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Chapter 3

Edward focused on work the next several days. Because there wasn't a lot of snow this year as there had been in years past, it meant the streets didn't require more than the normal garbage collection. He hadn't been by the store since he'd learned of Mrs. Black's status, but he would need to go soon to pick up some necessities.

Truth was, he didn't know how to behave around her. Though she was still younger than him, from what he knew from Angela telling stories about her sister back East, she had experience he couldn't begin to compete with. And now he knew there wasn't a husband en route, his mind was free to wander to places that were dangerous.

He was by no means a monk, but his experience wasn't altogether extensive either. But a married woman would know things. And that both excited and scared him.

The front door to the Marshal's Office swung open and Edward came face to face with the woman he'd been keeping at a distance.

"Ma'am, did you need some help?"

"Not in a legal sense, but I would like a few minutes of your time, Marshal Cullen. If you're not available at the moment, perhaps you could come by the store this evening?"

"I've got time now. How can I be of assistance?"

Bella took a deep breath and squared her shoulders before she moved to his desk. Edward offered her one of the visitor chairs before sitting behind the desk, his fingers steepled as he waited for her to begin.

"I feel like I've done something that has given you offense. I came to find out exactly what that was so I can avoid doing it in the future. I know things are different out here than they are in New York and I fear living on my own as I did may have made me willful."

Edward was shocked at her assumption. "You've done nothing wrong, Mrs. Black. I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. It wasn't my intent."

"Then why have you avoided the store? Angela let it slip that you would stop in on Tuesday like clockwork to buy your supplies, and yet nearly a week later you haven't been in."

Edward sighed, knowing she deserved a nugget of truth. "If truth be told, I was not expecting to learn all I did when Eric asked for my thoughts on your living prospects. I'd made an incorrect assumption and it has left me unsure how to act around you."

"What assumption was that?" she asked.

"That your husband had remained in New York to tend to the last of his business and would be along shortly."

"And now that there is no husband to cause an impediment, you ran screaming from me? I guess I have my answer."

Bella stood and turned from Edward, a sight he didn't like. It was that image that spurred him on as he rounded the desk and caught her by the elbow. "Mrs. … Bella, please, let me explain."

"Go on," she said. Edward dropped her arm so she could turn to face him fully.

"I was overwhelmed. From the moment I first saw you, I thought you were beautiful and generous and kind. But you were untouchable because of your marital status. I wouldn't disrespect you by letting myself think of you as anything other than a married member of the community. So learning that you're no longer married, it left me conflicted. I don't even know what stage of mourning you're in to know what is appropriate. All of this is new to me."

"I moved two thousand miles away from the memories of everyone I lost. Because it wasn't just my husband, but my parents in that time, too. Though I was barely used to being a wife when I was made a widow, so that is why I didn't behave the way a woman married for years would have been."

"You were newly married when he passed?" Edward asked, feeling wrong for doing so.

"Very. Jacob passed in the early morning the day after our wedding. It hadn't even been a day."

Edward blanched at the thought of fate being so cruel. "I'm sorry. That must have been devastating."

"My husband was a good man, he treated me well for as long as I knew him, but he was my father's choice. Still, I did my duty by him, even with some unpleasant circumstances. But that was what led to my move. I won't speak ill of him to you."

"Regardless of how you found yourself to be married, you've suffered a loss. I'm sorry if my actions caused you more pain."

"Part of the reason for my relocation was to start fresh. I hope you won't let my past color your opinion of me. It would cut deeply if you were to have a low opinion of me."

"I think it impossible for me to have a low opinion of you, Bella. And I believe we can move forward in our friendship."

"Thank you, Edward. So no more avoiding the store? You're almost a week overdue in your shopping."

"I will not avoid it, I promise."

Bella smiled, the color high on her cheeks. "Then I will see you soon. But for now I will let you return to your work."

"Pleasant day, ma'am."

"And to you, sir."

Bella left the Marshal's office and Edward was able to return to work. By the time he was locking up for the night to go to supper at his parents', he was making a list of what he needed to buy. Bella had been right, he'd waited too long and even though he didn't cook, his cupboard was bare.

