The Most Unsuitable Wife

by Caroline Clemmons

  "Now, hold on. I'm not through being mad yet," he protested, but his arms slid around her waist. "You should have told me all this a long time ago.”

  She leaned back to look into his face, her arms still around him. "You don't look so angry now. Are you sure you're not over it?” She kissed the corner of his mouth. The tick had disappeared, and she ran her tongue along his lips.

  He mumbled, "Maybe I'll be mad later. Right now I seem to be filled with other feelings."

  * * *

  Willard shuddered even though the air was soft and warm. He felt a chill run up his spine and got a scarey feeling. Lordy, he wished this was over and done with.

  Burris hunkered down in the predawn dark behind Granny's Lunches and Baked Goods. He worked at the back locks, making several scratches in the paint and on the brass.

  Willard held a hooded lantern near the door. "Hurry up, Burris. Someone's goin' to see us if'n we don't get inside. The sun'll be comin' up soon."

  "I'm hurryin'. This here's a good strong lock.” The click of the mechanism brought a sigh of relief from both men.

  Burris opened the door and both men slipped inside.

  Willard sniffed. "Mmm. Don't it smell good in here. That Pearl is sure one good cook.”

  Neither of them had eaten a decent meal in days. They had to stay out of sight. He sure was hungry, and he knew his brother was too. It couldn't hurt to eat now they were here.

  Burris' thoughts must have been headin' in the same direction. "Bet they's somethin' good to eat left from yesterday. Let's have us a good breakfast 'fore Pearl gets here."

  "Yep. Here's some pie. And lookee here, some roast beef and bread. We can make us a pack to take with us.”

  The two men gathered food on the large wooden table in the center of the cooking area. "Ep, ss hrs Prls brd,” Burris said around a mouthful of food.

  "How can you make a sound with that much food in your mouth? I cain't understand a word you're sayin'.” Willard sliced off a slab of beef and slapped it on a chunk of bread.

  Burris' Adam's Apple bobbled several times as he swallowed before he spoke again. "I said, yes, this here's Pearl's bread. She allus did make the best bread I ever et."

  "Guess we'll have good bread on our way west. We can stop long enough for her to bake."

  "You think we can get her and that girl Sarah to come with us? I still don't think this is goin' to work.”

  Willard gave his brother a glare. "I told you they'll come when they find out it's that or be killed. Then that boy'll foller us and we'll get him too."

  "Now, see, that's another part I don't understand. How do you know the boy will foller?"

  "Why, he's an injun, ain't he? That's what they do. You know, track people and such. We'll just wait for him along side the trail. When he comes along, we'll grab him."

  "If he's trackin' us, he'll know we're beside the trail, won't he?” Burris scratched his face and smeared blackberry pie filling across scraggly stubble.

  Willard's annoyance with his younger brother grew. "Will you quit askin' so danged many questions and just let me do the thinkin'? You plum drive a body crazy."

  "Don't get riled. I know you're the smart one and older and all. But I still don't see how this is gonna work.”

  Willard wasn't sure it would, either, but he was desperate. He didn't want to kill nobody, especially not women. Specially not women he didn't have no cause to hate. He wanted even worse not to get killed himself. This was the only plan he could come up with to get out of this mess.

  He thought the big basket on the top shelf might be good to take their food in. He raised his hand to reach for it. Burris thought he meant to cuff him and jumped back against the large old range. The oven door, with coals banked to keep them live overnight, was hot.

  "Yeow.” Burris shot forward and into the table. "That stove near seared my backside.” The table wobbled, the lantern tilted. Both men reached for it, but the lantern hit the floor and rolled. Oil spilled from the base and ignited. Fire spread across the floor.

  Willard grabbed as much food as he could shove into the basket. "We got to get out of here fast. Run fer it."

  * * *

  Drake and Storm were rising from the breakfast when Beau Benton rushed into the house. "Looks like the glow of a fire from town. Big one."

  Drake threw his napkin down on the table and hurried toward the door. "I'll sound the alarm for the hands," he called over his shoulder. "Storm, could you help your sisters get ready to ride in?"

