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He nudged his horse and she reluctantly followed. Not a word passed between them during the ride and when they stopped in front of the mercantile, she was no closer to a plan than she had been an hour ago.
They dismounted and tied the horse’s reins to the post by the sidewalk. Jesse jumped up to the wooden walkway and grabbed the door of the store and held it open for her. The smile on his face said he’d won. It only infuriated her more.
Once inside the store, she spotted Isaac and Ben by the counter. Jesse headed straight for them. She bypassed them all and headed for the trousers. Her pa wasn’t here to tell her no and she wasn’t going to get stuck in a dress now.
She picked out four pairs, with shirts to go along with them and new socks and was browsing the hats when Jesse stopped by the table she was leaning over.
“The trip home isn’t going to take that long, Alex.”
“I’m replacing what I lost, that’s all.”
“There’s no way you had that much in that tiny bedroll.”
She glared at him. “Prove I didn’t.”
He grinned. “Is this payback?”
She shoved her new clothing at him and smiled sweetly. “Possibly.” She popped one of the hats she’d been looking at onto her head and turned to face him. “What do you think?”
“It’s a hat. What’s there to think about?”
“You’re such a man.” She put the hat down and picked up another. It took three tries before finding one that fit right. She laid it on the stack of clothing when she’d decided on one.
Jesse thumbed up the front of his own hat and went through what she’d picked out, stacking it all back up when he was finished. “Anything else?”
“I could tear your bank account up if I had half a mind.”
He laughed. “You sure about that?”
“What? Are you suddenly rich?”
He shrugged and smirked at her. “I guess you’ll never know.” He nodded toward the counter with his head and said, “Come on. Let’s pay for these and get you on the stagecoach.”
She followed at a snail’s pace, dragging her booted feet while chewing on her thumbnail. How was she going to keep him from sending her home?
Isaac gave her a wink and a friendly pat on the back when she stopped beside him. “Don’t look so forlorn, Alex. Things might still work out in your favor.”
“How? He’s determined to send me home.” She was pouting and for the first time in ages, she wanted to stomp her foot like the brat Jesse claimed she was.
She sighed, crossed her arms under her breasts and gave Isaac a look she’d used on him a thousand times before to get her way. “Help me, Isaac. You know I can do this job.”
“I know you can,” he said, “And so does Jesse, but you being capable of doing the job isn’t why he’s sending you home.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“We’re all aware of that too, Alex.” He glanced toward Jesse, then took her gently by the arm and led her toward the door. Keeping his voice low, he said, “Have you not once asked yourself why Jesse wants you gone so badly?”
She glanced to where he stood. He was paying for her new clothes, a leather pouch she assumed contained his money held in his hands. “Because he hates me, that’s why.”
“I think it might be the total opposite.”
“What do you mean?”
He sighed, then laughed. “You two have to be the most knuckle-headed people I know.” He shifted them so they were both facing Jesse’s direction. “Do you honestly think he’s spent his entire life picking fights with you because he hates you?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Why else would he?”
“Because, silly girl, that boy has been head over heels in love with you since the first day you punched him in the head.” He leaned in, wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “I’ve known you both since you were knee high and if I had to guess, I’d say you feel the same way about him. All you need to do is stop being so damn pig-headed and admit it.”
