by Bobbi Smith
"Is your first name Michael by any chance?" She tried to smile back at him, but the effort left her grimacing in pain.
"No. My name's Logan."
He was relieved that she hadn't been traumatized by what had happened, but as his gaze went over her features and he saw the bruise forming on her cheek from the soldier's vicious blow, rage pounded through him. No woman should ever be abused, and certainly not this one. She was too fragile, too beautiful. She seemed the portrait of innocence, and he felt a sudden unexpected need to protect her and shield her from harm. In that moment, if the two men had stood before him again, he would have forgotten all about posing as the peace-loving reverend and exacted some savage revenge for what they'd done to her.
"Well, thank you, Reverend Logan Matthews. I don't know what the children and I would have done if you hadn't gotten here when you did." She kept his handkerchief pressed to her lip as she started to turn and go for the children. As she moved, a wave of lightheadedness threatened, and she swayed a bit on her feet.
Logan saw her distress and was quick to help, moving closer to put a helping hand at her elbow. He thought again how fragile she seemed to his touch, and yet she had bravely defended the children at the risk of her own life without thought.
At his simple touch on her arm, a shiver of awareness went through Eden, surprising her. Suddenly, she found herself confronted with the hard manly strength of him up close, and it was a solid, comforting feeling. When he stepped back and moved away from her, she felt strangely bereft. Only Miss Jenny's call as she came rushing down the steps distracted Eden from her unexpected desire to be back in the safety of the stranger's arms.
"Eden! Is everything all right? The children told me some terrible Yankees were down here and that you'd been hurt!" Jenny Jones appeared at the top of the steps surrounded by frightened children, some of whom were clinging to her skirts and making it difficult for her to descend. She had been teaching in a classroom at the rear of the second floor and hadn't heard the commotion in the main hallway until the children had come to get her. "Oh, my dear! Do you need the doctor?" she cried when she saw Eden's injury.
"No, I don't need the doctor. My cheek's only bruised. I'll be all right."
"But you're bleeding. Are you sure?" Jenny reached the hall and hurried to Eden's side. She wondered who the gentleman and the boy were, standing with her.
"Yes-yes, I'm sure."
Reassured by her words, the children ran forward to surround Eden in a loving crush. "Miss Eden-"
She hugged them back as best she could.
Jenny looked down the hallway and noticed the damage to the front door. "What happened?"
"Two Yankees broke in, but everything is fine now, thanks to Reverend Matthews here," Eden said simply. "Reverend, this is Jenny Jones. She's a teacher here at the Haven."
Logan turned to the attractive, middle-aged, blond-haired woman. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Jones."
"Just call me Jenny," she invited. "And you're a minister? Well, thank heaven you showed up when you did, Reverend. You saved Eden and all of us at the Haven today."
"I was glad I could help," he answered sincerely.
"Why would the Yankees do something like this?" Jenny still couldn't believe what had happened. "They've never bothered us before."
"They were drunk," Logan explained. "And they said somebody threw a chamber pot at them from an upstairs window. They wanted to find the one who did it."
"Someone threw a chamber pot out a window?" Jenny repeated incredulously, aghast. She was a lady through and through, and could not fathom such behavior from one of their charges. She turned a questioning look on the older boys who had been up on the third floor unsupervised.
Paul and the boys who'd been with him stood a little back from the other younger children, their expressions guarded, their eyes downcast.
"Do you boys know anything about this?" Eden asked them pointedly.
Guilt ate at Paul. He realized with chagrin that it was all his fault. He was responsible for the attack on Miss Eden. His hands tightened into fists at his sides. He had thought he was helping to rescue the ladies outside. He had thought he was saving them from the filthy Yankees, and yet his actions had had terrible consequences. He swallowed tightly. He knew the other boys wouldn't tell on him, but he also knew he couldn't lie to Miss Eden. He had to tell her the truth.
