Free Charlene Sands by The Law Kate Malone

changed some.
    “Nora, I’d like to keep Jethro as my friend. Just as my friend. No offense, because Jethro is a good man, but my—”
    “Your heart belongs to the sheriff.”
    Kate hadn’t planned on admitting that to Nora. She’d intended to say that her time and energy had to go into the saloon, but Nora had been so honest and forthright in sharing her good news that Kate wanted to reciprocate by confiding in her. Having a new female friend took some getting used to, Kate mused. “Yes, but Cole and I see things differently. We’ll never have a real chance, Nora. I’ve come to understand that.”
    “But, you and Cole have been so close.”
    Kate shoved aside the remorse she felt at losing that one-time cherished closeness. “That was in the past. We were just children.”
    “And now?”
    Kate closed her eyes momentarily. When she reopened them, she knew the truth and wouldn’t hide it from her friend. Soon she and Cole would be on the opposite sides of the law. “Now, we’re nearly enemies.”

Chapter Six
    K ate took her seat on a pew in the First Presbyterian Church of Calaveras County, sitting next to the Cables. The men, Jethro and Abe, hugged the aisle seats, while Nora and Kate sat in the middle. Kate noted the many curious onlookers who kept turning their heads her way. They weren’t being cordial in the least but rather hoping to gain a bit of local gossip about the saloon gal, she mused.
    Kate was used to their scrutiny. It really didn’t bother her and, when their eyes met with hers, she smiled, noting that some chose to smile back. It was a start and Kate appreciated any gift, small as it may be.
    Not all the townsfolk were opposed to the opening of the saloon. But the ones who were primarily at odds with her had just walked through the wide double church doors.
    Cole, with his daughter Meggie in hand, entered alongside Patricia and Edward Wesley. Kate’s tenderheart skipped a beat seeing them together, all of them. They appeared a united front, a family. It’s what Cole had always wanted.
    Cole’s gaze found hers and lingered a moment, holding her hostage with the sharp blue of his probing eyes until he noticed Jethro sitting to her left. A scowl tightened the handsome features of Cole’s face then and he quickly looked away.
    Kate couldn’t help noticing Patricia. Schooled in Boston, she appeared the picture of social grace, dressed elegantly in a button-down light yellow gown of silk. She had a proprietary hand on Cole’s arm as they walked down the aisle to the pew reserved expressly for Edward Wesley. Some things just never changed.
    “Snooty Miss Wesley has hired my services for riding lessons,” Jethro whispered near Kate’s ear. “It surely won’t be a pleasure,” he said adamantly.
    Kate chuckled a bit too loudly, giving the churchgoers good reason to turn her way.
    “Be nice, Jethro,” Kate admonished without an ounce of sincerity. “We are in the house of God.”
    Jethro pulled his lips down into a deep frown. “I find it hard to remember my manners in Miss Wesley’s presence.”
    The good Reverend Pritchard cleared his throat, thus silencing the group. When he began his sermon on the value of obeying the law, Kate had the distinct feeling the entire service was intended for her solebenefit. Kate listened politely despite the stares she felt at her back.
    Dear sweet Nora caught on instantly and took hold of Kate’s hand, giving her a squeeze of reassurance. Kate thanked her blessings for the gift of Nora’s friendship. Although it wasn’t quite the same as her longstanding friendship with Cole, at least now she didn’t feel at such an utter loss.
    How she missed the camaraderie she and Cole had always shared.
    And all throughout the sermon, Kate’s gaze kept drifting to Cole and his daughter, sitting several pews up on the other side of the aisle. The little child sat ever so close to her father, and when she’d become a bit too fidgety, incapable of sitting still