  Both Sarah and Pearl were moving even as Drake spoke. They had everything in preparation for their day's work at the restaurant. From outside the house pounding hooves sounded over the hum of men clamoring to get mounts saddled and away.

  Soon Beau stuck his head in long enough to call, "The Judge sent a rider from town. Miz Pearl, it's your eatin' place what's on fire."

  The four guards and the four members of the Kincaid family raced on the half-hour's ride to town only seconds behind the ranch cowboys. Even before they left the ranch, the glow of the fire and plume of smoke marred the early morning light. By the time they reached town, only a pile of burning timber remained of what had been Pearl's café. Townspeople who had worked with water brigades to keep flames from spreading to nearby businesses slowed their assault. The café had sat apart from other buildings and the sparks had not engulfed any other structures.

  Pearl shot out of the buggy as soon as it stopped. She rushed toward the fire, frantic to help. Drake tossed the reins over a post and rushed after his wife.

  He grabbed her arms to prevent her charging into the foray of people in the line of firefighters. "Pearl, it's too late. There's nothing we can do."

  "No, no! It's all gone. Our lovely restaurant.” Pearl stared in disbelief at the pile of blackened rubble, tears pouring down her face. Smoke still billowed and occasional bursts of flames shot up.

  Grandpa stopped work to come over to them, his white mane streaked with black soot. "Sorry, Pearl. By the time the alarm sounded and folks rushed over, it was too late to save anything. All we could do is try to keep it from spreading."

  "Honey, I'm sorry.” Drake put a comforting arm around her. "It's too damn bad."

  The smell of the smoke sickened her. It wasn't the crisp odor of a campfire nor the familiar aroma of a cook stove. This smelled of things that should never burn, things charred beyond recognition.

  Pearl wiped at her tears and her senses tried to register the disaster. Her mind froze. All that work, all that time. Gone in an instant. In a haze, she saw Abe Kline step up to take a water bucket from Rhoda. The two exchanged a few words before Rhoda stepped away from the group of fire fighters and rushed to Pearl with a tearful embrace.

  "Your beautiful lunch place—all gone. It's too awful to believe."

  "Yet there's the proof.” Pearl stared over Rhoda's head at the smouldering rubble.

  "Oh, Pearl,” Rhoda sobbed. "What will you do? What will we all do?"

  Pearl knew Rhoda depended on her income from the restaurant, knew she needed that income to feed her family. A widow with three children and a mother to support had a hard time. The restaurant had been perfect for Rhoda. Pearl even sent left over food home for the Spiegel family. Now what would they do?

  Try as she would, no solution came to Pearl's numbed mind. She tried to grasp the hard work, supplies and planning which had disappeared in only a few moments' time. She couldn't do it. Better to reassure Rhoda and leave the rest for later.

  "Don't worry. I won't abandon you. We'll think of something.” She squeezed her friend's shoulders. "Thank you for fighting the fire. Why don't you go on home now? There's nothing more to be done here today."

  Dick Harrigan spoke to Abe, then moved toward the Kincaids. He stopped in front of her and Drake. The burly man was covered in soot and sweat and had burns on his forearms.

  "I'm sorry as can be, Pearl. We'll build her back 'fore you know it."

  At the sight of Dick's injuries, a well-trained po
rtion of Pearl's mind took charge of her body. "Oh, Dick, your poor arms. Let me get some salve for you.” She reached into the buggy for her medical bag, relieved to have something familiar to occupy her hands while her mind worked on the disaster. "How could this have happened? We've always been so careful."

  Lex appeared, looking as grubby as Dick. "It appears someone set it."

  Drake asked, "Are your sure?"

  Both men nodded. Dick looked at Lex to continue.

  Lex nodded toward the hotel across the street. "Real early this morning, a couple in the hotel's second floor saw a light in the back of the café. They thought some of you'd come in early 'cause they saw movement, you know, shadows moving around like people working. That wasn't long before they saw the flames."

  She felt weak. What if someone was trapped under all that rubble? "Could anyone be...” She couldn't voice the words.

