{"id":1220,"date":"2019-02-14T13:11:19","date_gmt":"2019-02-14T18:11:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/read.whitefire-publishing.com\/?p=1220"},"modified":"2020-06-01T09:07:17","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T13:07:17","slug":"sweet-mountain-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/sweet-mountain-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweet Mountain Music"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n

Sweet Mountain Music<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

by Suzie Johnson<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe Williston will make a name for herself\u2026
no matter what beast she must track to achieve it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe Williston has two goals in life: to make her father proud, and to do it by making a name for herself as a journalist. It seems she has been waiting for years for the perfect opportunity\u2026and when it arrives in her Washington State town in the form of a handsome naturalist in search of the legendary Great North American Ape, she isn\u2019t about to let him go off on an adventure without her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben Kearny has to admit he\u2019s intrigued by the undauntable Miss Chloe Williston\u2026until he learns she\u2019s a journalist. The last thing he needs is a reporter sticking her nose\u2014however, pretty it may be\u2014in his expedition. He has to find the Sasquatch. It\u2019s his only chance at restoring his reputation, and he can\u2019t let anything, even Chloe, get in his way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as the expedition sets off with Chloe and her brother in tow, Ben finds the obstacles stacked against him. He not only has to find the illusive beast, he also has to keep Chloe out of the trouble she seems determined to find\u2026all while protecting his heart.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t

Chapter 1<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Cedar Ridge, Washington<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cascade Mountains, 1896<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\nthink we should have him take off his shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several\ndelighted oohs<\/em> and aahs<\/em> followed the sugary, yet\nauthoritative voice drifting through the slightly opened window. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standing\nbelow the window, Chloe Jane Williston recognized the voice of Trina Clark.\nFrom the sounds of it, every young woman in Cedar Ridge sat inside the town hall.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\ncould they possibly be up to in there? And why didn\u2019t she know about it? There\nwas a story in the making, she could tell; one that would hopefully sell more\ncopies of The Cedar Ridge Reporter<\/em> than\nusual. Chloe stretched up on the tips of her toes and tried to see through the open\ncrack. It was much too narrow. Disappointed, she scrubbed at the window\u2019s\nfilthy panes with the sleeve of her gray and white pinstriped shirtwaist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her\nonly success came in dirtying her sleeve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe\nfrowned and stood back to once again survey the window. She found a clearer\nspot higher up but wasn\u2019t tall enough to reach it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glory\nbe. If only she had something to stand on, she\u2019d be able to see better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quickly,\npulse jumping, Chloe looked around the wooded area surrounding the meeting\nhall. Nothing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scanning\nthe early summer sky, dusty blue with traces of wispy clouds, she smiled.\nThankfully, it wouldn\u2019t be dark for a few more hours. It stayed light so much\nlater here in Washington than it did back in Boston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kicking\nat a bed of last year\u2019s pine needles, Chloe stubbed her toe on a partially\nburied rock. She stood back and sized it up. Boulder was more like it. It\nappeared wide enough for her to stand on and yet not so huge she wouldn\u2019t be\nable to move it. It was worth a try. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At\nleast the town of Cedar Ridge was good for something. There were plenty of\nrocks, if nothing else. A deep breath filled her lungs with the rich sappy\nfragrance seeping from the surrounding trees. After prying, tugging, and then\nkicking at the rock, it finally broke free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blood-red\nworms squirmed forth when she rolled it over. An army of potato bugs scurried\nevery which way. Chloe allowed herself to shudder just once before kicking and\nrolling the rock toward the meeting hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each\ndirection she looked, snow-tipped mountains and lush fir trees rose to greet\nher. The Skykomish River, racing down from higher elevations, thundered in the\nbackground. Grudgingly, Chloe admitted to herself that Cedar Ridge was more\nthan a pile of rubble and too many trees. The mountains were higher, the sky\nbluer, and the air headier than any place she\u2019d ever lived. