For two days following the festival, Alec had a rather steady stream of customers. At first he attributed the influx to his leaflets. But after a while he realized most of the people coming into the clinic weren’t there to ask questions about their animals—they wanted to talk about the race. Nearly all of them offered congratulations to him for winning as well as their compliments on how well he handled a horse.
If that had been the end of the conversations, Alec wouldn’t have minded the felicitations. After all, the more people he knew, the more likely someone would remember the clinic in the future and want to pay for the services he offered. But a good majority of the townsfolk had more than salutations to offer. They were full of curious questions about Alec and Isobel. Why hadn’t they gotten married at the festival? Had Alec known Isobel was going to swap places with Stella Ivy? Had they shared a fondness for each other before the race? Were they secretly courting now?
Alec fielded the inquiries as best he could, but he didn’t like the personal nature of the questions. Several times he considered closing the clinic early just so he wouldn’t have to keep repeating his vague answers.
When a farmer came by late Saturday afternoon, saying he had a question, Alec figured the man must be another curious attendee from the festival. To his surprise, the farmer wanted to know the best treatments for hoof rot. Alec nearly hugged the burly man in gratitude. It was a blessed change to talk about something other than the race, and he welcomed the opportunity to finally put his medicinal skills to use. He promised to mix up a fungicide that the man could come get after the weekend. And because Alec was so relieved to be doing veterinarian work, he planned to only charge the fellow for the price of the ingredients.
As they had since the race, his thoughts drifted to Isobel. He hadn’t seen her since the festival. Was she dealing with similar questions from her clients? Or was he the only one fielding the townspeople’s reactions to what had happened?
By Sunday morning, Alec felt more than a little grateful the clinic would be closed for the day. He dressed in his new suit and set out for the church. He hadn’t walked far when a couple stopped him to ask if they were correct in supposing he was the winner of the Ride for a Bride.
Alec stifled a groan and forced a somewhat polite smile. “That would be me.”
“But where’s your intended?” The woman glanced around with a puzzled frown. “Isn’t she accompanying you to church today?”
“No, ma’am.” He inched past them a step. “She’s not actually my intended, though I’m sure she’ll be at church.”
The woman’s brow wrinkled further. “So, the two of you aren’t getting married?”
“That’s correct.” Alec took another step toward the church.
“Oh, that’s because you’re courting.” She exchanged a knowing smile with her husband.
Wrestling his annoyance into submission, he offered them a stiff shake of his head. “I’m afraid we’re not courting, either. If you’ll excuse me.”
He tipped his hat and hurried on. But his progress was blighted twice more by churchgoers eager to engage him in a similar line of conversation. When he finally did arrive at the church, he was late enough that the only available seats were in the back pew. Alec could see Isobel sitting near the front beside Stella and her family. As the congregation rose to sing the opening hymn, he noticed several people ogling Isobel before glancing around as if looking for him. Alec cringed and lowered his head, keeping his gaze locked on the words in the hymnal.
While he didn’t like all the attention, he couldn’t entirely fault the residents of Sheridan for their keen interest. It wasn’t every day a town held such a public matrimonial event. And seeing that they’d expected a couple to get hitched that day, or announce their intentions to do so in the future, then the outcome of the race must have been sorely disappointing.
If only he could make some sort of public statement, letting everyone know that he and Isobel were not a couple. Perhaps Pastor Jonas would give him time to say something after the service. Of course, that might not stop the questions. It might even increase them, since people would probably want to know why he and Isobel weren’t interested in being a couple.
Alec sat back down with the rest of the congregants and bowed his head for the prayer. But his mind was less focused on the words and more on his current situation.
Would the people in town be satisfied with anything short of a marriage or courtship between them? Not that Alec minded the notion of being with Isobel. On the contrary, he’d always enjoyed talking with her and that pleasure had only increased the last few weeks. But neither of them wanted more than friendship from their present relationship. He didn’t know Isobel’s reasons for that, but his own were clear. He’d fulfill his task of finding and proposing to a woman of his own choosing who would clearly choose him in return.