  Dick shook his head. "No need to worry 'bout that, at least. Old Mr. Findley was walking his dog near the trees. He saw the flames and what he thought were two men running out the back carrying something."

  She finished bandaging Dick's arms and turned to her husband. "Thank goodness, no one was caught inside.”

  Then the impact hit. Anger raced through her and she turned around. "So, they stole something and then started the fire. How dare they do this to us after all our hard work."

  Sarah shook her head in disbelief. "What could we have had in there to make it worth this?"

  "Maybe just someone passing through needed some food.” Storm stared at the remains of his sisters' business and shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe the fire was an accident during the theft."

  Drake cradled Pearl in front of him, her back to his chest and his arms crossed in front of her. "Could be. We'll probably never know. Whoever was involved is probably long gone by now."

  With the fire controlled and dying, townspeople drifted to their homes to clean up from their fight. Most extended condolences as they passed, some stumbling with fatigue. Pearl offered her gratitude for their assistance but her mind reeled with her loss.

  Drake thanked his ranch hands and sent them back to their day's work. He nodded to Sheriff Liles. "Guess you heard about the two men seen running out the back?"

  "Yes, and I'd like to talk to you, especially to Mrs. Kincaid."

  Grandpa gave Pearl's shoulder a pat. "Y'all come on to the house.” He turned to the sheriff, "Ben, can you join us there or do we need to come to your office?"

  The sheriff stood several seconds surveying the damage before he answered. "You folks go on with the Judge and I'll look around here a bit more, talk to a few people. I'll be along after you've had a chance to recover a bit."

  Lex stepped away from the Kincaids. "I'll go to my rooms and get cleaned up before I join you."

  Only fifty feet of open space separated the law offices of Kincaid and Tremont from Pearl's former café. The sheriff and Lex walked slowly toward the outside stair which led to Lex's second floor living quarters.

  Sheriff Liles gauged the damage to the offices. The fire's intense heat had left blisterd paint on the side of the two-story building. Smoke still engulfed the space between the stairs and the remains of Pearl's café. When a breezy gust delivered a column of smoke their way, the sheriff coughed and waved his hand in front of his face.

  "That was a close call for your place, Lex."

  "Too close. I always wanted to brick the outside of this place. This has convinced me to get it done right away."

  * * *

  The new assault—w ether intentenional or accidental—left everyone's nerves raw. When they reached the Kincaid home, Jeff and Beau circled to the back while Zed and Abe took a stand in front of the house.

  Pearl had not set foot in Grandpa's house since she and Sarah left weeks ago. Whenever they had met in town or at church, Lily turned her face the other way. Pearl dreaded an encounter with her, and refused to involve others in what she considered Lily's pettiness.

  Grandpa led the group through the entryway. "Let's go on into the study. I'm plumb tuckered out.” When the maid appeared, Grandpa said, "Bring us some coffee and something sweet to go with it, will you, Ellen?" as he swept into his sanctuary.

  Pearl sat near the hearth, barely registering that Drake and Storm carried extra chairs into the room or that Sarah sat near her. She wanted to curl into a ball, close her eyes, and sleep away this nightmare. Who could have set fire to her beautiful restaurant? And why?

  Was it an accident caused by hungry travelers as Storm speculated? Somehow, she thought not. Somehow, she thought it had to do with all the meanness that followed her. Somehow, she thought it a sign there were more bad things to come.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Belle rushed into the room with Lily swishing regally behind her and grasped Pearl's hands. "Oh, Pearl, we saw that awful fire. I'm so sorry, so very sorry."

  Before Pearl could answer, Lily added, "Serves you right. It should never have been there in the first place."

  "Lily!" Grandpa bellowed. "You watch what you say."

  Lily merely gave a toss of her perfectly groomed head. "Well, it's the truth. Pearl had no call to go into trade."

  Pearl met the other woman's stare with a defiant glare of her own. "My restaurant served a lot of people in this town. They appreciated having a good place to eat lunch and a place to get fresh baked goods for their home meals."

  "Hmph. Parading yourself in front of all the men in town. I'm surprised Drake permitted such a thing."