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More\nthan once she\u2019d tried to describe this place on paper but failed. It wasn\u2019t\npossible to put words to the majesty of her surroundings. Her father had chosen\nwell when he\u2019d moved the family<\/a> this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life\nwould be almost perfect, if only she had a friend or two. As for the almost<\/em> part, she didn\u2019t want to think\nabout it right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust\nthink about it.\u201d Trina\u2019s voice drifted through the window as Chloe chugged the\nrock into position. She gave a few swipes at the glass, a little harder than\nearlier, and was rewarded with a somewhat distorted view of Trina flouncing her\nright hand back and forth at her peers. Chloe couldn\u2019t quite make out the look\non Trina\u2019s face, but she was certain it was no less than prissy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trina,\nthe self-appointed leader of the Cedar Ridge Young Women\u2019s Guild, was a feisty\nlittle blond tornado hurling along a path of destruction, and every young and\notherwise sensible lady in town seemed to follow right along behind her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Except\nChloe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her\npresence wasn\u2019t welcomed by this tight-knit group, and hadn\u2019t been from the day\nshe moved to the small mountain town. Whether from her initial shyness upon her\nfamily\u2019s arrival, or that her father was a well-to-do newspaper publisher from\nBoston, Chloe had been ascribed as pretentious\u2014a fact that couldn\u2019t be further\nfrom the truth. Chloe\u2019s interests may not reflect those of most young women her\nage, but she still had the need for friends and acceptance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen\nwill you ever be able to have such a delectable time?\u201d Trina\u2019s tone was smooth\nand manipulative. \u201cI can guarantee you\u2019ll never have the chance again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe\u2019s\nheart raced as she leaned closer. Her earlier suspicions were correct. She had\nknown something was amiss when she first saw Trina headed this way, looking\nover her shoulder too many times not to be guilty of something. There was a\nstory here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nrock she stood on tilted to the right, catching Chloe by surprise. She regained\nher balance, but not before banging her hip against the building. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGlory\nbe!\u201d Too late, she remembered the women inside. She held her breath, praying\nthey hadn\u2019t heard her. She\u2019d die if they caught her eavesdropping. Not only that,\nshe\u2019d ruin the opportunity for a story the town wasn\u2019t likely to forget anytime\nsoon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shaking\ndirt and pine needles from her skirt, Chloe brushed her hands together then\ngingerly rubbed her sore backside. Disgusted for almost ruining things, she\ntiptoed back to the window. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\ngood reporter maintained control no matter the situation. She\u2019d heard that\ndirectly from Nellie Bly\u2019s own mouth, and Nellie Bly was nothing if not a good\nreporter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m\nsick and tired of my Russell spending every Saturday evening in the saloon,\nwatching those girls<\/em> sing, dance, and\nshake themselves at him,\u201d Trina said. \u201cIf he thinks I\u2019m going to marry him\nwithout having a little harmless pleasure like he does, well…I want some\nmerriment, too.\u201d There was one collective, scandalized, in-drawn breath,\nfollowed by silence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certain\neven the youngest of the women present must be wearing that sour-faced look,\nsuggesting they\u2019d been sucking lemons all afternoon, Chloe wished she had a\nclear view of their faces. This story had the potential to be big. Imagine, the\nmayor\u2019s daughter hiring a man to take off his clothes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nmight not be the type of story worthy of Nellie Bly, but it was juicy enough to\nsell papers and grab readers\u2019 interests. And really, wasn\u2019t that the goal of\nevery writer? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLadies,\nit\u2019ll be positively luscious. It\u2019s just a lark, nothing harmful. All he\u2019s going\nto do is sing for us. It\u2019s not like we\u2019re going to touch him or\nanything…unseemly…or…\u201d Trina lowered her voice. \u201cNaughty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTruly,\nTrina, it\u2019s undignified and immoral.\u201d A timid-sounding woman spoke, her voice\nunnaturally high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe\u2019s\nhand flew to her mouth and she stifled a groan. What was her sister-in-law\ndoing here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leave\nit to poor Sarah to have the dubious misfortune of disagreeing with Trina\nClark. Chloe was shocked Sarah even spoke up. People disagreed with Trina so\nrarely, she certainly wouldn\u2019t let it pass without a squabble of some sort. Not\nwhen there was an entire group of women looking on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe\nstepped down from her rock just long enough to flex the tingles out of her feet\nbefore she was up again. When next she looked, Trina was marching toward Sarah,\nhands on hips, bottom lip pushed out dangerously. Trina stopped when her nose\nwas only half an inch from Sarah\u2019s. Sarah would be lucky to get out of this one\nwith her dignity intact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThink\nabout your husband and his little habits, Sarah Williston. Could this be any\nworse?