Page 21 of Taming Lady Temperance

Adair huffed as his fingers closed over the edge of the pie tin. “I guess if your mama sent you, I won’t object, but don’t be making a regular practice of lingering.” The sheriff grabbed the knife and sliced off a large wedge of peachy goodness, then lifted it straight from the tin, not waiting for a plate. “Prison ain’t meant to be a social shindig, you know. It’s meant to be miserable, so a man will reconsider his life choices.” He chomped off a bite from the end of the slice. Ecstasy flashed across his features before quickly retreating behind his usual stony façade. His gaze darted toward Mrs. Hanover. “Or a woman,” he said around his mouthful of pie.

“Mrs. Hanover has already expressed remorse,” Noreen informed them, the sass noticeably absent from her voice thanks to the calming effect of her friend’s earlier interruption. “Perhaps in light of this you would see fit to shorten her detainment period?”

“That so?” The sheriff raised his handful of pie again but stopped it just short of his mouth. He glanced into the cell. “You sorry for shooting a gun off in my town, Miz Hanover?”

The widow rose from her chair, setting aside the mending items she’d been sewing. “I am.”

Adair nodded. “Good. Be sure to tell that to the judge when he weighs in on damages. In the meantime, get used to your new home, ’cause if you ain’t got the funds to pay the fine, you’ll be staying here for the full three days.” His head swiveled, and his gaze targeted James with pinpoint accuracy. “Ain’t that right, Deputy?”

“Yes, sir.” He knew his duty. The law was the law, and he was paid to uphold it. Even if this felt like one of those go-and-sin-no-more moments, he didn’t have the authority to extend mercy. Only the judge could do that. James prayed he would.

“Good.” Sheriff Adair tipped his head toward the extra chairs cluttering the area. “Now, ladies, I want you to close down this here quiltin’ bee or whatever you’ve got goin’ on and head home. It ain’t fittin’ for you to be here after dark, and sundown’s headin’ this way mighty quick.”

Noreen turned a pleading look on James, but he made no argument. His silence led to a narrowing of her eyes and a tightening of her mouth that sizzled a warning through him much like the electricity that collected in the air right before jagged lightning bolts shot from the sky. What did she expect him to do? He couldn’t gainsay the sheriff. Not if he wanted to keep his job.

Just go along, he tried to communicate with his gaze. Not every battle needed to be fought on the front lines. Some were better waged with diplomacy and patience.

Thankfully, she held her tongue, but she punctuated her verbal silence with the scrape of chair legs against the floor and the clang of dishes being packed with little care. If looks were bullets, his hide would be sporting several new holes.

In contrast, her friend moved about the cell like a shadow trying to escape notice as she collected the mending items from Mrs. Hanover and placed them in a flour sack. James did what he could to assist, toting the extra chair downstairs after handing off the key to the sheriff.

Once everyone was back in the office, Sheriff Adair licked a bit of peach filling from his hand, then dusted his palms together to dislodge any clinging crumbs. “Thank your mama for the pie. It hit the spot.”

Jane ducked her head as she scuttled past. “I will.” She stopped suddenly, as if she’d just remembered something, then swiveled to set the pie tin on the table she’d just hurried past. “I’ll leave the rest of the pie here so Deputy Paxton can have a piece as well.”

A grumbly female voice murmured something about him not deserving pie, but James chose to ignore it.

“That’s very kind of you, Miss Cowan.” He dipped his head in her direction. “Thank you.”

She nodded. “Mama and I can retrieve the baking dish tomorrow when we pay a call on Mrs. Hanover.” She glanced back at the sheriff. “If that’s all right with you.”

Adair waved his hand in front of his face as if he were shooing a fly. “As long as it’s a brief visit and the two of you don’t pitch tents in here, I ain’t got no objection.”

An audible huff echoed near the doorway.

“Thank you, Sheriff.” Miss Cowan turned to leave, then paused and took a step closer to James. Leaning in, she whispered, “Noreen fixed a supper plate for you and placed it in the warmer above the stove. She wanted to make sure you had a chance to eat after your trip to the Hanover farm.”

She’d saved back food for him? James shot a glance toward the door, where Noreen stood, arms crossed, toe tapping. She met his gaze long enough for him to tug on his hat brim in thanks, then jerked her head in the opposite direction and stepped out into the street. Ornery woman. Yet thoughtful too.

And expressive. A smile tugged one corner of his mouth upward. A man didn’t have to guess what she was feeling. She made it quite plain. Wasn’t always fun, but it was honest. A fella could figure out right quick where he stood. And where James stood at the moment was squarely in the doghouse.

“Can you believe the nerve of that man?” Noreen tramped down the street as if she were personally in charge of flattening the ground. “Kicking us out as if we were vermin underfoot. He had no right.”

“Actually, he did. He is the sheriff. The jailhouse is his jurisdiction.”

Noreen shot a glare at her friend. “Must you always be so . . . amenable? For goodness’ sake, Jane. Doesn’t it make you angry that poor Edna is there all alone?”

“She’s not alone. I slipped her my copy of Little Women.” Jane smiled, as if having a book was all a person needed to be content. Perhaps for Jane that was true, but Edna didn’t particularly strike Noreen as a big reader. “And Deputy Paxton is there,” Jane continued. “He’ll look out for her.”

Argh. Deputy Paxton! The traitor. Making her feel needed and appreciated one minute, then standing back and doing nothing to stop her being evicted in the next. “I doubt we can count on him. His principles seem to crumble the moment someone with more authority enters the picture.”

Jane took hold of Noreen’s arm and tugged her to a halt. “That’s not a fair assessment.”

“No?” Noreen flung an arm out in the direction of the jailhouse. “He didn’t say a single word in our defense when Sheriff Adair ordered us out. Just stood back and let it happen. Even helped us on our way.”

She’d looked to him for help. Practically begged him with her eyes. And what had he done? Nothing. She never should have expected more from him. But she had. Her mistake. One she’d not be making again.

“What good would have come from him speaking up?” Jane had the nerve to ask. “You and I both know Sheriff Adair isn’t the type to change his mind once he makes a decision. If anything, when challenged, he just digs his heels in deeper. Mr. Paxton would know that. Had he argued for us to stay, he would have risked damaging his relationship with his employer, and for what? To make us feel better? We were planning on leaving after he returned anyway. The only difference was that we didn’t leave on our own terms.”