and who likely outweighed him by a hundred pounds, shook his finger in her face. Gauging from the wet stain on his shirtfront and bits of coleslaw scattered on his person, Sally had had a bout of clumsiness. The man’s face was mottled.
How anyone could be angry with the earnest, soft-hearted eighteen-year-old was beyond him. At only an inch or two above five feet and thin as a fence post, Sally was the type of girl who provoked protective feelings in most men.
The man let loose another verbal lash. Sally’s big brown eyes filled with tears. Her head lowering, her wispy, corn-colored hair slid forward to hide her flaming cheeks. With a disgusted sound, Ellie inserted herself between waitress and customer as a living barrier. The sight made Alexander’s throat close up. He felt the crowd’s attention switch to him as he wove through the tables to reach them.
“It was an unfortunate accident, sir.” Ellie projected a calm front, but Alexander detected her underlying distress. The irate man was at least a foot taller than her. “Sally didn’t mean any harm. I’m sure you’ve had mishaps before. None of us are immune, unfortunately.”
“How am I supposed to finish my dinner with my shirt wet through and smellin’ of vinegar?” he growled.
Ellie’s forehead wrinkled. “I understand that would be uncomfortable. If we had a shirt to give you, we would.”
“My meal is ruined, and I want to know what you’re gonna do about it.”
“Leave her alone, McCauley,” someone from another table muttered.
Alexander pulled Sally aside. “Go fetch something to clean the food off the floor,” he murmured.
“Yes, sir. Right away.” She fled the room.
As she at last registered his presence, the color in Ellie’s cheeks surged and waned. He couldn’t resist the silent appeal for help in her coffee-brown gaze.
Moving close beside her, he stuck out his hand. “Good evening, sir. I’m Alexander Copeland, the proprietor of the Plum. I see you’ve met with a mishap.”
“Any fool can see that,” he snapped, indicating his chest.
“I apologize for the inconvenience. If you’d like to accompany me to the kitchen, we can get you cleaned up. And of course, your meal will be on the house.”
His unkempt brows formed a deep V.
“You’re welcome to your choice of dessert, as well.” Ellie piped up. “We have rhubarb pie and fried apple pies.”
“Go with the rhubarb,” another patron called out. “Finest pie I’ve put in my mouth.”
“Harry!” the lady beside him complained.
“Oh, not as fine as yours, my dear.”
A few chuckles filtered through the room.
“I’ll take you up on your offer,” Mr. McCauley consented. “Rhubarb it is.”
Alexander had managed to calm a customer. Glancing at Ellie, he acknowledged she was the reason he’d gotten involved. Once he had the mess sorted out, he joined her at the stove where she was sprinkling salt and chopped herbs into a fragrant potato soup.
“In the future, I want you to alert me immediately if another scene like that one arises.”
Dusting her fingers on her no longer pristine apron, she tilted her head to one side, causing her ponytail to swing wide. “Sally and I are accustomed to dealing with unruly customers.”
He grimaced as once again he pictured her squaring off against the giant of a man. “It’s my responsibility.”
Clearly mystified, she nodded. “All right. I’ll let Sally know.”
“Thank you.”
He was about to turn away when he noticed she was wearing the unflattering gray blouse and skirt beneath her frilly apron, the same clothes she’d worn several days in a row. Suspicion wound through him.
He made sure Flo was properly occupied on the other side of the room before voicing his thoughts.
“I don’t mean to be insensitive, but is that your only outfit?”
Her eyes rounded before she became inordinately interested in the simmering soup. “At the moment it is.”
While he knew he’d embarrassed her, he couldn’t let the matter drop. “Did your in-laws prevent you from taking your belongings?”
The spoon’s stirring slowed. “H-how did you guess?”
The soft pink hue tingeing her cheeks mirrored her rosebud mouth and lent a feminine delicacy to her features. She wasn’t beautiful, exactly, but definitely intriguing.
Shaking off the thoughts, he answered her. “They’re spiteful enough to forbid you to utilize one of their horses for transportation. Based on your comments of how they took the news, not to mention the fact you had only a quilt with you the other night, it was a logical conclusion.”
“Ralph snuck the quilt out to me. He wasn’t able to get anything else,” she said. “I don’t wish to be an embarrassment to the café. Once I save up enough money, I’ll buy fabric to make new clothes.”
Without thinking what he was doing, he grasped her chin and gently tipped up her face. “You’re not an embarrassment, Ellie. That’s not why I asked. As I said before, I’ve had brushes with bullies and I detest such behavior. I won’t allow an employee of mine to be treated that way.”
Moisture gathered in her molten eyes. “Oh.”
Her warm breath fanned over his fingers. He had but to move his thumb an inch to test the texture of her bee-stung lips. Lowering his hand and shoving it in his pocket, he edged back a step.
“Immediately following breakfast tomorrow, I will accompany you to collect your things.”
Blinking fast, she laid the soup spoon on the table behind her. “That’s not necessary—”
“Oh, but it is.” His tone brooked no argument. “I’ll let you get back to work.”
Slipping outside into the tranquil evening, he gazed up at the stars, the same stars that overlooked his Texas ranch and the graves of Sarah and Levi. The familiar weight of grief and anger squeezed his heart.
“I don’t know what Your purpose is in bringing her here, God, but I won’t be part of it. I’ll do this thing for her, and that’s it. No more.”
Chapter Five
She was going to be sick. “Please pull over.”
Alexander shot her a dubious look. “The turnoff isn’t far ahead.”
“Please, hurry!”
He must’ve recognized the panicked note in her voice, because he hauled back on the reins and directed the team to the lane’s edge.
“Let
