Familiar Stranger In Clear Springs

“Well, well,” Terrance said in his smoothly oiled voice. “This is a surprise. What brings you to town, Barrington?”

Tom broke eye contact with her and faced her brother, the half-smile dissolving into a thin, straight line. “A job.”

Then his gaze slid right back to her. Heat flared in her cheeks. She was sure every set of eyes in the restaurant must be concentrated on them. What in the world did he want?

“Then you won’t be in town long?” Terrance asked.

She felt the press of her brother’s hand against the small of her back, signaling it was time to go. Curious how Tom would answer him, she planted her feet firmly in place.

“I haven’t decided. It depends on a few things.”

“Sorry we can’t stay and join you,” Terrance said, pushing her more insistently.

“That’s all right. I actually prefer to eat with friends.”

She drew in a sharp breath. Why was Tom deliberately taunting her brother?

“Well. Good luck on that.”

The tension running beneath their words puzzled her, like a taut cord of leather made stronger by a soaking. Where was all this animosity coming from?

“Perhaps Miss Morley would like dessert? It is ‘Miss,’ correct?”

He knew she wasn’t married. What was he getting at?

“I’ll walk her home afterward.”

All civility dropped from her brother’s aspect. “I can walk her home myself. She doesn’t need anything from the likes of you. Understand?”

Tom stepped into the space between the tables, successfully barring the path with his body. He narrowed his eyes to slits, his jaw tense. “Understand? As a matter of fact—yes. I’m beginning to understand a heck of a lot. I don’t believe you gave the lady a chance to answer.”

So much for not making a scene in front of everyone in the restaurant! She was sure that all eyes were staring at the three of them. Mutely she shook her head.

“Another time, perhaps.” He took his time stepping out of the way.

She remembered to breathe, and then somehow made herself move forward toward the door. Her cheeks had to be cherry red they were so hot.

Terrance hung back. She couldn’t hear what he said to Tom, but she knew that tone of voice. It wasn’t pleasant being on the receiving end of it.

Yet it seemed that Tom’s words and attitude had done everything to antagonize Terrance when all her brother had been was polite. Well—perhaps until that last bit that she couldn’t hear.

She stepped onto the porch and clung tightly to the wooden railing. For a moment she let the ocean breeze cool the heat emanating from her face. This was a different Tom than the one she remembered. Before, he’d been fun and forgiving of the differences between himself and her brother. This Tom was in all ways a self-possessed man, not taking any aggravation or intimidation from another and able to hand it out if necessary. Had he been like that before and she simply hadn’t noticed? She didn’t think so. What had changed him?

Terrance took hold of her arm and accompanied her down the steps and toward the mercantile. She stumbled, trying to keep up with his long, brisk stride. Her satin hat ribbons whipped across her face and her skirt tangled around her. She wanted so badly to look back to see if Tom remained on the hotel’s porch. She turned her head ever so slightly...

Terrance tugged her around with a firmness that bordered on pain. “He’s there. No need to look.”

They stepped up onto the boardwalk in front of the mercantile and Terrance unlocked the door. “Well, sister. It’s time you and I had a little talk.”

* * *

Inside the mercantile, Elizabeth jerked from Terrance’s grasp and rubbed her arm. Her heart pounded from seeing Tom and then being half dragged down the street by her brother.

“What, may I ask, was that all about?” she demanded.

Terrance scowled as he removed his coat and hat. In one swift motion he threw them with such momentum over the straight-backed chair that they continued on to the floor. “Well, that was unexpected. And by the way Barrington spoke, apparently you knew he was in town. How long has he been here?”

Elizabeth stopped rubbing her arm. Was he accusing her of something? She walked over to pick up his hat and coat, smoothing the latter carefully over the chair’s back. “He stopped in last evening.”

“No wonder he was so casual with you. What did he want?”

She stiffened. What business was that of Terrance’s? “He didn’t want anything. He seemed as surprised to see me as I was to see him. We barely spoke past acknowledgment of each other before Mrs. Flynn interrupted us.”