"Miss Eden," Paul said in a flat voice as he stepped forward, lifting his gaze to look her in the eye. "I'm the one who threw the pot at them."
A murmur of surprise ran through the children. Everyone turned to stare at Paul.
"Paul? You did it?" The shock was evident in Eden's expression. Paul was such a quiet boy. She would never have suspected him, for he had never been in any trouble before.
"Yes, ma'am. I did it, but I never thought this would happen! I'm sorry!"
"But why?" she asked, trying to control the anger she was feeling over his actions. This wasn't like Paul at all. She knew there had to be more to it than a stupid prank.
"I was trying to help-"
"Help who?" Eden asked.
"It was Miss Gabrielle and Miss Veronica. They'd just left to go home when the Yankees-"
"Gabrielle and Veronica?" Eden gasped, horrified. They were two lovely ladies who volunteered to help out at the Haven one day a week, and they had left a short time before. "What happened to them? Why didn't they come back inside?"
"I don't know. I guess because those Yankees"-he said the word with pure loathing"were hurting them and they couldn't get away. That's why I threw the chamber pot. I had to try to make them stop-to make them let the ladies go! I never thought they'd come in here or hurt you." Tears threatened, but Paul fought against them. He did not want to appear weak before the other children.
Eden saw his distress and went to put her arm around his shoulders.
"What you did was a brave thing, Paul," she told him. "Not everyone would have tried to come to their aid." She added quietly, "We'll talk more in the office." Looking to the others, she said, "Everything's fine now, Miss Jenny"
"Good, good," the older woman answered, then turned to the minister. "Thank you so much for your help, Reverend Matthews. I hate to think what might of have happened to us if you hadn't come to our aid." She shuddered visibly, for she had heard just how vile the Yankees could be.
"It was fortunate Mark and I arrived when we did."
"Yes, it certainly was. What do you say to Reverend Matthews, children?"
"Thank you, Reverend Matthews," they told him in unison.
"All right, children. Let's go back up to the classroom," Jenny announced.
Jenny herded them up the stairs, leaving Eden, Reverend Matthews, and the two boys alone in the main hall.
Eden turned to Logan and the boy standing at his side.
"So your name is Mark?" Eden smiled at the youth, assuming he was the reverend's son.
"Yes, ma'am."
"And you're Eden?" Logan countered with a slight smile.
"Oh-I'm sorry. I never did introduce myself," she said quickly, embarrassed that in all the confusion she'd never told him her name. "Yes, I'm Eden. Eden LeGrand."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Eden LeGrand," he said.
"Some other way, I think, might have been better for a first introduction," she said.
"Yes, it would have been, but I'm just glad everything turned out all right."
"Why don't we talk in the office?" She and Paul led the way into Adrian's office.
Logan and Mark followed. Eden went to sit behind the desk and Paul took the chair to its side, leaving the two visitors the seats in front of the desk.
"As Miss LeGrand said, that was a very brave thing you did, Paul," Logan began, studying the boy who was sitting beside Eden, his expression sullen. "I don't doubt for a minute that those two soldiers were accosting ladies on the street, just as you said they were. It was good of you to try to help them."
At his words, Paul's expression
subtly changed. He'd been feeling bad enough that Miss Eden had been hurt, and he was expecting to be punished for his actions. This stranger's unexpected praise startled him.
"Paul's a very special young man, Reverend," Eden put in, smiling at the boy.
"I can see that, and I can tell that you're smart." He looked Paul in the eye. "That's why I want you to learn from what happened here today. In the future, if you ever witness anything like that again, go get an adult to help you. If I hadn't arrived at the Haven right as the two soldiers were breaking into the building, things would have turned out very differently for everyone this afternoon."
"Yes, sir."
Eden was pleased that the minister cared enough to take the time to talk to Paul. "Rev erend Matthews is right. Those were two very big, very mean men, and they were coming after you.
Paul nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused, Miss Eden. And I'll fix the door for you, I promise."
