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“Or possibly the intrepid Jane Swisshelton correspondent? Especially since I’d never planned on having a career at all, especially this one”

“No,” her irascible boss countered “You came in here and bullied me into takin’ you on, when I’d no intention of hirin’ anybody else Certainly not soerous alien never before seen on earth

And, as if in derision for his oeakness, he had aimed a perfect hit at the nearby spittoon

Thoughtful, Hannah sipped at her cup of coffee Drinkable, since she herself had brewed the pot fresh this , despite Oliver’s complaint that she would soon bankrupt the paper with her expensive tastes Siround beans to the original infusion, as thewith a clean coffeepot

Men, she had been heard to mutter

All in all, she liked what she was doing now, even if she had had to hound Oliver for the position More to the point, unless she kept busy, she was leading a lonely life, and so it With all three sisters married and settled into their ho house, under Mrs McKnight’s doting but too-vigilant eye

Much as she enjoyed pottering in the dirt, as Molly had teased, with her gardening business, the season had wound down and she was looking forward to a quiet winter without plants to care for They were like children, she supposed, needing food and water and a good place to grow Sometiet to ever being blessed with a family of her own It hardly seemed fair that she alone ood strong mate at her side

“You woolgatherin’ again, Missy?”

“Of course I am, Mr Crane That’s when I do my best work”

“Huh” Typicalthat included the word “respect,” he shoved the slipping spectacles back into place on his beaky nose and returned to the advertiseether

Hannah wasn’t really daydrea thethe article for print In between, she did occasionally stare out the , just to clear her mind

Every good writer kno this works Hitting a brick wall, when the ideas siel and the words refuse to flow, can cause a logjao for long walks Soe in housekeeping tasks, such as washing s or beating the dust fro

For thisa cool breeze pick up a stash of crisp oak leaves and swirl them off down the street like a htly more temperamental and chill, rattled a few of the smaller branches As if to offer a foretaste of the winter to come It was Nove Dinner just a few days away

Another social event to cover Oh, well At least she’d partake of a wonderful meal

“You off in another world now, Miss Burton?”

Hannah sighed “I’ under a deadline Here, I’ve finished Is there anything else you need for me to do?”

He looked up at her over his spectacles, taking in the neat and trim black striped dress—almost a uniform—covered by a leather apron that protected fabric from the usual wear and tear of a printer’s shop “You wanna head on over to the Sittin’ Eat and find out if Ezra is plannin’ to run his weekly ad, and, if so, does he want us to keep things the same?”

“Of course” Hannah, having reht coat and reticule “Shall I tactfully remind him of his unpaid invoice from last month?”

“Good point Yeah, remind him And no need to be tactful about it”

She took care of her allotted task at the Sittin’ Eat, both confirhtly refused Ezra’s enthusiastic offer of so to drink, maybe just so out the door; boss is a tyrant, you know

A new enterprise had just recently cropped up in town, and its doors, she discovered as she prepared to pass on by, were open for business

Several on train in which she and her sisters had arrived at Turnabout more than six months prior, had pulled into Main Street Gossip quickly spread that it was a woatory half dozen or so e of the group Within just a few days she had settled herself and her entourage at the Drinkwater, begun to search available properties for a residence, and purchased a valuable corner building at the edge of the commercial district

She had signed the hotel register as Mrs Abigail Fitzsiive a clue to her identity But only a few in the area had actually been introduced to the lady Fewer still had taken on the task of developing and creating a practical interior for her venture, to the lady’s specifications, since her eht in on the construction

Hannah, who had not yet met the new resident, and had not even been treated to a description, occasionally wondered as going on behind those closed doors and those covered s Other than a plethora of haruntled oath of a worker

Located several blocks away frolassthat looked out upon as atteo) to be a s bushes, a bench or two, and some flowers far past their prime