Unending Devotion (Michigan Brides #1)(48)

Lily’s footsteps faltered. “You had no right to take Frankie.” The words burst out before she could stop them.

Maggie’s cheeks rose and her eyes narrowed in the telltale signs of a self-satisfied smile. “You had no right to interfere.”

Lily’s insides curdled. “I had every right to step in. And I won’t rest until I find a way to run you and your husband out of town.”

“Don’t waste your energy, sugar.” Maggie’s voice was laced with cold contempt. And before Lily could say anything more, the woman flipped the other side of her scarf over her shoulder and turned away.

Lily had the sudden urge to grab her, hold her hostage, threaten to pull off the scarf, and reveal her deformities unless she promised to let Frankie go. But instead, Lily watched with frustration as Maggie marched across the street, heading in the direction of the Stockade.

“Maggie Carr is a wicked woman,” Lily said as she walked into the Harrison Herald moments later. The air was heavy with the metallic scent of ink and oil. The steady thump-thump of the hand-fed printing press added to the pounding of her determination.

Stuart lifted his foot from the treadle of the jobber, and all the various wheels whirred to a standstill. His brow lifted with surprise. “What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be out of bed yet.”

Lily crossed the room to the only chair, which was piled with old newspapers. “If I have to stay in bed one more day, I’m going to wither up and die.” She hefted the papers onto the already littered desk.

“You need a couple more days of recuperation, at least.” Stuart’s voice rang with worry.

“I’ve weathered worse.” With her teeth, she tugged off her mitten. “Besides, I’m a strong woman.”

Stuart grabbed a rag and wiped his ink-blackened fingertips. “Come on. I’m taking you back.”

She dropped into the chair.

Haunted fear rimmed his eyes, as if he were seeing someone else instead of her. Was her illness bringing back too many memories of the wife he’d lost?

She wanted to tell him to stop worrying, that she wasn’t his wife and she wasn’t going to die—at least anytime soon. “I promise I’ll go back to bed just as soon as you agree to my plan.”

“What plan?” Connell’s voice came from the doorway.

Her heart skittered forward like a young colt learning to walk. She shifted in the chair, eager for another chance to see him. The encounter in the dining room the evening before had been too brief and had only left her longing for more of him.

He leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his fair hair was jabbed into an unruly mess, almost as if he’d spent a sleepless night in his office.

She gave him a smile, one that likely let him see all her desire. At the moment, she didn’t care if he knew how much she’d missed him.

But he didn’t smile back—not even to give her the barest hint of pleasure that he was as glad to see her as she was him, like he had last night. Instead, he looked tired, almost sad.

Her heartbeat tripped and stumbled over itself. What was wrong? Where was the sweet heat in his eyes that had recently reached out to caress her whenever they met?

“So what’s your plan?” he asked again.

Her smile faded, and what was left of it felt brittle. “I’m ready to start a Red Ribbon Society here in Harrison.”

Connell didn’t say anything.

“I know you don’t think it’ll make much of a difference,” she hurried. “But if we want to fight James Carr, we need to stir the public opinion against him. A Red Ribbon Society could be one way to do that.”

Stuart rubbed his beard as though pondering her suggestion. But Connell’s eyes only narrowed.

“Since we can’t use the law to stop that villain,” she said more emphatically, “our only choice is for all the God-fearing citizens of Harrison and the surrounding area to rise up and drive him out.”

Both men were quiet. The only sound was the pop of wood in the corner stove.

Had she grabbed their attention? Would they go for her plan? Her blood spurted with a burst of anticipation. “Of course you’ll still need to investigate Carr’s dealings and see if you can find something concrete against him. But in the meantime, we can begin to expose his corruption to everyone in the county.”

Stuart nodded. “Okay. I see where you’re going with this. And it just might work.”

“Maybe you could print up flyers announcing the start of the Red Ribbon Society along with the date and time of our first meeting.”

“If we rally everyone against him,” Stuart continued, “it’ll be a lot easier to bring him down when we finally do have solid evidence.”

“Exactly.”

His eyes took on a spark that matched the fervor inside her.

Connell’s tired expression only drooped. “Your idea has potential,” he finally said. “But you have to remember Carr is a dangerous man, and he’ll find a way to hurt anyone who takes a stand against him. I doubt you’ll find many who will want to risk making an enemy of him.”

“That’s why we’ve got to band together against him,” she said. “There’s power in solidarity. And usually once a few people make a stand, the rest will follow.”