Joline's Redemption by Vickie; McDonough Page B

mercantile. And don’t worry about Jamie or Sarah. I’ll see to them. Be careful, and make sure to be home well before dark. Not everyone is nice, although most folks are. And I know you’re not too familiar with the area.”
    â€œI didn’t have any trouble finding my way here. I recognized certain landmarks.”
    Lara smiled and touched Jo’s arm. “I’m glad. It’s so good to have you here with us.”
    â€œThank you for being so generous.” Her sister had always been kind, but Jo had been blind to her benevolence when they lived together before. Maybe she’d grown up in more than one way.
    Three days after her arrival at Lara’s, Jo rode into Guthrie on one of Gabe’s saddle horses. She’d chosen to leave Badger’s horse hidden in the barn. The town was bigger, but the original wooden buildings not painted had grayed and lost that fresh-scented newness. And now there were numerous buildings made from brick. Guthrie had been a brand-new town the first time she saw it, ringing with the swishing of saws and the pounding of hammers and oozing with optimistic people. She’d thought Guthrie was the place of her dreams, but it sure hadn’t turned out to be.
    Jo recognized many of the stores she’d traded at when she lived here previously and easily found her way to the street that boasted Mark’s store. Her heart throbbed. She wiped her sweaty palm across the skirt of the burgundy calico Lara had given her and tugged the borrowed cloak across her chest.
    She rounded a corner, and there it was. Hillborne’s General Store. The place where her dreams had taken wing and then plummeted back to earth. It didn’t look too imposing, but then, it wasn’t the store that had wrecked her life. She curled her lip. Mark had done a fine job of that.
    The facade needed a fresh coat of paint, as well as the Hillborne sign, but everything else looked pretty much the same. A pair of barrels sat on each side of the doors, inviting folks to come in.
    Jo rode past several stores then dismounted and tied the horse to the hitching post. She moseyed down the boardwalk, her heart pounding harder with each step she took. She felt as if she were gambling—with her life. She didn’t know what to expect from Mark. He could charm spots off a snake or turn around and poison you with his venom. Why was she even here? She’d never work for him again. Never live with him. She didn’t want anything he had to offer. She spun around, bumping into a man.
    He raised his brows, muttered, “Pardon,” and kept on walking.
    Jo sighed. She’d come this far. She needed to know if Mark was back or not. Stepping close to the nearest window, she acted like she was looking at the merchandise displayed there. Her gaze flitted toward where she knew the counter stood and then around the store, but because of the sunlight reflecting off the windows, she couldn’t see anyone inside. When a couple passed her, she fell into step and hurried past the next window. She might not be able to see in, but Mark could probably see her. At the door, she drew in a deep breath, tugged down the long brim of the sunbonnet she’d borrowed from Lara, and stepped inside, instantly heading to the back of the store where two other women studied the bolts of fabric. Jo had no intention of buying anything here, but she needed to blend in. To purchase something, she would have to look Mark in the eye, and she couldn’t. But she also couldn’t sleep until she knew for certain if he was back. And if he was, she and the children would be leaving Lara’s very soon.
    As she studied the stock of threads, she glanced out the side of her eye and spotted him. She ducked her head so fast she nearly dropped the thread in her quivering hand. The women moved on, so Jo pretended interest in the calicos, listening to the clerk’s voice. It sounded like Mark’s but different