Perfect Timing (Cutter's Creek Book 17) Read online

  “But the alibi isn’t sound,” she tried again. “I just wanted to see the investigator notes.”

  He shook his head. “No! Don’t go talking about things you wouldn’t understand.” She opened her mouth and Uncle Calvin gave her a stern look. “My own niece, telling me how to do law work. Have you read a law book? That’s rich. You know better now, June.”

  Grandfather sighed. “She didn’t mean a thing by it, Calvin. Granted, you have a shoddy case and could use some help on it. But, June, my dear, there’s some rough and tumble things in that there file, and I’d rather you didn’t have a look-see.”

  Her cheeks tinged pink as she dropped her head. “I didn’t think about that. I’m sorry, I just wanted to help. I like that sort of thing. The cases, they interest—” but she cut herself off as they started to give her a strange look. “Helping, I mean,” June added hurriedly. “I just like to help where I can.”

  Uncle Calvin just walked out and took the files with him, balancing a plate of pie on top. She watched him go, wondering if she should apologize again. But Grandfather put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

  “That case has been bothersome, so he’s having a hard time of it. But don’t you worry, he’ll be right as rain soon enough.”

  She nodded, though still uncertain. Why was it that men thought women were so frail? While she didn’t like seeing unpleasant things, in the territories it was impossible to avoid unpleasantries. June shrugged. “The pie should help his mood. Mother made it so you know it will be good. Is there anything else I should do? You look rather busy.”

  Part of her hoped that he would let her take a seat and learn from him. She wanted him to offer to teach her the tricks he had long since been practicing and putting to use. When she was little, he used to do that until her parents caught wind of it. But they had talked to him and apparently brought him to his senses.

  In their opinion, women didn’t need to understand moral code, because they already were moral. Women barely needed to know how to read, just so long as they could read recipes and study the Bible.

  “I have quite a load to take on right now,” Grandfather nodded. “After Christmas I always do and it doesn’t seem to let up till summertime. But thank you for the food, it’s definitely done us some good. Tell your folks we’ll come around for supper next Sunday, how does that sound?”

  She grinned as she put the dishes back in the basket. “Oh, they’ll love it, that’s for sure. Now, are you certain I can’t do anything? I could study up on a law or two, or if you can’t find something you need, I can look it up.”

  He waved a hand and led her to the door. “Don’t you worry about that, June. A pretty girl like you shouldn’t have to read these miserable grits. If you want to really read something, I hear Shakespeare’s sonnets are flowery and beautiful. Here, why don’t you stop by and see if they have one of his books in stock?” And he gently put a few coins in her hands. “Come by again soon, you hear?”

  Hesitantly putting the money in her pocket for safekeeping, June nodded and watched her Grandfather wave and return inside, leaving her on the doorstep. Biting her lip, she turned down the steps and started walking back. It was a shorter adventure than most since she could usually get away with sitting down and skimming through one of his books. He used to love her reading aloud to him, sounding out the complicated words.

  June crossed a street and glanced back again, frowning slightly. She was twenty years old and felt expected to act her age. But sometimes, around her family, it was hard to tell what they thought of her. What if she really was only good for marrying off? Trying to decide what she thought of that, June turned back around to take the long walk home.

  When she swung around, she hit something and lost her footing. Her last thought was a desperate hope that she wouldn’t break her arm, or worse, embarrass herself in public.

  Chapter 8

  “Oh!” the decidedly female voice cried out in his ear before he knew what was happening. Then a flash of red fabric started to tumble, and he grasped at it desperately, knowing he’d made a mistake by not watching where he was walking. Somehow his hands found a waist and he pulled upwards, finding a young woman right there in front of him.

  She was breathless with her lips carved in the shape of an O, staring at him with her hands on his chest. To be fair, he realized numbly, he also had his arms around her. Zeke wondered how inappropriate this might be perceived, but realized he actually liked how close this young woman was to him.

