“To where?”

  “I had plans to move to Ohio in August. I have a friend who lives there. I did have a job lined up…until the tornado. But I’m sure I’ll find something else.”

  “Is Alyssa okay with that? I mean, she and Lily seem to be pretty close.”

  “Alyssa doesn’t like it at all. But I’m doing this for her as well as me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s complicated. But it’s for the best. I have to get away from here as soon as I can.” Josie stopped herself there. Silas didn’t need to know about her struggle with her grandmother and Josie’s fears for Alyssa.

  She turned back to the view, preferring to focus on the surroundings she was presently in instead of a past that hung over her like a dark cloud and an uncertain future.

  Thankfully Silas took the hint and instead turned on the radio. Josie let the songs about someone else’s heartache, problems and tears distract her from her own life.

  A few songs and muttered directions later, Silas was parking his truck in front of a large clothing store. He got out of the truck and paused, one foot on the curb, the other on the street, as if hesitating.

  Josie joined him on the sidewalk. “Is there a problem?” she asked.

  “This place has all women’s clothing,” he said in a flat tone.

  Josie caught the faintest downturn of his mouth, the narrowing of his eyes and it made her smile.

  “Be careful, Silas,” she said as she slipped her purse over her shoulder. “Here be dragons.”

  “Dragons I could handle,” he said. “It’s all that potpourri and candles and other stuff that gets to me.”

  Josie laughed and patted his arm. “I’ll be your guide.”

  He drew a breath and stepped up onto the sidewalk. “Thank goodness. I’d never go to a place like this by myself.”

  Josie laughed again, and pushed open the door, not even bothering to see if Silas was following. There were just some things he had to do on his own.

  But she heard him right behind her.

  She strode confidently past the dreaded candles and cards directly to the children’s section at the back of the store.

  She stopped at a rack of shirts and pants and looked up at Silas who was still glancing around, as if any minute potpourri might come raining down on him.

  “We need to establish how much you want to spend and what you are looking for,” she said.

  Silas pulled his attention back to her and blew out his breath. “What do you think she needs?”

  Everything, Josie thought.

  “Why don’t you start with something basic,” Josie suggested instead. “A couple of shirts and a pair of pants. She doesn’t strike me as a dress kind of girl.”

  “You got that right. The last dress she wore was the one that…” His voice faded away and he pressed his lips together as if holding back what was going to come out. “Anyway, she hated it. I think she cut it up.”

  Josie suspected he had unwittingly stumbled onto the no-man’s-land of memories of his wife. Memories he seemed bound and determined to banish.

  She turned to the rack in front of her. “If you want her to look a bit more feminine, you might like a skirt instead. Something in denim. Not frilly but yet cute. Put a pair of striped tights with it and I think you’d have a hit.”

  “Sure.”

  “What do you think of this shirt?” She held up a yellow T-shirt with long sleeves and an orange-and-blue crocheted flower on one side. “A vest on top and you’d have an outfit for her birthday present.”

  Silas glanced around and shoved his hand through his hair in a gesture of defeat. “Yeah. Whatever.”

  He wasn’t being cooperative, but Josie was nothing if not persistent.

  She led him to another rack and showed him a few more items she thought were cute. All of which garnered her the same listless response.

  She was trying to keep her frustration with him down. Sure, men didn’t like shopping, but this was supposed to be his birthday present for his daughter. She thought he would show more enthusiasm.

  Ten minutes later, Josie dropped another shirt’s hanger on the metal rack with a clang.

  “Am I doing something wrong, Mr. Marstow?”

  He pulled his attention back to her. “No. No. It’s all good.”

  “I haven’t gotten a very enthusiastic response from you for your own daughter’s birthday present.”

  Silas narrowed his eyes again and a hint of fear whispered over her skin. His dark, level eyebrows, when lowered, created an ominous, threatening look.

  But Josie tried not to be intimidated and pressed on. “I thought you wanted me to help you with this,” Josie said. “If this doesn’t matter, we can go home.”

