The Runaway Bride

“I resigned a few days after the wedding.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” he asked curiously.

She crossed her arms and leaned her hip against the desk. “Well, it’s my fault you’re leaving, isn’t it?”

He shook his head. “No. I’m just ready to move on, that’s all. I’ve been inquiring about a few other jobs. Most of them are out of Peppin.”

“I still feel responsible.”

“Don’t.” He closed the box, then met her gaze seriously. “While we’re at it, let’s get something else straight. You already apologized to me about what happened at the wedding. I’ll admit I was hurt but not as deeply as you might have thought because you were right. I didn’t love you the way I should have. I knew something was wrong, but I’d made a commitment and I didn’t want to be the one to walk away from it. I’m glad you did. It was the right thing for both of us.”

She stared at him. “You mean it?”

He nodded. “I hope we can go back to being friends now and that you know if you ever need anything you can call on me.”

“Thank you, Lawson. Hearing you say that means so much to me. I hated thinking that I might have hurt you. You’ve been such a wonderful friend. I wouldn’t want to lose that.”

“Well, you aren’t. You’re stuck being my friend so you may as well like it,” he teased. Then, looking at her closely, he offered her his handkerchief. “No tears in my office and it’s still my office until I take this box out.”

She smiled and dabbed her watery eyes before handing it back with her thanks. “I’d better bring Papa his lunch. I guess I’ll see you around.”

“I’m sure you will for a little while at least.”

“Are you all right?” her father asked a few moments later as he cleared his desk to make room for the food. She told him about her conversation with Lawson, and he shook his head. “He’s a good man and a good manager. I wonder what sort of work he’ll go into next.”

“That reminds me,” she said as she laid out a plate with her mother’s baked chicken, green-bean casserole and corn. “On my way here I stopped to talk to Mrs. Cummings at the millinery shop across the street.”

He stared at her in confusion. “How did what I say remind you of hats?”

“She was looking for someone to come in a few hours a week to help her, and I told her I’d like to take the job. Isn’t that wonderful, Papa?”

Richard frowned up at her from his dark leather chair. “No, it is not. Why should you want a job, Lorelei? What will my customers think if my own daughter has to work outside the home? I’ll tell you what they’ll think. They’ll think their money isn’t safe here.”

She lifted an eyebrow and closed the basket. “As if they had anywhere else in town to put it.”

He waved his fork. “That is beside the point.”

“Well, I don’t see why they’d care one way or the other,” she reasoned. “Besides, I need something to do besides embroider with Mother.”

Hope sprang within her when her father quieted for a moment. “If it’s work you want, you are always welcome to work here.”

She almost laughed. “Doing what?”

“Why, you could be a teller.”

“Papa, I don’t want to be a teller.”

“I’d much rather you work here.”

She grimaced. “I’d much rather not.”

“It’s a perfectly respectable place. I can watch you,” he rationalized.

“It’s a perfectly boring place and I don’t need to be watched.”

He looked at her in wavering contemplation, and she gave him her best and most pleading look. Finally, he sighed. “I have a feeling this is going to be like the rose garden you tried to start and that bakery idea you tried to get a loan for and the—”

She titled her head. “And the wedding I didn’t go through with?”

He stilled. “Now, I didn’t say that, did I?”

She fiddled with the lace on her dress and tried to keep the tears from blurring her eyes. “Well, why don’t you? Isn’t that what you’re thinking? I can start something but I don’t finish it well, do I?”

“You can do whatever you set your mind to, Lorelei. When you like something well enough, you stick to it. Look at your music lessons. You’ve been playing the piano—very beautifully—for years. I guess you just try out more things than most and there’s nothing wrong with that. If it’s all right with your mother, then I don’t mind.”

“Oh, thank you, Papa.” She smiled and slipped around the desk to give him a quick hug. “I’m certain I’ll like it, and I’ll stick to it no matter what.”

“That’ll show them.” He winked.

She chatted with him for a few more minutes before exiting his office and walking right into a conflict between Mrs. Greene and her father’s secretary. Neither party seemed to realize they were blocking the hallway. The man looked positively flustered. “But, ma’am, you don’t have an appointment and Mr. Wilkins is having lunch. Why don’t I direct you to a teller? I’m sure one of them will be able to help you.”

“I’m sure they will not.” Mrs. Greene’s face seemed to grow redder by the moment. “I insist on seeing Mr. Wilkins right now. I have been entrusted with a letter for him and I aim to see he gets it.”

Lorelei spoke up to try to diffuse the situation. “It’s all right, Alexander. Father is finished with his lunch. I’m sure he’d be willing to see Mrs. Greene.”

The young man stepped aside to let Mrs. Greene pass. The woman’s gaze shifted to Lorelei, who smiled pleasantly. Mrs. Greene didn’t return the gesture. She just stared with an appraising eye. Lorelei had the strangest feeling that she’d been weighed and found wanting. Mrs. Greene brushed past her to enter her father’s office without waiting to be announced. Lorelei grimaced, then glanced at Alexander. He shook his head. “I’d hate to be your father right now. She has one mean bee in that bonnet of hers.”

“I’m sure he’ll be able to handle it.” She said goodbye to him, then waved at the other tellers before she stepped back onto the sidewalk.

It was surprisingly good to be back in Peppin. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed her family and the entire town until she’d returned. Not that she hadn’t noticed the curious looks and quiet whispers she garnered. Despite that small discomfort, it was good to be home. She’d decided her mother was right. She needed a new perspective. She was not going to allow herself to be distracted by old desires or thoughts anymore.

“Lorelei.” She glanced up into Sean’s green eyes as he tipped his Stetson to acknowledge her in passing.

I should have used the alleyways, she thought with an inward groan. She gave a small nod in return. She waited until she crossed the street to glance back for one final look at what never could have been.

Chapter Five

The door to the sheriff’s office flew open, banging against the inside wall and allowing a burst of sunlight to paint the room. Sean’s hand hopped to his gun. He rose so quickly from behind his desk that he sent his chair toppling to the floor. The door swung closed behind the man who scanned the otherwise empty room. After seeming to establish they were alone, Richard focused on Sean with narrowed eyes.

“Mr. Wilkins, what can I do for you today?”

Richard strode toward him with fire in his eyes. “Sean O’Brien, I ought to tear you limb from limb. No, I ought to lock you up in your own jail cell, scoundrel that you are.”

“Hold on just a minute, sir. Those are some pretty strong words.” He righted the chair without taking his gaze from the advancing man.

Richard pressed his fist on the top of Sean’s desk. The man paused to catch his breath, then his blue eyes locked with Sean’s in anger. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out? She is my only child. I trusted you. I put her well-being in your hands. You were supposed to protect her but all you did was expose her to slander.”