Coldwater Creek

Chapter 9

"What do you mean you can't dance?" Daniel asked as he casually followed me around the store as I filled a customer order.

Sheriff Coleman had decided that the best course of action to keep me safe from the threat of Roses was to make sure I was never alone. Someone was constantly with me, whether it one of my cousins, Uncle Mathew, the Sheriff, or Deputy Knight. They switched it up, trying to make it not look like I was being supervised.

Today was day four of my babysitting order and I was beginning to feel a bit stir crazy.

"It seems pretty self explanatory to me," I responded with a pointed look through the shelf at my current babysitter. "I can't dance plain and simple."

"So you can ride wild horses, play cards like an outlaw, cook, sew, and hold your own against your cousins, but you can't dance?" He scoffed stepping around the shelf to where I was. "It really isn't that hard."

"Oh?" I could see where his train of thought was taking him and needed to derail it quickly. "Here, take this up to the counter," I instructed, shoving a sack of flour into his arms instead.

"How are you supposed to dance at the town social if you don't know how to dance?

"Easy," I called over my shoulder as I went to fetch more items. "I just don't."

His laugh echoed through the store as I finished up gathering up everything on the list and placing them aside.

Outside the sun was shining and I itched to be out there enjoying it.

"Remind me why I can't be out there," I grumbled, grabbing a broom.

"Because the Roses could be nearby."

"Roses?" Allison Bird fairly cried as she stepped into the store. "Emma Collins, what have you done to bring the hellfire of the Roses down on us?"

Fury clouded my thoughts as I went to respond to her nasty ways, but before I could open my mouth Daniel cut in.

"Now Miss Bird, Miss Collins has done nothing to bring the Roses here, we are just trying to stay safe when there have been reports of them being nearby."

"Oh Deputy," she crowed, daintily grabbing his arm. "How dreadful! My daddy owns the bank here in town! What if they come after me?"

I rolled my eyes, returning to the task at hand. Leave it to Allison to only be concerned about her own safety and not about her father and brother who worked in the bank. Though part of me liked the idea of the Roses riding off with Allison and never having to see her again, the greater part knew that the Roses were a fate worse than death.

I felt a twinge of jealousy, hearing his kindness toward Allison. Immediately, however, I scolded myself. He was simply doing his job as the Deputy of our town to make the citizens feel safe and protected. I had no claim to his reassurances just because I happened to make his job more difficult.

I set to sweeping the store, doing my best to ignore the conversation happening in the store, though I liked to imagine Danile sounded like he would rather be talking to anyone but Allison.

I glanced up from my work just in time to see Allison's dreadful brother, Dakota, checking his reflection in the storefront window, carefully making sure every hair was slicked back in place. I wanted to run and hide, but since Uncle Matthew and Aunt Hattie were out making deliveries and Clara was covering the Cafe, there was no one to take my place in the store. So instead of running, I returned my broom to its place and took my place behind the counter. It would be easier to dodge Dakota's advances if there was something between us. Unfortunately, my position only made me stand closer to Allison flirting away with our new Deputy.