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“And his age?”
“I didn’t ask.”
Mrs. Flanagan made a disapproving noise. “Don’t be coy with me, Cassie Lynn. Take a guess.”
She hid her grin. “I suppose I’d put him around twenty-four or twenty-five.” Though there was something about the look in his eyes that spoke of experience beyond his years.
“How did you come to meet him?”
Cassie Lynn explained the circumstances as she crossed the room to retrieve an apron that hung on a peg near the stove.
“I can see the man has obviously impressed you.”
Cassie Lynn stopped midstep and glanced over at her employer.
“Don’t look so surprised, girl, I’m no simpleton. If he hadn’t caught your eye, you wouldn’t have put him on your list.” Then she leaned back. “So what was it about him that made you decide after only ten minutes in his company that he might be the husband you’re looking for?”
“I only said he might be worth considering.” Then, under Mrs. Flanagan’s steady gaze, she shrugged. “I suppose it was the fact that he had two young children in his care—it made me think he might be a man in need of a woman’s help. And it was also the way he interacted with them. He obviously cares about them.”
It made her think about her relationship with her own father. He’d never been very affectionate, but when she’d been Pru’s age she felt he’d had a little more time for her.
“I agree with you there,” Mrs. Flanagan said. “A single man in charge of two young’uns sounds like a gentleman in need of a wife if there ever was one.” Dapple had wandered into the kitchen and, with a graceful motion, leaped into Mrs. Flanagan’s lap. The woman stroked the cat’s back, her eyes remaining fixed on Cassie Lynn. “So tell me about these newcomers. Who’d they come here to visit?”
“According to Noah, they don’t know anyone in Turnabout.”
“Humph. That’s strange. Not many folks come to Turnabout unless they have some purpose.”
“I’m sure they have a purpose, it’s just not to visit someone they know.” Cassie Lynn hadn’t given the reason for their visit much thought until now. She hoped that, whatever it was that had brought them to Turnabout, it would keep them here for a while. Mr. Walker had taken a job, after all.
“If I am to advise you, then I think it’s important that I meet this young man and his charges.”
Cassie Lynn nodded in agreement, pleased that Mrs. Flanagan had given her the opening she wanted. “We could invite them to have supper with us tomorrow evening. Sort of as a neighborly gesture, welcoming them to town.”
“Excellent idea.” She stroked Dapple’s head absently “In the meantime I’ll think on what other men might also meet your requirements.”
Cassie Lynn smiled as she pulled the cast-iron pot from its hook above the stove. Having the Walkers over for supper would do more than give her an opportunity to get to know them better.
It had surprised her that Mrs. Flanagan never had anyone, other than Dr. Pratt or Reverend Harper, drop in to see her since her accident. The woman apparently didn’t have any close friends.
Cassie Lynn had been trying to come up with a way to remedy that. But how did she invite people to come by and visit a flinty widow who’d never made any effort to make friends with her neighbors?
And now she would be able to do just that. Having Mrs. Flanagan help her find a suitor wouldn’t just benefit her, it would give the widow purpose, as well.
And wouldn’t it be nice if Mr. Walker turned out to be the one.
From a purely expedient perspective, of course.
Chapter Four (#ulink_998aa165-4929-527d-a3ef-a35b9a5843ad)
Cassie Lynn exited the Blue Bottle Sweet Shop the next afternoon with a spring in her step. Eve Dawson had sold all four fruit tarts she’d delivered to her this morning, and was very happy with her customers’ reactions to them. It had been the same story with Daisy Fulton over at the restaurant. Both of them had placed additional orders for her goods.
If the worst happened and Cassie Lynn ended up back at her father’s farm—though she still wasn’t ready to surrender to that possibility—she would have the pleasure of knowing that folks enjoyed her baked goods well enough to pay for them.
Of course, if she was being entirely honest with herself, part of the reason for the lightness of her mood was her current destination, the livery. She was looking forward to visiting Scarlett and Duchess again, of course. But she was hoping she might also run into Mr. Walker. He was working there, after all.
When Cassie Lynn arrived at the corral she saw Scarlett and Mr. Walker’s horse, River, penned there. But Duchess wasn’t anywhere in sight.
Scarlett trotted over to the fence, nickered and tossed her head.
“And hello to you, too,” Cassie Lynn said as she reached into her basket for one of the carrots she’d brought for just that purpose.
To her delight, River wasn’t far behind. “Well hello, boy. Ready to be friends.” She held out a carrot and the horse took it as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.
