Twice Promised (The Blue Willow Brides Book #2): A Novel (28 page)

“There was a robbery attempt, and Caleb protected me in a fistfight with the robber,” Greta declared, giving the young man a quick hug. “As you can tell, he won, because we’re here safe and sound.”

“Fistfight?” Zach hurried over, and others gathered near to listen.

“Aw, it’s nothing. I’d do it all over again.” Caleb looked embarrassed. He placed the wrapped parcel that held Agnes’s dress on the counter.

Cora took him by the arm. “It’s exactly what one would expect of you. Now come in the back of the store and let me have a look. I see a knot forming at your temple.”

“If I thought I could get all this attention from the two ladies, I’d love to have been in your shoes, Caleb.” Jess winked at Caleb, his hands on his hips. His dirty apron already showed a day’s work.

“I’m really fine, boss,” Caleb said sheepishly.

“Well, let Cora take a look.” Turning to Greta, Jess said, “It’s nice to have you back. I see you’re not hobbling either.” His eyes twinkled at her.

Zach stood next to his brother. “Let me add that we’ve missed you. In a short time, you’ve kept this place running like clockwork.”

“Thank you.” Greta smiled broadly at both men. “My foot is much better. It’s best if I keep moving it and stretching it, or so Granny says.”

“She knows best. Better listen to her expert advice. Give me your cape and I’ll hang it up,” Zach said. He reached for her cape and walked to the pegs in the back of the store.

“Looks like the store’s busy this morning, and it’s early yet,” Greta said, glancing across the room.

“People like to get a head start before the midday temperatures rise,” Jess said. “Oh, by the way, the table and chairs came today from Denver. I placed them near the potbellied stove. Cora said it was the perfect place for them.”

Greta clapped her hands. She remembered that Jess hadn’t liked the idea when she’d first approached him about it. “Oh, thank you, Jess. I can see that two customers are already taking advantage of a little respite. I knew that it would be just the thing! The customers are going to love it, I know.”

Zach returned with her apron. “Here ya go, madam. Want to go check out the table and see if it’s what you wanted?”

She slipped the apron over her head and was aware that both men were watching her, but she pretended not to notice. Jess regarded her a moment, then turned on his heel and walked away. She followed Zach to the table. Rose Potts and Hilda Barnes were enjoying a cup of cider and looking through the Montgomery Ward catalog. Both stopped their chatter and smiled as she walked over.

“I hear this little space by the stove was your idea, Greta,” Rose said.

“And what a cozy thought. It will be most welcomed by Jess’s customers, particularly on a cold winter day,” Hilda added.

“Greta’s been a mighty good addition to our staff,” Zach said.

“Oh, I’m sure she has. But I hear you two will be tying the knot soon. After all, that’s why Greta’s here, isn’t it?” Hilda’s brows quirked.

“Right you are. I was just saying what a valuable asset she’s become to both me and Jess.” Zach shifted uncomfortably on his feet and gave a forced smile. “Excuse me, ladies. I have a customer.”

Zach had definitely skirted around giving a wedding date, and Greta planned to do the same. “Ladies, I’m glad you’re enjoying our cozy nook. Is there anything that I can help you with today?” Greta asked, hoping her voice sounded cheerful.

Rose laughed. “We’re just wasting time. We’ve finished shopping. But I suppose now it’s time to get back home.” She stood, picking up her handbag. “We heard you were at Granny’s recuperating from a twisted ankle. I do hope it’s improved.”

Greta reached for their used mugs and cleared the table as Hilda stood. “Thank you, it’s much, much better. You both have a nice rest of the day.”

“See you at church then,” Rose said as she and Hilda slipped out the door, chatting.

Greta continued toward the stairs to place the dirty mugs in the kitchen, but Jess stopped her.

“I’ll take those upstairs. You shouldn’t be running upstairs on your foot, Greta,” he said softly.

She loved how her name sounded as it fell from his lips, and she tried not to focus on his mouth but dragged her eyes upward to his soft brown eyes. He appeared to want to say more when he reached for the mugs, his hands briefly brushing hers, but Cora and Caleb walked up.

“Our hero is faring well, I’d say,” Cora informed them. “I cleaned his eye and put a cold compress on it for a few minutes.”

