Harmony Read Online Free Page B

the spot he’d touched. His fingers had been firm yet gentle when he’d held her elbow. Crystal blue eyes had scowled at her beneath down-turned brows. A mane of tawny hair laid in a disarray across unscrupulously wide shoulders. At first his gaze had been bright with humor, but then it had changed to a dark, unfathomable hue. She didn’t want to think about what he’d been thinking about.
    The man was a toad. She had to give today’s women the opportunity to choose the right husband for themselves and not settle for whoever lived in Harmony’s tight-knit circle. Ironically, Mr. Wolcott had unwittingly been her helper.
    She had been aware that he entertained Eastern gentlemen by taking them on hunting jaunts. The steady visits of well-bred clientele had given her an idea this past summer.
    Harmony’s eligible young ladies should be introduced to men of respectable professions—not that the selection in town was dire. But those who stayed after graduating the normal school rarely set their sights beyond a trade or working at Kennison’s Hardware Emporium. And the handful who had aspirations of bright futures left for college and didn’t often return once they saw what the outside world had to offer them.
    While in Chicago attending business college, Edwina had fallen in love with a man about town. Their relationship had been chocked with spontaneity, but it hadn’t resulted in marriage. Smarter now, she realized she’d lost herself to a beau who heeded his mother’s opinions rather than his heart. By enlightening girls about the facets of courtship—especially the do’s and don’ts—shehoped to empower them to know the difference between real love and passing affections. There were good men who came from large cities, and just because Edwina had chosen the wrong one didn’t mean that she thought all Easterners were mollycoddled. On the contrary, those who sought the West for recreation were of a different breed. She saw them as adventure-seekers.
    Where Mr. Wolcott had thought of a way to bring gentlemen to their small Montana town, Edwina had thought of a way to show those very gentlemen that charming women didn’t necessarily reside only on city streets. Perhaps her students would impress the men into staying, and those marriages could add a diversity to the community.
    Edwina crossed the street, then proceeded on Main toward her residence on Sycamore Drive. Sugar maples shaded the walkway, their leaves showing vague signs of the autumn change. The season hadn’t taken hold yet. Though nights brought a shivering chill, days could be warm beneath the buttery sunshine.
    She had a seven-o’clock meeting that evening at her home. A cake needed to be baked and the silver tea service brought out. Tonight was an important night. Everything had to be perfect. The afternoon had upset her, but at least she’d been apprised of the situation before Mr. Wolcott had come to the law office.
    When she’d first learned about Mr. Magee’s selling the warehouse twice, she’d wanted to give him a stern piece of her mind. But immediately thereafter, she’d been informed that he had died in an accident, and she’d felt horrible for having wished he would have one. Only in her mind, he hadn’t died . . . merely suffered some minor blood loss with a fracture. Or two.
    She could hardly bear to think that she’d spent what precious little money she had left in the bank—just over five hundred dollars—much less being asked to come up with another five hundred with which to buy out Mr. Wolcott. To add insult to injury, when she found out that she’d paid fifty dollars more than him—for the exactsame property —she’d felt as if Mr. Magee had made a mockery of womankind. He must have thought females pretty stupid when it came to business deals.
    Edwina’s lips curved down. Well, she’d been stupid