Page 83 of Taming Lady Temperance

James made a note to stop by the boardinghouse and ask Mrs. Barker and the other boarders if anyone recalled seeing Mr. Clevenger in the area on wash day.

Miss Cowan turned to Noreen. “Don’t you do your washing on Wednesdays, when you aren’t working at the hotel? How did your handkerchief get mixed in with the towels?”

“You probably don’t remember, but Mrs. Stephens was wearing a heavy dose of rosewater last Sunday. The scent aggravated my allergies. I used my handkerchief all through services.” Noreen met James’s gaze. “Mrs. Stephens sits in the pew directly behind the Cowans.”

Mrs. Cowan braced a hand on the back of the sofa. “I remember that. Louise doesn’t usually wear such strong perfume. I hinted that she might have applied it too generously, and she mentioned being obligated to wear more than usual. She’d received a free bottle in exchange for wearing the perfume to church and telling everyone who asked about it where they could purchase it for themselves.”

James raised a brow. “And who supplied the free bottle?”

The preacher’s wife bit her lip, a pained expression on her face. “Clevenger’s Emporium.”

James looked to Noreen. “I assume your stepfather is aware of your allergy?”

She nodded. “When he and Mama were first married, he bought her a vial of expensive French perfume. It was a fancy blend of rose and lilac, I think. Whenever she wore it, I ended up with a headache, red eyes, and a runny nose. One time, I even had trouble breathing. After that, Mama never wore the scent, and Arthur grumbled about wasting his hard-earned money.”

Ramona Clevenger’s forehead scrunched. “How did he even know about your handkerchief?”

“He saw it at the courthouse,” Martha explained, “after the hearing. Noticed her initials. Knew it could be used to incriminate her. He couldn’t have known when Noreen would launder the handkerchief, but creating a situation where she’d be likely to soil it would increase the likelihood of her washing it. All he’d have to do is watch the boardinghouse clothesline and snatch it whenever it appeared.”

“Sounds like he’d been planning this for quite some time.” James frowned. “Premeditated arson of an inhabited building is a capital offense.”

Punishable by life in prison with hard labor or hanging depending on the mood of the judge. An outcome Clevenger had tried to force upon Noreen. James clenched his jaw and forced himself to breathe. As much as he wanted to yank Clevenger from behind his counter and pound his fists into the man’s paunchy stomach, he couldn’t afford to let rage have its way. If he was to prove Noreen’s innocence, he needed a cool head and a calculating mind.

Forcing a bland expression onto his face, James pocketed his notebook and collected his hat. “I think it’s time I had a word with Mr. Clevenger.”

The preacher strode forward. “I’ll come with you.”

“I’ll be fine, Parson.” He waved the man off, but the clergyman kept walking.

When Brother Cowan reached James’s side, he clapped him on the back and offered a friendly smile. “I know you will, son, but sometimes it helps to have a witness to corroborate one man’s story over another. Clevenger has powerful friends in this town. If it’s just your word against his, he could bring your character into question, claim you manufactured evidence to protect your sweetheart. It might help to have an objective third party bear witness to your conversation.”

The suggestion rubbed a raw spot into his hide. He shouldn’t have to defend his character when he had a proven record of acting with integrity. But Taggert had raised a similar concern earlier, which validated the parson’s point.

James shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He couldn’t afford to let his pride get in the way of Noreen’s best interests. He repacked the flour sack with Clevenger’s dirty clothes, then handed it to Miss Evans since she stood closest to him. “Keep an eye on this evidence until I return.”

“We will.” Martha voiced the vow, but everyone in the room nodded. Everyone except Noreen. She stared at him in a way that set his pulse to throbbing.

He swallowed and forced himself to turn away. Those eyes, glowing with admiration, trust, and something else he dearly wanted to explore, threatened to distract him more than the imaginary target painted on Clevenger’s belly. He needed his wits about him, and imagining how it would feel to hold her and kiss her in a proper manner was not helping matters.

Focus, Paxton!

He made it halfway to the door when Noreen called to him.

“James. Wait.”

He halted, of course. He’d have the entire walk to the town square to get his head on straight. If Noreen needed something from him, he’d not deny her.

As he pivoted, he almost failed to get his arms out of the way before she threw herself against his chest and grabbed hold of his waist. Blood pumping through his veins at a dizzying rate, he closed his arms around her and hugged her tight. Man, but he loved this woman. Fire and sunshine, sass and sweetness, courage and compassion, all rolled into one amazing package.

He leaned his cheek against the top of her head, then dropped a kiss onto her hair, wishing they were alone so he could soothe her worries more thoroughly. Shoot, his own worries might need a little soothing, too.

“It’s gonna be all right, darlin’,” he promised.

She lifted her face. “I know. Even if the worst happens, it’ll still be all right. God will work it out for good.”

That’s when he recognized what had changed in her gaze. Peace. Somehow, in the middle of a tornado-level storm, she’d found peace. His heart swelled as he traced the curve of her face with the edge of his finger. God was indeed at work, and James prayed that work would include justice. For as much as he trusted God’s plan, he really didn’t want to court Noreen through steel bars.

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