he couldn’t help but notice her. Everyone noticed her. But within moments, her independence had become clear to him. She was lovely, but she wasn’t the kind of woman who wanted to settle down and care for a home and family. Not the kind of woman he’d begun to think he might need for Ellen. After a childhood of being neglected and mistreated by his stepmother, he’d replaced any yearning for love with a mistrust of women years ago. If he did marry for Ellen’s sake, he’d choose carefully.
“Good morning, Miss Warren.” Edward set the wooden box he’d filled with tools on a crate near the front door and removed his hat. “I’ve come to get started on the repairs.”
She lifted a handkerchief to her face and coughed. “That’s very good of you.”
Winston Ledford turned to face them. “If you’re certain there’s nothing I can do for you, Miss Warren, I’ll leave you in the care of Mr. Stone.” He sauntered toward the door. “He seems determined to watch over you.” He tipped his hat at Lily and walked through the door Edward held open for him.
Edward closed the door with a snap. “I hope you aren’t taken in by the likes of Mr. Ledford.” He picked up his toolbox.
“I’m a big girl, Mr. Stone. You don’t have to worry about me.” Lily went back toward the workroom behind the shop. Perhaps the relief he’d seen in her face earlier was imagined. Nothing she’d done since he’d met her upon her arrival in town Monday had suggested she was anything other than a woman determined to make her own way in the world. Her single-minded focus might be the very thing that protected her from people like the saloon owner.
“That’s good to know. Some women are swayed by fancy talk and refined appearances.”
“I assure you, I appreciate fine things. I also look for quality. In people and things.”
She directed him toward the workroom. “Thank you for coming so early. I’ve done what I could about getting everything dry and removing the rubbish.”
Her movements were swift and fluid, like a bird on air. She’d brushed her hair into a loose bun and changed her clothes, but the fatigue of her ordeal showed in eyes. Another coughing spell wrenched her breath.
“You didn’t need to do all that by yourself, Miss Warren. I assured you I’d be here this morning.”
She lifted a hand and waved it in dismissal of his words. “I couldn’t sleep anyway. My schedule was tight before the fire. Now I’ll need to work at a quicker pace than I’d planned.”
He entered the workroom behind her. The back door stood open, and he could see the pile of rubble she’d created in the alley beyond. “You stayed up all night?”
“It’s a matter of no consequence.” She indicated the shelving on the left of the storeroom. “Do you think any of this can be salvaged?”
Obviously she’d moved beyond the fire and had set her mind on repairs. Most women would be wallowing in a pool of pity, bemoaning their misfortune. Her determination was admirable.
“First things first,” he said. “I need to discover how the fire started, so we can make certain we don’t have another incident.” He turned to see her blush and lift a hand to her forehead. She rubbed her fingers across her brow in a smoothing motion.
“We won’t have to worry about it again.” A deep breath caused more coughing. “Please forgive me.” She tucked the handkerchief back in the pocket of her apron.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. Just frustrated with the amount of work I’ve caused us both.”
“You caused?”
Could Ellen be right? Had his tenant been the reason for the fire? The last thing he needed was for his niece to discover Lily had put the building in jeopardy. The child already resented her presence in the shop. Edward didn’t have the energy to deal with more trouble in their lives—especially not from a woman he’d just met.
Edward prayed he’d misunderstood Lily. “What do you mean, ‘you caused’?”
“It seems the fire was my fault.” Lily pointed to the wall near the back door where the most damage appeared to be. “I was working late, trying to make a few extra hats. I had set a lantern on this workbench.”
She didn’t seem the irresponsible type. “Surely you didn’t leave a lantern burning when you went to bed. You’d have noticed the light.”
“No.” She jerked her head to stare at him. “Of course not! I took the lantern with me.”
She pointed to a small stack of charred kindling near the stove. It was considerably smaller than the amount he’d cut and placed there before her arrival. Normal circumstances wouldn’t have caused her to use so much kindling.
“Right before I went upstairs, I swept up the trimmings from around the workbench. Bits of ribbon and feathers. Things like that. I swept them into a pile near the door, intending to dispose of it this morning. Then I checked the stove. Some embers must have blown out and landed among the trash. It must have smoldered and caught when it got near the kindling. I don’t know how else it could have started. I’m so sorry.” Another cough stopped her from speaking. “I’ll pay for the damages.”
Edward stirred the kindling with the toe of his boot and studied the scorched wood and the wall in the corner of the room between the stove and the door.
“It’s possible a gust of wind blew under the door and carried the embers back to the kindling.” He turned to Lily, who was coughing again. “No one was hurt. That’s the most important thing.”
“Please forgive me. I never meant to start the fire.” She covered her mouth again to cough.
“You took in a lot of smoke. Have you been to see the doc?”
“No. I’m fine. There’s too much work to do to stop for a minor cough.”
He knew how much smoke had been in her rooms. The stairwell had acted like a chimney and drawn the smoke upward. No doubt a draft around the windows had pulled the dangerous fumes under the door at the top of the landing.
“I’m taking you to see Doc Willis.” He headed for the front of the shop. “Where’s your coat?”
When she didn’t follow, he turned and waited.
“You are not taking me—” a cough interrupted her words “—anywhere.”
He raised his eyebrows. Would she be so stubborn as to refuse medical treatment? “Then I’ll have to ask Doc Willis to come here.” He opened the door and stepped onto the sidewalk. “We need to get this place ready for you to open your business. The sooner you get that cough taken care of, the sooner that will happen.”
“Wait, please.” She coughed again. “If it will set your mind at ease so we can get to work on the repairs, I’ll go.” She shrugged her arms into the sleeves of her coat and turned up the collar.
The
