Yesterday's Magic (26 page)

“How’s Aunt Freida?”

“Better by far. Leg still pains her but her
fever is down.”

The relief was profound, warming her like a
hot shower on a cold morning. “Thanks for coming by to tell
me.”

“My pleasure. I brought Freida’s rig into
town so that you’ll have some way of getting home tonight. It’s at
the Livery.”

The hot water in the shower abruptly turned
cold. And just as if she was at home in her ceramic tiled bathroom
and that had happened, her muscles tensed and she felt suddenly
chilled. Could she handle them? Or would she find herself stuck in
the middle of nowhere?

It wasn’t likely that Jed would come looking
for her again.

“That’s great, Thomas. I appreciate it.
You’ve really been a big help.”

The big man blushed. “It’s you being here at
the Mercantile that really helps your aunt keep her mind off her
worries.”

In three days she was leaving. It was strange
how things went. She’d been so concerned that the real Merribelle
would show up and now she really wanted her to come soon.

The two women were headed toward the counter
and Bella could see Thomas shift uncomfortably. “I’ll see you
later, Thomas,” she said.

He touched the brim of his hat. “Good day,”
he said. He left considerably faster than he’d come in.

During the afternoon, she tackled the
electrical section. Of course, there was nothing really electrical
but she figured the candles, matches, lamps, lamp oil, and
replacement wicks were in the same family—just a couple generations
removed. Amidst those items, she found bags of flour, women’s
nightgowns, and metal screws. Everything odd went on the middle
table.

By the end of the day, she was hoping to
stumble upon a bottle of vodka. She needed a good stiff drink. All
day long she been jumpy, looking up every time the door had opened.
She’d worried that Toomay might come in; after all, she’d told him
that she worked at the Mercantile.

But he hadn’t and she’d never seen him walk
past the Mercantile either. At the end of the day, she hurried
through her closing activities and after pulling the door shut and
checking to make sure it was locked, she walked slowly past the
saloon. She saw Delilah inside. There were three tables of men,
none of which were Toomay.

She pushed through the swinging doors. “Hi
Delilah,” she said. “How are you?”

Delilah fingered the new ribbon in her hair.
“I’ve been thinking about getting material for a new dress.”

“Excellent. Maybe tomorrow?” Bella suggested.
The more opportunities she had to connect with Delilah, the more
opportunities to get the woman to trust her. Then, if and when she
needed the woman’s help with Toomay, it would be easier to get
it.

“Slow night?” Bella asked, looking
around.

“Not for long. Rumor is that there’s a new
man in town—likes to gamble, doesn’t seem to be all that good at
it. People are getting excited about taking some of his money.”

Bella knew Toomay had the power to win any
card game, at any time. He was playing with people. She didn’t know
what his game was but she could almost bet that anybody who played
along would end up being the loser. “Have you met this man?”

“No. I know the girl who cleans rooms at the
hotel and she said that he’s a handsome devil.”

Handsome? He’d turned Bella’s stomach but she
supposed his bold looks might appeal to some.
Devil
? Yeah,
that was about right. She wanted to warn Delilah but knew she
couldn’t. It would cause the woman to have all kinds of questions.
But she had to say something. “I guess you have experience with all
kinds of smooth talkers, right? They wouldn’t fool you.”

Delilah smiled. “I don’t get fooled but I
don’t turn my back on a big tip, either. You know, I got
plans.”

Her father had said that after Delilah shot
Toomay, he’d wiped all memory of the incident from her mind and had
gotten her safely out of town so that she couldn’t in any way be
connected to the man’s death. But where had Delilah ended up? And
without memory of the incident, had she somehow drifted right back
into the pattern of selling her body to the highest bidder. “Do
those plans include leaving Mantosa?”

Delilah nodded. “I’ve got a son, you
know.”

“I didn’t. Where does he live?”

“With my mother, back in Illinois. He’s going
on four.”

Which meant she’d been fourteen when she’d
given birth. At fourteen Bella’s greatest concern had been what
color of nail polish she wanted to buy. Of course, all of that had
changed a year later when her mother had died.

