Carol Cox Read online

“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.”

  The bell jingled as the door closed. Caleb returned to the storeroom for another crate and finished restocking the shelves with Levi’s help. He had just put the stepladder away when Melanie breezed inside with a spring in her step he hadn’t noticed before.

  When he smiled at her, the surprise on her face took him aback. Hadn’t she ever seen him smile before? Well, maybe not, come to think of it. Not often, at least. But he had plenty of reason to smile now. He’d accomplished a lot in her absence. And thanks to the Professor, he now had some hope of getting his life back on track. He dusted his hands on his apron and smiled at her again. “How was your walk?”

  “Marvelous.” Her face lit up. “I was able to get a better sense of the businesses in town and their needs. I have a whole new list of ideas I’d like to implement.”

  The news produced a queasy feeling in Caleb’s stomach, but he refused to let it upset him. He stepped closer to her and squinted. Were those crumbs and traces of powdered sugar on her chin? He reached out to brush them off with his thumb. “It looks like you discovered the bakery, as well.”

  Her blush made him grin. She looked just like Levi caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Encouraged at seeing her caught off guard like that, he forged ahead. “How would you like to tend the store tomorrow?”

  Melanie’s mouth dropped open. “On my own?” She couldn’t have looked more shocked if he’d suggested she climb onto the store’s roof, sprout wings, and fly.

  Caleb suspected he might be taking much more pleasure in her discomfiture than befitted a gentleman. Maybe she wasn’t always as self-assured as she tried to appear. “Why not?” he answered with a casual wave of his hand. “If you’re going to be part owner, you ought to have a taste of what it’s like to be in charge. I thought I’d take Levi down to the creek in the morning and do some fishing.”

  Levi popped out from his cubbyhole under the counter, his eyes wide as saucers. “Fishing? Really? Just you and me?”

  The innocent question brought a lump to Caleb’s throat. He and Levi spent their days together in the store, but that wasn’t the same as just the two of them spending time focused on something his son enjoyed. The unmistakable excitement in the boy’s voice at the prospect of having his father all to himself spoke volumes about how hungry he was for Caleb’s attention.

  Melanie seemed just as quick to recognize Levi’s need. She smiled over his head at Caleb and nodded. “That sounds like a fine plan to me.”

  Caleb felt a twinge of misgivings about his scheme. He’d expected more trepidation on her part instead of this calm display of confidence. But maybe this was all for the better. Let her start off with an overabundance of assurance. All the easier for a few setbacks to burst her bubble and force her to accept that Cedar Ridge wasn’t the place for her.

  “Make sure you have everything ready before it’s time to open,” he cautioned. “It’s a lot more taxing than you might expect, trying to manage everything on your own.”

  “I’ll do that,” she promised. Her eyes sparkled, not seeming daunted in the least.

  “On the other hand, it might be very slow tomorrow morning. It’s hard to know what to expect sometimes. I hope you won’t be too disappointed if there isn’t much to do.”

  “Oh, I won’t be.” She was practically glowing now, like a child awaiting Christmas morning. “If that turns out to be the case, it will give me an opportunity to put some of my ideas into practice right away.”

  Caleb felt his heart drop like a stone.

  She turned toward the stairs. “Let me put my shawl away and freshen up a bit. Then I’ll be ready to buckle down and get back to work.”

  Caleb watched her hurry up the stairs, wondering if he had somehow miscalculated. She didn’t seem at all put off by the idea of carrying the full weight of responsibility for the store on her shou
lders.

  Maybe his stroke of genius hadn’t been so brilliant after all.

  9

  Caleb leaned back against the trunk of a towering sycamore and watched the milky-blue waters of Walnut Creek ripple at his feet. He tipped his head back and looked up through the tree’s soaring branches, where a light breeze rustled the glossy leaves. The sun’s rays filtered through the lacing of branches, dappling the blanket he’d spread out for the two of them to rest on. The first true peace he’d felt in months washed over him in a wave of contentment.

