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"Except my sister/' Megan said softly, fingering a bolt of red calico. "Did she say anything else? Anything..." She paused. She didn't want to g^ve away everything if she didn't have to, but she needed to know how much of what Colleen had said was the truth. "Anything about me?"
"About you and Justin keeping company?"
She stared at the older woman. Bright green eyes met her own. "Everyone knows," Megan whispered in horror. "Colleen was right." She started to turn away.
"Just hold on a minute." Mrs. Dobson grabbed Megan's arm and kept her in place. "Colleen didn't say anything. Mrs. Greeley mentioned the two of you seemed friendly at the social last Sunday. Colleen denied it, saying you had more sense than to associate with someone like him." Mrs. Dobson sniffed. "That girl is about as silly as an Easter bonnet on a hog. Even someone my age can see Justin Kin-caid is a good man. You can tell a lot about a man by how he treats his mama and little children. Seems to me he did himself proud on both accounts."
Megan listened to her prattle on about Justin's attributes. She wasn't sure if Mrs. Dobson was telling her she approved of him, or trying to tempt her into setting her cap for him. It didn't matter. If people were talking, they weren't doing it around Mrs. Dobson. Which meant they couldn't be talking at all. The widow knew everything.
On the heels of relief came anger. Colleen had been difficult in the past and had twisted the truth to manipulate everyone around her. But never before had she been deliberately cruel.
"I can't believe she said those things," Megan said. "She's my own sister."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Mrs. Dobson asked.
"What? Oh, I'm sorry. I was thinking about something else."
"I'm here telling you Justin is handsome enough to tempt an old woman like me and you're thinking... Oh, Lord, have mercy, look over there."
Mrs. Dobson straightened to her full height, which was about three inches shorter than Megan's, and cleared her
throat. Twin spots of pink flared hotly on her wrinkled cheeks.
Megan turned to look at what the woman had seen, then suffered her own attack of embarrassment. Justin had entered the store without either of them noticing. He stood less than ten feet away, obviously listening. Her gaze skittered away from his and as she glanced down she saw he'd brought back her shawl and reticule.
"Mrs. Dobson," he said quietly.
"Good afternoon." The widow swept past him and returned to her desk by the front window. When she was seated, she picked up a stack of letters and stared at them as if she'd never seen any like them before.
He moved close to where Megan stood. "We need to talk."
She nodded, then started toward the back of the store. When she'd ducked behind the curtain, she moved into the storage area rather than risk being with him in the close confines of her office. She stared at the canned goods she kept back there, and started counting the row of green beans. Even when she heard his boots on the wooden floor, i she didn't lose her place.
"Megan?"
"Yes." Sixty cans of green beans. How many of corn? She began to count again.
"Dammit, look at me."
Before she could turn toward him, or duck away, he placed his hand on her arm. Involuntarily, she raised her gaze to his face. Dark brown eyes stared at her. She was terrified of pity or disgust, but once again the stranger had returned. The high cheekbones, the square jaw and full mouth, the shape of his eyes, the dark layered hair were all familiar. But the essence of the man, his soul, was concealed. For once, she was grateful.
"No one's laughing," he said.
She could feel the heat starting to climb from her collar to her face. "Yes, well, they don't seem to be here, do they? I'm sure Colleen exaggerated to prove her point."
"She lied," he said flatly. "About everything."
"Not exactly. I am an old maid." His gaze became more intense and she had to turn away. "As for the rest of it, I'm sure it's nothing."
"Are you?" He placed her shawl and reticule on a shelf, then grabbed her other arm. He drew her closer and shook her gently. "Are you sure? I don't believe that. Everything she said was a lie. Every damn word. No one is laughing. No one even knows."
