12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WILLA ENJOYED SIPPING her coffee on the porch in the mornings. Toes curled under a wool blanket, she let out a sleepy sigh and inhaled the steam rising from her mug. In an hour, she and Julian would be hard at work baking pastries and bread, cashing out customers, running errands for the business. She was still getting used to all of it and to pile on, she was still new at being a wife.

Birds chirped in the canopy. The spring air was warm, relaxing, and it smelled like the fresh blossoms ripening in the forest. A crow squawked in the distance and she caught a glimpse of it flying over the house. She best get herself together for the work day.

Her bare toes stepped on the cool wood of the porch. Had Julian really left the door to the bakery unlocked yesterday? She found it odd, really, since she had double checked the doors herself at the end of her shift.

There was a distance between them she could not comprehend, and much less bring to light. Much of it had to do with her own jealousy. His past should remain as such but it seemed like there was no escaping it. Often times, she got the sense that he just couldn’t forget no matter how hard he tried. This concerned her.

“Willa.” He called out to her from the bedroom. “Where are my clean aprons?”

“They’re in the cabinet,” she said once inside and set her mug down on the counter. “I folded them just yesterday and you watched me.”

“Sorry, I forgot.” He frowned and dug inside the cabinets in the lavatory.

She watched him for a moment, wondering if she should point out the strangeness in his behavior and quickly decided against it. She didn’t want to make things worse. Best to just forget about it all, right?

“Maybe we could go to the theater after work this evening,” she said. “It might help take your mind off things.”

Julian pulled a crisp apron out from the cupboard. “You know, that’s not a half-bad idea. Have you any idea what they’re showing?”

“Not in the slightest. But I can always stop by during our slow time and take a peek at their schedule.”

“Would you like that?”

“I...yes.”

“Then we’ll go.” He pressed her up against the wall in the small lavatory and kissed her. “I’m sorry to be so distant lately. There’s a lot on my mind.”

She half-smiled. “Don’t worry. I understand things are stressful with the bakery gearing up for the summer.”

His lips trailed tender kisses down her neck and across her collarbone. “We have a bit of time yet.”

Willa closed her eyes and enjoyed the heat of his touch. She supposed their relationship was like any other with its ups and downs. But the truth was he ignited a deep fire within her she found hard to pull away from. Her body moved closer to his, shifting position in a writhing rythm as he caressed her with passion.

She exhaled a yelp. “We’ve...got to go...”

“Not yet.” He smirked and lifted her skirt, grabbing hold of one firm cheek. “There’s yesterday to make up for.”

“I won’t argue with that.”

Someone pounded on the front door. They jumped, startled.

“Are you kidding me?” He scowled. “Who is it?”

He rushed out of the lavatory and Willa leaned back against the wall, groaning with unfulfilled desire. What a cruel trick of fate.

“Sheriff Anderson,” Julian said. “What are you doing here?”

The sheriff?

Willa wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and rushed to the living room. “Hi, is everything all right?”

Sheriff Anderson was a tall man with dark hair and a kind twinkle in his eye. He was also known around town for his brood of six children, which included two sets of twins. “Morning, Mrs. Reed,” he said with a tip of his hat. “Sorry to trouble you folks this early but I need a private word with your husband.”

Julian squeezed her hand. “Go on and get ready for work. We’ll leave in a few minutes.”

Confused, Willa only nodded and closed the bedroom door behind her.

Something was amiss. If she could put it together then she’d be able to breathe a bit easier. But she couldn’t shake the looming pit in her stomach or the seriousness in Sheriff Anderson’s tone.

When Julian came back into the bedroom, he was quiet.

“What did the sheriff want?” she bravely asked.

“They’re looking for someone in these woods,” he answered, slipping into a leather vest with his eyes plastered on the dirt floor.

“Who?”

“A criminal.” He turned to her with a thin smile. “Don’t worry though. They’ll find him.”

“Is he hiding out around here?” She couldn’t contain the stress in her voice. “What if he breaks into our cabin?”

