coil was still in place. She was almost ready to descend the stairs and embark upon her new life in a thriving mercantile. But first . . .
Making herself comfortable on the edge of her bed, she reached toward the nearby table for her mother’s Bible, the first thing she had unpacked the night before. Pulling it onto her lap, she opened the leather cover and thumbed through the well-worn pages, looking for encouragement.
The jolt she felt upon hearing the news of Alvin Nelson’s death had rocked her far more than she hoped she’d let on. After receiving his letter inviting her to come to Cedar Ridge to claim George’s possessions, she hadn’t entertained the slightest doubt that she would receive a warm welcome from him. His nephew, however, proved to be a whole different story. His reaction to her coming had shattered her hopes and let her know in no uncertain terms that she could expect no kindly offers of assistance from him. Her claim to ownership of half the store had shocked her nearly as much as it had Caleb Nelson, coming into her mind as an unbidden, but welcome, flash of inspiration she had acted on at once.
Despite her bold assertions, she wasn’t nearly as certain of her legal standing in regard to the store as she’d indicated to Caleb, but she wasn’t about to let him know that. If she had to make her place there by brazening it out until he got used to the idea, so be it. And he would have to get used to her being there. There was no place else for her to go.
Her fingers turned another page in the Bible, and Melanierecognized the story of the children of Israel wandering between Egypt and the Promised Land. She read the familiar passages, drawing from them a sense of hope and comfort. The Israelites, too, had been looking for a home and a place to belong. She smiled as she returned the Bible to its resting place. If God could take care of the Israelites in the wilderness, He could surely do the same thing for her in her new surroundings.
Fortified by that encouraging thought, she started for the door, ready to head downstairs. As she approached, she spotted a crumpled scrap of paper near the wall. She picked it up and frowned. How had she missed that in all her cleaning efforts?
She smoothed the paper between her fingers. It had writing on one side. Holding it up to the light, she turned the note so she could read it.
If you know what’s good for you, get out of Cedar Ridge.
What on earth? Melanie carried the note over to the window to take a closer look. Whoever wrote it would never win any awards for penmanship. The scrawled lines were more like angry slashes than flowing script.
She stared again at the venomous words, an uneasy tingle of fear creeping up her spine. Had she missed it during her earlier cleaning, or had the note been slipped under her door after she scrubbed the floor? If that was the case, she could think of only one person who wanted to see her leave.
Melanie glanced again at the chair blocking entry to her room and swallowed hard, wondering if her precaution hadprotected her from more than a hostile warning. As unwelcoming as Caleb had been, he didn’t seem like the kind of person who would stoop to writing anonymous notes. But who else could be responsible?
She started to wad the note in her palm, then stopped. If she intended to stay on in Cedar Ridge, she would need to face Caleb every day as they worked together in the store. They couldn’t maintain any kind of working relationship if he harbored such bitter animosity. As little as she relished the thought, she would have to speak to him about it. Slipping the note into her pocket, she started down the stairs, bracing herself to meet whatever challenges lay ahead.
The afternoon before, between arguing with Mr. Nelson and talking to Mrs. Fetterman, she hadn’t been able to do more than give the interior of the mercantile a cursory glance. So this morning she took her time perusing the layout of the store and its
Making herself comfortable on the edge of her bed, she reached toward the nearby table for her mother’s Bible, the first thing she had unpacked the night before. Pulling it onto her lap, she opened the leather cover and thumbed through the well-worn pages, looking for encouragement.
The jolt she felt upon hearing the news of Alvin Nelson’s death had rocked her far more than she hoped she’d let on. After receiving his letter inviting her to come to Cedar Ridge to claim George’s possessions, she hadn’t entertained the slightest doubt that she would receive a warm welcome from him. His nephew, however, proved to be a whole different story. His reaction to her coming had shattered her hopes and let her know in no uncertain terms that she could expect no kindly offers of assistance from him. Her claim to ownership of half the store had shocked her nearly as much as it had Caleb Nelson, coming into her mind as an unbidden, but welcome, flash of inspiration she had acted on at once.
Despite her bold assertions, she wasn’t nearly as certain of her legal standing in regard to the store as she’d indicated to Caleb, but she wasn’t about to let him know that. If she had to make her place there by brazening it out until he got used to the idea, so be it. And he would have to get used to her being there. There was no place else for her to go.
Her fingers turned another page in the Bible, and Melanierecognized the story of the children of Israel wandering between Egypt and the Promised Land. She read the familiar passages, drawing from them a sense of hope and comfort. The Israelites, too, had been looking for a home and a place to belong. She smiled as she returned the Bible to its resting place. If God could take care of the Israelites in the wilderness, He could surely do the same thing for her in her new surroundings.
Fortified by that encouraging thought, she started for the door, ready to head downstairs. As she approached, she spotted a crumpled scrap of paper near the wall. She picked it up and frowned. How had she missed that in all her cleaning efforts?
She smoothed the paper between her fingers. It had writing on one side. Holding it up to the light, she turned the note so she could read it.
If you know what’s good for you, get out of Cedar Ridge.
What on earth? Melanie carried the note over to the window to take a closer look. Whoever wrote it would never win any awards for penmanship. The scrawled lines were more like angry slashes than flowing script.
She stared again at the venomous words, an uneasy tingle of fear creeping up her spine. Had she missed it during her earlier cleaning, or had the note been slipped under her door after she scrubbed the floor? If that was the case, she could think of only one person who wanted to see her leave.
Melanie glanced again at the chair blocking entry to her room and swallowed hard, wondering if her precaution hadprotected her from more than a hostile warning. As unwelcoming as Caleb had been, he didn’t seem like the kind of person who would stoop to writing anonymous notes. But who else could be responsible?
She started to wad the note in her palm, then stopped. If she intended to stay on in Cedar Ridge, she would need to face Caleb every day as they worked together in the store. They couldn’t maintain any kind of working relationship if he harbored such bitter animosity. As little as she relished the thought, she would have to speak to him about it. Slipping the note into her pocket, she started down the stairs, bracing herself to meet whatever challenges lay ahead.
The afternoon before, between arguing with Mr. Nelson and talking to Mrs. Fetterman, she hadn’t been able to do more than give the interior of the mercantile a cursory glance. So this morning she took her time perusing the layout of the store and its
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