The Marriage Bargain

He needed to start the cleanup and repairs on his building. Having Lily’s father lease the shop from him had eased the strain to make the mortgage payments. But he couldn’t in all good conscience take money from her while the building was damaged.

He’d stop in at the post office first and see if there was a letter from Jane.

“Quite a night we had, Stone,” Jerry Winters, the postmaster, greeted him. “Glad you saw the flames. Hate to think what could have happened to my family, it being right next door and all.”

Winston Ledford walked into the post office as Jerry was speaking. “It’s a good thing for all of us that you had your eye on Miss Warren. I’ll admit she’s worthy of a second look.” A smirk Edward didn’t like crept across the saloon owner’s face.

Edward’s gut roiled. This was exactly the kind of gossip he worried about after Liza Croft made such a scene in front of most of the town. He refused to rise to Ledford’s goading.

Instead, he nodded at Jerry Winters. “I think we were all blessed by God’s mercy.”

Mrs. Winters came from the private quarters behind the post office and joined her husband. “We all owe you a debt of gratitude, Mr. Stone.”

“I doubt he’ll be missing much of what goes on at the new hat shop, Mrs. Winters.” Winston Ledford came to stand beside Edward at the counter. “Do you have any mail for me?”

The disapproval on Mrs. Winter’s face almost made Edward chuckle. If it wasn’t such a serious subject, he’d laugh at how soundly Ledford’s comments were dismissed. She turned to search the cubbyholes behind her and handed several letters to the man.

Winston shuffled through the small stack, tipped his hat and said, “Good morning to you all.” He opened the door to leave. “I think I’ll stop by and see how our newest resident is this morning. Must have been quite a shock to her.”

Edward’s back tightened, and he drew a deep breath. “That won’t be necessary, Ledford. I’m on my way there now to begin the repairs.”

A cantankerous laugh burst from Winston. “As I suspected. You’ve already staked a claim on our new merchant.” He stepped onto the sidewalk and turned to close the door. “Don’t be surprised if you find yourself engaged in some friendly competition over the likes of Miss Warren.” The door closed, and his grinning face filled the pane of glass before he turned in the direction of the building next door.

Edward followed him at a brisk pace.

“Stone, don’t you want to know if you have any mail?” Mr. Winters called.

“I’ll check back later.” He was through the front door. “It’s not fitting for Miss Warren to be subjected to the likes of Mr. Ledford without warning.”

It was one thing for Mrs. Croft to make unfounded accusations, but for Winston Ledford to think that a fine, upstanding lady like Miss Lily Warren was open to his attentions was another matter. Edward wouldn’t leave her unprotected from the saloon owner’s lack of good manners.

Serving as an unsolicited chaperone was the only right thing to do. It was more about protecting Lily’s reputation in the community, and thus his income from her rental, than anything else.

Edward opened the door to Lily’s shop and found Winston Ledford leaning on the glass display case Lily had brought with her when she’d arrived only two days earlier. She caught sight of him over Ledford’s shoulder. Was that relief in her gaze?

“Thank you for checking on me, Mr. Ledford, but I assure you it isn’t necessary. I’m quite all right.” She stepped from behind the case and walked toward Edward.

Once again he was struck by her beauty. When she’d first come to Pine Haven and stepped from the train, he couldn’t help but notice her. Everyone noticed her. But within moments, her independence had become clear to him. She was lovely, but she wasn’t the kind of woman who wanted to settle down and care for a home and family. Not the kind of woman he’d begun to think he might need for Ellen. After a childhood of being neglected and mistreated by his stepmother, he’d replaced any yearning for love with a mistrust of women years ago. If he did marry for Ellen’s sake, he’d choose carefully.

“Good morning, Miss Warren.” Edward set the wooden box he’d filled with tools on a crate near the front door and removed his hat. “I’ve come to get started on the repairs.”

She lifted a handkerchief to her face and coughed. “That’s very good of you.”

