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"I don't care if her father was the devil himself. How could you turn her away?"
"Don't you lecture me, Megan," Colleen said, her voice shrill. "I know my place in this town. We have a position to uphold. A family name. It's bad enough that you're a spinster and running this business on your own. Don't forget that my acceptance means the town's acceptance. The lines are very clear, so you make sure which side you stay on. I do more than my share. I know my duty."
Megan stared at her, noting the rapid rise and fall of her sister's chest as she got carried away by indignation. The knot in her belly didn't seem so tight all of a sudden. Instead of worry or fear, she tasted sadness. She thought about their mother and her fate. Something that Colleen never wanted to discuss.
"Are you always so sure you're right?" Megan asked quietly.
Colleen opened her mouth, then shut it. "Of course."
"I'm not."
"Sure that I'm right, or sure about yourself?"
"Both." Before she could continue, she felt a light touch on her arm. She turned and saw Cameron Forbes staring down at her. He wore a thick, lined winter jacket and his hat pushed back so she could see his face.
"Are you all right, Miss Bartlett?" he asked.
His voice was so low it should have sent shivers racing down her spine. With his dark-haired good looks and tall, well-muscled frame, he was any maiden's dream. When his perfect smile was combined with the faint sadness in his eyes, he should have been as irresistible to her as a brightly colored ribbon was to her new kitten. He'd been in Landing almost five years. They'd spoken after church services, had even danced together twice last year at the Fourth of July celebration. He should have made her heart race. But he didn't.
"I'm fine, Mr. Forbes."
"Why wouldn't she be?" Colleen asked, "lam her sister."
Cameron ignored the interruption. Cool gray eyes met her own. "You're sure?"
"Yes."
Colleen sniffed. "Well, I never heard such nonsense."
"I'll be right here in the store if you need me." He touched his hat brim. "Ladies."
Cameron returned to his study of the gardening equipment.
"Who does that man think he is?" Colleen asked, turning her head so that her voice was sure to carry to the handsome farmer.
"A good customer," Megan said, watching Cameron pick up one hoe, then disregard it in favor of another. "With his experimental crops and new ideas, he's always ordering special from back East. And he's a friend."
Colleen raised her eyebrows. "You watch who you're friends with, Megan. You're a single woman and Landing is a very small town."
She looked at her sister, wondering when they'd stopped being friends. "I know."
Colleen began tugging on her gloves. Her mouth got that pinched look, as if she'd tasted something sour. "Despite your low and very misplaced opinion about me, I do have that bastard child's best interests at heart. There are places for a girl like her."
"What does that mean?"
"An orphanage. The church will pay for her train ticket."
It was probably better for the child, Megan thought. If the little girl stayed here, Colleen would make her life miserable. She watched as her sister adjusted her brown hat, and checked the angle of the dyed feather. At one time, they had been so much alike. When had all that changed? When had Colleen become meanspirited? Was it after her marriage to Gene or before?
Megan tried to remember. It suddenly seemed important to know. There was a time when she'd confided everything to her sister. Once they'd almost looked like twins. Although younger by almost two years, Colleen now looked much older. Her hair had darkened to a mousy brown and there were lines around her eyes. Discontent pulled at her sister's face making it—
The front door opened. Megan took a step back so she could see around Colleen. Before she could focus on the customer who had just entered the store, her breath caught in her throat. She didn't have to look. She knew.
She must have made some sound, for Colleen turned slowly.
"Ah, Sheriff Kincaid." Colleen said the words as if they left a bad taste in her mouth. "I believe you spoke with that dreadful woman yesterday and her bastard brat. I've given the situation some thought."
