wouldn’t she claim her own?”
“You’ve got some nerve, Woodburn, accusing one of them of such a thing,” Cooper shouted as he remembered the morning Winnie arrived. She hadn’t remembered the color of her bag, or how to get it open. She’d worn her traveling clothes until he’d taken her to town to shop. “My sisters are not thieves!” He yelled the words as if ordering them to be true.
Woodburn looked as miserable as Cooper felt. “Then why didn’t they return my luggage? Theft is the only reason I can come up with and that doesn’t make much sense since my bag only contained clothes and the journal I’ve kept since the war.”
Cooper wanted to ?atten Woodburn. The man had been asking for it for years. The way he talked, reminding everyone he was not a Southerner. The way he looked down on folks in town. The way he wormed his way into every conversation Cooper had with Winnie lately. Anyone would think she’d known him for years, knew his every thought, the way she talked about him.
Grabbing the front of Woodburn’s jacket, Cooper pulled him forward as his right ?st connected with Woodburn’s jaw in a powerful pop.
The Yankee made no move to defend himself.
Cooper seized the other side of his jacket and hauled Woodburn to within an inch of his nose. “No man insults my sisters.”
He shoved the Yankee hard against the wagon and delivered a blow to his midsection. Just as his ?st connected, Winnie’s scream shattered the air.
“Stop!” She ran toward them. “Stop!”
Cooper backed away, letting Woodburn crumple to the ground like a broken toy. He held his arms open to Winnie, planning to assure her he was all right, the Yankee hadn’t landed a single blow.
But Winnie ran right past him and knelt beside Woodburn. “Miles! Miles! Are you all right?”
Hooking his hand under Winnie’s arm, Cooper tried to pull her to her feet. The shock of seeing her brother ?ghting must have pushed her over the edge. Woodburn was also trying to push the crazy woman away from him, but Winnie would have none of it. She felt Woodburn’s face and patted on him as though trying to ?uff a pillow, while she searched for any breaks or blood.
“Winnie.” Cooper pulled harder, but lifting her was like trying to shovel quicksand. “You don’t know what this is about. Stay out of it.”
“No! You don’t know.” She leaned over the shop owner, wiping her tears off his lapel. “Miles won’t ?ght you. He swore he would never lift a hand against another man after the war. He’s never told anyone, not even his sister, but he’d let someone beat him to death before he fought again.”
She continued patting on the man. Cooper stepped back, trying to clear his mind. He’d caught his sister’s insanity. She worried over Woodburn and, in Cooper’s opinion, Woodburn wasn’t making near enough protest.
“Winnie? If he’s never told anyone, how do you know?”
The Yankee slowly stood and helped Winnie to her feet. She didn’t even come to his shoulder now so she had to content her smothering to dusting his jacket.
“She knows”-Woodburn stared at Cooper-“because she’s read my journal.” He let the words sink in before adding, “… that was in my bag.”
Cooper looked at Winnie. She didn’t have to say a word; he read the truth on her face. If she’d traveled with the James brothers, they would have never had a career long enough to ?ll a column, much less a dime novel.
Johanna’s voice snapped orders from somewhere behind them. “Come inside, all of you. What would the neighbors think if we lived close enough for them to hear you? We will sort this problem out over coffee. I’m sure it is just a misunderstanding.”
To his oldest sister, the War Between the States had been “just a misunderstanding.” Why should Cooper be surprised Johanna viewed Winnie’s theft and his beating an innocent man any differently?
They all sat down at the table while Winnie went to get the luggage she’d lifted the day she arrived. Cooper knew he was going to have to apologize to a man he didn’t like. That fact bothered him more than the sudden revelation that his sister had sticky ?ngers.
Emma poured everyone a cup of coffee, but no one drank. “I knew something was amiss,” she said to anyone at the table who would listen. “I just knew it. I have a feeling for these things, you know, always have.”
Cooper felt like counting “one,” for he knew Emma’s statement would be repeated at least a hundred times.
Johanna excused herself, saying someone must attend to dinner. On her way to the kitchen, she paused to invite Mr. Woodburn to join them as if he were here on a social call and hadn’t been being slugged by her brother only moments before.
When Woodburn declined, she smiled and said, “Maybe another time,” before disappearing into the kitchen.
Johanna might be a ball of ?re when ?ghting for the date of a party, but trouble was like dust to her way of thinking. It should be swept under the rug and never spoken about.
Winnie brought in the brown bag she’d carried home the day she arrived in Minnow Springs and handed it to Miles. “I mended all your clothes. Most were in need of a stitch or two.”
Miles lifted a shirt from the bag. Winnie’s ?ne stitches could barely be seen. “I’ve been wearing this shirt with the collar torn loose for some time.” He nodded a silent thankyou to Winnie. “I should have replaced it, but the rip didn’t show if I kept my jacket on. I try not to ask my sister to take care of me and my sewing skills are nonexistent.”
He pulled his dress coat from the bag and ran his hand along all the buttons. “I thank you for this. It was no small task.”
Winnie smiled. “I guessed that no one sewed for you. And the buttons were no problem; Cooper had ones on his dress coat he never uses.” She glanced at Cooper daring him to argue. “I replaced all of your efforts so the stitches should hold as long as the material does. It took a few nights more time than I imagined it would, I’m afraid. I meant to get your things back to you as soon as possible.”
She brushed her hand over the material as though it somehow partly belonged to her now. “I didn’t mind the work, though. It was kind of like I had someone to do things for, if only for a while. I’ve never had that.” She blinked away a tear bubbling in her eye.
“Why didn’t you tell us, Winnie? How could you have simply kept his things?” Emma circled the table, a onewoman war party. “Sewing a gentleman’s clothes as if he were your man and not some stranger. It beats all I’ve ever heard of.”
Embarrassment warmed Winnie’s round cheeks. “I’m sorry.” She lowered her head. “I didn’t mean any harm. I only wanted to pretend for a while.”
Cooper felt so sorry for Winnie he wanted to hit Woodburn again. The Yankee didn’t much look like he would mind. He must have hated like hell to ride all the way out here and accuse Winnie of stealing.
“How’s your jaw?” Cooper wanted to say he was sorry, but the words clogged his throat.
Woodburn rubbed the side of his face and met Cooper’s stare. “It’ll be sore for a few days, but I’ll live.”
Apology issued. Apology accepted.
“Did you read his journal too?” Emma rounded the table again. “Winnie, you read a man’s private thoughts? How could you? It’s a crime, nothing but a crime. Why, you never even got so much as a letter from a man, and now you read a whole journal. It’s a wonder someone doesn’t lock you away for doing such a thing.”
Winnie took a step backward, offering no defense.
Woodburn stood so fast coffee splashed from every cup on the table. “Mr. Adams,” he said in almost a shout, “as the only male in this family, I feel it is only proper to address you about a matter.”
No one breathed as Cooper stood. He wasn’t sure what he would do if Woodburn suggested ?ling charges against Winnie. She’d already admitted her guilt, but Emma was the only person alive who’d think of locking Winnie up for mending someone’s clothing.
Cooper closed his eyes and waited. Right or wrong, she was his sister and he’d ?ght any battle the Yankee lined out if he had to for her. “What do you suggest, Mr. Woodburn?”
“I suggest, Miss Winnie agreeing, of course, that you give me permission to call on your sister. My intentions are honorable, I assure you.”
Winnie giggled in surprise.
