wastebin.

Wiping his hands on his storekeeper’s apron, he turned back to the Professor. “Sorry for the interruption. Let’s get back to your order.” He measured the sugar into a small cloth bag and set it on the counter next to the crate. “Shall I put it on your tab?”

“If you would, please.” The Professor glanced toward the stepladder. “A couple of cans of those peaches it appears you just put up there would do nicely, too.”

Caleb climbed the ladder again, retrieved the peaches, and then rejoined his friend, leaning back against the counter.

“I was rather hoping to meet that new partner of yours I’ve been hearing about.” The Professor’s dark eyes twinkled when he spoke. Caleb couldn’t tell whether that was due to amusement or anticipation.

“She stepped out for a while.” Caleb raked his fingers through his hair. “And thank goodness for that. This has been the longest week of my life.”

The Professor’s eyes widened. “How so?”

Caleb sighed, glad for the chance to confide his woes. “I’m beginning to wonder whether or not this venture is going to work out for me. It was hard enough to make the decision
to pull up stakes back in Missouri and move to Arizona to come help my uncle and make a new start. Then there was the challenge of settling in and learning the business. And then to have Uncle Alvin up and die just as I was starting to get the hang of things . . .”

The Professor nodded. “I can only imagine how difficult that must have been, but I believe you’ve handled the transition admirably. From everything I’ve seen, you have an innate business sense that will stand you in good stead in making this store a success.”

“I hope so. If I don’t succeed, it won’t be for lack of trying—that’s for sure.”

“I can attest to that,” the Professor agreed. “Everyone in Cedar Ridge has seen how hard you’ve worked.”

Caleb rolled his eyes. “Not nearly hard enough, according to some people.”

The Professor’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh?”

Gratified by the other man’s interest, Caleb gave vent to the frustration that had built up since the moment Melanie Ross entered his store. “It’s this niece of George’s. My ‘new partner,’ as you called her. She sashayed in here assuming she owned his share of the business. I don’t think she has a valid claim, but I’m honestly not sure what will happen if it comes to a legal battle.”

He groaned and smacked his palm on the counter. “We butt heads every time I turn around. She has a raft of ideas for ‘improving’ the store.” He spread his arms wide, taking in the displays of merchandise. “What needs changing? Keeping things the way they’ve always been worked fine for Uncle Alvin, so it’s good enough for me, but I can’t convince her to leave well enough alone.”

The professor’s somber look reflected Caleb’s mood. “What kind of woman is she? What would happen if you just explained all this to her?”

Caleb blew out a huff of air. “You think I haven’t tried? All she does is stiffen her neck and keep on doing whatever she wants. You wouldn’t believe some of the crazy ideas she’s come up with—rearranging the store every time my back is turned, reorganizing the merchandise in a way that makes no sense to me, but one she insists will be better for business. It seems her family owned a store back in Ohio, but that doesn’t mean
she
knows the first thing about running a business. But just try to convince her of that! She wants to have her finger in everything.”

“Where is she now?” The professor looked around as if expecting to see Melanie pop up from behind the flour barrel.

“I sent her out to explore the town. She’d hardly been out of the store since she got here, so it seemed like a good excuse to get her outside. Truth to tell, though, I’m the one who needs the break.” He glanced over at the mantel clock. “It’s been nice, but I can’t expect it to last much longer. She’ll probably stroll back in any minute.”

Caleb looked at the Professor, whose features had taken on a faraway expression. “What is it?”

The dapper man pursed his lips. “I was just thinking about your uncle and wondering how he would have handled this.”

Caleb raised his hands and let them fall back at his sides. “I honestly don’t know. No, that isn’t true. Uncle Alvin was a God-fearing man. He probably would have welcomed her as George’s rightful heir with open arms.”

The Professor nodded. “I suspect you’re right. Alvin was
one of the fairest men I’ve ever known. I expect he would have done just that.”

“But he didn’t have a son to raise.” Resentment rose up, choking Caleb until he had to force the words out. “Levi needs stability, and it’s been hard enough for me to provide that for him without having some pig-headed woman keeping everything in an uproar.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“I don’t have any idea. I’m at my wit’s end trying to figure out how to make this work and still keep my sanity intact.”

The Professor gave a dry chuckle. “It sounds as if you need some time to yourself, time to be able to think clearly so you can sort things out.”

Caleb snorted. “How am I supposed to get that? It’s bad enough having her shuffle things around every night. I don’t dare leave her here alone during the day. There’s no telling what she’d do. I can’t seem to make her understand that this is a business, not a lark. She simply has no idea the amount of work that’s involved in managing the store on a day-to-day basis.”

The Professor tilted his head and smiled. “Maybe that’s exactly what she needs to learn.” His smile broadened at Caleb’s blank look. “Think about it. If she really wants to have a managing role, she ought to know more about the kind of responsibility that entails. It might be enough to persuade her this isn’t really something she wants to do.”

He tapped his cheek with one finger. “On the other hand, it might do exactly the opposite. There’s really no way to know until you try. Either way, it would give her a better look at what she’s getting into . . . and you would have the few hours’ respite you so obviously need.”

His smile faded, and he looked at Caleb with a serious expression. “George and Alvin operated this store as partners, but you’ve been running it singlehandedly ever since Alvin passed away. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have someone who can help carry part of the load.”

Caleb stared at the odd little man, wondering if his friend had a point. He had spent every waking moment since Melanie arrived trying to undo every change she made so he could keep a tight rein on the mercantile. Was it possible that he’d been doing them both a disservice?

The more he thought about the Professor’s suggestion, the more the idea grew on him. Maybe loosening his hold was the best way to regain it in the long run. Could it really be that easy to persuade her to leave? He suspected that might not be exactly what the Professor had in mind, but as a strategic move, it just might work.

Or it might make her feel she had gained even more of a toehold.

But he needed some time away from the store and Miss Ross—needed it desperately. And he could take Levi along, make it a special outing for the two of them, something they hadn’t enjoyed for months. Maybe it was worth the risk. After all, how much damage could she do in one day?

He clasped the Professor’s shoulder. “I think you may have hit on something. I believe I’ll give your idea a try.”

The Professor sketched a bow, then gathered up his purchases. “I’m happy to have been of service. And on that pleasant note, I will be on my way. I look forward to hearing the results of your little experiment. They should prove quite interesting.”