An uncomfortable thought pushed its way forward as he attempted to listen to the pastor’s sermon. If the people of Sheridan were so convinced he and Isobel were supposed to be together, how would they feel when they did see him courting another woman? Would their opinion of him, and his business, be soured as a result? Alec had no plans to start courting anyone until the clinic was bringing in a steady stream of paying customers. But even then, would people still think he should be with Isobel because he’d won the race?
What do I do, Lord? he petitioned. I want to win the trust and respect of these people. Yet how can I when they’ve got it in their heads which young woman I should be with?
He found himself studying Isobel again, at least, what he could see from this angle. Beneath her hat, her coiffed hair looked nothing like it had after he’d come to her aid on the prairie. He liked that he’d gotten a glimpse at her more vulnerable yet courageous side. A side of her that wasn’t so concerned about looking prim and proper.
Could her reputation suffer if he courted someone else? Could doing so bring an increase of the townspeople’s pity for her spinster position? Alec frowned. Isobel didn’t need pitying—she was an amazing woman who didn’t deserve to have herself or her business tainted because of unmet expectations with the Ride for a Bride race.
Too bad the two of them couldn’t just court each other for the sake of their reputations. At least until all the talk died down.
Alec whipped his chin up, his heart pumping faster with eagerness. Why couldn’t he and Isobel court each other for the time being? If people in town heard they were courting, the gossip from the race and the curious questions would likely stop. The townspeople would eventually grow tired of the topic, especially if they saw him and Isobel frequently stepping out together. At that point, the two of them could quietly let it be known they hadn’t suited each other, and they’d each be free to court whomever they wanted without repercussions.
It was a brilliant plan, one that would benefit them both. Now all Alec had to do was help Isobel see the wisdom of it.
No matter how hard she tried to concentrate on Pastor Jonas’s sermon, Isobel couldn’t fully ignore the constant stares or the whispered conversation between a mother and daughter seated behind her. They were speculating whether she and Alec were courting in secret and how they hoped an announcement regarding their engagement would be forthcoming.
Isobel discreetly rubbed at her throbbing temples. She’d hoped for a reprieve from the persistent gossip during the service, but that was not proving to be the case. It wasn’t the first time she’d been talked about, either. Her broken engagement to Beau had set tongues wagging, too, even a year later when her former fiancé married another woman. The painful recollection tightened her lungs, forcing her to take several long, deep breaths.
Glancing around, she tried to determine if Alec was seated nearby, but Isobel couldn’t see him. Had he been forced to manage the same tittle-tattle as she had? Likely not. Men weren’t interested in discussing such topics, were they?
Yesterday she’d finally given up answering the endless flow of inquiries and allowed her clients to conjure up their own conclusions. Stella had done her best to try to explain that Isobel hadn’t purposely switched her places for the race. But it was clear the townspeople weren’t interested in the truth; they wanted to cling to their romantic theories about what had happened that day.
Normally Isobel would have been thrilled with the influx of new female clients, but more of them were interested in satisfying their curiosity than their wardrobes. There had been a few new orders, and she still had the opportunity to design dresses for Maggy to look forward to. Beyond that, though, her attendance at the festival had proven to be more of a hindrance than a help. Except for the time she’d spent with Alec. Isobel wouldn’t wish that away, no matter how fierce the gossip.
At last the congregation rose to sing the closing hymn. Isobel shared a hymnal with Stella, who leaned in to whisper, “He’s at the back.”
“Who?” Isobel asked, frowning.
Stella lifted her eyebrows, signaling some secret meaning. When Isobel stared blankly at her, the girl rolled her eyes. “Doctor Russell.”
“Why would I need to know where he is?” Isobel kept her voice low, though anyone watching her would still see the blush on her face. Had Stella succumbed to all the talk, too?
It was her assistant’s turn to frown. “I thought you might want to know, so you can avoid running into him on your way out.”
“Oh.” There was wisdom in that. If she and Alec were seen talking, who knew what the congregants would begin saying? “Thank you.”
