A Baby Between Them

by Winnie Griggs

  Her comment caught Cam off guard. A lesser person would be grumbling to God for putting them through all that Nora and her sisters had obviously endured. Yet here she was, praising Him instead for the good that had come out the other side of that valley.

  “How long have Will’s mother and Ben known each other?”

  She was obviously ready to turn the subject to a less personal topic. “Quite a while I’d guess. Certainly since before I wound up in Faith Glen, back when Ben was sheriff himself instead of stepping back to be deputy.”

  That expressive brow of hers rose. “Oh, I didn’t realize you weren’t raised here. Where are you from?”

  Now it was his turn to shift uncomfortably. Trust his sharp-witted housekeeper to pick up on that. “I was born in Boston. I didn’t move here until I was nearly sixteen.” And that was all he was going to say on that subject. “So why the interest in Ben and Esther?”

  “Oh, just something I noticed today that made me wonder if they were more than just casual friends.”

  “Ben and Esther?” He grinned at the thought. “Now wouldn’t that beat all?”

  She waved a hand. “Oh, I’m probably wrong. Weddings just tend to bring out the romantic in folks.”

  “Speaking of Ben,” Cam added, “he and Gavin pounced on that last slice of the pie you left for me Friday. Thought I was going to have to wade in and referee when they started arguing over who got the biggest piece. They said to tell you it was the best they’d ever tasted.”

  He saw her cheeks pinken and her blue eyes light up at the praise. Delight looked good on her.

  “That was nice of them to say. Maybe I should stick an extra pie in the oven come baking day. Wouldn’t want Faith Glen’s fine, upstanding lawmen to be found squabbling over a bit of pastry.”

  Was no-nonsense Nora making a joke? “You won’t get an argument on that score from me. Just add the ingredients to my tab at the general store when you do the marketing.”

  They rounded the last bend and the cottage came into view. Just as he had every time he’d been here since the incident with the horse thief, Cam carefully studied the area around the cottage for anything that might look suspicious or out of place. But, just as before, nothing seemed amiss.

  Still, he’d make his rounds before he left, same as always.

  He didn’t intend to take any chances. As sheriff, it was his duty to protect Nora Murphy, whether she wanted that protection or not. The memory of another time, of another young mother he’d let down intruded, but he determinedly pushed it aside.

  There was no way he’d ever allow such a thing to happen again on his watch. He didn’t think he could survive such a tragedy a second time.

  Chapter Three

  Nora leaned back and inhaled a breath of in-this-moment contentment. The sight of the cottage as they rounded that final bend always filled her with such joy and pride. Already this felt like home to her. How could her sisters believe she would ever want to leave it?

  She glanced down at Grace and made a silent pledge. I promise you that, whatever else shall be, in this home you shall never want for love.

  “You know, I was thinking,” her companion said slowly, “most of the urgent repairs are done on the place. Before you spend all your money on additional repairs, you might want to look into getting yourself a horse and wagon of your own.”

  Nora’s cheeks heated in embarrassment. Had she overstepped on his kindness somehow? Since the day she’d moved into the cottage a few weeks ago, he’d insisted on bringing his wagon around to pick her up in the mornings and bring her back in the evenings. She’d protested at first, but as usual he’d ignored her. He’d said at the time that it was no trouble, but she wondered now if perhaps he’d changed his mind.

  “Of course,” she said quickly. “I didn’t intend to take advantage of your kindness. You’re a busy man and it’s an easy walk into town from here—”

  “Hold on,” he said, interrupting her. “That’s not what I meant. I don’t mind one bit giving you a lift into town on workdays. In fact, it gives me an opportunity to start my rounds by checking things out on this side of town.”

  She wasn’t entirely convinced that he was being completely honest. “Then was there some other reason you brought this up?”

  “What I was thinking was that if there’s ever any kind of emergency out here it would be handy for you to have your own transportation.”

  “Emergency?”

  “You know, like if one of the Coulters or Grace got hurt or took ill.”