Jess grinned at Caleb. “It’s going to look a whole lot worse than it feels tomorrow. And by the way, Zach and I thank you for taking care of Greta.”

Caleb shrugged. “It’s the least I could do. I don’t want to go back to life with the likes of Jack.”

“Amen!” Cora said.

Jess clapped him on his back. “Then you won’t have to. Besides, you’ll soon be going to school and will meet a whole passel of new friends.”

“Respectable ones, I hope,” Cora said.

“I can’t thank you all for how good you’ve been to me the last few days. I don’t deserve it.” Caleb’s eyes moistened.

“Sure you do,” Jess answered. “But enough lollygagging. We’ve got work to do.”

“I need to see Rascal. I’ve missed him. Where is he?” Greta asked.

“Caleb has him tied under the shade tree out back because he was underfoot this morning,” Cora said. “I’m sure he’s missed you so.”

“Is it okay if I bring him back in now that it’s not so busy?” Greta looked at Jess for an answer.

The men just rolled their eyes and watched as Greta made her way past them to the back door in search of her precious puppy.

Rascal barked when he saw her coming and pulled against the rope, obviously happy to see her. She bent down to kiss his furry head, then picked him up. “You missed me. I missed you too, Rascal.” He licked her face and hands with his warm tongue, making her giggle. She unclipped the rope from his neck and entered the back door and hallway. She had a clear view of the counter through the doorway, and what she saw made her heart sink.

27

Jess was looking for a catalog item for a customer when he saw a folded page with a circle around Blue Willow dishes. Now who was ordering those? He couldn’t remember anyone asking about them, but maybe Cora or Greta knew.

It had taken all the self-control he had not to kiss Greta soundly when she walked in today. His ardent feelings for her more than surprised him, since taking on a bride hadn’t even been in his realm of thought several weeks ago. But now he didn’t know how he could do without her. He loved her laughter, her exuberance for life . . . and though he hated to admit it, she’d kept him organized and on track with the store. On the porch swing with her, he’d felt comfortable and contented, as if he’d known her all his life. A smile formed as he stared out the front windows.

Cora finished with a customer and walked over to where he stood gazing into space. “Jess . . . Jess,” she said, clearing her throat. “Should I go make a fresh pot of coffee for our customers, or perhaps cider?”

“Hmm?” Jess sprang back to the present, feeling guilty for daydreaming. “Oh . . . yes . . . sure thing.”
What am I going to do, Lord? How do I tell sweet, gentle Cora that I can’t marry her?

She looked down at the page he pretended to peruse. “I guess you saw where I circled the Blue Willow china. I’m thinking I’d like to order that for Greta as a wedding gift. They are a bit pricey, though. What do you think?”

Jess swallowed hard. “That’s a nice present, but I think there may be some of those dishes of my mother’s in Granny’s attic. Dishes all look the same to me, though, to tell you the truth. If you’d care to go through a bunch of stored boxes up there, you can take what you want.”

“Really? Oh, Jess, do you think you could take me to Granny’s and let me see if I can find them?”

“Sure. We can do it later this afternoon.”

She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him with joy on the cheek. “You’re so sweet to me. This is going to be the perfect wedding gift for my dear friend. She will love them,” Cora whispered. “Now don’t tell.”

Jess saw the sparkle of excitement in her eyes, and it was clear in his mind just how quickly the two ladies had become friends. He smiled back, then gently peeled her arms from around his neck. It flustered him for her to show her affection, and he knew she expected a kiss in return, but he just couldn’t give it, so he said, “I don’t mind at all, Cora.” He took a step back and saw Greta holding Rascal as she entered the hallway. Had she seen the kiss? He hoped not. Her face showed no emotion to indicate that she had.

———

“I’m going upstairs to make coffee, and I’ll return in a flash, Greta,” Cora told her friend.

Greta stood like a statue, observing the flush on Cora’s cheeks. A tiny piece of her heart had died in that moment when she witnessed her and Jess’s kiss. Was he playing them both? She was a fool for thinking he loved her in such a short time. But she hadn’t wanted to be like all the other mail-order brides she’d heard about who got married as soon as they stepped off the train. Some of those marriages of convenience worked, and others had turned out disastrously. She wanted her marriage to mean something. As Cora had said, she wanted to hear “I love you.” There was little chance of that now.

