Sarah Sunshine: A Montana Romance Novella Read Online Free Page B

figure out the problem.  “I’m sure you’ll be able to find a job in town somewhere.”
    “I suppose.”
    “And you say Mr. Sutcliffe so kind to you and all.  I’m sure he’ll let you stay on in a room at the saloon.”
    “Oh, I know he will.  It’s just that….”  She sighed.  “I was hoping to make a change.”
    Roy frowned.  “You have made a change.  Your contract is up.”
    She sent him a sideways look.  “You think other folks will see it that way if I keep living at the saloon?”
    She had a point, but he said, “It don’t matter what other people think.”
    She tried to smile, but Roy wasn’t fooled for a minute.  The more he thought about it, the more his gut twisted in knots.  Much as he had tried to be the hero, he had a bad feeling he’d left Sarah in a worse spot than he’d found her.
     

 
    Chapter Three
     
    Sarah fought to keep her head up as she and Roy walked side-by-side back to town.  The hammering and sawing of new buildings going up was more jarring than encouraging.  Sawdust and dirt tickled her nose, but she held her sneeze and her worry inside.  Old Mrs. McGee nodded to her as she and Roy turned onto Main Street.  Sarah knew—she just knew—that Mrs. McGee thought she was as useless as Miss Jones had told her she was.
    “I got an idea,” Roy said, pulling her out of her thoughts.  “Why don’t you ask Mrs. McGee if she needs help with her midwifing?”
    “Oh, no, I couldn’t,” Sarah answered immediately.  She turned her head to look at Mrs. McGee’s retreating back.  She’d helped out at births before and loved it.  But what woman would want a—how did Miss Jones put it?—a hussy helping to deliver her baby?
    “Maybe Mr. West could use some help at the general store?” Roy tried again.  “I hear he’s building a house over on the west side of town, so maybe you could move into that apartment above the shop too.”
    Sarah glanced longingly at the general store.  How she would love to have an apartment all on her own like that!
    “They got plenty of help already,” she said.
    Roy frowned and slowed his steps.  “All right then, what do you think of the idea of working at the new hotel?”
    Sarah stopped dead.  She blinked at him.  “Your hotel?”
    “Mmm hmm.”
    “I … do you think Mrs. Reynolds would let me?”
    Roy laughed.  “Of course she would, Sunshine.  Remember, she was once in the same position that you were.”
    “That’s true.”  She twisted the fringe of her shawl, unconvinced.
    “From what Delilah told me, she ran into a bit of a jam when she got out of her contract too.  Apparently someone started spreading rumors about her, and the fellow she was walking out with turned his back on her.  But did she let that grind her down?  No, siree!  She picked herself up, bought a house, and made it into a hotel.  Now look at her.”
    “Mrs. Reynolds is wonderful,” Sarah agreed, a tiny sprig of hope in her heart.
    “So I’m sure she’d find a way to help you out now that Mr. Sutcliffe’s plan for you fell through.”
    “She might at that.”
    They started down the street again.  Sarah wove her fingers through the fringe of her shawl as new, exciting ideas flew through her.
    “Roy.”  She blinked as a thought hit her.  “Do you suppose the man who turned his back on Mrs. Reynolds was Mr. Sutcliffe?”
    Roy turned to her with a sly grin and a light in his eyes.  “Gossip is a sin, Sunshine.”
    Prickles of sheepish delight raced through Sarah.  She giggled.  “That it is.”
    They continued walking.  More than anything, she wished she could reach out and hold his hand.  She was certain he would hold hers, even with people watching.
    “Roy,” she asked, a catch in her voice.  “You wouldn’t turn your back if someone said something awful about me, would you?”
    Before he could answer, a gruff shout of, “What the hell?” boomed down Main Street.  Mr. Sutcliffe had seen them and charged off the