“Yes, of course. I only meant...” He trailed off as though he wasn’t entirely sure what he’d meant and in spite of herself, she couldn’t help feeling sorry for him.
“John.” She touched his arm to pull his dejected gaze from the ground. She tried to keep her tone kind yet firm. “I know that you were sweet on her in school, but that was a long time ago. She kept meaning to tell you it was over. She just never could turn down that particular kind of candy. At least, that’s what she told me. I need you to trust me on this. She moved on. Perhaps it’s time for you do the same.”
A slow grin spread across his face. “I am so glad to hear you say that, Isabelle. I’d started to think I wasn’t making any progress with you, but now I know that isn’t true. I’ll go straight in to talk to your father.”
Eyes widening, she instinctively cut him off as he made a beeline for the front door. “Wait. My father isn’t here right now. Besides, I didn’t mean you should move on with me. My feelings for you are platonic—strictly platonic.”
“Oh...” For someone who’d been all fired up to set their courtship in motion, he seemed unfazed by her rejection. “All right. If you don’t mind, I’ll keep the candy.”
“By all means.”
He tipped his hat and turned on his heel. She waited until he was a ways down the block before she rolled her eyes and shook her head. As frustrating as their exchange had been, it had still gone far more smoothly than she’d anticipated. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be back. That left Chris and Rhett. She hardly saw Chris because he stayed so busy helping with his family’s mercantile. She’d find some way to deal with him later if he persisted in pursuing her. For now, her focus needed to be on Rhett. Or, rather, on finding someone else for him.
Despite Ellie’s comments, she would not fall into the trap of thinking about that kiss. It wouldn’t be happening again. The best thing she could do for Rhett and herself was to get started on those courting lessons—as soon as possible.
Rhett waited with bated breath as Doc surveyed his ankle the following afternoon. The man gave a satisfied nod before rewrapping it. “Rhett, this looks much better. I can tell you’ve been following my orders, because the swelling has gone down considerably. You can move about the house on your crutches freely now.”
“Thank you. Much of the credit for my condition goes to the Bradleys. They’ve taken excellent care of me over the past day and a half.” Rhett glanced over Doc’s shoulder to where Mrs. Bradley stood by the desk and gave her a grateful smile.
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