  In vain Pearl fought the flush she knew spread across her face. Lily must have known Drake hated the restaurant. Probably everyone in Kincaid Springs knew. His declaration that he wished the place would burn to the ground came back to her. For a second, she almost wondered if he could have been the one to set the fire. Shame suffused her that she even considered it.

  Drake stepped forward. "Pearl did a good job, Lily, and you've got no call to criticize her. She's the best cook I've ever seen."

  "She doesn't have to cook for the public like a common tradeswoman. After all, she is now a Kincaid and what she does reflects on us."

  Grandpa held up a hand to stay his daughter's tirade. "Pearl has been a credit to the Kincaids in all she's done—the restaurant and her healing of the poor in this area."

  Relief flooded Pearl. Grandpa defended her to his own daughter. "Thank you, Grandpa. You saying that means a lot to me."

  Lily glared at her father. "Don't get me started on that so-called healing. As if that eating place wasn't bad enough.”

  The tick had started at the side of Drake's mouth. He took a step toward his aunt and his eyes hardened to cold steel. "Pearl has helped a lot of people with her healing, even saved lives. And if she wants a restaurant, then by golly, she can have one. In fact, if she decides to rebuild, I'll get the hands from the ranch to help."

  Storm nodded his approval. "Wouldn't take too long, once the timbers cool enough to handle."

  "We'd have to get all new furniture and make curtains and such," Sarah added, caught up in the idea. She reached over to pat Pearl's hand. "We could do that while the men rebuild. And the new cook stove will be here soon."

  Lily stamped her foot, her fisted hands pummeling the air. "Ooooh! Doesn't anyone understand that place was an abomination? How can you calmly talk about rebulding it, having it open again?"

  Drake gave Pearl a half-smile then faced his aunt. "Not everyone sees things the same way you do, Lily. Not everyone can be like you. Not everyone even wants to."

  Pearl rushed to her husband and buried her head on his chest. His arms came around her with soothing motions across her back. After all these weeks, he understood. He had been listening when she tried to explain herself to him.

  Lily whirled on Pearl, her finger pointed in accusation. "You! You've turned my own family against me. I rue the day you set foot in this town.” She gave a final stamp of her foot and rushed from the room.

  Belle hurried over to Pearl. "Please don't let her upset yo
u. She's really ill and Doctor Percival's not been much help. That's why I stayed with her instead of helping fight the fire."

  "I had no idea.” Pearl wondered how long Lily had been ill, not that illness excused her rudeness since they'd met.

  "If you don't mind, I'll go check on her."

  Pearl shook her head. "No, Belle, go ahead. Let us know if we can do anything.”

  Now that would be the day. Anytime Lily Stephens asked for her help, Pearl would faint dead away.

  Lex entered in time to exchange a lingering glance with Belle. Sheriff Liles trailed Lex. His appearance to question Pearl forestalled any more thoughts on Lily's temperament or possible ailment. The lawman's grim expression sent a chill along Pearl's spine.

  Grandpa stood and gestured to his chair. "You sit here, Ben. There's paper, pen and ink pot on the desk if you need it for note taking."

  Sheriff Liles lowered himself to the chair as if every bone in his body ached. He looked around the room, his gaze moving from face to face. "I'm treating this as arson against Mrs. Kincaid until I find out different.”

  Drake nodded. "Any new evidence?"

  "Findley showed me where two men ran into the trees. Found where they'd cold camped, looked like two or three days."

  Storm's eyes narrowed in speculation. "So, they wanted no one to know they were here? Maybe they're still around then."

  "Have to assume they are," the sheriff agreed. "Mrs. Kincaid, I want you to start right at the beginning of all this trouble and tell me every detail."

  Pearl looked to her husband. "How far back should I go?"

  Drake helped her to a chair then patted her back and took a stand beside her. "When your granny died and the attacks on you started. Wasn't the first attack the two men in the woods?"

  "Yes. That was the first time I felt scared. The first time I thought someone meant us serious harm.” Pearl retold each incident before she met Drake. Storm inserted an occasional comment, but Sarah sat still and pale. When Pearl got to the rockslide, Drake added his comments. Sheriff Liles listened with a question here or there.