“Relax, sweetie.” Julian framed her shoulders and left a kiss on her forehead. “No one is breaking into our home, all right? Try not to worry. I’ll be helping the sheriff do some searching after work.”

Willa pushed him away. “Why you? Did something happen last night?”

Julian licked his lips and stared at her for a long, uncomfortable moment. “Look, I can’t lie to you anymore. There’s something I need to tell you.”

 

***

 

“I told you he wasn’t done with her,” Hannah whispered through gritted teeth. “Why don’t you ever listen to me?”

Willa kneaded a clump of dough, her knuckles digging deep into the elastic flour mixture. “Sh. He’ll hear you.”

She glanced over her shoulder at Julian cashing out a customer at the register. He was normally cheerful with his clients but today he wore a more grim expression.

“That woman is nothing but trouble.” Hannah whipped a batter of vanilla frosting with fervent fury. “Did I tell you she was the reason why Salty from the saloon almost broke up with his wife? Can you believe that tramp?”

“I don’t care to hear anymore gossip.” Willa sprinkled a handful of flour on the dough. “Besides, what’s that got to do with me and my marriage?”

“She’ll ruin it.”

“But the baby isn’t Julian’s.”

“How do you know? What if he’s not telling you the truth about that either?”

“He said they were done six months ago and she’s only in her first term.”

“And you buy it?”

Willa sliced the dough in half. “I believe my husband.”

Hannah groaned loudly and added more sugar to the frosting batter. “Of course you do.”

“Wouldn’t you give Ron the benefit of the doubt?”

“Not if he’d been lying to me for months.”

Willa didn’t want to voice it, but she somewhat agreed with her friend. Julian hadn’t been the most straightforward about the whole mess with Emily. However, she understood his hesitation because he hadn’t wanted to hurt her. She couldn’t decide if she preferred knowing or not.

“Julian is true to me,” Willa said. “I know it.”

“Aren’t you the slightest bit mad at him?”

Well, yes. She was. But what could she do about anything?

“I shouldn’t have confessed,” Willa said with an eyeroll. “Now, you’ll be judging me the rest of our days.”

Hannah shook her head. “You’re my best friend. I care what happens to you.”

“It was an arrangement.”

“And your father gave you the out, didn’t he?”

“Not really.”

“Well, I don’t know then.”

Willa groaned. “Please, don’t be mad at me, okay? Why can’t you understand that he sent her flying and he’s been nothing but loyal to me?”

Their conversation came to a brief interruption when Julian walked over to grab a basket of fresh loaves from the shelf. “So quiet back here.”

Hannah let out a nervous giggle. “Oh, you know...just chatting girl stuff.”

Willa slammed the knife down on the cutting board. “Hannah, will you please excuse us?”

Julian pointed to the register. “I’ve got folks waiting up front.”

“I’ll help them,” Hannah said as she rushed past and pulled the string on the curtains sectioning off the back of the shop.

“What is it?” Julian popped an oatmeal cookie in his mouth and chewed.

Willa decided to come right out with it. “You can’t go tonight.”

“I already gave my word to the sheriff.”

“But first, you gave your word to me that we would go to the theater.”

Julian didn’t answer, so she continued.

“Besides,” she said, trying to hold back her rising anger. “You’ve kept so many things from me lately that I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

“Has Hannah been putting things in your head again?”

“Oh, of course, you’ll blame her! It’s much easier than admitting your faults, is it not?”

“Sheriff Anderson just wants an extra hand in sneaking Emily out of Coal Valley tonight. All of this has nothing to do with my previous relationship with her.”

“But you still love her, don’t you?”

She squared her eyes with his. He remained quiet. Too much so.

“Why won’t you answer me?”

“What am I supposed to say, huh?”

“That you’ll leave Emily to her own affairs and take me to the theater.”

Julian moved in to caress her cheek but she pulled away.

“Sheriff Anderson needs an extra gun,” he said.

“Doesn’t he have a deputy?”

“I offered for our sake.”

“Well, it confuses me.” Willa ran to the curtains and swept half of them back. Scowling over her shoulder, she said, “I know now where your heart really lies.”

And she bolted out of the bakery.