  “Oh, I see. I hadn’t really thought of that.” But she was thinking of it now. The Coulters were quite frail. And if something should happen to Grace…

  “I can find you a good deal,” the sheriff assured her. “I’ll even loan you the money and you can pay me back a little at a time.”

  Seemed he was always doing that—loaning those in need the means to get by. Well, she wasn’t one of his charity cases. “That’s very kind of you but we’ve managed to make do this long, we can get by a bit longer until I can save up the funds.”

  “No offense, and I know you have your pride and all, but I really think we should go ahead and take care of this now.”

  Of all the high-handed— “Sheriff Long, I appreciate your concern, but this is really not your decision to make.”

  Her not-so-veiled reprimand failed to have the desired effect. “Now don’t go getting all prickly on me.” His tone contained the barest hint of amusement, setting her teeth on edge.

  “Because,” he continued, “as a matter of fact, this does concern me. I’ve worried about Agnes and James out here on their own for years now, but haven’t been able to do much more than check on them regularly. If you had a vehicle—”

  “Well, they’re not on their own any longer,” she interrupted. “I’m here to keep an eye on things.”

  “Yes you are, and that does relieve my mind a bit. But that doesn’t change the fact that James and Agnes are getting on in years and you have an infant to take care of which limits your ability to just take off and go for help if help’s needed. So, being the conscientious lawman that I am, I’d still feel obligated to come out here on a regular basis to check in on things. Now, if I knew you had a means to go for help if something…unexpected happened, then I wouldn’t feel as if I had to come out here and check on things so often.”

  She clamped her lips shut and glared at him. He was trying to manipulate her but it wouldn’t work. “I apologize,” she said stiffly. “I had no idea you were inconveniencing yourself on our account.”

  She brushed at her skirt with her free hand. “Well, you can set your mind at ease. James and Agnes may be unable to get around very well, but I’m perfectly capable of running to town for help if an emergency should arise.” She lifted her chin. “So there’s no need for you to continue to check in on us any more than you do any other citizen of Faith Glen.”

  “But that’s my job. You wouldn’t want me to shirk my duties, would you?”

  She held back her retort, settling for merely glaring at him. Not that he seemed at all appreciative of her restraint.

  “Tell me,” he asked equably, “how would you feel if James or Agnes got hurt or took ill while you were in town and they were alone out here with no way to go for help? I know I certainly wouldn’t want something like that on my conscience. Especially if it was just a bit of pride that kept me from providing them with the means.”

  She felt her resolve fade, but glared at him resentfully. “You, sir, do not play fair.”

  The sheriff’s little-boy grin reappeared, signaling that he knew he’d won.

  But she wasn’t going to let him have his way altogether. “I don’t want anything fancy mind you. A serviceable cart and pony will do just fine.”

  He swept his hand out to indicate the rickety wagon they were currently riding in. “As you can see, my tastes don’t usually run to fancy.” He pulled the vehicle to a stop near the front of the cottage. “I should be able to f
ind something for you to take a look at on Monday.”

  He hopped down and strode over to her side of the wagon. This time he didn’t hesitate to take the baby from her, though he still held Grace with more trepidation than enthusiasm.

  Once she was back on the ground and he’d returned Grace to her, the sheriff snatched the bag with Grace’s things from the bed of the wagon and escorted Nora inside without waiting for an invitation.

  They found the Coulters in the kitchen. Ben had driven them home earlier, and the older couple had already changed out of the clothes they’d worn to Bridget’s wedding and were back in their everyday work clothes. Agnes sat at the table, darning a nearly threadbare sock with knobby fingers that had lost much of their nimbleness. James sat nearby, reading silently from a well-worn Bible.

  Both looked up when they entered. Cam set the bag on the table and turned to James. “Good news. Nora here has decided to get a cart and a pony to pull it.”

  Nora shook her head as she set Grace in the cradle that sat next to the table. Leave it to the stubborn lawman to make it sound like it had been all her idea.

