Free In Your Arms (Montana Romance) by Merry Farmer

five different shelves without putting a single thing in your basket before you go throwing accusations at me.”
    The dark flush on her cheeks was all the proof of victory he needed. Her jaw was hard as stone as she snatched a tin of spice from the shelf.
    “Anise.” He snorted. “You would pick something pungent like that.”
    “ It soothes the stomach, Mr. Avery.” She threw it into her basket with enough force to dent the tin. “My stomach has been unusually upset lately.”
    His lips twitched with the effort not to smile. He liked her. A lot.
    “Then I’ll just have to—”
    “I’m looking for Michael West!”
    The statement—made in a booming voice by none other than Samuel Kuhn—stopped Christian’s comment and every other conversation in the store. The sudden silence was as startling as a gunshot. Samuel stood in the front doorway, brushing a dusting of snow off of his black wool coat with one hand and holding Lewis Jones, the stationmaster, fast by the sleeve with the other. He was every bit as irate as he’d been when he slammed the door on Christian the night before. Lewis was easily six inches taller but stood stooped, like he expected Samuel to hit him at any moment.
    “Well?” Samuel demanded when the startled shoppers did nothing but stare at him. “Where is Michael West?”
    Several sets of eyes turned to the curtained storeroom door as Michael emerged. He took one look at Samuel, adjusted his glasses, and glanced to Charlie. Charlie shrugged.
    “Can I help you?” Michael asked, stepping around the counter.
    “I most certainly hope you can. ” Samuel dragged Lewis to meet Michael in the space between the counter and the door.
    “This man tells me the station office was robbed last night,” Samuel began.
    “A window was broke and the till was cleaned out when I got in this morning,” Lewis explained. His shoulders were slumped and he eyed Samuel sheepishly.
    “It was the same Indians that robbed my house last night,” Samuel said.
    A ripple of gasps and murmuring flew through the store. Christian grimaced. He stepped away from Lily and toward the front of the store to stop Samuel’s nonsense before it infected the whole town.
    “I’m sorry to hear about this,” Michael said with a frown. “Theft is a serious problem.”
    “A string of thefts, more like.” Samuel finally let go of Lewis’s sleeve. “I demand you call a town council meeting so that we can vote to bring in the U.S. Army to stop these marauding Indians!”
    More whispers and gasps filled the store. Jed Archer stumbled out the front door, probably on his way to start rumors.
    “Those weren’t Indians who robbed your house last night, Samuel, and I doubt Indians robbed the station office either,” Christian said loud enough for everyone eavesdropping to hear.
    Samuel rounded on him as though he was trying to pick his pocket. “We have a crime spree on our hands and the justice of the peace refuses to act!”
    “I’m not refusing to act, I’m refusing to start a witch-hunt!”
    Samuel swayed towards Christian.
    Michael held up his hands to stop a fight. “Did you talk to Kent Porter about this?” he asked Samuel.
    “That miserable excuse for a sheriff wouldn’t know what to do with a thief if you dangled one in front of him.”
    “I take that as a no,” Michael said.
    “I want a town council meeting called,” Samuel pushed on. “I want the army to come in and take care of this problem. I want all Indians within a fifty mile radius sent packing, starting with that one!” He raised his voice and pointed behind Christian.
    Christian turned to see Lily standing with her back straight, her expression neutral, and her basket held in front of her like a shield. He saw red.
    “Leave Miss Singer out of this!” He rounded on Samuel.
    “Why?” Samuel wasn’t cowed. “She’s the heart of the problem. She allows savage children into the schools like they’re the same as other children. It emboldens the