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trina\ntook one hand from her stick-straight hips and shook a finger in Sarah\u2019s face.\n\u201cI happen to know for a fact, your Charles Jr. is first in line when Pete\nunlocks the saloon each afternoon.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every\nwoman in the room gasped, shocked Trina would dare say such a thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shame\nwashed its ugly truth over Chloe. Her oldest brother, Charles Williston Jr.,\nwas a drunk and treated his wife abominably. Poor Sarah. What she must be\nfeeling right now? Humiliated publicly, made a fool in front of all her\nfriends. Chloe\u2019s heart went out to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah\nwas infinitely more timid than Chloe could ever dream of being. That Sarah\ndared speak out against Trina meant she believed resolutely against what the\nsilly girl had planned. Chloe understood. She\u2019d been forced to speak out a time\nor two, herself. Her stomach churned at the thought of doing it again. Still, Sarah\nneeded rescuing and, much as she didn\u2019t want to be the one to do it, Chloe had\nto help her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\nreached back, absently rubbed her backside, and winced. She must have banged\nthe wall harder than she thought. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom\nthe looks of things, it must be mighty interesting in there.\u201d Behind her, a\ndeep male voice came out of nowhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe\njumped, missed hitting her head on the window sash, and came down crooked, once\nagain struggling to retain her balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nman was beside her in an instant, but instead of looking at him, Chloe ducked\nher head. Heat rushed to her cheeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre\nyou all right?\u201d His voice was rich, mellow, and vibrated through her senses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Too\nflustered to make eye contact, Chloe wished a little band of wood nymphs would\nappear to whisk her away. Why must she be caught like this? Eavesdropping,\nrubbing a most delicate area, and then stumbling like an ungainly oaf? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aunt\nJane, whom she admired so much, would\u2019ve opened her mouth and snapped out a\nretort. Not Chloe. Feeling sheepish, she glanced up into the greenest eyes\nshe\u2019d ever seen. Her voice caught. She doubted if she could get one word out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\na feeble attempt to look away, Chloe found her gaze riveted on the rich red\nwool shirt that stretched across his solid chest. Glancing further downward,\nhis long legs were nicely encased in wheat colored trousers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nwas no safe place to look. She squeezed her eyes shut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMiss?\nI asked if you\u2019re all right.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For\none lengthy, embarrassing moment, Chloe couldn\u2019t open her eyes. Finally she did\nand was struck with a sense of weak-kneed wonder that mortified her. She\ncouldn\u2019t take her eyes off him. His hair, neatly trimmed, was the color of\nrich, dark honey. Though it was combed back from his sun-bronzed forehead, a\nhandful of springy curls fell forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMiss?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glory,\nwhy couldn\u2019t she answer him? Tongue-tied, wondering if he thought her an idiot,\nshe could only nod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood.\nNow maybe you could help me.\u201d His mouth curved in a spirited, playful manner.\n\u201cWhen you\u2019re finished looking me up and down, that is.\u201d His smile grew wider,\ncockier, and her heart began to pound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheeks\nburning, Chloe tore her gaze from his. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\nHumiliated, Chloe could do little more than whisper and started to turn away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlease\nwait.\u201d He reached out to stop her. Firm, big, and warm, his hand encased hers,\nand a dozen sensations, all pleasant, raced up her arm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nwas foolhardy. She should be frightened but didn\u2019t sense any danger about him.\nHer heart flittered. Chloe jerked her hand away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\nme apologize for my bad manners. I shouldn\u2019t have teased you.\u201d His voice fairly\nrumbled with sincerity, although his sea-green eyes didn\u2019t reflect the grin on\nhis face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI-it\u2019s\nall right.\u201d Chloe hated that she stammered. Did she sound all breathy and\nflirty like Trina? Or was it her imagination? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m\nBenjamin Kearny.\u201d He extended his hand in introduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Could\nhe be the new doctor everyone was expecting? Now his sudden appearance made\nsense. Chloe stared at his outstretched hand, not sure it was wise to touch him\nagain. This man was a far cry from the craggy old physician who had just\nretired. Cedar Ridge would do itself proud with him as their physician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For\none crazy upside-down moment, Chloe entertained the notion that if she had an\ninjury Dr. Kearny could examine her. What would happen if she suddenly turned\nher ankle? The blush burned back to her cheeks and she closed her eyes for a\nbrief second. When she opened them again, Dr. Kearny studied her closely as if\nexpecting a response; his hand still extended. Had he read her thoughts?