  James, however, seemed to approve. “Good thinking,” he said, smiling in her direction. “Now, make sure you let Cam here help you pick it out. He knows a thing are two about livestock and wagons.”

  Nora nodded dutifully, refusing to look the sheriff’s way.

  “That’s high praise coming from you, James,” Cam said. Then he turned back to Nora. “James worked with horses and carriages for years before he moved here to Faith Glen.”

  Interesting. She was ashamed to say she hadn’t given much thought to what Agnes and James’s lives had been like before she met them. “It’s reassuring to know I have such talent under my roof.”

  But James just waved off their praise. “That’s all in the past now. But I should go out to the barn and make sure it and the barnyard are in good enough shape to house your horse and wagon when they get here.”

  The sheriff nodded. “You’re right. Why don’t the two of us go look things over and see if there’s anything that might need immediate attention?”

  James pushed himself up from the table. “It’s been a while since anything other than the cow and a few cats sheltered in that old barn. And the fence around the barnyard couldn’t hold in a spindly foal, much less a full-grown horse.”

  “Pony,” Nora corrected.

  James’s brow went up and he glanced toward Cam.

  The sheriff merely shrugged and smiled that infuriating humor-her smile of his.

  Rubbing the back of his neck, James turned to face Nora. “Well, if that’s what you think best, I won’t speak against it.” He nodded toward the counter. “There’s fresh milk for Grace. I milked Daisy after we got in from the wedding.”

  “Thank you.” Nora moved toward the milk pail. “I’m sure Grace will be fussing for her bottle any minute now.”

  James waved Cam forward. “Come along, boy. I’ll show you what I think needs tending to first.”

  “Lead the way.”

  Much as the sheriff could irritate her with his high-handed ways, at times like this Nora couldn’t help but admire Cameron Long for the way he deferred to the older man. He had a way of helping people without robbing them of their dignity in the process.

  James, who walked with a limp he’d acquired before she ever met him, led the way, talking to Cam about spare timbers to brace up the barn’s north wall.

  “Cameron is a good man.” Agnes made the pronouncement as if she thought Nora might argue with her.

  Instead Nora merely nodded and proceeded to get Grace’s bottle ready. When she finally spoke, she deliberately changed the subject. “It’s a pity you and James couldn’t stay for the reception,” she said over her shoulder.

  Grace started fussing and Agnes set down her darning and rocked the cradle with her foot. “When you get to be our age,” the older woman answered, “you don’t spend much time away from home. But the ceremony was lovely and Bridget was beautiful.”

  “That she was.”

  Agnes gave her a knowing look. “You’re going to miss having her under the same roof with you, aren’t you?”

  Nora thought about that a moment. It would certainly be strange not having either of her sisters living in the same house with her. They’d never been all separated like this before. No more shared bedrooms and late-night whispers, no more working side by side at their chores, spinning stories for each other and dreaming together of their futures. She would miss that special closeness. But it wasn’t as if she’d never see them again. Soon they would all be living in the same town and there would be opportunities aplenty to visit with each other.

  She smiled at Agnes as she moved back to the table. “I suppose I will a wee bit. But it’s the natural order of things for siblings to grow up and start separate families of their own.” She lifted Grace from the cradle. “And I still have Grace, and you and James, here with me. That’s plenty of family to keep a body from feeling lonely.”

  Agnes, her eyes a touch misty, reached over and patted Nora’s hand. “You’re a good girl, you are, Nora Murphy, to be adding James and me to your family. And we feel the same about you and that sweet little lamb you’re holding, as well.”

  And right then, Nora knew with certainty that she could not abandon this place, this life, no matter how much Bridget and Maeve tried to convince her otherwise.

  Almighty Father, surely You didn’t bring me to this place just to have me leave it. Help me to make the right choices to build a good life here for all of us. But always, according to Your will.

  Agnes spoke up, reclaiming Nora’s attention. “Do you mind if I ask you a question of a personal nature?”

  Nora smiled. “You know you can ask me anything. What is it?”

