Twice Promised (The Blue Willow Brides Book #2): A Novel (6 page)

Silas scratched his chin. “Way I look at it, she’s growing too fast to own two pairs of shoes at a time right now. Serviceable work boots against the snow that’s coming soon are good enough.”

Annabelle shook her head, giving Silas a nudge on the shoulder as she walked past.

Jess chuckled. He knew that Silas had already lost that battle, but it was better for a man’s ego to put up a protest. “Cora,” he said, “why don’t you start with wrapping up these items I’ve put aside for my friend Cole? I’ve still got a few more items to toss in the pile. He’ll return soon, and I told him I’d have it all together.”

Cora moved hesitantly toward the work counter. She stared at the brown paper on the round metal holder, then began by pulling off a sheet. She glanced up at Zach, who winked at her. Jess had to admit, her smile was disarming. Just the kind that could make a man’s heart flip-flop, which was what Jess’s might do given half the chance.

“Don’t worry about it being perfect. Cole will never even notice, I’m sure,” Zach said, handing her a roll of twine.

Cora smiled back at Zach. “I have a lot to learn. I’ve never worked in a store before.” She folded a pair of pants in half, then wrapped paper around it.

“I’ll be taking you and Greta around the store today so you can familiarize yourself with how we run the place.” Zach leaned one hip against the counter, propping his elbow on top. “Soon as Greta’s finished with Sue.”

“Did I hear you ladies say you were staying in a cabin?” Silas asked.

“Yes. Zach has put us up in his friend’s cabin at the edge of town, but I hope it won’t be for long.”

“Not long,” Zach remarked cheerfully. “Just as soon as Jess picks his bride, one of you’ll be moving to the quarters upstairs.”

Cora quirked an eyebrow. “Upstairs?”

Jess was just about to comment when the chatty Greta, her arm about Sue’s shoulders, walked up with a pair of Sunday-go-to-meeting shoes. If she could talk Annabelle into buying another pair of shoes, she just might be good for business.

“Greta’s right. These will be perfect for church,” Annabelle said, placing the shoes on the counter. “’Course, if Joshua and Stephen see them, they’ll be begging for something else too.” She giggled. “But go ahead and add these to the bill, Jess.”

“You got it, Annabelle.” Jess took the shoes and handed them to Cora to wrap.

“And by the way, why don’t you and the ladies drive over to our place for supper on Friday?” Annabelle turned to Zach. “And you too, Zach. We need to show these ladies a little Central City hospitality.”

“Thanks, that’s mighty kind of you. We’d love to.” Jess glanced at Greta and Cora for approval. “If that’s something they’d like to do.”

Greta’s eyes sparkled in amusement when she nodded at him. “That would be nice.”

Jess’s heart started thumping when he locked eyes with Greta. His hands were none too steady either as he handed Silas the wrapped shoes for Sue. What in the world was wrong with him? He’d have to avoid Greta’s flirtatious eyes. She could be trouble. Cora, on the other hand, was more his type—quiet and reserved.

“Annabelle, we’d be delighted to come.”

“Then it’s settled—”

“What’s settled?” Cole strode in, looking around at the newcomers. “My order?”

Zach laughed. “Hardly, but I’ll get back to finishing the order that Jess started.” He snagged the list that Jess had put aside and sauntered away.

Cole tipped his hat. “And who might your friends be, Jess?”

Jess watched as his friend surveyed the two ladies. Now just how was he supposed to announce that he had two mail-order brides? He clenched his teeth when he thought about how Zach had it all planned out. Cole liked pretty women and made no bones about it.

“Cole.” Silas offered him a handshake. “We were just inviting Jess and Zach for supper Friday, as well as Greta and Cora, two mail-order brides who just arrived yesterday. You may as well come too, unless you’ve got plans.”

Cole’s eyes darted over to Greta and Cora. “Mail-order brides . . . Well, Jess, I didn’t know you entertained the idea of marriage!”

Jess groaned inwardly. “I’m not sure that I do, Cole. Meet Greta Olsen and Cora Johnson.” He couldn’t help but notice how both ladies stood straighter when Cole’s eyes swept over them. His good looks had turned many a head in Central City. It shouldn’t matter to him that Cole had their full attention, but it did.

“How do you do?” Cole took their hands in turn and bowed slightly. “Seems Jess is full of surprises.”

Cora flushed, and Greta gave Cole a broad smile. Had she smiled at Jess like that? He didn’t think so.

“Maybe the surprise was more from Zach,” Cora murmured. There was an awkward moment of silence as she gave Cole a friendly gaze.

“We’d better go find the boys and head on back home. Like I said, you’re welcome to come too, Cole,” Silas said. He placed his hand on Annabelle’s elbow and propelled her to the door.

“I’ll consider it,” Cole said, hooking his thumbs in his jean pockets.

Annabelle waved a quick goodbye, and they hurried out the door in search of their boys. A blast of cold air rushed in as the door refused to close.

“I’ve been meaning to work on that door frame,” Jess said as he lifted the doorknob and shoved it hard so the latch plate caught.

Cole chuckled. “Jess, that door’s been like that for two years now.”

Jess shot him a daggerlike look, annoyed with his friend.

“I’ll be happy to put that on your list of things to do, Jess,” Greta said, reaching for a pencil.

“List? What list? I never make a list,” Jess said. “I have it all tucked away up here.” He tapped his finger against his forehead.

Greta’s laughter rang out. “Well, now others will be able to see, uh, up there,” she teased. “You’ll have a list.”

