Someone Like You by Elaine Coffman Read Free Book Online

place and everyone here wants to keep it that way.”
    “I’ll be happy to leave, but not without all of my belongings.”
    Jonah stroked his chin, then nodded. “Sounds fair enough to me. You’ve got your horse and saddle now, so you can be on your way.”
    Evidently that didn’t sound too fair to Reed, for he was quite adamant when he said, “I won’t leave until I have everything that belongs to me, and that includes my money, hat, guns, and pack, as well as my other horse.”
    “I’d like to remind you that you don’t have a place to stay, and the town of Bluebonnet has a law against vagrants. You’ll have to be moving on, son. With or without all of your belongings.”
    “Excuse me, Sheriff,” Violette called out.
    “Have your say, Violette. Lord knows everyone else in this blasted town has spoken his piece.”
    “I wanted to tell you Mr. Garrett has a place to stay. I hired him to work for me when he stopped by our farm.”
    Once again people in the crowd broke into discussion.
    “Your niece said she sent him on his way,” Jonah said.
    Violette glanced at Susannah in a mildly sheepish way. “Yes, so she did, but you see, I hired him after she sent him packing.”
    “Hired?” boomed Susannah. “Him? Aunt Vi, what are you saying? Why… I… You can’t mean… This is too much.”
    Violette patted Susannah’s hand. “Now, dear,” she said, attempting to sound severe, “that’s really unlike you to—”
    Dahlia spoke up. “Violette Wakefield—”
    “Just a moment, Dally.” She turned back to Susannah. “I’m sure you couldn’t possibly have an objection to hiring a nice man like Mr. Garrett.”
    Dahlia tried again. “Vi, you can’t—”
    “Hold your horses, Dally.” She turned back to Susannah. “As I was saying, I am certain you couldn’t have any objection to Mr. Garrett’s coming to work, especially considering how much it will benefit all of us to have a strong back to help with things. We have been discussing hiring someone to work full-time.”
    “We’ve been talking about hiring Jester Buford,” Susannah said, “not some stranger.”
    “Well, after he’s been working for us a spell, he won’t be a stranger.”
    Susannah opened her mouth, but Violette spoke too quickly. “Well, go on, Dally. You wanted to say something?”
    “I have been trying,” shouted Dahlia, “but you keep interrupting me.”
    “I am not interrupting you now, so have your say.”
    “I would rather be mad,” she said forlornly.
    By this point Jonah was looking a bit put out, and as he always did when he was a bit put out, he took out his pouch of tobacco and rolled one of his enormous cigarettes.
    For the first time in her life, Susannah wished she smoked.
    “I’ll be leaving you ladies to work out your differences,” Jonah said. “I’ve got a mountain of things to do.” He turned back to the crowd. “All right, folks. Break it up. Show’s over. You’re blocking the way, and there are folks waiting to get past. Come on, now. Get on with what you were doing.”
    Completely flabbergasted at her aunt’s out-and-out lie, Susannah continued to sputter and stammer until Dahlia took up the cause once again.
    “You don’t mean to sit there and tell me that you hired that…that reprobate!” Dahlia whispered to her sister. “I won’t tolerate it, you hear? I simply won’t tolerate it.”
    “I’m afraid you’ll have to,” Violette whispered back, adamant. “I’ve already hired him.”
    “Then unhire him!” Dahlia said. “I won’t set foot on the farm until you do.”
    “Suit yourself,” Violette said. “The farm is, after all, mine.”
    “I only hope,” Dahlia went on to say, raising her eyes piously toward heaven, “that you never find yourself unwanted by your own flesh and blood, cast out among the heathen swine. Life is hard enough without a woman’s own sister tossing her out on her ear.”
    Susannah opened her mouth. “But—”
    “I won’t be swayed,”