Stella offered her a grim smile. “You’re welcome. I’m only sorry to be the cause of all this trouble for you.”
“You aren’t and you weren’t,” Isobel said with sincerity. “People love a romantic tale. It’ll be old news soon.” At least, she hoped so. She wasn’t sure how many more days she could endure in the limelight.
After the closing prayer, Isobel fiddled with her gloves and repositioned her hat, to allow Alec time to leave the building ahead of her. The Ivy family bid her goodbye as she finally climbed to her feet. A peek toward the back of the church showed her that Alec hadn’t exited. Instead, he stood at the back wall as if waiting for someone.
Bother, she thought as she bent to collect two hymnals and set them in their proper places on the pew shelf. How much longer would she need to stay busy before he left? She found a stray button on the floor that appeared to have come from a boy’s coat. Isobel picked it up and set it on the pew. Perhaps the child’s mother would notice the missing button and come back to collect it.
Isobel looked around, but there was nothing more to tidy up around or beneath the bench. Even so, she smoothed the front of her dress and flicked a piece of dirt from her skirt to give Alec another few moments. However, when she glanced toward the door, she saw he hadn’t moved from his spot. Isobel pressed her lips over a grumble. What was he doing? Did he want her to leave first?
She exited the pew, nodding to a family who were still gathering their children and belongings. Keeping her gaze straight ahead, she moved at a steady pace down the aisle. If she ignored Alec, then maybe that would quell the gossipmongers for a few blessed minutes.
But as she drew alongside him, he stepped into the aisle and looked directly at her. “Good morning, Isobel.”
“What are you doing?” she demanded in a quiet voice, though she didn’t bother hiding her exasperated tone. “We can’t be seen talking.”
He furrowed his brow as he studied the nearly empty church. “Why not?”
“Because I haven’t had a moment’s peace since Thursday.” Isobel peered around to make certain no one was paying attention to them before she continued. “If we’re seen conversing after services, it will only start their tongues wagging all over again.”
She started past him, but the man clearly hadn’t heard a word she’d said. Rather than let her pass, Alec settled his hand on her elbow and bent close to whisper, “I have a solution.”
“A solution?” she repeated. He wasn’t making sense. Or maybe it was the way her pulse sputtered at his nearness that didn’t make sense.
Throwing a look over his shoulder, he guided her a few steps toward the door. “Let’s talk about it outside.”
“But we can’t.” She pulled back on his gentle grasp to indicate she wasn’t leaving the building with him.
His amused smile didn’t help her already erratic heartbeat. “Because?”
“You’re not listening. We can’t be seen together, Alec.” How could she help him understand how much she wanted the gossip over? “That’s what I’m trying to tell you.”
Alec’s expression softened. “Believe me, I get it. I’ve had a whole procession of people come through the clinic since the festival, but most of them just want to talk about that race.”
“Truly?” Perhaps he did understand. Isobel stopped resisting his hold on her arm. “I wouldn’t have thought ranchers or farmers would be interested in such talk.”
He shook his head. “Me, neither. But trust me, Isobel. I have an idea that should temper their flapping tongues—be they male or female.”
Even without knowing his plan, she didn’t need to ask herself if she trusted him. Alec had proven his trustworthiness when he’d come to her aid and hadn’t teased her about it afterward.
“All right,” she conceded with a sigh. “Into the lion’s den we go.”
Chuckling, he led her out the door and down the church steps. Isobel knew the instant they’d been spotted together. A vibrating hum, like the drone of bees, emanated from those still visiting outside the church house. She kept her chin tilted upward as Alec guided her to a patch of shade along the side of the building, but she still hated the unabashed glances and the murmuring lips.
“What is this idea of yours?”
Alec released her arm, causing a flicker of disappointment to shoot through her. “We court each other.”
“We what?” Isobel stared at him in confusion. Surely she’d misheard.
But no, he repeated nearly the same words. “We’re seen around town courting each other.”
“How does that help the problem, Alec?” She rubbed at her forehead, feeling the return of her earlier headache.