Maybe that’s why she felt the connection with
Delilah. They both had grown up fast. For different reasons, true.
But the heartache was the same. “I bet you miss him,” Bella
said.

“I do love him,” Delilah answered, her tone
full of challenge.

“Of course,” Bella answered.

The door to the saloon opened and two men
swaggered in. Bella caught the bold look they sent Delilah’s way
and her almost imperceptible nod in return. They crossed the room
and walked up the stairs.

Delilah tugged at the waist of her dress,
pulling her bodice down, showing more of her thin chest. She set
her tray down on the counter and turned toward the stairs.

Delilah’s night was about to start. “Maybe
I’ll see you tomorrow,” Bella said.

She didn’t answer. She took another step
before looking over her shoulder, right into Bella’s eyes. “People
don’t understand this but sometimes a mother shows her love best
when she leaves.”

Bella’s throat tightened up. Mothers should
not be separated from their children. “I suppose. But sometimes
love calls us back, too.”

She shrugged. “We’ll see.”

With a heavy heart, Bella walked to the
livery and retrieved Aunt Freida’s wagon. Wymer had it ready to go.
She walked up to the horses, leaned close, and whispered in their
ears. “Afternoon, Rain. Thanks for getting to town last night on
your own. You were better than a 911 call. And Sunshine, you were
incredibly brave. If I was a bear, I’d have been scared of you,
too.”

They tossed their heads and pawed at the
ground. It looked like Rain was rolling her eyes. Great. Now she’d
embarrassed the horses.

She climbed up onto the seat and took the
reins in her hand. They were shaking. She pressed them into the
folds of her cloak. She clicked her tongue and off they went.

She was barely at the outskirts of town when
Jed, on his big black horse, caught up with her.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I thought I’d ride out and see how Freida
and my sister are doing,” he said.

“At exactly the same time I’m going
home?”

He shrugged. “I don’t plan my day around your
activities,” he said.

But he had. He could deny it all day long but
she knew that Jed had somehow known how nervous she’d be. He’d
waited to go so that he could accompany her because he’d remembered
what she’d told him this morning.

And he’d cared enough to try to help her.

Damn him. She clicked her tongue and jiggled
the reins. The horses took off and she didn’t look at him again the
entire ride. When she turned into Aunt Freida’s lane, she drove the
wagon past the cabin and toward the barn. Before she could get down
and open the barn doors, he did it for her.

Once inside the barn, he stood next to the
wagon and offered a hand so that she could get out. She ignored it
and hiked up her long skirt far enough that she didn’t trip over it
getting down.

“Your aunt is probably anxious to see you,”
he said. “I’ll take care of the horses,” he said.

It was a pitiful excuse but she was grateful
for it all the same. She was bone-tired. She’d gotten very little
sleep the night before and it had been a long day.

“Thank you,” she said. She attempted to walk
past him. He grabbed her arm, stopping her.

He was close enough that she could feel his
warm breath on her cold cheek. His grip felt solid and strong and
it made her remember how she’d run her hands down his bare back,
his bare butt, his strong thighs. He’d been pure muscle and sexy as
hell. “What?” she said, her voice a mere whisper. Her throat felt
dry, her lungs delicate.

He kissed her. Like he had a right to. He
pushed his tongue into her mouth and consumed her. She felt the
immediate pull between her legs and knew that her body craved what
it had briefly known.

They were both shaking when they finally
pulled apart. He rested his chin on the top of her head, acting
every bit like a man who’d been sucker punched. She wasn’t any
better.

“Why?” she whispered.

“I don’t know,” he answered. He gripped her
shoulders with both hands and stepped away from her. His jaw was
set, his mouth a straight line. “I’ve been thinking about kissing
you all day,” he said, sounding positively miserable.

As crazy as it seemed, his admission almost
made her feel better. She’d gotten under his skin. “I’m going
inside,” she said.

He reached for her, she jerked back. “You’ve
a right to be angry, Bella.”

She shook her head. “For a whole lot of
reasons, Jed, this thing between us isn’t right. Let’s just leave
it at that, shall we?”

She stopped a foot shy of the barn doors that
were still wide open. “I’ll tell Freida and Elizabeth that you’ll
be in shortly.”

