Whippoorwill Read Online Free PDF Page B

stifled a sigh, wishing Alfonso was more of a man. It never entered her mind that he might be her secret admirer. He was the banker who stored her money and nothing more.
    Upon entering Goslin’s General Store, she released the catch on her parasol, letting it fold like a wounded bird. Inside, the shade was welcome, even if the odors that came with it were not.
    Matt Goslin was the size of a buffalo and nearly as wooly. He carried an assortment of goods ranging from asafetida to bear traps and everything in between. Sophie was never sure what it was that smelled the strongest, but the heat of the day and how close she got to the storekeeper seemed to have a lot to do with it.
    “Mornin’ Miz Sophie.”
    Matt eyed the buxom widow’s escort with a baleful glare. He’d had his sights set on Nardin Hollis’s widow since the day of old Nardin’s funeral, yet no matter how many overtures toward courtship he had made, she kept turning him down. Finally in desperation, Matt had turned to Letty Murphy at the White Dove Saloon for relief from his manly needs. What she gave could hardly be called affection, and whatever attention he got cost him a dollar on a regular basis. It was, however, better than nothing, which was exactly what he’d gotten from Sophie Hollis.
    Sophie nodded primly at Matt as she laid her list upon the counter for him to fill. She watched as he peered at the scrap of paper, using a grimy finger as a guide while he read it slowly, spelling out the words, item by item. It was all the proof Sophie needed to eliminate Matt Goslin as her admirer. No way could he be the one writing such beautiful missives when he could barely read.
    Unaware of Sophie’s thoughts, Matt was mentally ticking off the items she wished to purchase. When he got to the last one on the list, he looked up.
    Frowning, he scratched his belly through a hole in his shirt while subversively measuring the size of Sophie Hollis’s breasts in comparison to Letty Murphy’s over at the White Dove. They seemed of about the same size, but he knew from experience with Letty that one too many men had sucked on that cow’s tit for his liking. What he’d like was a chance at Sophie Hollis. He’d show her what a real man was all about. Then he remembered what he’d been about to say.
    “Ain’t got no cinnamon. Shipment’s due in next week. Maybe I’ll have some by then.”
    She pouted, aware that both men’s eyes went straight to her lips as she’d intended. “And I did so want to make fresh apple pies. My trees are just loaded.”
    Alfonso almost danced in a circle before he got himself calm enough to speak. “I have cinnamon. Sometimes I use it in my tea. I’d be glad to loan you some. Maybe you could see clear to making me one of your fine pies in return. I hear you’re quite a cook.”
    Sophie flushed. Praise always did go straight to her head.
    “Why thank you, Alfonso. I do believe I will borrow some. Just until Matt gets in his new shipment, you understand. If you don’t mind, you could drop it off at my house tonight. I’d come get it myself, but I wouldn’t want people getting the wrong idea.” She flushed again. “Coming to your hotel room just wouldn’t be proper.”
    Alfonso grinned. He wouldn’t care if the entire population of Lizard Flats got the wrong idea about him and Sophie Hollis.
    “Of course, of course. I understand.” He looked down his nose at the wooly storekeeper who was turning redder by the minute. The point he’d scored was well worth gloating about. “I’ll be over as soon as the bank closes. I don’t have anything else to do. I’ll just drop it off and then go eat my evening meal at the boarding house… just like always.” He paused after the bait that he’d dropped, waiting to see if he got a strike.
    Sophie sighed. Alfonso was not a subtle man. That was as blatant a plea for a dinner invitation as she’d ever heard. Every manner her Southern-born mother had taught her knocked at the door