Free Shades of Honor by Wendy Lindstrom

around. As he pulled up, Rebecca sat at his side, gazing at the world around her as if seeing it all for the first time.
    Radford vaulted to the ground, caught Evelyn’s waist, and lifted her onto the back of the wagon before she knew what was happening. The feel of his strong hands around her ribs sent a queer thrill up Evelyn’s sides and she grasped his arms, looking down into his eyes.
    He smiled up at her. “You can let go now,” he said, nodding at her fingers gripping his biceps.
    “Oh!” She yanked her hands away and moved to the side of the wagon. “I wasn’t ready to board yet. I need to help Papa first.”
    With a casual step to the side, Radford blocked Evelyn’s descent. “I’ll give him a hand.” Radford turned away and placed the toolbox on the ground beside her father to use as a step. “Can you manage with that, William?”
    Her father eyed the box. “I can sure as heck try.”
    Evelyn stared at Radford, wondering what he was up to. He had deliberately put her out of the way then cut her off. Didn’t he realize that her father was too frail to board alone? “Wait, Papa,” she said. “You’ll hurt yourself.”
    “If I can’t hike these old bones aboard, Radford can give me a push.”
    Worried, but unwilling to argue with her father, Evelyn held her breath as she watched him struggle to climb aboard. He braced his weak left leg and stepped with the right, gripping his cane as he slowly made the step, and the next. When he finally collapsed onto the seat, his face was red, but his eyes held a look of victory.
    “Keep that...toolbox handy, son,” he said, winded but glowing.
    Radford laughed as he chucked the box onto the wagon bed and climbed aboard. With a wink at Evelyn that heated her blood as much as the feel of his hands on her waist had, Radford urged the Morgans forward and drove them to town.
      “Why don’t you leave Rebecca with Evelyn?” her father suggested to Radford when they stopped at Brown and Shepherd's store. “She ain’t interested in horse feed and flooring nails. There’s all kinds of gewgaws for her to look at in Aggie’s store.”
    “We’ll only be at the feed depot a few minutes, William.”
    “That’s right, so let Rebecca go snoop around here for a bit.”
    Evelyn saw the indecision in Radford’s expression, but he turned to his daughter and asked reluctantly, “Do you want to stay here?”
    Rebecca glanced at Evelyn, who encouraged her with a smile, then shifted her gaze back to her daddy. “Will you come back?”
    “Of course, sweetheart.” Radford’s expression softened and his shoulders dropped. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”
    “I will,” she said hesitantly.
    Radford’s expression said he didn’t want to leave Rebecca with anyone, but to Evelyn’s surprise, he climbed down and stood Rebecca on the boardwalk.
    Thank you, Papa!
Evelyn vaulted from the wagon before Radford could touch her again. Her ribs were still tingling from the feel of his hands on her waist.
    “I’ll keep her right beside me,” Evelyn said, then opened the door to Brown and Shepherd’s before Radford could change his mind.
    Rebecca followed Evelyn inside, her tiny nose pointed upward as she sniffed the air.
    Evelyn gestured to a table across the store. “The scented soaps and spices make it smell pretty in here. Look around if you like.”
    At first, Rebecca lingered near Evelyn, then grew bolder and began to wander the store.
    Evelyn selected a can of Eureka harness oil, a can of lard, a bag of flour, and a jar of molasses. Her hand lingered on a small cake of jasmine-scented soap, a fragrance her mother used to wear. She lifted it to her nose, basking in the lovely scent, immersing herself in the nostalgia of old memories.
    She could buy it this time if she wanted to. Business was already picking up now that folks knew Radford was at the livery.
    It pricked her pride, but Evelyn understood it wasn’t her lack of skill that caused her