Moonlight on Water Read Free Page B

slips.
    Wyatt whistled under his breath. He had not guessed it would be this much just to patch the boiler and fix the paddles on the wheel. The total must be close to what it would cost to buy a whole new boat. Horace and he had pooled what money they had, becoming equal partners, but it was clear they were going to have to cut corners to get this boat back to Louisville.
    â€œIf you’d like to reconsider …” She offered him another smile, this one sympathetic.
    â€œThanks, but no. I need those parts if I ever hope to push The Ohio Star back from the pier.”
    â€œMaybe I can get you a discount because you’re ordering so much at once.”
    â€œI’d appreciate every penny you can shave off this price.”
    â€œLet me send a telegram to check on what can be done. As soon as I get an answer, I’ll let you know.” Looking past him, she motioned to a brown-haired boy who was sweeping up at the back of the store. The boy must be nine or ten years old. “Sean, will you run this order down to the telegraph office? Tell Kenny to ask the folks in Louisville to give me their best price for Mr. Colton’s order; then you can go and play ball with your friends until supper. Be home to eat when it gets dark.”
    â€œYes, Emma!” He put the broom against the wall, obviously eager to get out into the last of the day’s sunshine.
    Wyatt watched Sean race out. When he had been the lad’s age, he would have hated being cooped up in a store. He had spent all his free time on the Cincinnati docks, talking to anyone who would answer his questions and learning everything he could about the steamboats that came up and down the river. A lot of things had changed as he grew, but his love of the river and the boats upon it had not.
    â€œI’ll send Sean to let you know when I get an answer on these parts,” Emma said. “Are you staying on your boat?”
    â€œYes, ma’am.” He did not add that he could not imagine sleeping anyplace that did not let him feel the motion of the river under him. “I can pay for these supplies now. Do you want a deposit on the other order?”
    She shook her head, pushing a loose strand back out of her eyes. “I appreciate you paying for your provisions, but there is no sense in paying for the parts until we see what sort of price they will give you. Once you have that, you can decide how much of that you wish to order.”
    â€œMakes sense.” He reached into his pocket and counted out what he needed to pay for the supplies. It did make sense, but he did not like the idea that they might not be able to get the parts they needed to make the boat river-worthy again. “I hear I can get wood from Noah Sawyer.”
    She smiled. “He has a wood lot just outside the village. I’ll let him know you want to talk to him about some boards.”
    â€œThanks very much, ma’am, but you don’t have to go to that trouble on my behalf.”
    â€œâ€™Tis no trouble.”
    â€œYou have enough to do here without traipsing out of town to deliver a message for me.”
    With a laugh, she said, “Mr. Colton, Noah Sawyer is my husband. I’ll be glad to give him the message over supper.”
    â€œSawyer is your husband?” He frowned, baffled. “But the sign says this is Delancy’s General Store.”
    â€œYou’ll find that folks in Haven like to watch their pennies, too, Mr. Colton. I didn’t see any reason to repaint the sign simply because Noah and I got married a couple months ago.”
    He chuckled, but he had to wonder about a town and the menfolk in it when they let their women run stores and keep their maiden names on the businesses. Out on the river, men did the work and women … Well, women had their place when a man was ashore for a night or two.
    Setting the two cases of supplies on his shoulder, Wyatt bid Emma Sawyer a good afternoon. He left the store