Coming Home to Wyoming (Peaceful Valley Series Book 1) Read Free

risk. Once Clarinda Isabella Worthington had the “loan proceeds” in her small, grubby hands, the odds were that she’d take off for parts unknown, without bothering to look back—or worry too much about accrued interest. While he could easily afford the loss of the few dollars he’d given her, he disliked being cheated by anyone —especially by a smart-mouthed kid he’d gone out of his way to help, in a move he was pretty sure he was going to live to regret. But when she insisted that she could do her shopping alone—and added a sweetly innocent smile—he decided to go ahead and take a chance. There was something about this young woman that appealed to him, and made him trust her—until she proved him wrong.
    The girl was obviously smart and gutsy, and her suspicious attitude made it equally clear that she’d had a bad time of it somewhere, or from somebody. Even though she wasn’t his responsibility, he didn’t want to just ride away and leave her to survive on her own, either. If a few bucks could help her out, it wouldn’t be the worst way to use some of what he’d put away for the ranch he was planning to buy—when he found it.
    “All right, then,” he said, counting out the bills into her waiting hands. “I’ll see that Jack is settled down for the night, then get two rooms at that hotel over there.” Griff pointed across the street, to the only hotel in Brewer’s Creek. He made a point of emphasizing the word ‘two,’ in case she was feeling uneasy about the sleeping arrangements. To his surprise, though, she barely glanced at the hotel before dashing inside the general store.
    She called a quick, “Thanks, mister,” as she disappeared through the door.
    The livery stable was at the far end of the street, and looked a lot cleaner and more comfortable than the hotel, but he’d promised the girl a room and a bath, so after Jack was fed and rubbed down, Griff walked back and asked the desk clerk for two single rooms—at opposite ends of the hallway, if possible.
    “We got four rooms upstairs, mister,” the clerk explained in a bored tone. “You can take the two in the middle that’s vacant—or not. Bath’s down the hall. What’s your pleasure?”
    Griff sighed. “I’ll take the two in the middle.”
    The clerk pushed the register across the desk. “Good choice. That’ll be six bits a room, and a bath’ll cost you another fifty cents, each—six bits if you use the same tub water. I seen the little lady you rode in with. I figure she oughta clean up real good with a nice, hot bath.”
    Griff laid a five-dollar bill on the counter. “Double up on the hot water for the lady. And see that she gets a clean towel.”
    The clerk winked. “Gotcha. You know, I purely hate to talkin’ myself out of a night’s rent, but you real sure you’ll be wantin’ more than the one room? Save yourself six bits? After a good, long tub soak, that little gal’s gonna be sweet enough to eat—if you take my meanin’.”
    Resisting the urge to punch the clerk in the nose, Griff took the two room keys and strode back outside. He was still wondering why the clerk’s lewd remarks had angered him so much, when Clarinda came out of the general store across the street, wearing the same tattered calico dress she’d had on when she went in. She was still barefoot, but carrying a single parcel under her arm.
    At that moment, she glanced up and saw him, and dashed across the street, ripping the brown paper from her parcel as she ran.
    When she reached the sidewalk where Griff was standing, she slipped one hand in her skirt pocket, and pulled out a handful of crumpled bills and change.
    “You give me too much money,” she explained breathlessly, proudly displaying the contents of her package—a pair of well-worn button and lace shoes that had probably once been black, and badly needed cleaning.
    “Who’d a thought a person could buy herself a real nice pair o’ shoes like this for just thirty-five