  Turning his attention back to the creek, he called to Levi. “Keep away from the edge, son. If the fish see you, they’ll hunker back in the rocks and won’t take your bait.” He saw no need to mention that stepping back would also lessen the chances of Levi falling in. The spring rains up north had melted the snow on the mountaintops, sending an excess of water downstream. The creek flowed at a rapid pace, rising high along the banks and eddying in a pool right below the tree where he and Levi had taken up their positions.

  Caleb’s cane pole leaned against the mottled bark of the sycamore’s trunk. He’d had success enough to make him happy. Three good-sized trout were tied on the stringer anchored to a fallen log a short way downstream—more than enough for their supper. For the rest of their time there, he planned to relax and enjoy their day together, and give his determined son a chance to hook the “whopper” he was sure lurked in the swirling pool.

  “Do you think Freddie will like his new home?” Levi asked.

  “I think he’ll be very happy here. It was time to let him go free, and you made a good choice, turning him loose by this pool. He’ll have lots of bugs and flies to eat, and maybe he’ll find some frog friends to play with.” And there wouldn’t be any more incidents between Freddie and Melanie Ross or any of their women customers.

  At the reminder of Melanie, a ripple of unease intruded into his peaceful reverie. Would he recognize his store when he got back to town? How many customers had she managed to alienate in his absence? He sat up and rubbed his hand across his face, trying to shake off his sudden gloom.

  “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” The verse from the Psalms came to his mind like a healing balm. “And why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God.”

  The words of the psalmist brought renewed solace to his soul. The ancient composer knew exactly where to find his hope.

  Then again, the psalmist didn’t have Melanie Ross to contend with.

  Enough! Caleb slapped his palms against his knees. His purpose in taking Levi fishing was to have some time to think and pray about his situation. If he let worries eat away at him, his time away from the store would be wasted.

  He leaned back again and watched as Levi focused his attention on the wooden bobber that floated on top of the water, following its progress as the current carried it in a circuit the length of his fishing line around the edge of the pool. “Keep an eye on your line,” Caleb called. “You don’t want it getting snagged on those cattails.”

  Rousing himself, Caleb gathered up the remains of their picnic lunch and tossed the crumbs a dozen feet away, much to the delight of the sharp-eyed scrub jay keeping watch from one of the sycamore’s limbs.

  Getting to his feet, he shook out the blanket, dislodging the last of the crumbs, then spread it out again. He had to give the Professor credit for a clever idea. If Melanie’s shift in the store turned out to be anything less than total disaster, he would have to take advantage of more times like this for as long as she stayed in Cedar Ridge.

  “Should I check the hook again?”

  Caleb raised his hand to cover his smile. “You’ve already checked it three times in the past ten minutes. You have to give the fish a chance to see it. Just keep your eye on the bobber.”

  “I haven’t even had one little nibble with this worm. Maybe it fell off. Don’t you think I ought to pull it up and make sure? Maybe there’s nothing there for the fish to see.”

  Caleb stretched out on the blanket, propping himself up on one elbow. “Give it time, son. If you’re going to be a good fisherman, you need to learn to be patient.”

  Levi shot him an impish look. “I guess Miss Ross wouldn’t be a very good fisherman, then, would she.”

  Caleb gave his head a quick shake. After six years, he still hadn’t gotten used to his son’s abrupt changes of subject. “What do you mean?”

  “She wasn’t very patient with you this morning.”

  Caleb winced at the memory. “No. No, she wasn’t.” His mind drifted back to his words of instruction just before they left that morning. He’d only wanted to impress upon her the fact that tending the store involved more than prettying up their displays. Being a successful storekeeper meant being aware of a number of different things, all at the same time.

  “You have to know your customers. Most of the people around here are easy enough to deal with, but a few need special treatment. There’s the mayor’s wife, for instance.” Caleb gave her a quick description of Ophelia Pike, omitting any mention of protruding bustles or a resemblance to the letter S. “Remember, she and her husband buy a lot from us, and we want to keep it that way. If she asks for anything we don’t have in stock, tell her we’ll order it, and make sure you follow through on that right away.”

  Melanie’s nod was a bit impatient. “Of course. It’s the same treatment I would expect for myself as a customer. That’s exactly the kind of service we ought to be giving.”

