Harvest Moon (Jordan-Alexander Family 2)

She turned to find Coalie had already shed his coat and was standing in front of the jars lining the top of the main counter. Inside the jars were candies of every imaginable color and flavor. Coalie eyed them longingly. Tessa did the same.

“Help yourself,” the woman said as she took a pair of spectacles out of her pocket, perched them on her nose, then reached for a pad and pencil. She smiled encouragingly.

Coalie looked to Tessa for confirmation.

Tessa paused, then nodded. “He said we could get whatever we wanted.”

Coalie didn’t waste any more time. He lifted the lid off the nearest jar and removed two candy sticks, one for himself and one for Tessa, then proceeded to do the same to each of the jars. He paused as he reached the last flavor. “Do ya think we ought to get some for Mr. Alexander, as well?” He popped a licorice stick in his mouth, then handed the rest of the candies to Tessa.

“Mr. David Alexander?” the saleslady asked.

“Yes,” Tessa answered.

“You can get him one of each if you like,” she confided, “but his favorite flavor is peppermint.” She tapped the pencil against the jar full of peppermint sticks, then lifted the lid as Coalie reached in and pulled out a handful of candy.

The older woman introduced herself as she handed Tessa a paper bag. “I’m Lorna Taylor. I’m a friend of Mr. Alexander’s. You must be visiting the ranch?”

“No, ma’am.” Tessa shook her head. She didn’t look up, but busied herself stuffing with the candy into the brown sack.

“Oh, well, excuse my prying. I’m pleased to meet you anyway, Miss…?”

“Roarke,” Tessa said. “Tessa Roarke. I’m pleased to meet you, too. And this is Coalie.” She put her arm around Coalie’s shoulders and pulled him forward a bit to greet the nice lady.

“I’ve seen you before.” Lorna peered through her glasses at Coalie. “You were in here yesterday shopping with Mr. Alexander.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Coalie confirmed, pleased she’d remembered.

Lorna drew in a breath. “Then you must be…” She looked at Tessa, then toward the ladies’ corner where Mrs. Jeffers gossiped with the women. She took Tessa by the arm and steered her in the opposite direction, away from the conversation. “Never mind.” She smiled brightly at Tessa and Coalie as she reached into her apron pocket for the pad and pencil. “Now, my dears, what can I get for you?”

“Flour, sugar, coffee.” Tessa reeled off the necessary items.

Lorna wrote it all down. “Ten pounds of flour, ten pounds of sugar, five pounds of coffee…”

“And canned goods.” Tessa glanced at Coalie. “And maybe some bacon and ham.”

“Don’t forget tea,” Coalie reminded her.

‘Tea.” Tessa moved away from Lorna toward the display of teas in the ladies’ corner. “Do you have East India tea? I don’t much care for coffee.”

“We’ll save the tea for last,” Lorna said hurriedly. “Now, what else?” she asked, steering Tessa back.

“Horsemeat.” Tessa started to explain, but Lorna interrupted.

“I know,” she whispered conspiratorially. “For the cat.”

“Lorna!” A small, frail-looking woman in a day dress of dark blue wool trimmed in black velvet excused herself from the group of admiring women and called to the saleslady once again. “Lorna, what else did Mr. Alexander buy yesterday for that creature from the Satin Slipper?” She slipped away from the women to get a better view of her employee. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were waiting on a customer.” She glanced at Tessa as she apologized for the interruption, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I won’t keep you, Lorna. I can see you’re busy, but I was telling Mrs. Riner about Mr. Alexander’s hasty visit yesterday afternoon. I was warning her not to be too shocked when that murderess appears in court wearing one of the dresses she made for the store. But I couldn’t remember which dress he bought.” Margaret Jeffers glanced back to her group of ladies. “I told them you would know, since you waited on him. He even bought a complete set of unmentionables, didn’t he? He took a long time choosing the dress. Awfully picky, if you ask me, when you consider it was for a saloon woman. Which dress did he finally buy?”

“I really am busy at the moment, Mrs. Jeffers.” Lorna grabbed Tessa’s elbow and stepped back. “I’m filling an order. A very large order.”

“Wait a minute. It’ll come back to me.” Margaret Jeffers stared at her employee, then at the customer standing by her side.

“He bought a green calico,” Tessa interrupted.

“That’s right.” Margaret snapped her fingers and turned to look at Amelia Riner. “He bought a calico. A green calico just like the one this young lady is weari—” She gasped. She studied Tessa, taking in her appearance from the top of her bonnet, which had graced the millinery section of her store until yesterday afternoon, to the tips of Tessa’s black leather shoes. Shoes that had come to Jeffers Mercantile by way of Chicago.

“Just like the dress I’m wearing?” Tessa said. “It is the one I’m wearing.”

“Get out!” Mrs. Jeffers spat the words at Tessa. “Get out, you…you saloon trash! How dare you darken the door of a reputable establishment?”