LITMIR.BIZ

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was smooth but insistent. “But we both know that isn’t true. Violet is the real baker. I still have lots to learn from her before I can ever open my own bakery.”

      So she wanted to open her own bakery. Which to his way of thinking meant she wasn’t lazy. Good for her. His sister had been a hard worker with dreams of her own, also. Too bad her life had ended before she’d had a chance to realize them.

      William listened to the women talk. His gaze moved to his nieces, who were making a mess of their dinners but were so happy he didn’t have the heart to make them stop. He was surprised that neither Miss Rodgers nor Miss Leland asked him questions regarding the girls and the lack of their mother and father.

      In the short time since he’d arrived in Granite, Texas, he’d learned that Anna Mae Leland was the schoolteacher who loved children and that Emily Jane Rodgers was a friend of his grandmother’s and an aspiring baker. Yet, neither knew much about him, which to his way of thinking wasn’t all bad.

      The last thing he needed was for either of them to start looking at him as an eligible bachelor. Since Charlotte’s rejection, he had no interest in women. His focus would be on the girls until their father returned. They were his sole concern now.

      “Will you be staying long in Granite, Mr. Barns?” Miss Leland asked.

      William rubbed his chin. “I guess that depends on what the banker says about the house and if I can find a job.”

      Miss Leland nodded as if she understood. “Well, you might talk to Mr. Moore over at the general store. His wife just had their first child, and I hear he’s looking to hire someone.”

      Working at the general store wouldn’t be so bad, at least until his money arrived at the bank. Selling the mercantile in Denver had made him a wealthy man, but until the money arrived he’d need to work. Not that he wouldn’t work after the money came in. It wasn’t in his nature to be lazy and watch others labor. “Thank you, Miss Leland. If all goes well at the bank tomorrow, I’ll stop by the general store.”

      Rose and Ruby chose that moment to let everyone know they were done eating and ready to move to another activity. Their cries filled the house and had both women jumping to pick them up.

      “I need to get these two down for the night.” William reached for Rose.

      Miss Rodgers caught his attention. “Where?”

      “I’ll take them to my grandmother’s house. Her bedroom isn’t that bad.” He hoped she didn’t think he was yelling at her. The girls’ cries were so loud that he had to raise his voice to be heard.

      She shook her head. “It’s too dusty for them there.”

      Before he could respond, both women handed him a little girl.

      “Try to comfort them. We’ll be back in a little while. Between the two of us, we’ll have the house livable in no time,” Miss Leland instructed him as the two ladies walked out of the kitchen.

      William hurried after them. The screaming children seemed unaware of the noise they were making. “I can’t let you do that,” he protested.

      “It’s no trouble at all,” Miss Rodgers called over her shoulder as they left the house.

      He continued after them, aware of several older women looking out their windows or standing on their porches. Instead of protesting further, William hurried across the road to his grandmother’s house. I’ll be glad when I get control of my life once more, he thought as the children howled and the women charged onward, on a mission to clean his grandmother’s home. He hurried into the house behind them, then stopped abruptly and sneezed; not once, not twice, but three times in a row. Dust particles swirled so thick he could hardly see the ladies jerking covers off the furniture. Then the twins sneezed. “I think we’ll just sit out on the porch awhile,” he muttered to himself, since the ladies paid him absolutely no attention.

      * * *

      Emily Jane loved working at the bakery, but on mornings like this, she wished her hours weren’t so early. Her new neighbors had kept her up most of the night with their cries for attention, and getting up at three in the morning had her even more tired than normal. A yawn filled her chest as she placed plates of pancakes in front of Mrs. Green and Miss Cornwell, two of her neighbors. She turned her head to release the yawn.

      “Thank you,” Mrs. Green said tiredly between huge yawns. “I didn’t get a lick of sleep last night.”

      “I know,” Miss Cornwell said, pouring honey over her pancakes. “Those babies cried almost the whole night. Disgraceful.”

      Emily Jane should have walked away, but instead she turned to face the women and said, “They weren’t that bad.”

      “No? Didn’t you hear them?” Mrs. Green asked, as her blue eyes searched Emily Jane’s.

      “Yes, I heard them, but they were in a strange new place and were overtired. I’m sure they’ll settle down once they get used to their new home,” she answered, wiping down the table beside them.

      “So he’s staying, then?” Miss Cornwell lifted the fork to her lips but waited for Emily Jane to answer.

      “I don’t know.” Emily Jane didn’t want the women assuming she knew more about William Barns’s business than she should. Although she did wonder what he’d found out at the bank this morning.

      The bell over the door jingled as three more ladies from her neighborhood entered the bakery, Mrs. Wells, Mrs. Harvey and Mrs. Orson. They hurried to where Mrs. Green and Miss Cornwell sat. Mrs. Harvey slipped into a chair at the table next to the other two women.

      Mrs. Wells covered her mouth as a yawn overtook her. “Excuse me. I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night with all that crying.”

      “We were just talking about that,” Mrs. Green said, leaning forward in her seat.

      Mrs. Orson shook her head. “I don’t think anyone got any sleep last night. Mr. Orson paced the floor all night. It was very annoying. I’ll be glad when that man takes his children and moves on.”

      Emily Jane decided to change the subject. “Ladies, what can I get you this morning?” she asked with a forced smile.

      “Just coffee for me,” Mrs. Orson answered.

      Mrs. Harvey smiled up at her. “Do you have any of those fruit-filled pastries?”

      Emily Jane returned her smile. Fruit-filled pastry was one of the new items she’d suggested that the bakery start serving. “Yes, ma’am, we have apple and peach this morning.”

      “I’d like to try the peach and a cup of your coffee.”

      “I’ll have the same.” Mrs. Wells dropped into the chair opposite her friends. Her bulky figure pressed against the table as she leaned forward to continue the conversation Emily Jane had interrupted. “Has anyone learned if they are staying? Mabel was a friend of mine, but even she would have understood our reluctance to having crying children in our quiet neighborhood.”

      Seldom did they ever agree upon anything, but it seemed lack of sleep had all five graying heads nodding in unison.

      Emily Jane left them to their gossiping. Why did they have to be so mean? Rose and Ruby were children who had simply been overtired the night before. She placed the fruit pies on two small plates and poured two cups of coffee, then returned to the women’s table.

      “What are we going to do, if he stays here?” Mrs. Orson demanded.

      She set the plates and steaming cups in front of the women. “I really don’t think the girls will be that much trouble once they are settled.” Emily Jane straightened her spine and resisted the urge to yawn again. “You know, talking about Mr. Barns and his children like this isn’t very Christian-like, ladies.”

      Mrs. Green huffed. “Well, if you like Mr. Barns and his screaming children so much, why don’t you marry the man and keep

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