"Do you think you can?" She was worried that it might be too badly damaged.
"I'll go look at it." Paul got up and started from the room.
"If you need any help, Paul, let me know," Logan volunteered.
"Yes, sir."
"You are being so good to us," Eden told the reverend.
"I'm just glad I can help in some way."
"Did you say you had been coming here to see us today?"
"Yes, I wanted to meet with your director, Adrian Forrester, but I take it he's not here." Logan's plans had changed drastically since he'd started out that morning to make his first contact with the Haven, from his encounter with Mark to the drunken Yankees, but it didn't matter. He was prepared to do whatever was necessary to win the trust of those who worked here at the orphanage. He had to get close to Forrester in some way, and fate had handed him another opportunity to ingratiate himself by confronting the drunks at the home. He was going to take full advantage of it.
"Adrian is away. He won't be back until sometime next week. Was your visit personal, or is there something I can help you with? I'm in charge while he's gone," Eden offered, surprised by the news that the minister had really been coming to see them. They didn't get many visitors at the Haven. She'd thought he'd just been passing by and had heard the commotion the soldiers had made breaking through the door, and had come to their aid.
Logan was immediately suspicious of Forrester's absence, and he wondered what had called him away from the orphanage. He would let Sam know that Forrester was gone when he met with him later that night. If the director of the home proved to be the mastermind behind the Rebel group that had raided the Bayou Belle, he might be off planning another attack. Logan would have to keep a careful eye on the man when he returned.
"I would like to speak with you, but it can wait until another time, considering what you've just been through."
"I'm fine, really," Eden insisted. Her lip had finally stopped bleeding, and though her cheek still ached, the pain wasn't too severe. "There's no need for you to go. What can we do for you? We owe you so much already-"
"You don't owe me anything. I'm just glad things worked out the way they did."
"Why were you coming to the Haven?"
"I'm from St. Louis. A month or so ago, news reached us there about the Homeless Haven Orphans' Asylum and the wonderful job you're doing here. There are quite a few Southern sympathizers in St. Louis, and they were touched by your undertaking with the children. They wanted to help you in some way, so I took up a collection from several congregations to support your work. I've brought it with me." He reached inside his coat and took out the envelope that was thick with the funds he'd been carrying for just this moment. He presented it to Eden.
Eden's eyes widened in disbelief as she opened the sealed envelope and counted the donations. She was shocked by the generosity of the gift.
Mark was looking on, too, and he had never seen so much money all at one time before-and the minister was giving it all away!
"Reverend Matthews-this is so..." She paused and looked up at him, her eyes misting with heartfelt tears. "Wonderful. How can we ever repay you?"
"It's a present. Don't even think of any repayment. The pleasure is all mine, believe me."
And Logan meant it.
The pleasure was his, for things were definitely going his way. Eden LeGrand, the acting director of the Haven, was accepting him without question. He was right where he wanted and needed to be.
"Thank you."
"I'm just glad to be able to offer some aid. These children need all the help and moral support we can give them."
"You're right about that. Times are very hard right now. Some days, we have trouble getting enough food for everyone."
"I am planning to stay in New Orleans for a while. If you're in need of help, I'd be more than happy to work with you here."
"We'd be honored to have you with us, Reverend. We have prayers every day, but it would be wonderful if the children could have regular contact with a minister." Eden couldn't believe their good fortune. She'd been praying for a miracle, and it looked as if her prayers had been answered. Reverend Matthews had come to them in their desperate hour of need, and now he was going to stay on and help. "Do you know how long you'll be in town?"
"Until God's calling sends me elsewhere," he answered.
"Is there anything we can do for you? You've been so generous and caring-"
"No. My needs are few, but young Mark here-"
"Mark is your son?"
Mark had remained quiet as he'd sat at Logan's side listening to all that transpired, but he tensed at her words.
"I ain't his son," he spoke up quickly, a sharpness in his tone as he denied the reverend before the reverend could deny him.
