Page 41 of Taming Lady Temperance

She managed a nod as she reluctantly dropped her hand away from his arm, freeing him to chase down the boy with the flyers.

Noreen watched him go, strangely enamored with every move he made. A ridiculous infatuation, really. He was just a man walking down the road. The same as any other man in town. Only, he wasn’t any other man in town. He was James Paxton, and she was coming dangerously close to thinking of him as hers.

James strolled into the lumber shed, scanning the area for the boy with the pamphlets. Why Noreen cared about such a thing on a day when she should be focused on her rally, he couldn’t imagine. But when she’d turned those big brown eyes of hers on him and asked for his help, he’d been helpless to resist.

“Hey, Deputy.” Connor Reed raised a hand in greeting.

James waved at the young lumberman. “Reed, good to see you.” He glanced around the interior of the shed and frowned when he didn’t find the boy. “You see a kid come through here with a bunch of flyers? I wanted to see what he was passing out.”

“You just missed him.” Reed stepped away from the fresh planks he’d been treating with creosote for preservative purposes. He set his brush down and reached inside the pocket of his trousers. He took out a folded sheet of paper and offered it to him. “You can take mine. I don’t have any need of it. My ma would tan my hide if I showed my face inside the Salt Fork.”

The saloon? James’s interest instantly increased tenfold. He took the paper and scanned the contents, his gut churning. They’d suspected Taggert would pull some kind of stunt, but neither of them had anticipated such a clever move.

Forcing a smile onto his face, James nodded to Reed. “Thanks for this.”

“Sure thing. See you at the parade later?”

“Yep. I’ll be there.” Watching out for Noreen and her marchers. Even more now that he knew to expect trouble at the end of the line. “You gonna play your trombone?”

Reed’s face reddened slightly. “Yeah. Marian twisted my arm. Said she liked hearing me play.”

And that’s probably all the twisting his arm had needed. A man predisposed to please a certain woman capitulated easily. Shoot, some would even chase down a mysterious pamphlet in the hopes of earning a smile. Although Noreen’s smile wouldn’t last once he handed the flyer over.

“See you later, then,” James said as he turned to go.

As much as he wanted to hide the truth to keep from spoiling Noreen’s big day, he knew better than to try. She’d not thank him for prolonging her ignorance. Didn’t make him feel any better about being the one to impart the news, though.

The sun hit his eyes with uncomfortable force as he exited the lumber shed. He spotted Noreen at the edge of the street, surprisingly right where he’d left her. He’d half expected her to be standing in the middle of the railroad tracks, tapping her toe impatiently against the steel. The moment she spied him, however, she abandoned her post and hotfooted her way over to him.

“Did you get one?” She eyed the folded sheet of paper in his hand with enough curiosity to kill an entire herd of cats. “Can I see it?”

He handed it to her without a word. Nothing he could say would change the truth, anyway.

Her eyes scanned over the advertisement. “‘April 28,’” she read aloud absently, “‘4:00–6:00 p.m. All drinks at the Salt Fork Saloon will be . . .’” She looked up at him, disbelief etched into her features. “Half price?”

The paper started to slip from her fingers, so James took it back into his possession and shoved it into his pocket.

“He’s sabotaging everything I’m trying to achieve.”

“Well, you are trying to put him out of business.”

Fire flashed in her eyes. “I’m trying to save lives and make our community safer!”

James nodded. “I know. But he’s trying to save something, too. His livelihood.”

Her hands fisted at her sides. “I can’t believe you’re taking his side.”

James bit back a sigh, then reached out and gently circled his fingers around her wrist. He rubbed his thumb over the end of her sleeve. “I’m not taking anyone’s side, Noreen. I’m just trying to keep things in perspective.”

She stiffened but, surprisingly, didn’t pull away from his touch. “And you think I lack perspective?”

“Only where Taggert is concerned.” He kept his voice calm and patient. “You see him as a nemesis who aims to thwart you at every turn. But he’s just a man. An imperfect, somewhat cranky man who probably sees you as the villain in his story. Don’t let him get under your skin. You don’t want to show up at the church full of anger and resentment. That’s not what your rally is about. It’s about hope and encouragement and civic outreach. Isn’t that what you’ve told me?”

She gave a shallow nod.

“That’s the positive energy you need to bring to your followers. Don’t worry about Taggert and his schemes. He might intend to harm your cause, but we serve a God who can take what man intends for harm and use it for good.”

She exhaled a heavy breath, then slowly unfurled her fingers. James slid his hand down and fit her palm against his, his pulse kicking up a beat as he did so.