Silverton: Claims On The Heart Read Free

morning, after breakfast, her father left to inquire about housing.
    Kathleen knew from experience that a mercantile was a good place to make friends and discover new neighbors. Meeting the town’s ladies when they stopped by to shop would be good for business. But first, the shelves needed dusting.
    A young woman entered and gave Kathleen a measuring look. She wore a mint green dress with a high waist and lacing on her bodice. Her blonde hair was piled neatly on top of her head.
    Vic was helping a party of miners collect shovels and supplies.
    Kathleen set down her dust rag and stepped to the counter to greet her new customer.
     
     
     
     

2
     
    The woman greeted her with a smile. “You must be the daughter of the new owner. Let me be one of the first to welcome you to Silverton. I’m Nancy Parker. I’ve been here since May. My husband is an assayer.”
    “I’m Kathleen Morris. We got here last night.” She gestured at the merchandise. “I’m embarrassed to open the doors with the place so untidy. I’ve been working on it, but there’s still a lot to do. My father owned a mercantile in St. Louis. It was nothing like this one.”
    “You’ll get used to the dust, or at least learn to live with it. Still, I’m pleased to have a woman behind the counter. Maybe now this store will pay more attention to our needs. And I don’t mind finding it a bit tidier in the bargain.”
    A man entered the store.
    “I see you’re busy, so I’ll select my buttons and thread and let you tend to business,” Nancy said. “I hope you’ll come to church tomorrow. The Congregational Church on Reese Street would surely welcome you.”
    “Thank you. I appreciate the invitation.”
    “When you’re settled, you must come to my house for tea.”
    “I’d love to.” Kathleen felt warmed by the invitation. Perhaps they would be able to talk awhile longer, maybe share a cup of tea. She had so many questions about the town. She looked forward to making a new friend. Yet there was no time to think of friends now. The store was filling with an endless stream of men who required everything from nails to tins of food.
     
    
     
    Collin tossed restlessly all night. He could not get the young woman out of his mind. Her smile and the tilt of her head had intrigued him.
    Of course, Martin had slithered out to greet her as soon as he saw her. Had they spent the evening together?
    At breakfast, everyone was talking. She was the daughter of the man who inherited the mercantile. The gossip indicated the pair arrived alternately as wealthy merchants with penchants for adventure, or as desperate and penniless relatives thrown on the mercy of their inheritance.
    Collin would pay a visit to the store and see for himself. He would have to relinquish a few of the coins he kept at the boardinghouse to buy something. He had been taking most of his pay straight to the bank to prove that he could save more than he spent. His nest egg was growing. But his desire to come face to face with the merchant’s daughter was stronger.
    He set off along the street. It was crowded with miners coming in for a Saturday in town. Collin dodged around mules and men who smelled as strong as their animals. The miners clogged Blair Street and spilled into more saloons, stores, and laundry establishments on Green Street, some stumbling from the whiskey that had already claimed their pay.
    He reached the store and stepped inside to have a glance around. There was a lull in business. The slender, dark-haired beauty behind the counter made his heart beat a little faster. She was every bit as lovely as he remembered. He hurried towards her to avoid being waited on by old Vic, who had caught his eye.
    A bearded miner finished his purchase.
    Collin stepped up. For a moment, he stood transfixed by eyes that reminded him of liquid pools of shimmering water, blue and cool on a summer day.
    “May I help you?”
    “I’ll take a hat,” he replied. “I’d like a nice