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her\nthroat suddenly dry, with butterflies flitting in her stomach, Chloe took a\nsteadying breath and ignored his hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And\nwasn\u2019t this just superb? She thought she\u2019d gotten better about this stupid\ninability to talk with people. Obviously not. She opened her mouth to speak,\nhorrified to find she had to try twice before the words came out in a rush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre\nyou here to set up your practice, doctor?\u201d There. That wasn\u2019t so bad. Except he\nnow stared at her in a funny way and withdrew his hand. She\u2019d spoken too fast.\nHe probably hadn\u2019t a clue as to what she\u2019d said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPractice?\u201d\nHe sounded puzzled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\nyour medical practice.\u201d Was he daft?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh.\nI see. You think I\u2019m…\u201d His voice trailed off and he gave her another trace of\nhis devastating smile. \u201cI\u2019m not a doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re\nnot?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\nsound disappointed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot\ndisappointed, I just assumed\u2026\u201d She felt like a fool. \u201cWe don\u2019t get many strang\u2014um,\nvisitors, and we are expecting a new doctor soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m\na scientist, actually. An ethologist. I do field work, studying animals in\ntheir natural environment.\u201d The smile grew broader and made him seem warm and\nsomehow very inviting. Obviously he loved his work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nwould be a great interview. Once the stray thought burst into her mind, she\nknew she had to muster up the nerve to ask him for one. It would make a most\ninteresting story for The Reporter,<\/em>\nmuch more interesting than anything to do with Trina Clark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo\nyou know everyone around here?\u201d He raised his honey colored eyebrows with the\nquestion, and Chloe found her gaze drawn to the dark blond curls that kissed\ntheir feathery tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d\nShe swallowed hard. She didn\u2019t want to tell him it was because the town was so\nsmall. \u201cAre you looking for someone?\u201d Even before he spoke, Chloe had a\nsickening hunch what his answer would be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA young woman\u201d\u2014don\u2019t say it,<\/em> don\u2019t say her\nname!\u2014<\/em>\u201cby the name of Trina\u201d\u2014she knew\nit<\/em>\u2014\u201cClark.\u201d Trina had all\nthe luck. How, where, when<\/em> did Trina\nmeet this man? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell?\u201d\nBen stared at her, obviously curious as to why she took so long to answer. Only\nthen did Chloe realize her mouth hung open like a blowfish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humiliated\nat the impression she must be making, she could only whisper. \u201cI know Trina.\nShe\u2019s in there.\u201d Chloe nodded at the building behind them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh,\ngood. I\u2019m supposed to meet her at the town hall and wondered if this was the\nright place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nwas only one building in their small town large enough to hold an assembly of\nany sort. Surely a scientist like Benjamin Kearny was bright enough to see\nthat. Then the import of what he\u2019d said dawned on her, and she gasped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re<\/em> the one they\u2019re all in a dither\nover?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No\nwonder Trina was so determined to have her way over this man taking off his\nshirt. She couldn\u2019t believe it. The pea-brained women of this town had actually\nhired a man to entertain them for the evening, and he turned out to be the only\nman ever to set her heart a-flutter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\ndo you mean, \u2018all in a dither\u2019 over me?\u201d His lips quirked in the most appealing\nway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hmmph.\n\u201cAs if you didn\u2019t know. I can\u2019t believe you\u2019re going to take your shirt off for\nthem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTake\nmy shirt off?\u201d He sounded offended as well as horrified. \u201cThat infuriating Clark\ngirl and her silly notions. No, I\u2019m not\u2014\u201d He muttered a few words that would\nhave had her mother racing for a cake of lye soap. He broke off suddenly and\nstared at the ground for a second before glancing up. \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At\nleast he had the good graces to realize his language left little to be desired.\nNot that she was offended by his choice of words\u2014she had two brothers. But it\nwas nice to see Benjamin Kearny had some manners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe\nnodded, accepting his apology. \u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re not planning to be their\nafternoon entertainment.