  “When you and Bridget first arrived here you mentioned that you discovered the deed to this cottage only a couple of months ago, and that none of you girls knew anything about Mr. O’Malley before then. I’ve been waiting ever since then for one of you to ask about him and I confess to being a bit puzzled that you haven’t. Are you not the least bit curious?”

  Nora shifted Grace in her arms, giving herself time to think about her response. Truth to tell, she’d been a bit afraid of what might come to light if she learned too much. Laird O’Malley had obviously loved her mother a great deal in his youth, and had continued to love her until he died. But had her mother returned that love? Had she secretly pined for this man who had traveled to America and never returned? And if so, what had she felt for their da?

  No, Nora wasn’t at all sure she wanted to know the answer to that question.

  But Agnes was waiting for her response. “I already know that he was a generous man who loved my mother very much,” she said carefully. “I’m not sure I need to know more.”

  Agnes studied her closely for a moment and Nora tried not to squirm under that discerning gaze. Finally the woman resumed her darning. “I see. Do you mind if I tell you something of him? I think he deserves that much.”

  Nora knew it would be churlish to refuse, so she gave in graciously. “Of course.”

  “Mr. O’Malley was a good employer, fair and not overly demanding. He loved this place, especially the garden, which he tended to personally.” She smiled reminiscently. “There was even a rumor that he had buried a treasure out there, but of course that’s nonsense. Even so, after he died we would sometimes find an occasional youth sneaking out here and digging around, trying to find it.”

  Nora was relieved she hadn’t gone down a more personal road. “So he was happy here.”

  “Ah, no, I wouldn’t say happy.” Agnes continued to focus on her stitches. “There was a sadness about him, a sort of lost emptiness that seemed to weigh him down. Many’s a day he would spend walking along the beach and staring out over the ocean as if looking for a ship that never came.”

  Had he been yearning for her mother all that time? Better not to dwell on that. “Did he have many friends her
e?”

  “He kept to himself for the most part. He wasn’t shunned or outcast, mind you, he just never made much of an effort to get close to anyone, more’s the pity.”

  Nora’s curiosity got the better of her. “Did he ever speak of his life back in Ireland?”

  “Not to me or James. But then, he was a very private person and never spoke about much of anything.” Agnes sighed. “I always sensed the man had a good heart—he never uttered a harsh word in my hearing and he could be generous if he became aware of a need. It’s such a sadness that he spent so much time dwelling on his past rather than enjoying his present.”

  She knotted and snipped her thread, then began putting away her sewing things. “Anyway, in his own way, Mr. O’Malley provided for all of us in this household and I just thought you ought to know the sort of man he was.”

  Grace had finished her bottle by this time, and Nora lifted her to her shoulder. “Thank you for sharing that with me. It sounds as if he was a very lonely man.” How sad to have loved someone so deeply and not have had that love returned.

  She remembered how dejected and hurt Bridget had been when it looked as if Will would be honor bound to marry another woman. Thankfully, it had worked out happily for them in the end, but what if it hadn’t? Would her sister have recovered from that blow, especially after she’d already suffered being left at the altar once before?

  Giving your heart so completely to someone else was a dangerous thing, especially if one had no assurance that the feelings were returned. She had made that mistake once. Back in Castleville, there’d been a young man, Braydan Rourke, who’d lived in the village near their cottage. Braydan was handsome and strong and had a winning smile and generous heart, much like Cam. He’d been kind to the Murphy family, helping them out when Nora’s father had injured his foot and couldn’t tend to his crops for a few weeks.

  As she always had for their da, Nora had carried Braydan’s noonday meal and flasks of water out to the fields, and during those breaks they had shared many a conversation. She’d been sixteen at the time and was enthralled when Braydan had confided his dreams of a better life to her. It embarrassed her now to remember how quickly and completely she’d fallen for him. At least she could take some small comfort in knowing that no one had suspected what a love-struck fool she’d been. Because when her da returned to the fields three weeks later, Braydan had not only left their farm but left Castleville itself without a backward glance and she’d never heard from him again.