Sober, last I saw him. He's been doing odd jobs around town. Trying, at least. It was the best news Evelyn had heard in weeks. Thank you for telling me.
After Coop left, she stood in the yard feeling the weight of invisible eyes judging her from miles away. She'd come out here to escape Red Hollow's judgment, but apparently distance didn't matter. People would talk regardless of the truth. Don't let it get to you, Holloway said, appearing beside her. Small-town gossip is like wildfire.
Burns hot and fast, but doesn't last. What if it does last? Then you keep your head up and do your job. That's all you can control. But the gossip had already planted seeds of doubt in the minds of the ranch hands.
Evelyn started noticing the way some of them looked at her, speculative, measuring. Billy stopped his cheerful flirting. Even Tommy seemed more distant. The breaking point came 3 weeks later during Saturday lunch service. Evelyn was bringing out a fresh pot of stew when she overheard two of the newer hands talking in voices they probably thought were quiet.
I'm telling you, she's working an angle. Women like that always are. You really think she's after the boss? Why else would she be spending so much time with the kid? She's setting herself up.
Evelyn set down the pot harder than necessary, making both men jump. "You have something to say to me?" she said coldly. "Say it to my face." The older of the two, a man named Garrett, who'd been working the ranch for maybe a month, stood up slowly. He was big, probably thought his size made him intimidating.
"Just making conversation, ma'am." "About me? Behind my back? While eating food I cooked for you?" "Didn't mean any offense."
"Then what did you mean?" Evelyn crossed her arms. "Go ahead, say it clearly." The room had gone silent. Every man was watching now, waiting to see how this would play out.
Garrett's face reddened. "Look, we all see what's going on. You're working the boss and his kid, trying to move up from cook to lady of the house. It's obvious." "Is it?"
Evelyn's voice was flat and dangerous. "And what evidence do you have for this theory?" "You spend half your time at the main house. You're always with the little girl. The boss protects you when people talk."
"I spend time at the main house because Mrs. Chen needs help, and Mr. Ridgewell requests it. I spend time with Lily because she's a lonely child who asked me to teach her to cook. And if people are talking, that's their problem, not mine. Still looks suspicious. Something in Evelyn snapped.
The weeks of exhaustion, the stress of trying to prove herself, the unfairness of being judged for doing nothing wrong, it all boiled over. You want to know what's suspicious, Garrett? A man who's been here less than a month thinking he has the right to comment on my character. You want to know what else is suspicious? The fact that you're apparently spending your work time gossiping like a washwoman instead of doing your job.