He paced the length of the store, rubbing the back of his neck and mumbling. “Great. This couldn’t have happened at a worse time.”

“What do you mean?” It wasn’t like him to be so agitated. She moved to the counter and removed her gloves and her bonnet and waited for an answer.

He barely acknowledged her words. “Last I heard, the military released him. I didn’t think he would have the nerve to show his face around here again.”

“Why ever not?”

He met her gaze. “It was a dishonorable discharge.”

That caught her attention. She immediately stiffened. “Dishonorable! No. I can’t believe that. He would never...”

Terrance snorted lightly. “It’s been a long time since he lived here. Circumstances, good or bad, change a man.”

“No. Not that much. Not Tom.”

He dismissed her words with an irritated wave of his hand. “You are quick to come to his defense, considering how he treated you in the past.”

“I’m not coming to his defense... I just cannot fathom that he would do anything deemed dishonorable.” Everything about Tom in the military had screamed justice.

“Like I said, a man can change.”

She realized suddenly that her brother had not shared any of this with her at the time. “You knew they let him go and didn’t tell me?”

Terrance did not seem to hear her. “I wonder who he is working for now.” He stopped pacing and looked at her as if she could supply the answer.

Slowly she removed her shawl and hung it back on the peg. She didn’t know anything about Tom’s job here, and whatever she revealed her brother would try to twist and turn to his fortune. He’d always been that way. It didn’t seem her place to say anything. If he wanted to know more, he should ask Tom. “Why are you upset, Terrance? I’m the one he left. I’m the one who had to face things before. Not you.”

He swallowed, his expression a curious mixture of speculation and worry. Then his shoulders relaxed. “I don’t want to see you hurt. That’s all. What he did before took you years to put behind you.”

He had always blamed Tom...and she was tired of it. “That was as much due to what Preston did as it was due to Tom. Preston nearly ruined this town when he pulled out his backing. That wasn’t Tom’s fault at all.”

“No. It was yours.”

She refused to feel any guilt, although Terrance tried his best to blame her. In her heart she knew that she’d made the right decision. With Tom, she had realized what love was for the first time and she couldn’t go back to the watered-down affection she felt for Preston even if it did mean giving up the man’s fortune—something her brother couldn’t seem to understand. She felt that way even though in the end nothing had worked out as she had hoped. She had learned to adjust, learned to live with her choice. She had moved on. Terrance was the one who wouldn’t let it go. “It wasn’t my fault and I wish you would stop saying that. I made the right decision for me. It’s in the past and it’s over.”

“That’s just it. You are different whenever Barrington is around. I don’t like it and I don’t trust him around you. He’s not good enough for you.”

She knew what he meant about being different. She felt it inside herself. It seemed that Tom was the only one who kicked up emotions and nerves that ran shallow beneath her surface. In the intervening years she’d had opportunities to be courted, but had always rebuffed her would-be suitors—finding gentle excuses as to why she wasn’t interested. Tom overshadowed everyone and everything for her—he always had. And now even the thought of him back in town caused a reaction, a tightening in her gut. She hated the sharp, anxious sensation that had taken up residence inside. It would not control her. She would not let it. And yet she hadn’t been able to stop thinking of Tom since he rode into town.

“I don’t know why you are worried. He’s not in town to renew anything with me. If that were the case he would have contacted me years ago after I wrote to him. Like he said, he’s here about a job.”

Terrance eyed her as if he wasn’t sure he believed her.

“In my limited experience, any job he takes has precedence over any other part of his life. He’ll be gone in no time and without a second thought toward me, I assure you. You have no need of concern.”

“Like before.”

She pressed her lips together, the thought painful despite the passage of years. “Just like before.” She couldn’t afford to let down her defenses. Not for a moment. Tom was the wind and she could no more tie him down than she could a cloud.