\u201d Though she wasn\u2019t sure she actually meant it. The\nheat threatened her cheeks once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\nwell, unfortunately I am. I\u2019m going to sing for them.\u201d His voice hardened along\nwith the muscles in his face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nwas on the tip of her tongue to ask why he would sing for them since he so\nobviously didn\u2019t want to. Instead she said, \u201cI have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWait.\nYou haven\u2019t told me your name yet. Are you sure you won\u2019t stay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\nwasn\u2019t invited.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh.\u201d\nHe blinked, obviously surprised. \u201cI was certain Mayor Clark said every young\nwoman in town was invited to his daughter\u2019s birthday celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot\nme.\u201d Chloe stared at the ground, hating to admit she was the only one not\nwelcome. Bitten by curiosity, she battled with herself, dying to know but still\nfrightened to speak. Curiosity won out. \u201cAre you a relative?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\nHer father is a friend of a friend, and I\u2019m sort of stuck in the middle.\nBetween you, me, and that rock you were standing on, I\u2019d just as soon not be\nhere. I was more or less coerced. Business type favors, and all that. You\nunderstand?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUm…right.\u201d\nHe didn\u2019t look the type to allow himself to be coerced into anything. \u201cI\u2019d\nreally better go now.\u201d She looked up into his eyes, wanting one last look\nbefore she left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\nthought I heard voices out here.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe\nturned, dismayed to find Trina on the steps with a dozen other women crowded\nbehind her. They all stared. She wasn\u2019t surprised in the least when Trina\ntossed back her blond head, gathered her skirts, and tiptoed daintily down the\nsteps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy,\nBen.\u201d Trina batted her eyelashes a few times. \u201cLadies, this is the man I told\nyou about. Benjamin Christopher Kearny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBen\nwill do fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trina\nblinked, clearly pleased. \u201cOh, yes. Ben<\/em>.\nAt any rate, I\u2019m so glad you\u2019ve arrived. I was ever so fearful you may have\nchanged your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll just bet you were.<\/em> Chloe thought briefly about uttering her sarcastic\ncomment out loud, but refrained. Her mere presence was usually enough to\nincense Trina Clark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben Kearny.<\/em> Benjamin\nKearny. Benjamin Christopher Kearny.<\/em> Chloe rolled the names over in her\nmind. She peeked up at him. He seemed larger than life. Yes, the name Ben fit\nhim perfectly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben\nstepped toward Trina, who watched him with the look of a woman ready to devour\na dish of berries covered with the richest cream. Feeling suddenly possessive\nand not quite knowing why, Chloe shoved back her intimidation and stepped right\nalong with him. Besides, there was still the matter of helping Sarah out of a\ntough situation. Shamefully, she almost forgot about her sister-in-law. Perhaps\nwith Ben beside her, she\u2019d have the courage to speak up for Sarah\u2019s sake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before\nshe realized what happened, Chloe found her hand caught up in his. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nimpropriety of his action caught her off-guard, and she froze. He watched her,\nhis spirited smile still there. The fact that it didn\u2019t reach his eyes tugged\nat her heartstrings. Chloe lowered her gaze. Staring hard at the pinecones on\nthe ground, she tried to extract her hand from his. He wouldn\u2019t let go, and she\nstarted to look at him again but knew if she did she\u2019d be lost. One more look\ninto those eyes and Chloe suspected she would end up making an even greater\nfool of herself. She had to concentrate on other matters, like helping Sarah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Determined,\nChloe took a deep breath and stepped forward. When they stopped at the stairs of\nthe building, she mustered her courage. \u201cTrina Clark.\u201d There. That wasn\u2019t so\nbad. Her voice didn\u2019t squeak. It only sounded a little higher than usual. She\nswallowed hard. Ben squeezed her hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\nopened her mouth again. \u201cI can\u2019t believe you\u2019re contemplating such a thing.\nWhat are you thinking, hiring a man to entertain a gaggle of women in the town\nmeeting hall?\u201d She lowered her voice to a whisper. \u201cThe very same hall where we\nworship the Lord every Sunday morning, in case you\u2019ve forgotten.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After\na lengthy glance at the rest of the women staring at her from the wide double\ndoors, aware of Ben so close to her\u2014watching her, holding her hand\u2014Chloe\u2019s voice\nstuck in her throat and she could say no more. She caught her sister-in-law\u2019s\nhorrified eye. Sarah, bless her heart, looked like an under-ripe raspberry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trina\nslapped one hand to her hip. \u201cSave your moralizing for someone who cares,\nChloe.