"You're not?" Eden was honestly surprised by the news. With their dark coloring, she had thought them father and son.
"No, we're not related," Logan affirmed. "Young Mark here is in need of a place to call home. He's fallen upon hard times with the death of his parents, and I was hoping he could find shelter with you at the Haven."
"Of course, Mark is welcome here," Eden said as she looked over at the boy, then back at Logan. "Did Mark travel down from St. Louis with you?"
Mark cast a sidelong, nervous glance at the preacher, unsure of how Reverend Matthews was going to answer her. If the reverend told this lady the truth-that he'd tried to steal his horse and that he'd stolen food from the store-she might not want him there at the orphanage. He remained silent, waiting to hear the reverend's response. Defensively, he told himself he didn't want to live there at the orphanage anyway, so it really didn't matter what Reverend Matthews told her. If she didn't want him to stay there, that would be just fine with him.
"Mark and I met down by the riverfront just today," Logan began, carefully choosing his words. "He was admiring my horse, and we struck up a conversation."
Mark had been prepared for the worst. The preacher's answer shocked him. As he listened to this man of God, he realized that Reverend Matthews had not only avoided all the ugliness of their first encounter, but nothing he'd revealed to the woman was a lie. He'd told Miss Eden the truth, he just hadn't added all of the details.
Deep within him, Mark felt the ache of a longabsent, more tender emotion begin to grow, but he fought to ignore it. Any gentle feelings were a weakness, and he couldn't afford to be weak. The preacher meant nothing to him, and Mark didn't really care if he ended up in this asylum or not. Eventually Reverend Matthews was going to leave, and they'd never see each other again, so it didn't matter.
Eden looked over at the boy and said gently, "It seems like the Lord made sure the both of you were in the right place at the right time today so you could meet."
"Yes, ma'am," Mark answered respectfully, but all the while he was thinking that he seriously doubted that God had wanted him to try to steal the minister's horse to make his getaway after stealing the food.
She was about to say more when Paul returned to stand in the doorway.
"I think I can fix the door, Miss Eden," he told her.
"Good. Why don't you let Mark here help you with it, while I show the Reverend around the Haven?"
"Yes, ma'am." Paul looked at Mark.
The other boy got up to follow him.
"Mark, do you have any personal belongings with you?" Eden asked as he was about to leave the office.
"No, ma'am."
It never failed to touch Eden when she learned of the children who suffered so much at the hands of this merciless war. To be destitute and alone in the world at such a young age could be heartbreaking. That was why she volunteered to work here. That was why she did all she could to make Homeless Haven more than just a building to house orphans. She wanted this place to truly be a haven. She wanted the children who lived here to know that they were loved. She wanted it to be their home. She would make sure that Mark had a change of clothing before the day was out.
"Reverend, would you like to take a look around? I can give you a guided tour right now." She locked the envelope with the money in the top desk drawer and stood up.
"I'd like that," Logan told her. His smile was genuine as he, too, got to his feet. He picked up his Bible to carry it with him.
At his smile, Eden found herself once again thinking what an attractive man he was. She'd been around many handsome men before, but there was something about Reverend Matthews that really appealed to her.
The old adage "drawn like a moth to a flame" echoed in Eden's thoughts, and she was momentarily puzzled by it. There was nothing dangerous about this man. If anything, he truly was like a guardian angel. He was a minister doing God's work. She had only to look at the donation he'd just given to the home to know that. He was the answer to her prayers-a godsend.
"This is Adrian's office, and his personal living quarters are there." Eden pointed to a door leading off to the side of the room.
It was then that she noticed he was still carrying his Bible.
"You can leave your Bible here in the office, if you'd like. We'll come back here before you leave," she offered.
"Thanks, but I always carry it with me." Logan didn't want to risk leaving it behind just in case one of the children might pick it up. There would be no explaining the gun secreted inside. He added with a smile, "It makes me feel as if I'm `armed.'"
