by Karen Kirst
Aunt Mae’s brows hit her hairline. “It’s not romantic in nature?”
Adam’s features clouded. “I harbor the utmost respect for Deborah and wouldn’t dream of treating her in a cavalier manner.” There was a hint of reproach in his voice. “She’s a lady, and I was taught to be a gentleman.”
The irascible proprietress actually had the grace to look ashamed. Deborah’s already healthy admiration for the cattleman deepened.
Aunt Mae’s wrinkles bunched and stretched. “I’d be happy to help if I can. What’s the problem?”
“We’ve taken in two new boarders,” Adam told her. “They’re currently stationed in Deborah’s room.”
“Excuse me?”
Deborah spoke up. “We weren’t intending to cheat you. I’ll pay for room and board.”
Aunt Mae’s eyes sparked. “Who are they, and why am I just now finding out about them?” she barked.
Adam’s fingers grazed Deborah’s spine, and she turned to him as he asked her, “How about we introduce her first?”
“Good idea.” Maybe if she saw Liam and Lily, her ire would be less intense.
The trek to the second floor was a quiet one. Deborah entered first. The kids were seated on the bed with a book between them. Liam’s voice trailed off once he noticed their visitor.
“Liam, Lily, I’d like you to meet the owner of this boardinghouse, Mae—” She looked over at the proprietress, who was gaping at the kids in awe. “I apologize. I’ve just realized I don’t know your last name.”
“Livingston-Jones. Maeve is my birth-given name.” She shuffled closer to the bed. “Everyone calls me Aunt Mae, and you can, too.”
Lily snuggled closer to her brother. “You’re a good cook, Aunt Mae.”
“Why, thank you, young lady. My grandma taught me when I was about your size. Do you have much experience in the kitchen?”
“No, ma’am. My ma died before she was able to teach me.”
Mae sobered. “I see. Well, perhaps you’d like to learn how to bake bread sometime.”
“I’d love to!”
Liam studied the newcomer with his customary cynicism. “You’re not angry?”
“While I’ve never cottoned to deception, I’m guessing you’ve got a valid reason for being here.”
Adam chose that moment to explain their circumstances. Aunt Mae patiently listened, her gaze returning repeatedly to the siblings. She seemed especially intrigued with Liam.
“Well, it seems as though there are a few things that need sorting,” she said. “While we’re waiting, you’re welcome to stay here as long as you’d like.”
Aunt Mae summoned Adam and Deborah downstairs to the kitchen, where she set about preparing a snack.
“Have you been feeding them enough?” She placed two apples on the plate, along with hunks of ham and cheese. “You should’ve told me right away, you know. From now on, they join us for meals.”
“But the other boarders—”
“Do you honestly think you can keep a pair of kids holed up in that room?” She jammed her fists on her hips. “Hildie has already reported suspicious sounds.”
Deborah looked at Adam, who merely shrugged. Had Hildie been spreading more rumors about them?
“And don’t think I hadn’t noticed your unusual behavior, missy.” She pointed at Deborah. “No, this can’t be hidden any longer.”
“What if someone tries to take Liam and Lily away?”
“I won’t allow it,” Aunt Mae announced with authority. When she noticed their reaction, she said quietly, “I have a son. His name is Vincent, and he’s twenty-nine. I haven’t spoken to him in many years, since he joined the army at the beginning of the war.”
Adam’s jaw tensed. “You haven’t heard from him since? No letters?”
“Nothing.” A sigh shook her. “He blamed me for his father leaving. My first husband died not long after our fifth anniversary. I’d known Marcus for years, so when he proposed marriage, I accepted even though I didn’t love him. We soon discovered our temperaments didn’t suit. We held on, though, for Vincent’s sake. Then one day I woke to find my husband and his stuff gone. He didn’t bother to say goodbye.”
Deborah leaned toward her. “I’m so sorry.”