“Good. Then we understand each other on this because I don’t want him around you.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. He pulled out a chair from the table and sat. “Now, let’s get down to business.”

A leaden weight sat like a jagged rock in her stomach as she walked to the counter to get the store ledger. Every Sunday after their dinner, just as it had been with Father and Mother, they went over the past week’s receipts. She remembered Mother saying once that Sunday was supposed to be a day of church and rest, but her words had fallen on deaf ears. Father kept right on checking the books. And now with Terrance managing his store in San Diego, Sunday was his one chance to go over the records together. In the past year, Terrance had become even more diligent at double-checking her figures, as if he were looking for ways to squeeze more money out of the little store.

He opened the ledger to the start of the month, scanning the neatly recorded figures. He made notes on a separate piece of paper where she had already listed a few items to reorder.

While he assessed what needed replacing, she stood by the counter and studied him. He used to tease her. When she wore her hair in pigtails, he used to tug them to irritate her. All that was long ago. Over the years they’d grown apart—his ambition for social standing and wealth such a different approach than the things she cared for. Anymore, they seldom saw eye to eye. He was her brother, and she cared about him, and she wanted to keep her promise to her mother. Yet she wondered, at low times, if he really cared much for her at all.

In some ways, once he moved to the city, things became better. They weren’t with each other day in and day out. He could no longer criticize and judge her and she no longer had to worry about measuring up to his standards—at least not daily. Now only on Sundays.

And today, well, he must be concerned for her considering the way he spoke of her not getting hurt by Tom again. Inwardly she sighed. There was no need for worry on that account. What happened between Tom and her had occurred too far in the past to revisit.

“How are the small coffee grinders selling?”

“Must we talk about business today?”

He raised his gaze from the ledger in front of him, using his finger to keep his place in the book. “We do this every Sunday. I need to know what’s going on here to make good decisions for both stores.”

She thought that interesting on one level because she was the one who managed this store; he just double-checked her figuring. “Is it enough for you? Running the store in San Diego?”

“I’m working on plans to expand. And, as I mentioned, running for a seat on the commerce board. Never hurts to be the first to know about new property.”

“No. I suppose that’s a good idea.” However, it wasn’t what she meant at all. She tried to explain herself more clearly. “I’m not talking about business. I mean... You never talk about having a wife or family. Don’t you ever feel lonely at times?”

He huffed and leaned back in his chair, obviously amused by her question. “A wife? Children?” His smirk held an ugly condescension. “Tethers? No. At least, not while I’m building my business. Later on?” He shrugged. “Maybe. A son would be nice to pass the business on to.”

His words sliced through her. Children weren’t tethers. A family wasn’t something that pulled you down. And yet even before she’d asked she had the premonition he would feel differently than she did.

“Now, if you don’t mind, let’s get back to the coffee grinders.”

She did mind actually. He didn’t seem to understand the concept of an afternoon off. “Three out of the five are sold. Mr. Cornwall wants one. They were an excellent idea.”

He hunkered down again over the book for the next ten minutes, his muddy-brown hair falling forward over his forehead.

Finally, he folded his notes and tucked them in his pocket. He stood, shoved his arms into his new coat and plopped his derby on his head. “Do you have last year’s ledger?”

The request was an odd one. “In the back room.”

“Will you get it for me?”

She nodded and turned to do his bidding. What was going on?

In the storage room, she opened an old trunk against the wall and removed the top ledger. There was one for every year her family had owned the mercantile, twenty in all. She returned to Terrance and handed him the book.

“Will you be back before you leave town? I’ll put the kettle on for tea.”

“Not today. I want to return to the city before dark.” He tucked the ledger under his arm.

Always busy. Always in a hurry.

“Elizabeth...since I’m campaigning for office, I’ll expect your support.”

“Of course.” She agreed quickly, delighted that he had asked. Then she realized he hadn’t asked—he’d told her. “What would you have me do?”