  Silas gave no reply, and Josie stifled her own frustration. “Maybe we should go.” She was about to leave, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to Silas, raising her own brows in question.

  Silas pursed his lips and blew out his breath. “Truth is, Miss Cane, I don’t have a clue. That’s why I asked you to come. You asked me back at your house if Lily was still staying overnight. You noticed that I didn’t take a suitcase. I couldn’t find one and I didn’t want to take her clothes in a paper bag. And the other truth is, I didn’t even bother taking her clothes because I think they’re all too small. Or worn out, or out of date, or whatever it is they’re not supposed to be and are.” He raised his hand in a gesture of defeat. “So that’s where you come in, okay?”

  His long confession was enough to soften Josie’s heart, but she caved when she caught the fleeting glimpse of vulnerability passing over his face.

  “Essentially we need to give her a whole new wardrobe,” she said.

  “Essentially. Yes. And essentially, I don’t have a clue what a new wardrobe should look like.”

  Josie nodded slowly. “Then the next question is, how much do you want to spend?”

  “I don’t have unlimited funds, but whatever it takes.”

  “It’s a good thing you specify the lack of unlimited funds. Because to tell a woman to spend whatever it takes is a recipe for a high credit-card bill.” Josie flashed him a smile to show she was kidding and to lighten the suddenly heavy atmosphere. “So, let the games begin.”

  She walked over to the sales rack. “Not the best time to shop for winter clothes, but we could buy some summer shirts and layer them. She’s the same size as Alyssa, so…”

  Josie flipped through the clothes and pulled a couple of shirts off the rack. Then, making a quick decision, handed them to Silas. “If you want me to make all the decisions, you get to be the Sherpa.”

  With a good-natured shrug, he took the hangers and for the next half hour followed her around the store. Josie would have liked him to make some choices, but she had never shopped with a man before, so wasn’t sure what to expect.

  “This one has a button missing, so we can probably get a discount,” Josie mused, holding up a shirt. “I could sew one on at home. And these jeans have a stain. One laundering and it’d be gone.”

  “Why don’t we get the ones without a stain,” Silas offered. “I’m not a laundry pro.”

  “It’s not her size.” Josie held up a jacket and frowned. “What do you think of this one?”

  “Looks good.”

  Josie lowered the coat, and gave him a careful smile. “I realize that you want to defer to my judgment, but you haven’t expressed an opinion about anything I’ve picked so far.”

  Silas raised his hand, palm up, in a gesture of defeat. “You seem to know what you’re doing. I already told you I don’t have a clue.”

  “But she’s your daughter and it’s your present and you’re the one who has to look at her. You must have some preferences.”

  Silas heaved a sigh as he clutched the clothes she had already chosen, but Josie didn’t back down.

  “I don’t like blue on her,” he said finally.

  “Okay.” Josie hung the coat back up. “What do you like?”

  “I like green.”

  Josie plucked the green coat from the rack. “Green it is.” She handed it to him. “I don’t imagine you ever went shopping with Kelly.”

  The silence that fell between them at her casual comment was so heavy it almost hurt her ears.

  And Josie realized she had said the K word.

  She felt like she should apologize, then stopped herself. Talking about Kelly was normal and healthy.

  She wished she felt confident enough to throw out another casual question about his wife, but then a quick sidelong glance nipped that idea in the bud.

  His eyes were narrowed again and his lips pressed together so tightly, she thought they might break.

  Not today, she reasoned.

  “We need pajamas yet,” she said in her best cheery-teacher voice. And she strode away not bothering to see if he followed her. She found a frilly, long nightgown with a ruffle on the bottom. “How about this one?” she asked, holding it up for his inspection.

  He frowned and shook his head. “No. She’ll hate it. She’s not a ruffles-and-lace girl.”

  Josie didn’t want to push her taste too hard on Silas, but she was pretty sure, in this instance, he was wrong.