“Liam reminds me of Vincent. He was always a serious child. He felt things deeply.”
“Thank you for being understanding,” Adam said.
“You might not think so when I tally your bill,” she shot back.
Deborah saw her prickly demeanor for what it was—armor to protect a wounded heart. Aunt Mae’s woeful tale, added to Adam’s earnest support, lessened the burden she’d been carrying since sneaking out of that St. Louis church.
She had the right to refuse a groom who wouldn’t suit her. She didn’t owe her father her future. Wasn’t she carving out her own future now? One that wouldn’t earn Gerard’s approval but that made her happy?
Adam snagged her attention and winked. Her heart thrummed against her chest, straining for him. Adam had become a fixture in her life. A raft in a storm-tossed sea. A ray of hope in a dismal sky.
Would he become part of her future? Or would he do as he’d promised—get a ranch up and running in Cowboy Creek before moving on to the next challenge?
Chapter Fourteen
“Have you met Seth’s wife, Marigold?” Deborah braced her hands against the wagon seat and soaked in the prairie landscape. “She and I were on the bride train together, but she wasn’t on her way to meet a groom. She’d accepted the position as the town’s teacher.”
Beside her, Adam kept tight control of the rented horses hitched to the borrowed wagon. “I’ve made her acquaintance,” he said without looking in her direction.
“And their children? Tate, Harper and Little John? Oh, I forgot Violet. She’s Marigold’s niece.”
His brows pulled together. “Them, too.”
Shifting to check on Liam and Lily riding in the back, she pondered Adam’s strange mood. When she’d brought his attention to the kids’ restlessness earlier that morning, he’d been the one to suggest taking them for a ride in the country. A mile or so outside town, she’d noted the Halloway ranch was nearby and suggested they drop by for a visit.
The closer they got, however, the more drawn his features became and the less inclined he was to talk. Was all this open land mocking him? He’d yet to locate a proper plot for his enterprise. She didn’t think it had anything to do with Liam and Lily. The boarders had been astonished, of course, but they’d welcomed the siblings with genuine kindness. Well, Hildie hadn’t been overly friendly. No surprise there.
He’d been supportive of her, and she wanted to repay the favor.
“Is something bothering you, Adam?”
He angled his face toward hers. The glimmer of guilt was unexpected.
With a heavy sigh, he guided the horses to a stop beneath a lone tree on this stretch of road. Lily immediately popped up.
“What are we doing here? I thought we were going to see animals and play with kids our age.”
Her hair was neatly braided and her face fresh and clean. Her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes bright. It was wonderful to see the change in her.
Adam set the brake and wound the reins around it. “That plan hasn’t changed,” he said. “I’d like to talk with Deborah for a few minutes first, though. Why don’t you and your brother explore this field? I’d guess there are all sorts of treasures to find.”
“Like caterpillars?”
He smiled. “And ladybugs.”
Liam studied them both. “Snakes, too.”
Lily and Adam lost their smiles. Adam hopped to the ground and scanned the grassy patch. “You’re right, Liam. Better stick to the edge here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Adam swung Lily down before coming around to assist Deborah.
The delicious sensation of his hands on her waist was fleeting. He took her elbow and guided her to the shaded area on the far side of the giant tree.
Removing his Stetson, he drew the brim through his fingers several times. “You revealed something about yourself the other day, and it’s my turn to do the same.”
“You can tell me anything.”
Putting his hat back on, he shrugged out of his navy suit jacket and draped it over a limb. He rolled up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt. Whatever was on his mind must be of great import.
“In my line of work, I’ve had to obscure certain pieces of information. It hasn’t been an issue until now.” His brown eyes bored into hers. Daring her. Imploring her. “Until you.”
Butterflies unleashed in her stomach. “You’re the first cattle rancher I’ve met, so I’m not acquainted with the workings of your business. Why would you have to hide aspects of yourself? To disarm your rivals?”
