The Lawman (Montana Men Book 1) by Vanessa Vale Page A

Now, I belonged. It wasn't just Ryder who gave me that level of comfort, but everyone in August Point. Almost everyone. The fear, that heavy weight that I carried, was lifting as well.
    Entering the Mercantile, I approached the counter and asked the man for two pounds of coffee, knowing our coffer was close to empty. After the introductions, I realized this was Mr. Murphy senior. He and his son had similar builds, similar features, and beyond the graying of hair and a few wrinkles, they were clearly father and son.
    "Hello, Eleanor."
    I turned at the sound of my name. Myrna. I pasted on a smile as I could tell from her fake one that she did not approach me out of friendship like the others in town had.
    "Good morning, Myrna," I replied.
    "It will never work," she said.
    I glanced around the store. We were alone, as Mr. Murphy had to retrieve the coffee from the back room.
    "What won't work?" I asked.
    Her gaze raked over me. "Your marriage. I mean, look at you." Her voice was taunting and petty. "I can only imagine the reason for your departure from Minnesota."
    She couldn't guess as to the real reason. I wasn't egotistical to think I was important enough for news of my incident to reach Myrna. She was insinuating something else entirely.
    "And what might that be?" I looked at her haughtily. I was married to Ryder. It didn't matter what she thought of me, he was still mine.
    "Clearly your moral turpitude had gotten the best of you." She looked down her nose at me. If she'd stop her frowning and negative nature, she'd be quite pretty.
    "Moral turpitude?"
    "There are names for women like you." She sniffed. "Harlot, slattern."
    "Oh, don't forget ‘whore,’" I added.
    Her mouth fell open as I agreed with her instead of fighting. The only way to please her would be if I waved from a departing stage.
    "Well, it must be true then."
    I shrugged. "You are going to believe what you wish of me, Myrna. You could just ask me outright my reasons for leaving Minneapolis, or you could listen to the talk that's spreading around town. Instead, you are making suppositions."
    "Then I'm thrilled to have discovered Ryder's true nature before I married him. I would not wanted to have subjected myself to a man that lowers himself to a whore's lifestyle."
    Now I was getting mad. It was one thing to toss slurs and insults at me, another altogether to speak poorly of Ryder. I took a step closer to her, using my few inches I had over her to loom. "Are you insinuating that Mr. Graves -" I enunciated his name clearly to indicate she did not have free license to partake of his surname - "has less than scrupulous standards?"
    "He's with you, isn't he? A man with such base needs can't be trusted. In fact, I question his ability to protect our community."
    The woman was so angry to have lost Ryder to me - to anyone, really - that she was speaking without thinking. Even knowing this, it did not condone her words. And my anger toward her did not condone my next action, but there was no choice. She'd slandered my husband. "You can say whatever you wish about me, Miss Flanders, but you may not talk like that about my husband. "
    So I punched her in the nose.
    She screamed, her hands flying up to cover her bleeding face.
    Mr. Murphy came running out of the back to see me standing directly in front of a weeping and bleeding Myrna Flanders. His mouth was pinched into a thin line, but he said nothing. Handing a clean handkerchief to Myrna, he helped her to sit on a stool, clucking over her.
    I shook out my wrist - that had hurt! - and picked up the brown parcel he'd brought from the back with him. "Thank you, Mr. Murphy. Please put the coffee on my husband's account." There was nothing I could do but leave. Word of my actions would spread across town faster than I could walk the distance home. At this moment, I didn't rightly care. I'd defended what was mine, just as much as Ryder had when he’d pulled me clear of Baxter’s threat. I knew then I'd do anything for