  “Not for her everyday clothes, no. But I think, in some ways, she’s a closet romantic. And a nightgown is a great way to express that.”

  Silas’s frown deepened and Josie took a chance and laid the nightgown on the pile of clothes, ignoring his faint cry of protest.

  Fifteen minutes later Silas was swiping his debit card through the machine and smiling at the sales clerk when she commented on how happy one young lady was going to be.

  “Your wife has great taste,” the clerk added as she handed a number of the rustling plastic bags to Silas.

  Josie didn’t bother to correct her as she took the rest of the bags. The girl would be embarrassed and who knew how Silas would react.

  She walked out of the store, waiting as Silas unlocked her door. This time she allowed him to help her into the truck.

  Questions, comments, advice all hovered, waiting to be voiced. She knew he had given his reasons for not talking about his wife and if she knew him better, she would bring it up. As it was, she kept her comments to herself.

  The radio filled the silence until they reached the welcome to High Plains sign.

  “What’s next on the agenda?” Silas asked, his tone of voice making Josie wonder if she had imagined that clench of anger back in Manhattan.

  “If you have time, I’d like to pick up a few things for her at Eileen’s. Underwear if she needs it. Socks and hair ties.”

  “Why didn’t we get that at the store we were just at?”

  “I like to support our local businesses when and where I can. I would have gone to Eileen’s for clothes, but she’s still stocking up and her selection is still limited.”

  “Does she carry suitcases?”

  “You’re thinking for Lily?”

  “I’d like to give her some of her clothes. For staying at your place tonight. And I don’t want her to carry them in a plastic bag.”

  Josie smiled at the firm note in his voice. “I’m sure we can find something there.” She gave him directions and once again they were entering an all-female domain.

  At least Eileen didn’t have the potpourri Silas abhorred.

  “Hey, Josie. How’s it going?” An overweight young woman, about Josie’s age, ambled over toward them, her buttons valiantly struggling to keep the fronts of her blazer together. The part in her blond hair was a dark streak, evidence of her actual hair color. “You still going a mile a minute volunteering all over the community?”

  “Keeping myself out of trouble, Eileen,” Josie said, glancing around the store.

  “That’s a switch for you,” Eileen said with a giggle as she shot Silas a knowing glance.

  “Looks like you’re slowly getting your stock together,” Josie said, choosing to ignore Eileen’s not-so-subtle comment, as she glanced around the half-full store. Only a couple of mannequins graced the floor, displaying some of Eileen’s wares. One of them was missing a nose, the other one three fingers on the left hand.

  “Oh, it’s coming. My suppliers are so slow. I’m just glad I got my store up and running as quick as I did, and thanks again for the help. I might need you in a week or two. I’ll finally be getting my new shipment in.” Eileen shot Silas another glance as she twirled a lock of blond hair over her finger. “What can I get for you today?”

  Josie glanced at Silas who lifted his shoulders in a shrug, so she told Eileen what they needed and the woman waddled off, humming as she went.

  Josie caught Silas staring at the disfigured mannequins.

  “Those mannequins have always looked like that,” Josie said, pointing to the redheaded figure with the nose missing.

  “Oh. I thought maybe…”

  “The tornado? Nope. Eileen inherited them from her mother who used to run this store. Can’t bear to part with them. Says they’re like family.”

  “My family is suddenly starting to look pretty good.”

  Which brought up another question. “Where is your family, by the way?”

  “I’ve got a sister who lives in California. My parents are in Florida. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

  And Kelly’s family?

  The question hovered but Josie didn’t give it shape. Silas might see it as intrusive and for the past while they’d been getting along quite well.

  A faint electronic beeping from the door announced another customer.

  “Well, Josie Cane,” a voice called out as Josie turned. “How is your grandmother doing?”

  The woman speaking was elderly, short and stooped. Her tiny face was framed by a shock of bright red hair that hung longer on one side of her face than the other.