Cole placed his hand on his hip. “Miss Greta, if you get tired of wrangling with Jess or Zach, I’d be mighty happy to take you out to dinner at one of our fine restaurants. And of course you too, Miss Cora.”

Cora looked from Greta to Jess without responding, but Jess thought her unhappy look said it all.

Jess humphed, giving Cole’s shoulder a friendly poke. “You can’t begin to handle one woman, much less two, my friend!” What in tarnation was Cole trying to do? Sweep them off their feet?

“Thank you for your invitation, Cole, and it was a pleasure to meet you, but we’ve barely gotten settled. Now if you will excuse us.” Greta turned to Cora and said, “Come on, Cora, let’s go find Zach so he can give us whatever instructions he thinks we’ll need. I’ll wager it won’t be too much from the looks of things around here.”

“I’m right behind you,” Cora said as she slipped an apron over her head and tied the strings.

“I don’t give up easily,” Cole bellowed as they walked away.

6

Jess decided he needed some time alone. He left Zach in charge of the store, saddled his horse, Stomper, and rode off toward Black Hawk. He told Zach that he needed to check on Granny since it had been a week since either of them had dropped by. The death of his parents from influenza last year, shortly after his younger brother’s death, had taken a toll on his grandmother. She seemed to age overnight far beyond her seventy years. But even though she’d slowed down, she wanted to live right where she was. Not too far from her grandsons, where she could keep an eye on them, and the graves of her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson.

Then again, it was hard to know where Black Hawk ended and Central City began these days, with the huge influx of miners and gold seekers who passed through on their way to seek their fortunes. But he wasn’t complaining. Far from it. His mercantile business had increased dramatically. Maybe Greta and Cora had come at just the right time. He’d never been busier, and a helper of any sort could be useful to have around the store. He didn’t fool himself with entertaining ideas of romance. Life was about work for him, and any woman he married would have to understand that.

His mind meandered just like the trail down to his grandmother’s house. The August sun’s warmth on his back felt good, but Jess knew it would be replaced by sharp canyon winds by the middle of September. He found himself smiling. Heavens above, he loved Colorado! Every day was like God’s gift of treats served just for him. The pristine, cloudless blue sky and pine-laden scent were downright intoxicating. Much like the gleam in Greta’s eyes.

Now whatever in the world made him think of that comparison? Why, he’d only just met her this morning, and Cora was right pretty as well. He was still mystified as to why Zach would do such a thing without telling him. It made Jess sharply aware that Zach preferred making his own way. He wasn’t sure how that had escaped him.

He gave a gentle tug on Stomper’s reins and paused at the crest of the bluff, gazing at the busy little town below. Even from this vantage point, he could see Granny’s small house with its picket fence and bright trailing flowers. His heart pinched when he remembered how she’d clung to him and cried when they buried his parents—so unlike her usual tough exterior. She told him a parent is never supposed to bury her children. Jess reckoned she was right about that. Only the good Lord knew the reasons why.

Jess nudged Stomper further down the trail, suddenly anxious to see Granny and have a slice of her rhubarb pie.

Greta listened intently to Zach, who was explaining to her and Cora the particulars of running the general store.

“When we place orders, we have a checklist of supplies that we compare to the shipping paper we receive once they arrive, which is called a bill of lading.” He turned the paper around so they could get a look at the sheet. “Then I just make a check mark against the bill of lading when it reaches us. I keep a labeled file right here under the counter so everything is easy to find.”

“My, you’re very organized,” Cora said.

“I have to be because Jess isn’t.” He chuckled. He pointed at some crates. “There’s yesterday afternoon’s orders that I checked off, but both of you can start uncrating when we’re through here.” Zach punched some numbers into the huge cash register. “Just put the price in on this machine, and it will total the customers’ sales up for you. At the end of the day, I’ll total the receipts and make sure they match what’s in the drawer here. Any questions?”

“Doesn’t look too complicated to me,” Greta commented. “Do you decide where supplies must go, or are you up to a bit of change around here?”

Zach came over to stand next to the ladies. “You can see where sundry items go and farming implements are stored,” he said with a sweep of his hand. “I’d be tickled to death if you two decide the most appropriate way to handle the clothing area, and maybe come up with a better way to display some of our supplies to their best advantage, if you know what I mean. I’m not good in that department, and you can tell we need some suggestions.”

“I believe we can handle that, don’t you, Cora?”

Cora sighed, glancing around the store. “No offense, Zach, but anything has got to be a little better than this.”

Zach tapped the counter. “Good! No offense taken. Have at it, ladies.”

Greta stood with her hands on her hips, making a
tsking
noise while she and Cora stared at the crates of supplies yet to be opened. They were haphazardly stacked in front of a sagging wood table laden with fabric bolts in total disarray.

“Whew! Where on earth do we start, Greta?” Cora shook her head. “I’ve never seen a store stocked this way, but they seem to do a very brisk business, don’t they?”

Greta took a deep breath. “They do, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make things a little easier to find when a customer inquires.” She moved toward the stack of crates. “First we need to move these, but let’s not open them until we can make sense of this table and then see where the new supplies can go,” she said. With Cora’s help she was able to shove some of the crates to the side in order to get to the table of fabric. “Let’s put the big bolts all to one side and the remnants at the other end.”

Cora did as Greta suggested. “Wonder why they keep the scraps of material in the first place? Seems to me that they just take up valuable space.”

Greta paused and propped her elbows on the bolts of fabric, staring at Cora. “Don’t you know that remnants are used especially for making quilts, among other things?”