And what about Cora? First Greta had seen her in Zach’s arms, and now Jess’s. What was going on? She’d have to find out, even if it meant confronting Cora directly.

With heavy steps, she went on past Jess. When he touched her on the sleeve, she didn’t stop, using the dog in her arms as her excuse. Her bright day had turned to gray, she thought as she settled Rascal in his crate, leaving the crate door open just a bit. “Now you be a good boy and mind your manners today,” she told him, wagging her finger at him. When his sad brown eyes blinked at her, she brushed away the tears in her own eyes and paused to give him a reassuring squeeze.

She heard the bell over the door jangle, and from the chatter of voices, she knew that it was Agnes and Cole. Just what she needed to make her day even worse—a dress fitting with insufferable Agnes. She straightened, lifting her shoulders back, then plastered on a smile and hurried over to greet them. At least she found Cole to be much nicer than his sister.

Agnes peeled off her gloves, and with a disapproving glance at Greta’s feet, she humphed. “I see your foot must be better.”

“Yes, Agnes. A lot better,” Greta said.

“Then I hope it didn’t keep you from making my dress for the party.” She stuffed her gloves into her handbag and snapped it shut.

Agnes’s indifference to her suffering didn’t surprise Greta. “Not at all. It’s completed. If you’ll just step behind the curtain, I’ll go get it.” Greta waited until she walked away, then turned to Cole, who stood patiently with a smile. “And you, Cole—are you doing well?”

Cole observed her with interest through long, thick lashes before answering. “Good as ever, Miss Greta,” he said, removing his hat. “She talked me into accompanying her today, but I’m glad because it gave me a chance to see you again.” He held up his hand. “Yes, I know you’re marrying Zach, but a fella can still feast his eyes on a lady of beauty.”

In spite of herself, she found herself blushing. “You’re too kind. I’d better hurry and get her dress. I don’t want to keep her waiting. Make yourself at home.”

“I’ll go get Jess and bend his ear while I wait.” Cole turned toward the counter where Jess was.

“He’s assisting Silas and Annabelle.”

“No problem. I’ll just wait.” He smiled back at her.

“Then have a seat by the stove. We have a table and chairs now. Cora should be back down soon with fresh-brewed coffee.”

“You don’t say? Now that’s what I call customer service.” He grinned and strode over to sit at the new table to wait on his sister.

Greta quickly retrieved the box that Granny had placed the dress in and slipped behind the curtain, where Agnes stood waiting with an impatient glare. “Here we are. I think it turned out lovely.”

Agnes’s eyes lit up when Greta removed the dress from the box. “Ooh, I can hardly wait to try it on.” Agnes snatched the dress from Greta’s fingers, pulled it over her head, and whirled around to gaze at herself in the mirror. “Will you button up the back for me?” she asked.

“Certainly. You’ll be the hit at your party—” Greta frowned, trying to pull the back of the dress together at the waist until her fingers hurt. “Hmm . . .” The two pieces of fabric were about an inch from closing.
Now how did that happen?
she wondered, biting her lip.
I know Granny and I went over the measurements more than once before we sewed the whole thing up and added buttons.

“Is something wrong?” Agnes looked at the mirror that reflected Greta behind her.

“Agnes . . . are you standing up straight? Could you suck in your stomach just a wee bit?”

“Of course I’m standing up straight! Didn’t you make the dress according to my measurements?”

Greta took the tape measure from her apron pocket and carefully measured Agnes’s waist again, then glanced at the numbers she’d jotted down last week. Agnes was not going to like her answer. Not at all!

“I’m sorry, Agnes, but the dress is an inch away from closing at the back, near your waist.” She walked around to face Agnes and her displeasure.

“How on earth can that be? Really! Don’t you even know how to take accurate measurements?” Her annoyance was obvious. “Why did I trust you in the first place?”

Greta blinked, biting her lip to keep from saying something she’d only come to regret. She thrust the paper with her measurements in front of Agnes’s nose. “See for yourself. It appears that you’ve gained a pound or two at your waist since we took these. The dress matches my numbers.”

She watched as Agnes stared down at the paper, all color draining from her face. “No!” Agnes shrieked, letting the paper flutter to the floor.

———

Jess and Zach were talking with Cole and the Meads when they all heard Agnes scream.

“Whatever is wrong with Agnes?” Cora asked, hurrying over to set the coffeepot and mugs down.