  Trudy Anselm’s wig was crooked again, but Josie didn’t think she’d appreciate having that fact pointed out in public. Her purple velour jogging suit was a hopeful touch, as were the blindingly white running shoes. Josie had never seen Mrs. Anselm, her grandmother’s neighbor, poking along faster than a leisurely amble.

  “My grandmother is doing okay, Mrs. Anselm.” Josie didn’t bother to elaborate. Trudy Anselm probably knew more than Josie did.

  Trudy’s bright blue eyes flicked from Josie to Silas and a knowing smile slipped over her face. “Well, Silas, nice to see you come out of your shell.” She poked a bony finger at Josie. “But you want to watch yourself with this girl. Don’t let those soulful eyes fool you. Underneath that innocent expression, she’s a pistol.”

  “I’m helping Mr. Marstow pick out a birthday present for his daughter,” Josie said to let Trudy know exactly which way that particular wind was blowing. Trudy Anselm may walk slowly, but her pace was steady and it wouldn’t take long for her to waft false gossip through the town.

  Mrs. Anselm’s eager expression faded, and Josie assumed the message had come through.

  “I miss you coming over. Haven’t had decent cookies since you and your grandmother moved into those Waters cottages. Tell your grandmother I said hello and that I’m praying she’ll get over all that trouble she’s having getting walking again.”

  “The physiotherapist is hopeful that she’ll be walking soon,” Josie said.

  “Tell her I’ll stop by on Monday again.” Trudy’s button eyes shot from Josie to Silas. “So just shopping?”

  “Just shopping,” Josie assured her.

  “Probably just as well,” Trudy said.

  Josie gave her a wry smile, wishing Trudy didn’t know so much about her past. Of course her grandmother had kept her good friend posted about Josie’s wild comings and goings when she was younger.

  But at the same time, Trudy made it sound like Josie was still carrying on the way she had when she was much younger and infinitely more foolish.

  Having Silas hear that bothered her more than she wanted to admit.

  “Here we are,” Eileen chirped. She spread her findings on the counter. “Socks. Underwear. Hair ties and some barrettes. I also found some cute tights that had come in with the last shipment. And here is a bag you could use for a suitcase. I have a few others if you’re interested but this looked like something a little girl would want. This is just an idea. If you see something else—”

  “This all looks good.” Silas didn’t even confer with Josie as he pulled out his wallet. “I’ll take it all.”

  “But don’t you want—”

  “It’s fine.” He handed her his credit card and shifted his feet while he waited for the transaction to be processed.

  Josie suspected his sudden impatience was a result of shopping overload and guessed the shoes weren’t getting purchased today.

  He grabbed the bags as soon as Eileen handed him the receipt. Josie had to scurry to keep up with him. As he opened the truck door, she paused, holding his gaze.

  “Is everything okay, Silas?” She gave him a careful smile as her mind ticked back over their conversation. She couldn’t remember saying anything that might have made him angry.

  His eyes held her gaze and his scowl eased away. “Yeah. I suppose.”

  He looked as if he was about to say something, then changed his mind. He closed the door, walked around the truck, then got in.

  As he started the truck, Josie sorted through the bags. “Do you want to give her the whole works at once, or should I just pull out what I’ll need for the weekend?”

  Silas rested his hands on the steering wheel, looking ahead as his thumb tapped out a quick rhythm.

  “Silas?” she prompted, as she packed up the pajamas they had just bought.

  He glanced back at her again. “Umm…are you sure you’re okay with having Lily stay overnight?”

  “Completely sure.” But even as she replied, she picked up on a vague sense of unease. Probably ignited by what he’d heard the past half hour. “Are you okay with it?”

  Silas kept his eyes straight ahead. Then he sighed. “Of course I am.”

  Josie waited for him to elaborate on what was bothering him, but he said nothing more as he put the truck into gear and pulled out of the parking spot. So she made her choices from the clothes they had purchased, pulling the tags off and slipping them into one of the other bags. “Did you take any toiletries for her?”