\u201d Twisted in self-righteousness, Trina\u2019s face was no longer sweet. \u201cYou\nknow very well you\u2019re not concerned with what we\u2019re planning this evening.\nYou\u2019re just upset because we didn\u2019t invite you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\npart was true, though not for the reasons Trina might think. She\u2019d long ago\ngiven up any hope of having friends in Cedar Ridge. She was upset over the lost\nchance for an interesting story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\nsighed. Caleb would be out of luck on this edition unless she came up with\nsomething new. Somehow she\u2019d lost control of the entire situation. Even more,\nshe\u2019d lost the nerve to say anything further to Trina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\ncast one last glance at the growing crowd of young women and furrowed her brow.\nA young, waif-like woman stood back near the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Felicity\nJepson. Married to the meanest man in town, Felicity often wore her husband\u2019s\nwrath on her jaw or upper check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite\nbeing stared at, despite wishing the earth would swallow her up, Chloe extracted\nher hand from Ben\u2019s and hurried to the girl\u2019s side. \u201cFelicity.\u201d Chloe spoke\nsoftly. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you leave with me? When Josiah finds out you were a part of\nthis, he\u2019ll be most upset.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Felicity\u2019s\nplain face transformed into a cloud burst. Clearly, she hadn\u2019t thought her presence\nhere could well put her in jeopardy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t\nworry.\u201d Chloe gave Felicity\u2019s hand a gentle squeeze. \u201cIf you leave now, you\nwon\u2019t have done anything wrong, and he\u2019ll have no reason to be angry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trina\nquickly rushed over and seized Felicity by the arm. \u201cJosiah won\u2019t know a thing\nabout this. No one will if you<\/em> don\u2019t\ntell them, Chloe.\u201d She spoke so rudely, Chloe wondered if somehow Trina knew\nwhat she\u2019d been about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No\none knew Chloe wrote the newspaper articles and her younger brother submitted\nthem. Especially not their father, the publisher and editor. The word anger<\/em> couldn\u2019t even begin to describe\nwhat would happen if he found out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nwasn\u2019t as if they lied, really. Chloe didn\u2019t actually put Caleb\u2019s name on the\narticles. She signed them C. J. Williston. Her father just assumed this was\nCaleb\u2019s pen name, and she and her brother were happy to leave it that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBesides,\u201d\nTrina continued in that sugary tone of hers. \u201cWe\u2019re sick and tired of our men\nthinking they can run off to Pete\u2019s whenever they want; drinking and eyeballing\nevery entertainer who happens along. It\u2019s high time we get even with them. If\nwe have a little fun while we\u2019re at it, so what?\u201d Trina shrugged then walked\nover to Ben and held out her hand. \u201cComing Mr. Kearny?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From\nwhere she still stood next to Felicity, Chloe looked at Ben. He searched her\nface, his expression shaking her to the core. He seemed almost…interested. It\nhad to be her imagination. Then he stepped toward her, reached out, and\nsqueezed her hand. His mouth curved slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood\nnight, Chloe.\u201d Her name was a whisper on his lips. He released her then, and\nfor a second, the imprint remained against her palm\u2014warm, firm, and comfortable.\nThen it was gone, an emptiness left in its place. Chloe felt abandoned as she\nwatched him walk up the steps with Trina, though pleased he hadn\u2019t taken\nTrina\u2019s hand. He glanced back long enough to flash a grin before he stepped\nthrough the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah.\nShe\u2019d quite forgotten about Sarah. Chloe raced up the steps only to have Trina\nslam the door right in her face. She tried to work up the courage to bang it\ndown. Instead she opened it wide enough to poke her head inside. Maybe she\ncould get Sarah\u2019s attention quietly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before\nshe could even glance around, Trina appeared. \u201cYou\u2019d better not breathe a word\nof this, Chloe Williston. If you do I\u2019ll be having a talk with that father of\nyours. And you can be sure he won\u2019t like what I\u2019ll have to say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\nonly confirmed what Chloe feared. Somehow Trina found out about C. J.\nWilliston. Before she could reply the door slammed again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\na huff, Chloe stomped down the steps and searched for something sturdier than\nthe rock to stand on. She found an empty bucket\u2014admittedly a little rusty, but\nthe bottom was wide enough to stand on comfortably. She placed it beneath the\nwindow and climbed up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nfirst words to drift through the window set Chloe\u2019s senses reeling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\nwant you to take your shirt off, Mr. Kearny.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe\ncouldn\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n\n\n