“I’m not talking about signs and flyers, although I do want your help there, too. It is important to keep up appearances. To do that, I really need you to move into San Diego and run my store there.”

She lowered her shoulders. “Terrance, we’ve gone over this territory before.”

He quickly held up his hand. “I realize you prefer this town. Why? I don’t know. But you’ve done a fair job here of turning this store around from the brink of loss. It’s sustaining itself now, often with a growing margin of profit. It’s time to sell and get it off our hands for good.”

“You are pushing this again? Why?”

“I told you. I need help with my store. And...I need the money from this place for my campaign.”

“But, Terrance! You’ve taken fifty percent of the profits from here for the past three years! Don’t you have enough to campaign on your own or hire someone for your store?”

“I put all that money back into my place. It’s not available for a campaign.”

She folded her arms in front of her. “I don’t want to sell.”

“You’re being sentimental. This place is just wood and nails.”

“It is more than that, and you know it.” This was the family store. Her legacy from her mother and father...and her livelihood.

Exasperation filled his countenance. “Granted, you’ve had a good run here but things happen. And—” he hesitated slightly before continuing “—you may not have a choice.”

A chill went through her. This was new. She rubbed her upper arms and moved closer to the woodstove. “What do you mean—‘things happen’? What has happened?”

“Things are a bit tight with the bank right now.”

Why was the bank even involved? Unless... “Terrance. What have you done?”

“Nothing for you to worry about.”

“This is my store, my responsibility, my...livelihood.”

“It’s not your mercantile.” The look in his eyes was flat, unemotional.

“Oh, Terrance. What have you done?” She suddenly felt ill and slowly lowered herself into the chair. It couldn’t be that bad, could it? He’d bought a new suit, after all. Still, he’d done things before without consulting her. She took a deep breath. “I think I have a right to know. How tight is it?”

“They want the store.”

Shock gripped her. “What!”

His brown eyes hardened. “They want the building to cover the loan I took out four years ago.”

She couldn’t believe it! After all her hard work to save the store. Sleepless nights and doing without, long hours and loneliness over the past four years. She’d saved it only to have her brother plunge them into debt?

“So that’s why Sam stopped by two days ago.” At the time, Sam had been so pleasant. The snake! All the time he’d been planning to sweep the rug right out from under her. How could he do this? How could Terrance have let this happen?

Yet even now her brother had tried to make her believe that she would be helping him, that it would be her decision to move, all in an attempt to save face. Apparently he hadn’t counted on her digging in her heels.

“That’s why you need last year’s ledger. That’s why you and Sam were arguing this morning. You weren’t going to tell me, were you? If I hadn’t refused, you would have made me believe I was doing it for your career.”

Terrance shrugged. “I’d hoped you would see things my way and move to the city. It would have been less...emotional...that way. You wouldn’t have needed to know any of this.”

She no longer wanted to hear him. This was her store! She was the one who cared about it and the people she served. Yet, from what he said, it was futile to argue. Numbness started at her feet and crept up and over her. She rubbed her forehead. “If what you say is true, then how much time do I have?”

“A month.” He took hold of the door handle again, preparing to leave. “So you see, your desire to travel comes at a poor time as well as Barrington’s unwelcome appearance. I’ll talk to you more about all this next week when I have figures from the bank. Oh...and Sam may contact you to sign papers.”

“That’s the real reason you didn’t want me to leave town—so I’d be around to manage the sale, around to sign papers and start packing,” she said dully.

His brown eyes held no compassion, only a slight irritation that this had to be talked about at all. He really didn’t care that he’d upended her entire life...that he’d hurt her. “No need to start packing yet. There will be time for that later. Sell as many items as possible—but only lower prices fifteen percent at most. It will make the final inventory go faster.”

“I see you have it all figured out.” She was proud of her composure. On the inside she felt overwhelmed. It must be the numbness helping. All her worries that had revolved around Tom Barrington suddenly seemed shadowy and vague compared to the very real loss of her livelihood.

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