by Lydia Olson
The desert sun was already blazing down mercilessly on the streets of Tombstone as Mia and Jonas walked beneath the covered boards that fronted the stores. Mia considered the roof over her head gratefully. Even just the walk into town had caused sweat to bead on her upper lip.
“So, I didn’t get to ask how Mother and the boys were doing,” Jonas said. Mia nodded—the night before, Jonas hadn’t returned until after Mia had gone to sleep. She hadn’t even woken up when he returned. She’d been up since before dawn, to catch the stagecoach the day before.
“They’re alright, I suppose,” she said.
“Here, I thought that Franz had things well in hand,” Jonas muttered darkly.
“How could you have known?” Mia asked. “He had us all fooled.” Mia’s mother had met Franz Heineman, a foreman at the mines, about three years ago. Franz had swept Mia’s mother off her feet. He had been so sweet to her, bringing her flowers, taking her on picnics. After the wedding, Jonas had moved to Tombstone, hoping to get rich on silver. When that didn’t work out, he’d opened a gambling hall, trusting that his mother and siblings were in good hands. But Franz quickly showed his true colors. He was lazy, demanding, and had friends who lurked about the boarding house, causing fights and running off the usual boarders.
Jonas took her hand in his uninjured one. They stopped and he looked her in the eyes.
“I would have never left if I’d known that he was going to be like that,” he said.
Mia covered his hand with hers. “I know.”
“If you’d said something sooner…”
“I’m here now,” she said, shaking her head. She was ready to put it all in the past. “I’m glad to be here.”
Jonas smiled and nodded. He began to walk on again, putting his hands in his pockets.
“And how do you like Tombstone, so far?” he asked.
“It’s certainly been exciting,” she said. “It’s good to be out of Oatman.” Jonas grinned at that.
“Isn’t it?” he mused. “After all, Oatman’s going nowhere. They’ll reach the bottom of that mine and find that there’s nothing left. Tombstone’s where the money’s at. Mark my words—within the next few years, this place will be booming, and we’ll be right here, ready to take in all of the money.”
There was a strange gleam in his eyes as he tugged on his beard. “And then I can hire the housekeeper that Lily’s always griping that she needs.”
“I could—” she began to say and he shook his head.
“We’ll be able to afford it,” he assured her.
“I thought that I was coming to help.”
“You are,” he said, nodding. “Come, let’s stop at the store. Do you need anything?”
“A few things,” she said, following him inside of the general store.
“Get whatever you need,” Jonas told her. “I’ll buy it for you.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, even though she had no intention of letting him do so. She had enough money in her purse to get what she needed.
First thing in the morning, the store was crowded with people, and Mia and her brother became separated. She made her way slowly, perusing the wares. She spotted a bolt of muslin cloth. She ran her fingers over it.
The print was simple, soft pink flowers on a cream background. It was good quality, too. Her eyes traveled over the balls of yarn, and she decided to buy some, to crochet the baby a blanket.
“What can I get for you?” the shopkeeper asked, coming over to her. He was an elderly man, with wisps of hair on his balding head. He had a pencil tucked behind his ear. His appearance was neat, and he blinked myopically.
“Three balls of the yarn, in blue,” she said. He nodded, handing them to her.
“That’ll be a penny,” he said. She gave him a coin. Maybe the gift of a blanket might , get Lily to thaw.
“Anything else?” he asked.
“I’m going to think about it while I wait for my brother,” she told him, her eyes falling on the muslin.
“Very well.” He was off to help another customer. She inspected another, richer fabric. Satin, in a pale yellow. It wasn’t anything that she’d ever wear. It wasn’t practical for someone who was always in the kitchen. She touched it, her rough fingers catching on the fabric.
When she looked up, she saw the red-haired man, the one who’d been in the fight the day before. His lip was swollen. He smiled at her, and her heart skipped a beat. He sidled over, his hands in his pockets. He was dressed in homespun pants, and a pair of chaps. He was dusty, as if he’d been out working.
“You should buy that,” he said.
She felt herself blush. “Should I?” she murmured. She knew he was flirting with her—lots of Oatman men had tried. But this was the first time ever that she’d wanted to flirt back. “I think it’s too rich for me.”
“No, miss. It isn’t,” he said, lowering his voice as he leaned closer to her. He was close—not too close, but just enough to cause her skin to heat up. “It’s exactly right for you. That yellow would look lovely.” Mia panicked. She had no idea how to handle this situation. So, she did the only thing that came to mind and rushed out of the store, squeezing past the crowd that was milling about, waiting to be helped with their purchases.
Once outside, she took a deep, steadying breath. She leaned against the brick wall of the building, letting herself calm down. She laughed, feeling a bit of hysteria coming on. Her first flirtation! How exciting Tombstone was turning out to be. She clutched the balls of yarn in her arms, feeling him watching her.
Chapter Five
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"A Truce for Love" is a stand-alone Western Historical Romance Novel of approximately 400 pages.
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