The January night was chilled, so Edward opted to walk to his parents' home instead of getting Shadow out of the livery only to have to bed her back down later. His father was reading in the parlor when he entered and Edward joined him as they waited for his mother to finish the meal.

Soon, the trio sat around the dining table as Esme laid out the food in front of them. As Edward reached for a few biscuits, he noticed the jar beside the butter.

"What's this?"

Esme's eyes lit up with excitement. "It seems Mrs. Black enjoys time in the kitchen for someone so well off. She brought crates of jams and other treats with her and is selling them in the General Store. Have you not seen them while shopping?"

"I got interrupted on my way to the store last week and haven't been able to make it back. But I'll be stopping in there tomorrow, so I will be sure to check out the new items."

"Mr. Black sure is lucky to have a wife who can whip up something so sweet," Carlisle commented.

"There is no Mr. Black," Edward blurted out.

Esme turned to her son, surprised by his outburst. "What do you mean, Son?"

"Mrs. Black is a widow, her husband passed some time ago."

"Oh, the poor girl. I'm surprised she would divulge that so willingly."

"It was more of an accident. I was pulled into a discussion with Mr. Yorkie and she said it. She came by the office today since she hadn't seen me since that day."

"Well, that is sad, to be sure, but it explains her desire to move close to family. I remember Mrs. Yorkie going into half-mourning, then a time later being in full mourning when her father and step-mother passed. So much loss for Mrs. Black in the last two years."

"She's endured and is wanting a fresh start, so I think we should offer her that," Edward told his mother.

"Of course, my dear. She wouldn't be the first to come to this town for that."

They finished their supper with much safer topics of discussion and when it was done Edward left, his pace much faster now the sun had completely set. He added a few more pieces of wood to the stove in his rooms above the jail, and bedded down with the image of warm brown eyes in his mind.

Morning dawned and Edward began his day with a trip to the restaurant inside the hotel. After a substantial breakfast to start his morning, he walked to the General Store to make his purchases.

He found the table with the sign Swan's Sweets and chose a few jams and candies to try out. Edward went about his normal shopping, along with a few impulse purchases as he neared the register. He paid Eric for his items and looked around to see if he could find Bella. He saw her standing out on the front boardwalk, so he went out to speak with her.

Upon exiting the store, Edward saw Bella engaged in conversation with Alistair. No sooner had Edward cleared his throat than Alistair scampered off, leaving Bella alone with the marshal.

"You need to be careful who you show sympathy for out here, Mrs. Black. Alistair is a drunk and lives off little besides the charity of others. I would hate to see him take advantage of your generosity."

"Things aren't always as cut and dry as they first appear. You might want to spend some time getting to know a person before you condemn them to be lesser than you." Bella turned and walked back into the store, her anger clear in the set of her shoulders and the tone of her voice as she'd spoken.

Bewildered, Edward returned to his rooms and unpacked his goods, not knowing how to find solid footing with Bella.

As Mrs. Black shifted into a wardrobe that showed she was no longer in mourning, and word of her status spread, Edward got a front-row seat to every eligible man between six and sixty letting Bella know they were interested.

While young Michael Newton wasn't much of a threat at seven and three-quarters, men like Royce King, the banker's son, and Benjamin, one of the local cowboys, did cause concern. Edward's problem was he upset her almost as often as he saw her smile.

One evening in late January, Edward sat in the parlor with his father as Esme worked on their meal. He was surprised when his father brought up the object of his fancy.

"How is Mrs. Black doing these days?"

"I wouldn't know. I see her mostly in passing."

"That is surprising considering how clearly you are interested in the young woman. Even Alistair noticed how territorial you were."

"So now you're taking the word of a drunk as gospel?" Edward asked, incredulous.

"Alistair came to me a week ago asking for help with his habit and is now six days sober. It may not sound like much, but for a man like him, that's more than he's been since returning home from the war to find his wife and daughter dead and his home gone."

Edward was shocked at his father's words. He'd always known Alistair as an alcoholic, but in all the time he'd spent in one of Edward's cells, he'd never asked the man what had led him to that point.

"More people than Alistair have noticed your interest in the widow Black. You may want to do something about it before one of them takes action before you." And with that parting comment, Carlisle went to wash up before their meal.