  “I’m so sorry,” she spoke first, gently pushing him away and dropped her arms. She looked around and then back into his eyes. The cold plastered itself over the spot she had been pressed against him and he could feel his cheeks growing red. “I don’t know what happened, I didn’t mean to grab you like that.”

  He grinned and stammered a bit, trying to think of something to say. “I didn’t, um, I don’t mind. That is, it’s all right,” Zeke added hurriedly, wondering why he had grown tongue-tied all over again. It didn’t happen too often, but since his return to Cutter’s Creek, it felt like that’s all he did. Taking a deep breath, he realized there was an overturned basket with what must have been its contents all around them on the ground. “Oh, is this yours?”

  She nodded nervously. “Yes, I guess I dropped it.”

  Both of them knelt to pick it all up and they lightly bumped heads on the way down. June jerked her head back and her cheeks colored even redder.

  Zeke pulled his head back quickly and couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Oh my. I guess I’m just too clumsy to be in public today. Did I hurt you?” He suddenly looked serious.

  “Oh, no. Not at all. I hear I have a pretty hard head. Are you all right?”

  He laughed at her joke and nodded. “Fine. Just fine. Now, let’s see about getting this all gathered up.”

  They picked up the fallen plates and cups and placed them back into the basket she’d dropped when she tripped. They both stood and he handed her the basket.

  “Well, thank you. For, um, for helping me clean this up and certainly for keeping me from falling.”

  She looked familiar, but he couldn’t place her. Dressed in red, it only made her cheeks pinker and he thought she looked like the finest woman he’d ever seen. College in a big city had provided the opportunity to meet many pretty girls, but none had made his head feel light like this. Her blonde curls peeked out from her proper bonnet which was tied in a pretty bow beneath her chin.

  As the girl started to turn, he grasped desperately for something to say to garner her attention at least once more. “I’m Zeke,” he sputtered. “Zeke, um, Miller.”

  The girl halted and he had to stop himself from letting out a loud breath. College had instilled all sorts of learning and skills, but the ability to talk to pretty girls wasn’t something they taught. She looked up at him with a curious expression, and he saw a light turn on. “Oh! So you’re Zeke Miller,” she nodded.

  “And… and you are?” He looked at her hopefully.

  She bit her lip shyly and blushed even more. “Oh, my goodness. I’m June. Sorry.”

  “June Sorry?”

  She chuckled lightly. It sounded like music, soft music from a flute or maybe wind chimes. “No. I don’t know what happened—I can’t seem to say anything right. I’m June Pershing.”

  That’s why she looked so familiar. The realization sunk in like a warm sensation starting at the base of his spine and trickling down. Memories rushed over him of a beautiful young girl with hair tied in bows. Of course. After seeing Mary at church, the memories had begun to resurface further. For a long time, the girls had always looked just like twins. But now, something was definitely different between them. He couldn’t place it, however, no matter how much he studied June’s face. If anything, she’d only grown prettier over time.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she prompted when he didn’t say anything.

  They hadn’t ever really talked before, and he swallowed. “Right, yes. I
mean, no, the pleasure’s all mine, I assure you. I’m sorry, it’s been kind of a whirlwind of a week since my return. My attempt to remember the streets in town left me wandering about, and I didn’t watch where I was going. And so, I’m very sorry for running into you like that.”

  She shook her head, and he watched her curls bounce. “Honestly, it’s just fine. I tripped and you were there to save me from a muddy disaster. I think we both turned out all right, didn’t we?” Her voice faltered and he met her gaze, wondering what it was for, but he couldn’t tell. Her baby-blue eyes twinkled and his knees went a little weak.

  Standing up straighter to make sure he kept his wits, he offered her his arm. “I would be most happy to make it up to you. Will you allow me to escort you to wherever you were on your way to? Before I rudely stepped in your path,” he added, trying to sound as eloquent as he could.