  “Then there’s Andy Jenkins. I’ve noticed several small items missing a time or two after he’s been in the store. I haven’t caught him at it yet, but if he comes in, don’t let your attention get diverted. You can’t take your eyes off that one for a minute.”

  Melanie’s brow crinkled. “And if he’s in the store when someone else asks about an order, and I need to check in the storeroom . . . ?”

  It isn’t as simple as you thought, is it. “You’ll have to figure that out for yourself. That’s what running a store is all about. It isn’t a lark, it’s a business. Now if some stranger comes in who looks like they may try to give you trouble, I keep a pistol in the drawer next to the cash box.”

  That was when she’d told him not to borrow trouble and practically thrown him out of his own store.

  A whoop from Levi broke into his thoughts. “Look, Papa! The bobber’s gone!”

  Caleb sat straight upright. Sure enough, Levi’s cane pole bent in an arc, its quivering tip nearly touching the water’s surface. He sprang to his feet and ran to the bank. “Hold your pole up high. Don’t let him get away.”

  “I’m trying, but he’s too big. Help me!”

  Caleb grabbed the pole with one hand above and the other below Levi’s and held it in a firm grip. “Okay, let’s pull him in. Come on now, you can do it.”

  The veins stood out in Levi’s neck as he heaved back, pulling for all he was worth. After a moment, the pole went slack as the water broke and the fish cleared the surface in a mighty leap. Caleb took advantage of the opportunity, keeping the pole high in the air and swinging it over to the bank. He held tight and kept the line taut, while Levi ran over to inspect his prize.

  The look on the boy’s face was one of pure delight. “It’s the biggest fish I’ve ever seen! I did good—didn’t I, Papa?”

  Caleb laughed aloud at his son’s exultant expression. “You sure did. That must be the granddaddy of all the trout in this stream. I’m going to have to set up a separate stringer just for him.”

  He busied himself pulling out the hook. Then taking the fish from Levi’s grasp, he took a length of heavy cord from his pocket and threaded it through the fish’s mouth and back out through the gills. Then he carried it over to the bank and knelt to tie the cord to the half-submerged log.

  “Why did Mama have to die?”

  The question took Caleb so off guard that he nearly lost his grip on the line. He made a quick grab to hold it fast before the trout took advantage of his lapse and swam away. With his free hand, he
looped the line around the branch holding the other three fish and knotted it tight.

  Straightening, he wiped his hands on his pant legs and turned to face Levi. “To be honest, son, I really don’t know.” And that was the absolute truth. Hadn’t he bombarded his heavenly Father with that same question for countless nights after Corinna’s death?

  Levi broke a dry cattail from its stalk and wandered over to the blanket. He plopped down on it, sitting cross-legged. Avoiding eye contact with his father, he picked at a patch of dried mud on the knee of his overalls. “Do you think she would have liked me?”

  Caleb felt like he’d taken a fist to the chest. “Of course. She loved you, son. You were the joy of her life.”

  Levi nodded, seeming to accept the assurance without question. He ran his thumb along the dry cattail, peeling off clumps of the tiny seeds. “What about Uncle Alvin? Why did he die?”

  Caleb drew a long breath. Those were weighty questions for a boy Levi’s age. He’d never expected their little outing to take such a philosophical turn. He picked his words carefully, trying to decide how much a six-year-old ought to know. “Well, he got sick, son.”

  Levi bobbed his head. “But he was getting better. I thought he was going to get well.”

  “We all did.” Caleb felt a renewed sense of grief, remembering how quickly Alvin had taken a turn for the worse. “But sometimes things don’t work out the way we expect them to.”

  Levi nodded again, appearing to ponder the concept. “Uncle Alvin liked me.”

  Caleb smiled. Kneeling beside his son, he reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair. “Yes, he did. He liked you very much.”

  Levi tossed the bits of cattail aside and started digging in the dirt with the stick. “What about Miss Ross?”

  Caleb felt a little like the bobber in the pool, being spun this way and that. What had made Levi connect Melanie to this line of questioning? He tried to keep his voice light. “Well, when we left the store, she was alive and well. I assume she’ll be in the same condition when we get back.”