He took a step closer to her. His eyes were lit with the same enthusiasm she’d seen whenever he talked about his profession or the ranch in North Dakota. “It helps because it takes away the problem.” Tipping his head, he indicated the other church members who were still eyeing them with open curiosity. “They’re all wondering if we’re courting or not, so we give them what they want.”
“Is that really—” Isobel closed her lips over the rest of her protest. Isn’t that what she’d always tried to do in business? Give her customers what they wanted? “I suppose that makes sense. You really think that would silence the gossip, though?”
Alec gave a confident nod. “It’ll take the mystery and speculation out of what we’re doing or not doing. Without that, it’ll eventually become old news.”
“Wouldn’t it be living a lie?”
With a shake of his head, he pocketed his hands. “No, because we really will be courting. At least until all the talk goes away.”
“What then?” A part of her could see the wisdom in such a plan and the other part of her found the whole scheme, including the idea of courting another Russell son, to be completely audacious.
Alec squinted up at the sky from beneath his hat. “I figure if we let a few people know we didn’t suit, the news will get around. Then we’re free to court whomever we like.”
Isobel swallowed the grimace that rose to her lips. Alec would likely have admirers, but she was under no delusions about herself. There wouldn’t be suitors waiting at her door, eager to be her beau. Even if there were, they wouldn’t stick around once they learned of her deficiency. Just as Whit and Beau hadn’t.
A grieving ache filled her chest at the reminder of her two disastrous engagements. Of course, she and Alec would never reach that point, even if she agreed to walk out with him to silence the rumors. And yet, a courtship between them would have to be believable to be effective. Could she be that vulnerable again with a beau, especially in public, after having her heart broken twice in the past?
She glanced at the dispersing group of church members again. Several threw meaningful smiles her way before they moved toward their wagons and buggies. The idea of enduring such attention for another week, if not longer, transformed the grief inside her to smothering anxiousness. She simply wanted to make, sell and possibly design beautiful dresses and expand her shop. She didn’t want people’s scrutiny or pity.
Could this arrangement be a solution to more than one of her concerns? Courting Alec, even for a time, would bring her temporary relief from others’ uneasiness regarding her unmarried status. Their unwanted sympathy had only grown more pronounced since things had ended with Beau. It was why Isobel kept mostly to her shop and apartment. But did she want to be seen around town on the arm of another suitor again?
Not that Alec would be her suitor in any true sense of the word. A courtship with him would be no different than a business arrangement between two mutually benefiting partners.
Looking at him again, Isobel couldn’t help comparing him to Whit. Both brothers were handsome. But having come to see more of Alec’s open temperament and humor the last while, she had to admit she thought him the more attractive of the two.
Why he hadn’t he married, as his brother had? Did Alec also carry hidden wounds when it came to matters of the heart? Isobel couldn’t tell for certain, though she doubted he’d been rejected in the same way she had. Perhaps bachelorhood was his choice.
“What do you think?” Alec asked, interrupting her musing. “Will you agree to court each other for the sake of our sanity?”
A hopeful smile accompanied his questions and invited a similar response from Isobel, but she squelched it for a moment. She couldn’t appear too eager. Instead, she maintained a level gaze with him. The eagerness faded from Alec’s face as she regarded him silently.
“I’ll do it,” she said, letting her smile shine through at last.
Alec’s eyes widened, then he grinned. “This is going to work, Isobel. I know it.” The look he gave her made her feel as if she’d singlehandedly filled his clinic with clients. One day some fortunate girl would be the daily recipient of this warm look.
“When do we start?”
He lifted his eyebrows. “How ’bout now?” He held his arm out to her. “Since we’re courting, I probably ought to walk you home from church. If that’s all right with you, Miss Glasen.”
Why did the offer of his arm and the way his eyes were dancing with pleasure make her hesitate? Isobel pulled in a calming breath. She could do this. As Alec had said, this agreement would work. All she had to do was go along with it.
Releasing her breath, she tucked her arm within Alec’s. “I’d like that, Doctor Russell.”