Refining Fire by Cox Carol

Author:Cox, Carol
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2013-11-04T05:00:00+00:00

twelve

By the time the arrival of lunch customers sent Jenny flying back to the kitchen to dish up new orders, the trio had established a beginning plan of action. Still to be decided was whether they wanted to sell shares to raise more capital. She mulled over the idea while she moved from the stove to the counter and back again.

Red was trustworthy; of that she had no doubt. Less certain was his wisdom in bringing Andrew Garrett into the partnership on such short acquaintance. The image of Andrew’s face floated before her eyes while she stirred the gravy and set more bread dough out to rise.

Not until the last of the lunch customers left and she was ready to close down for the afternoon did she have a moment to herself to try to piece her scattered thoughts together. She poured herself a glass of water and sat next to an open window to catch as much of the slight breeze as she could.

What was it that Red saw in Andrew that sparked his trust? What did she herself know about Andrew Garrett? An overheard conversation and tender feelings from her daydreams didn’t count, she reminded herself. She needed to know the real man, not the paragon of virtue she had built up in her mind.

His eyes were the same as she remembered. Deep blue, with a steady gaze that could make her heart stand still in her chest. That much, at least, hadn’t been a product of her imagination.

And that voice. Even in memory, its rich timbre made her insides feel like melted butter. The same firm tone she had heard through Elizabeth’s kitchen door in the altercation between Andrew and Earl Waggoner, the unscrupulous mining agent. She remembered Andrew’s ire upon realizing Waggoner meant to bilk the miner he represented. That should count in his favor, she decided, pressing the cool glass of water against her forehead. But did one noble deed mean he could be trusted in all things?

The outside door to the office slammed. Jenny jumped and let out a little cry, her hand pressed against the base of her throat.

“Oh, are you still here?” Evan appeared in the office doorway, pushing a shock of his dark hair back off his forehead “I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He crossed the room and pulled up a chair close to hers, his relaxed smile putting her at ease again.

“It’s all right. I just had my mind on other things.”

Evan tilted his head to one side. “Thinking about your silver mine? You aren’t getting ready to pull out on me, are you?”

“Hardly!” Jenny laughed. “From the discussion I had with Red and Andrew, it seems there’s far more to establishing a mine than just going out and digging. It may be months, maybe even years, before we see a profit.”

Evan lounged comfortably in a chair and stretched his legs out before him. “So you finally met the mystery partner, did you? What did you think of him?”

“Red seems quite taken with him,” Jenny hedged, unwilling to admit her own doubts.

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