He grimaced, revealing a flash of white teeth. “That’s the problem. I’m not a cattleman.”
“You’re not?”
“I used to be a rancher, before the war. Before other things happened to break up my family.”
The butterflies transformed into nervous bees. “What are you then?”
“I work for a national agency whose aim is to garner justice for the wronged.” His gaze roamed her face intently. “My last name isn’t Draper. It’s Halloway.”
“Halloway.” Deborah felt weightless. Not anchored to the earth. “Like Seth and Russell Halloway?”
“Yes.” Apology softened his mouth. “They’re my older brothers.”
She gripped the bower arching above her head. “I introduced you to Russell at the fund-raiser. Your own brother.” Unable to look at him, she searched for and found the siblings. They were crouched at the field’s edge, their dark heads together as they observed something in their hands. “I feel stupid.”
“No.” He was suddenly very close to her, his hands cupping the backs of her arms. “Don’t say that. I’m a professional at making others accept whatever persona I’ve dreamed up. It’s what I was trained to do.”
Longing thundered through her veins, clashing against her right to be outraged. She may have kept part of her past hidden from him, but she hadn’t played out an active deception.
His fingers flexed on her flesh, his heat seeping through the pale green cotton sleeves. His expression was one of entreaty. His eyes were molten, his jaw hard, his mouth set in silent appeal.
Her eyes filled with tears. “What else do you make people believe, Adam?”
Glancing sideways to make sure the children weren’t watching, he pulled her against his broad chest. She couldn’t find the strength to object.
“Whatever this is between us isn’t pretense. Not on my part.”
Deborah believed him. Maybe she was naive. Maybe she was desperate to find the good in others. Maybe she didn’t want to think his friendship had been a ruse.
“You need to release me.”
He did so at once. Stepping back, he sunk his hands deep in his pockets and regarded her with an indiscernible expression.
“I’m sorry for upsetting you. I haven’t been in this position before, and I’m making a muddle of it. Forgive me,” he implored.
“Who’s your employer?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“You’re here not to buy land, but to solve a mystery.”
“A crime, actually.”
“And once you’ve accomplished that goal, you’ll move on to the next case.”
Shadows darkened his eyes. “That’s typically how it works, yes.”
“I see.”
Wrapping her arms around her middle, she turned her back and blinked the moisture from her eyes. I don’t understand, God. He’s the first man I’ve felt comfortable enough to be myself with. He’s seen the good and bad, and he didn’t run. He’s become a treasured friend.
She cared about Adam. How deeply, she wasn’t aware until this moment. There was no question of him staying. He traveled around helping victims and their families.
Deborah angled back. “How can I know for sure this isn’t another ruse? Perhaps you’re not on the right side of the law. Maybe you’re a wanted man.”
He flinched as if her accusations caused him physical pain. “My family can vouch for me.”
Russell was an upright man, a lawyer who made it his mission to aid those unable to help themselves. Seth was good to the core. Hadn’t he taken in a trio of orphans simply because it was their mother’s dying wish? And what about their precious mother, Evelyn? Deborah had had several delightful conversations with the lady during church socials and other events. The Halloways didn’t strike her as gullible or willing to overlook unlawful behavior.
“I can’t show you my credentials until this case is solved. If you can’t trust me, trust my family.”
Deborah let her gaze roam freely over his dear features. Her faith in him, her conviction that he was honorable and heroic, had been shaken. Could it ever be restored?
Her response was cut off by Lily, who rushed up in a panic. “A baby bird fell from its nest and can’t fly back. You have to do something!”
“Show me,” Adam said.
Lily seized his hand and drew him past the tree. Deborah trailed behind them. There in the flattened grass beside the rutted dirt lane was a baby bird flopping about. His small body was covered in downy feathers, his beak wide-open.
Liam’s frown was deeper than usual. “He’ll get eaten if we don’t return him.”
Adam crouched to examine the bird. “Have you seen the nest?”