  June smiled broadly. “That’s very kind of you. I’m just headed onto the next street, to the general store. I’d be delighted to have you escort me.” He could see a determination light set in her eyes, and he wondered what she was going to do there.

  Then he realized what she had said. “Oh, how fortunate,” he chuckled as they began walking. “That’s exactly the place I was looking for.” She raised her eyebrow at him. “I’ve, um, been looking for it, you know, and it’s been a good hour or two,” he whispered the last part, “that I’ve been wandering around.”

  Giggling, she shook her head. “You can’t miss it. It’s the largest store here. Although,” she added, “you’ve been away for some time now, haven’t you? They moved it. Mr. Prater bought the building for his haberdashery, you see, and so the general store was moved into two shops close by and then they broke down the walls to make it one large building.” She continued explaining about the various buildings as they made their way into the general store.

  There, he grudgingly let go of her arm but ended up following her towards the back shelves that carried books. For a minute, Zeke stood there thoughtfully, smiling at the several rows. According to his memory, it used to only be two shelves and one was usually filled with books on husbandry and crop cycles. Now they had three whole bookcases filled to the brim.

  “This is good,” he mused quietly.

  June turned back to him. “Just good? This is amazing. I love it here!”

  He wanted to tell her about the libraries he had back in Chicago and wondered how much she would love him for that. Not that she would love him, of course. That wasn’t what he had meant. But if this delighted her, then he could only imagine what a full library would do for her. Zeke was about to say something along the lines of that when he noticed what book she was holding in her arms.

  Chapter 9

  “Now that’s a big book,” he said after a minute and she blushed more than ever. Looking down, June couldn’t help but agree. It had to weigh close to ten pounds, and she couldn’t hold it too long without her arms growing tired.

  But her grandfather had given her a few coins, and on top of her allowance, well, she could afford it now. Biting her lip, she turned the page, rereading one of her favorite passages from the week before.

  Realizing she had an audience still, June thought fast. “Oh, I just, well, it just, it’s such a big book, you see. Yes. And… and what could be in a book so big? I thought that, and I had to see for myself. But it’s just law. I suppose it’s boring things like judicial essays and the like.” Her cheeks were heating up and suddenly she dreaded what Zeke might say.

  But he didn’t give her the look she was expecting, one of disgust or exasperation like her sister or of concern like her grandfather. Instead, the young man stepped closer and peeked over with a grin. “Yes, I had a friend in Chicago who went into law. He lived by this volume, you know, to the point I think it was his second pillow.”

  “Really?” She looked at him in awe, unable to help herself. “That’s incredible.”

  The young man nodded. “It really is. I thought business was difficult. But when you go into law, you have to pass a test after school is over. I hear it’s very difficult to pass the test. My friend said that most people don’t even pass it the first time. Because if you want to be a lawyer, there’s no room for mistakes. You can’t take something to the court only to realize you forgot a sub-clause or something like it. Heaps of cases get thrown out because of mistakes like that.”

  She nodded eagerly as he talked. “That’s fascinating,” June said and could feel her heart thumping. “My family practices law—the men, I mean. They’ve told me about the tests and how it all works. If a lawyer does something just a little wayward…”

  Zeke nodded. “Then he’s fairly doomed. But my friend, his name is Joseph, he said it’s very rewarding in the end. Only, he’s just started out so I don’t think he’s the best resource right now.”

  That made her laugh. “He needs a little more time and experience, I think. But my grandfather has been working as a lawyer all his adult life. It seems like he enjoys it. It’s just amazing how important it is. I’ve always wanted to become a—” and then she stopped short and looked away.

  “A what?” Zeke asked, but she hesitated. He waited for her, cocking his head.

  Swallowing, June shrugged. “Well, I…” Then, realizing there wasn’t anything to lose, she said it. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had laughed at what she said. “I’d love the opportunity to work in law, you see. Like my father, grandfather, and uncle. Oh, my cousin, too.”

