Carol Cox by Trouble in Store Read Free Book Online Page B

swallowed hard. He could see the handwriting on the wall. If she went to the marshal—especially since news of Levi’s latest misdeed had surely swept through the town—he might be out on the street before suppertime.
    He couldn’t let that happen. The store was all he had.
    Miss Ross eyed him closely, tapping her foot as if on a telegrapher’s key. When he didn’t respond right away, she gathered up her carpetbag, spun on her heel, and marched toward the door.
    “Wait!” Caleb raced around the counter to intercept her. “Let’s discuss this rationally.”
    A slight tremor tugged at the corners of her lips, and a hopeful light sprang into her eyes.
    Caleb steadied his breathing and spoke in a soothing tone. “I think we got off on the wrong foot. You’ve had a long journey and a trying day. Why don’t you take some time to rest and recuperate a bit? Your arrival has come as rather a shock. Give me a chance to think things through, and we can talk about it more in the morning.”
    Her smile broadened, revealing a tiny dimple in her right cheek he hadn’t noticed before. “That’s a fine idea. I am sure everything will look brighter to us both after a good night’s sleep. Now . . . where am I to stay?”
    He shrugged. “That’s a good question. Cedar Ridge doesn’t have a hotel.”
    “Oh?” Her smile faded and the dimple disappeared.
    He swiped his fingers across his lips to hide his grin. Cedar Ridge might be an up-and-coming place, but it didn’t have much to offer in the way of housing for a respectable young lady on her own.
    “No, we don’t get a lot of people just traveling through. Visitors either have family living here, or they bring their own bedroll and come prepared to rough it on the ground. There hasn’t been much call for a hotel.”
    “I see,” she said slowly. Then she brightened. “Cousin George once mentioned that he lived above the store.” She glanced toward the back stairway; then a flicker of doubt showed in her eyes. “Or do you live up there?”
    “No, my son and I have a house nearby. Uncle Alvin had it built soon after they opened the store.” He drew a deep breath. “I suppose you could stay in George’s old room, although there isn’t much up there in the way of furnitureanymore. My son, Levi, goes upstairs to play sometimes, but he’s happy to crawl around on the floor with his toys.”
    Seeing her hope fade, he took heart and pressed on. “We had a couple of big winds last month. They blew an awful lot of dust though the chinks in the walls. That hasn’t bothered Levi, but then, he’s all boy. He doesn’t mind the dust . . . or all those spider webs.”
    “Spider webs?” Her voice came out in a tiny squeak.
    Levi scrambled out from under the counter and faced their visitor with a grin. “Yeah, there are some really big webs up there.”
    Caleb smothered a smile at his son’s unwitting help. “But a good going over with the broom should take care of them. I’m pretty sure we got all the black widows cleared out.” He turned to a back shelf and picked up four empty canning jars, which he set before her on the counter.
    She eyed them warily. “What are these for?”
    Caleb repressed a chuckle. He hadn’t been stretching the truth, and he wasn’t about to, but he had a feeling the truth would be enough to send her clamoring for a return trip to Fort Verde on Rafe’s freight wagon.
    He leaned toward her and spoke in an earnest tone. “You fill them with water, then set the bedposts inside them. It’ll keep the scorpions from climbing into your bed. I haven’t seen one inside for a month or more, but you never know. Better safe than sorry, don’t you think?”
    Miss Ross swayed slightly. Caleb almost felt sorry for her.
    Almost.
    “Isn’t there any place to stay in town?”
    Caleb had hoped he could avoid that question, but he knew she’d find out if she checked with anyone else. “Well, there’sMrs. Fetterman. She takes in boarders from