for a simple purpose: to buy salt and lamp oil. Yet she felt eyes on her from the moment the impact struck. Murmurs rose like smoke—a strange girl, husbandless, a burden to the city.
Behind the counter, Mrs. Tate lifted her weight, her lips curling into a smile that didn't hide the warmth within. "What is it this time? More fighting that you couldn't stand?"
Anika felt a flame burn in her cheeks. Before she could reach the source, Caleb stepped out of the doorway, his broad shadow falling across the exit. I placed the delicate sack of grain on the counter with the skill of a man stacking firewood. His voice was calm and composed.
"I'll take care of her bills."