  He still didn’t laugh. “Well, that would be fantastic. Women have skills that would really suit it and I think you’d be grand at it.” His expression was serious and he wasn’t mocking her. He was so focused, his stammering had melted away. It was everything June could do to keep her jaw from dropping wide open.

  “Do you really think so?” she whispered and glanced around in case someone was listening. Why, if anyone else heard this, she’d be the laughingstock of Cutter’s Creek. Even then, her heart hammered as she watched Zeke very carefully, wondering if maybe this was a joke.

  But he nodded adamantly. “I do, honestly, June. I mean, uh, Miss Pershing, that is,” he corrected himself sheepishly. “I really do believe you’d do well. There are a few women’s colleges, you know. I don’t know what studies they offer, but I’m sure they’d work something out for you.”

  It made her so happy that it took all of her strength to keep her eyes from watering. Hugging the book to her chest, June took a deep breath. She wasn’t crazy. Someone believed she could succeed. “That would be incredible.”

  He tapped the book. “Well, then, you’d best get started.”

  Biting her lip, she couldn’t resist taking the book to the counter and dishing out her coins. As she did this, she watched Zeke step back and look through a few of the rows, since he had meant to come here himself. Leaning against the counter, she couldn’t help but study his profile as he found two cans of paint and tried to decide between the different colors.

  He was handsome, as Mary had said. Her sister had said something dismissive about the nose and hair, but June thought she was being silly. The nose had a perfect arch and could probably hold a set of spectacles perfectly. Though he had clearly enjoyed physical activity with those broad shoulders, it was clear from their conversation that he liked his books even more. For as she bought this book, Zeke had pointed out three more she should purchase next time.

  As for the hair, it draped over his forehead and reminded her that he came off rather shy, but still somewhat self-assured. June straightened as he headed over and met his gaze. They were dark eyes, reminding her of the night sky. But his glance was soft and comforting, like a warm blanket. She couldn’t help but smile as he brought over the two cans.

  “I could really use your help,” he said sheepishly. “This one says cream and this one is white, but they don’t look any different to me. If I was purchasing this for my mother, would she tell the difference?”

  Chuckling, she patted the counter and he set them d
own. She inspected them and nodded slowly. They were distinctly different. “The cream,” June pointed, “offers a more yellow and soft tinge. These are small cans, so are you just touching something up, or painting something by itself?”

  He hesitated. “The shutters. They, um, have some paint already. I want to take them off, sand them, and repaint them.”

  She nodded. “Even though you’re going to sand them, it’ll leave traces of the old paint behind. Now, do you have any idea of what was used the first time?”

  Zeke shrugged. “She just said to purchase white. But they both look white to me.”

  Holding back a grin, June found herself winking at him and touching the can of white paint. “Purchase this one. It’s the white. Trust me, when a woman states a color, she knows what she’s talking about.”

  The young man conceded, putting away the cream before purchasing the white. Together they stepped out with their new belongings and looked around. She needed to head right, whereas he would need to turn left. Suddenly sad to leave him, June turned and managed to give him a smile.

  “Well, thank you for joining me on this little adventure,” she said and tried to find something else to say as though she could put off this farewell.

  He nodded, clearly searching for words as well. “Right, yes, I… I agree. I mean, it was fun. Thank you for allowing me to accompany you. And for your help. So, I will… well, will I see you at church?”

  That made her brighten. Of course she would see him again. “Oh yes, of course. Yes, I’ll see you on Sunday.”

  And she stood there on the boardwalk in front of the mercantile, watching him walk away. Three times he turned back and she gave him a small wave. He returned it until he disappeared around the corner.

  Chapter 10

  Supper was set up with four settings placed around the small table covered in lace. It was round and firm with a small vase set in the middle to brighten everything up. After saying grace, the food was passed around. Tonight was chicken stew with cornbread, and there were heavy scrumptious scents in the air. As nice as it was, a small pang of disappointment hit Mary. This meal was nothing new, nothing different. This had happened so often in their lives that it was truly a force of habit.