Liam pointed to the mass of twigs and debris that served as the bird’s home, visible in a gap between the leaves.
“Won’t be easy to get to,” Adam observed.
Tears pooled in Lily’s eyes. “You’re giving up?”
He gently swiped at a lone tear that escaped down her cheek. “I haven’t even started, my dear girl. Now, we’ll need gloves on before we handle him.” Striding to the wagon, he retrieved his gloves from beneath the seat. “A shame we don’t have anything here to use as a stepping stool.”
Liam approached Deborah. “I’m a decent climber.”
“I’m sure you are. Let’s go see just how high off the ground it is.”
Together, they moved beneath the branches. From this angle, the limb was higher than she’d first thought.
Liam stuck his chest out. “I’m not afraid of heights.”
“Let’s see what Adam says, all right?”
Adam carefully scooped the baby bird into his hands and carried him over. “I wonder if he needs water. He isn’t closing his beak.”
Deborah thought for a minute. “Do you have a handkerchief? We could use water from our flask to moisten it.”
While his eyes hadn’t lost their guardedness, admiration shone in the dark depths. “Good idea. It’s in my pocket. Liam, would you mind?”
Liam fished out the white square. Deborah hurried to the wagon for the flask. When she’d moistened the end, she squeezed tiny drops of water into the bird’s mouth. He gulped it, his little black eyes batting rapidly. Lily crowded close and stared in wonder.
“I wish we could take him home,” she breathed. “I mean, to the hotel room.”
Deborah’s heart ached for what the kids had lost. Lord Jesus, You see their deep need. Help me provide for them. Help me not to be selfish, however. I want the best outcome for Liam and Lily, and I understand that might not include me. But I hope it does.
“He needs his ma,” Liam told her.
“Indeed, he does,” Adam said. “Now, who wants to hold this little guy until I can reach the spot?”
“Let me go up there, sir.”
Adam regarded Liam with raised brows. “You sure you’re up to the ta
sk? What about your knee?”
“The soreness is mostly gone. You can count on me.”
Adam gave him a nod of acquiescence. The boy took his time climbing, measuring distances and testing the weight of each limb. Deborah’s heart stuttered when his shoe skidded from its nook and he almost fell. But he quickly caught himself. The relieved grin he shot down to them filled her heart with joy.
It was the first time she’d seen him smile. All because of a baby bird in distress, and Adam’s willingness to give the boy a chance to prove himself.
* * *
“Uncle Adam!” Harper left his younger brother and their miniature wooden trains spread out beneath the old maple tree and ran over to greet him. Looking at the others, he stopped short. “Oh, I wasn’t supposed to call you that, was I?”
“It’s all right,” Adam said. “They know we’re related.”
He risked a glance at Deborah, who was keeping ample distance between them. Her pretty features bore the stamp of unhappiness. He’d felt compelled to tell her the truth, the partial truth anyway, but now he was experiencing reservations. Had he done the right thing? Because she didn’t look at him the same as before, and it hurt.
Deception was intrinsic to his work. Not in every case, but some demanded it. And capturing Zane Ogden required all the ammunition at his disposal.
His mother and Marigold had been reclining in the shade with sewing projects. Setting those aside, they approached with wide smiles and unveiled curiosity.
“What a nice surprise,” Evelyn enthused, her gaze zeroing in on Deborah and the children with a calculating gleam that made him uncomfortable. “It’s good to see you, Deborah. Who’ve you brought with you?”
Gesturing to Lily, who stood very close to her side, and to Liam, who was busy inspecting the farm, she made the introductions.
Little John tugged on his mother’s skirt. Marigold scooped him into her arms and smiled at the newcomers. “Welcome to our home. Would you like to play with Harper and Little John here? I’ll bring out glasses of raspberry shrub I made this morning.”
The promise of a treat, even if it was only something to drink, hooked Lily. Liam looked bored.
