Page 74 of More than Words Can Say

“Six o’clock. We’ll be there, sir.”

“Hamilton.” He grinned at the boy and extended his hand. “Name’s Hamilton.”

Nate took his hand and clasped it with a firm grip that spoke well of his determination. “I won’t let you down, Mr. Hamilton.”

Zach squeezed the kid’s hand to let him know that he had some proving to do yet, but that he’d receive a fair shake. Nate dipped his chin. Message received.

When the kid scampered off, Rosalind edged toward her position in the booth, but Zach stopped her with a hand to her elbow. “Hold up just a minute.” He gestured his partner over as well. When they both stood close enough that he could speak without the wandering crowds overhearing, Zach broke the news. “There’s been an incident at the bakery.”

Rosalind sucked in a breath. “Is Abby . . . ?”

“She’s fine. A young boy broke in and set off a string of firecrackers in the bread oven.”

“No!” Rosalind’s hand shot up to cover her mouth. “Is it salvageable?”

Zach shook his head.

Tears gathered in his sister-in-law’s eyes, but Zach gave her a pointed look. This was not the time to fall apart. They had biscuits to sell and Abigail to support.

Rosalind blinked the moisture away and stiffened her spine.

Reuben scowled. “That makes no sense. What kid would vandalize an oven? There’s no flash to show off, no bragging rights to claim.”

“I got no proof, but my money says Sophia Longfellow’s behind it. She bears a hard grudge against Abigail and is the only one with a motive to damage the bakery.”

Reuben’s brows rose. “The mayor’s wife? Why would she—”

“Benedict Crowley,” Rosalind said as if that would explain everything, but Reuben’s face remained lined with confusion. A thoughtful look crossed her face. “I suppose the accident happened before you and Audrey moved to town. Benedict was Sophia’s beau when they were in school. He died in a fall while rescuing Abby from a tree. Sophia’s never forgiven her for it.”

As they spoke, little Dinah approached and tugged on Reuben’s sleeve. “People have started askin’ about the biscuits, Papa. What should we do?”

Rosalind spun away from the men, pasted a cheerful smile on her face, and swept up the little girl’s hand. “We should sell them, of course. Come on. Let’s get busy.” A few steps away from the men, she raised her voice and called out to the crowd, “Best honey biscuits in Texas! Two for a nickel!”

Reuben moved closer to murmur in Zach’s ear. “Whatever you need, you’ve got it. Just let me know.”

Zach nodded, his heart twisting in his chest at the gift of unconditional friendship and generosity. “Thanks. I’ll need some time off to visit the bank on Monday morning. See about a loan.”

Reuben grimaced and hissed in a breath. “Charlie Evans at the bank is Sophia’s cousin. If she really bears as strong a grudge as you suspect, I doubt you’ll get much help from that quarter.”

Zach frowned as Reuben slapped him on the back and moved off to supervise his kids.

If a professional bread oven was as pricey as Abigail had implied, and the bank refused to offer him a loan, how was he going to set this issue to rights?

Short of a confession and restitution from the woman responsible, he could only think of one way—one that required breaking a vow nearly as sacred to him as the one he’d spoken on his wedding day.

CHAPTER

37

Abigail closed the shop at ten minutes before five o’clock after selling her last wheat loaf. Not one crumb remained. She nearly wept at the beauty of an empty display case, so thankful for the Lord’s provision. Of course, the empty display case also terrified her, heralding the famine to come. She tried to focus on the current victory, but the looming possibility of defeat proved too big to ignore.

Would she be able to limp by for a while with the small cookstove oven they used for their personal meal preparation, or would her customers grow impatient with insufficient inventory and less variety?

And what of the widows? She always baked extra so there would be leftovers for those in need, but there’d be no extra now for Lydia and the others. They’d survive without her baked goods, but she hated to think of them going without.

A rummaging sound came from the kitchen, alerting Abigail to Rosalind’s arrival. Hopefully Zach’s as well. Her heart beat a little faster in anticipation. She wanted his arms around her again, his fingers on her hair, his strength infusing her. The future looked much less bleak when he held her.

Forcing her lips into a cheerful arc, she pushed through the connecting door, the cashbox under her arm. “We sold out the shop! How did the two of you fare?” Her gaze skimmed over Rosalind, searching for Zach, but he wasn’t there.