The Texan's Courtship Lessons

The woman had been particularly diligent in making sure he’d had everything he’d needed to be comfortable in the makeshift bedroom the study provided. She hadn’t budged one bit when he’d tried to convince her it would be all right for him to join the other boarders for supper last night or breakfast this morning. He’d dearly wanted to look each man in the eye for any sign they might have betrayed the trust of Isabelle’s family. Instead, he’d had to be content with the Bradley girls’ description of a normal boardinghouse supper where everyone had behaved as they usually did. The investigation for the missing bracelet wasn’t getting off to a very auspicious start.

Violet was determined to find out who’d seized upon her mistake of leaving the bracelet lying on the floor. Isabelle still seemed to be hoping this was all some kind of misunderstanding. Rhett simply wanted to find some way to be useful. He’d found that if he leaned to the left in his bed a bit, he could catch a glimpse of his blacksmith shop through the trees in the courtyard. The sight of it closed up was near torture since most of the other businesses in town had reopened after the holiday. He still wasn’t sure when he’d be able to open his doors again. Perhaps he’d have a better understanding of that once he was used to walking on his crutches.

For now, he’d be glad for the chance at a change of scenery. As grateful as he was that he’d been allowed to sleep in the study, he was determined to return the full use of it to Mr. Bradley. Rhett had hardly seen the man since moving in and couldn’t help suspecting it was because he’d commandeered the man’s workspace as a bedroom. “Doc, is there a way to use the crutches to go up and down the stairs?”

“There certainly is.”

Mrs. Bradley’s eyes widened. “Rhett, I know we said you’d move upstairs eventually, but we don’t want you to do anything dangerous.”

Doc handed Rhett his crutches. “It’s actually quite safe once you get the hang of it.”

At the base of the stairs, Doc showed him how to plant his crutches on the ground then push off them to place his uninjured foot on the next step. Rhett went up the entire staircase that way. Once he reached the top, he found a long hall lined with doors. Violet exited one to his right then froze when she caught sight of him. Her eyes widened as she glanced toward the stairs and placed a finger in front of her lips.

All right, then. Rhett tried not to visibly react to her warning as he turned to look down the stairs. “Doc, how do I get down from here?”

In the corner of his eye, he saw Violet frantically shake her head at him. She needn’t have feared because Doc only mounted the bottom few steps. “It’s the same process, but in reverse. Plant your crutches on the next step then set your foot down. Be careful not to swing out.”

Rhett did as the doctor said and soon reached the bottom. He thanked Doc Williams for his help. After the man took his leave, Rhett turned to Mrs. Bradley. “I’d like to practice that a few times.”

“Go right ahead.” She glanced up at the ceiling. “Isabelle thought you might be ready to move upstairs, so she’s preparing a room for you. It’s the second door on the right. I’d better check on Violet. She’s keeping an eye on supper for me. It should be ready soon. We’d be happy to have you join us at the table.”

“Thank you. I’ll do that.” He started up the steps while Mrs. Bradley turned to go across the hall to the kitchen. He forced himself not to rush as he moved up the stairs. Once he reached the second floor, he motioned Violet over. “Your ma is looking for you in the kitchen. You’d better get down there. Where’s Isabelle?”

She pointed to the room she’d been standing outside of then rushed down the stairs. Rhett swung himself down the hall past the room Isabelle was supposed to be preparing for him and pushed open the door Violet had indicated. Isabelle was peering into a box as she sat in the middle of the room with a full bottle of whisky in one hand and a bottle of gin in the other. She set them aside and glanced up, clearly expecting to see Violet for her green eyes widened upon meeting his. “Rhett, what are you doing here? What did you do with my lookout?”

“I sent her downstairs because your ma was looking for her. A better question is what are you doing in here?”

“I’m searching for the bracelet, of course.” She nudged a few things around in the box. “All the boarders are at work except for Gabe. He works in his room, but he’s so focused that he hardly notices anything.”

“You do know it’s getting close to supper, don’t you? The other boarders will be back any minute.”

“That’s all right. I’m done here.” Giving the box one more cursory look, she replaced the bottles before sliding it under the bed. “I may not have found the bracelet, but this stash of liquor doesn’t speak well for Hank’s integrity. He knows it’s against the rules to have it here.”

Rhett tensed when he heard the sound of the front door opening followed by male voices. “Isabelle, someone’s here.”

She jumped up from the floor. “Head toward the stairs.”

He backed up and nearly stumbled over his crutches in his haste. Righting himself, his crutches clacked a quick rhythm on the hardwood floor as Isabelle closed Hank’s door and locked it. The voices grew louder. A fleeting touch of Isabelle’s hand on his back was the only warning he received before she slid to a stop in front of him. He channeled his forward momentum into a hop. She braced her hands against his chest to keep him from mowing her down. Footsteps sounded on the stairs. He planted his crutches on the ground and had just stopped swaying when a man reached the top of the stairs.

Isabelle released him and reached for the doorknob. “Rhett, this will be your room. Oh, hello, Hank.”

“Isabelle.” A man with gunmetal-gray eyes and light brown hair grinned at her before extending a hand to Rhett. “I’ve seen you around town, but I don’t think we’ve officially met. You must be Rhett Granger.”

Rhett shook his hand. “I am. And you’re Hank.”

“Yep. Hank Abernathy. It’s a pity about the fire.” The man glanced down to the spot where Isabelle’s hands hand been an instant ago. He lifted an eyebrow and his smile turned a bit sly. “Glad to see you’re doing all right.”

“Thank you.”

The stiffness of Rhett’s response didn’t seem to bother Hank. The man tipped an imaginary hat. “See y’all at supper.”

Rhett waited until the door closed behind Hank to meet Isabelle’s gaze. As one, they sagged in relief. He lowered his head and whispered, “I don’t like him.”

“Oh, he’s not so bad,” she whispered back, then grimaced. “At least, I don’t think he is. The liquor smuggling does give me pause.”

Rhett heard the footsteps on the stairs and suddenly realized how close they were standing. He straightened. Isabelle stepped back. They were both a second too late. Although he hadn’t exchanged more than a few passing pleasantries with the man walking toward them, Peppin was small enough for Rhett to know his name was Wesley Brice and he worked at the T&P Railway in some capacity. Isabelle greeted him. He nodded in return, but pinned Rhett with a steely glare before entering a room down the hall.

Tilting her head, Isabelle bit her lip. “I have an idea. How about I go downstairs before we get into any more