Winston Ledford turned to face them. “If you’re certain there’s nothing I can do for you, Miss Warren, I’ll leave you in the care of Mr. Stone.” He sauntered toward the door. “He seems determined to watch over you.” He tipped his hat at Lily and walked through the door Edward held open for him.

Edward closed the door with a snap. “I hope you aren’t taken in by the likes of Mr. Ledford.” He picked up his toolbox.

“I’m a big girl, Mr. Stone. You don’t have to worry about me.” Lily went back toward the workroom behind the shop. Perhaps the relief he’d seen in her face earlier was imagined. Nothing she’d done since he’d met her upon her arrival in town Monday had suggested she was anything other than a woman determined to make her own way in the world. Her single-minded focus might be the very thing that protected her from people like the saloon owner.

“That’s good to know. Some women are swayed by fancy talk and refined appearances.”

“I assure you, I appreciate fine things. I also look for quality. In people and things.”

She directed him toward the workroom. “Thank you for coming so early. I’ve done what I could about getting everything dry and removing the rubbish.”

Her movements were swift and fluid, like a bird on air. She’d brushed her hair into a loose bun and changed her clothes, but the fatigue of her ordeal showed in eyes. Another coughing spell wrenched her breath.

“You didn’t need to do all that by yourself, Miss Warren. I assured you I’d be here this morning.”

She lifted a hand and waved it in dismissal of his words. “I couldn’t sleep anyway. My schedule was tight before the fire. Now I’ll need to work at a quicker pace than I’d planned.”

He entered the workroom behind her. The back door stood open, and he could see the pile of rubble she’d created in the alley beyond. “You stayed up all night?”

“It’s a matter of no consequence.” She indicated the shelving on the left of the storeroom. “Do you think any of this can be salvaged?”

Obviously she’d moved beyond the fire and had set her mind on repairs. Most women would be wallowing in a pool of pity, bemoaning their misfortune. Her determination was admirable.

“First things first,” he said. “I need to discover how the fire started, so we can make certain we don’t have another incident.” He turned to see her blush and lift a hand to her forehead. She rubbed her fingers across her brow in a smoothing motion.

“We won’t have to worry about it again.” A deep breath caused more coughing. “Please forgive me.” She tucked the handkerchief back in the pocket of her apron.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. Just frustrated with the amount of work I’ve caused us both.”

“You caused?”

Could Ellen be right? Had his tenant been the reason for the fire? The last thing he needed was for his niece to discover Lily had put the building in jeopardy. The child already resented her presence in the shop. Edward didn’t have the energy to deal with more trouble in their lives—especially not from a woman he’d just met.

Chapter Two (#ulink_1a6a5951-7f02-5fa1-8450-40a90ce6434d)

Edward prayed he’d misunderstood Lily. “What do you mean, ‘you caused’?”

“It seems the fire was my fault.” Lily pointed to the wall near the back door where the most damage appeared to be. “I was working late, trying to make a few extra hats. I had set a lantern on this workbench.”

She didn’t seem the irresponsible type. “Surely you didn’t leave a lantern burning when you went to bed. You’d have noticed the light.”

“No.” She jerked her head to stare at him. “Of course not! I took the lantern with me.”

She pointed to a small stack of charred kindling near the stove. It was considerably smaller than the amount he’d cut and placed there before her arrival. Normal circumstances wouldn’t have caused her to use so much kindling.

“Right before I went upstairs, I swept up the trimmings from around the workbench. Bits of ribbon and feathers. Things like that. I swept them into a pile near the door, intending to dispose of it this morning. Then I checked the stove. Some embers must have blown out and landed among the trash. It must have smoldered and caught when it got near the kindling. I don’t know how else it could have started. I’m so sorry.” Another cough stopped her from speaking. “I’ll pay for the damages.”

Edward stirred the kindling with the toe of his boot and studied the scorched wood and the wall in the corner of the room between the stove and the door.

“It’s possible a gust of wind blew under the door and carried the embers back to the kindling.” He turned to Lily, who was coughing again. “No one was hurt. That’s the most important thing.”

“Please forgive me. I never meant to start the fire.” She covered her mouth again to cough.