He shook his head. “I think I’ll just ride
back to town,” he said. “I’m on duty tonight.”

Rantaan Toomay was going to be at the saloon.
Money would change hands, alcohol would flow, tempers would ignite.
“Be careful, Jed,” she said.

He chuckled—a dry, humorless, laugh. “I’m
always careful, Bella. Maybe that’s the problem.”

When Bella opened the door, she was relieved
to see her aunt sitting up in bed. She was reading a book.
Elizabeth was standing at the stove, stirring something that
smelled absolutely heavenly.

Her aunt put her book down. “Bella, we
thought we heard the horses,” she said. “I was worried about you
getting home on your own. Did you have any trouble?”

“No.” She figured she better tell the truth
in case it somehow got mentioned later on. “Actually, Jed rode
alongside so I felt perfectly safe. What’s better than having the
sheriff escort you?” she asked, making every effort to keep her
voice light.

Elizabeth reached toward the shelf where Aunt
Freida kept her dishes. “I’ll set another plate for supper,” she
said.

“Uh…he’s going back to town.”

Elizabeth frowned.

“Without supper?” Aunt Freida asked.

Bella shrugged. “He’s working tonight.” She
turned toward her aunt. “You look like you’re feeling much better,”
she said.

“I am. The leg hurts but with Elizabeth
fussing over me, making me tea and cake, and attending to my every
need, it’s not such a hardship. I just feel bad that you’re having
to bear the burden of my silliness. I don’t imagine you expected
this when you set out for a visit.”

“I’m happy to help,” she said. “And based on
how great that pot smells that Elizabeth is stirring, I think it is
better that I take care of the Mercantile and leave the cooking to
Elizabeth.”

“My mother was the best cook,” Elizabeth
said. “There could be almost nothing in the cupboards and she’d
somehow manage to feed a family of four and we’d be rubbing our
stomachs in contentment afterwards. She took such joy in it.”
Elizabeth stopped stirring and reached for a bowl. She poured the
contents from the pan into it. “After my father left, she barely
ever lit the stove again.”

She picked up the bowl, turned, and carried
it to the table. “Of course, by that time, I was married and in my
own home. Jed was away, working for the railroads. I saw her more
often so the changes in her were more gradual to me. When Jed came
home that first year for Christmas, after my father had been gone
for more than six months, it shocked him to see how she’d lost
interest in living. He tried everything, from reasoning to begging,
but she was filled with despair and could not seem to understand
that she was only harming herself.”

Bella could easily imagine Jed’s
frustration—he was clearly a man who liked to fix things, to make
things right. But he hadn’t been able to fix something that was
very important to him.

Aunt Freida shifted in her bed, managing to
get both legs over the side. Then she reached for a pair of
crutches that Bella had failed to notice earlier.

“Let me help you,” Bella said, hurrying to
her aunt’s side.

“Thank you, kindly. But I can manage. Thomas
stopped by Doc Winder’s and got these for me. Elizabeth and I spent
a good portion of the afternoon practicing with them.” She stood,
swayed just a bit, but remained standing. She started off toward
the table. With each thump of her crutches on the wooden floor,
teacups rattled in their saucers.

Once she got herself to the table, Bella
pulled out a chair and helped the big woman lower herself down.
Then she reached for the crutches and leaned them against the far
end of the table.

Aunt Freida looked very satisfied. She
reached for the bowl, sniffing appreciatively in the air. “You’ve
got your mother’s talent,” she said. “I was telling Bella the other
morning that I lost interest in cooking, too, once Herbert had
passed on. But at least I had the comfort of knowing that it was
something that neither one of us could do anything about. For your
mother, she had the additional anguish of watching your father
parade around town with his new wife.”

Bella stared at Elizabeth, wondering if she
was going to take offense at Aunt Freida’s frankness. But she
simply nodded. “Jed tried to get her to leave Mantosa. He
practically begged her to come live with him. She refused, said she
didn’t have the strength to start somewhere new. We all knew that
the real reason she was staying is that she expected Father to come
to his senses at some point and return home.”