“So where is our friend Duchess?” she asked as she rubbed the horse’s neck. “Did she get the chance to leave the livery today?”
“She did indeed.”
At the sound of the male voice, Cassie Lynn turned to see Mr. Walker leading the mare into the corral. Her pulse immediately kicked up a notch.
“She and the buckboard were rented out to a Mr. Hendricks to transport a load of lumber.” Mr. Walker gave Duchess a final pat before removing the lead and closing the gate to the corral.
Cassie Lynn smiled. “I understand you’re working here now?”
“I am. A few hours a day, just to pay for River’s upkeep.” He moved around to where the trough was situated, checked the water level and began working the pump. “So, do you stop by here every day?”
She nodded. “Most days, anyway. It’s my favorite part of the day.” She held out another carrot as Duchess pranced up to her. “These two ladies and I are good friends.” Then she reached out to touch River’s muzzle. “And I hope this handsome gent and I soon will be.”
“River likes you.” Mr. Walker sounded surprised. “He’s pretty discerning when it comes to who he lets get close to him.”
“I believe the carrot might have had something to do with it,” she said drily. Then she turned to face him fully. “Actually, though, I was hoping I’d run into you.”
He raised a brow. “Were you now?”
Her cheeks warmed as she realized how that had sounded, and she rushed to clarify. “I mean, I told Mrs. Flanagan, the lady I work for, about meeting you and the children. And she thought it might be good to have the three of you over for supper, just as a neighborly gesture, you being new to town and all. Anyway, she asked me to invite you to join us this evening. If you’re free and you’d like to come, that is.” Cassie Lynn mentally winced. She wasn’t normally one to babble, but felt that’s exactly what she’d just been doing.
He kept working the pump. “That’s mighty nice of you ladies, but please don’t feel obliged.”
Was he going to refuse? “We’re not inviting you because we feel obliged. It’s something we want to do.”
“Still, I wouldn’t want to take advantage.”
Why did he seem so reluctant? “Actually, you’d be doing me a favor,” she said diffidently.
He looked up from his task. “How’s that?”
“Mrs. Flanagan is currently confined to a wheelchair. That’s why I’m working for her, to take care of her and do the things around the house that she can’t do for herself from that chair.”
He finished pumping the water and leaned against the fence, facing her. “Sorry to hear that, but I don’t understand where the favor comes in.”
“With her being confined to the house the way she is, I think it would really cheer her up to have some new folks to talk to.”
He studied her face for a long moment, as if mentally weighing some issue. Had she pressed too hard? Did he really not want to be their guest for some reason?
She was trying to steel herself to accept his refusal when he finally spoke up. “All right then. The kids and I would be pleased to accept your generous invitation. What time should we be there?”
Relieved, she gave him a bright smile. “We normally eat supper around six o’clock.”
His lips twisted in a wry grin. “And I guess I should also ask just where there is.”
Cassie Lynn gave him the directions, then looked around. “Where are Noah and Pru?”
His expression immediately closed off. “They’re back at the hotel.” He straightened and gave a short nod. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.” And with that he turned and headed toward the stable.
Cassie Lynn stared at his back for a moment, wondering at his abrupt change in mood. Had he been put off by her question?
She turned and slowly headed back to Mrs. Flanagan’s, replaying the conversation in her mind. He said he’d left the children at the hotel. Were they alone? She could see why that would embarrass him. But he was new to town, so it was understandable that he hadn’t found a caretaker for them. If she wasn’t already committed to Mrs. Flanagan, she would have been happy to take that position herself.
But she would make a point of giving him some recommendations this evening.
Not only was she happy to help, but she wanted to do anything she could to make it easy for him to settle in here.
If that’s what he wanted to do.
* * *
Riley went about his tasks at the livery automatically. It was the kind of work he knew well and was comfortable with. He didn’t mind working with and around horses, even when he was asked to muck out the stalls. It was good, honest labor.
But what he really itched to do right now was saddle up River and take him out for a long run. Riding across wide-open spaces was something he craved, the way a hawk craved skimming the air currents. It made him feel free and alive. It also cleared his mind and helped him see things more clearly.
And the ability to think clearly was something he definitely needed right now.
He wasn’t sure why he’d just accepted Miss Vickers’s invitation. Ever since he’d taken the kids from their home in Wyoming and set out on this never-ending journey, he’d made it a practice to keep the three of them to themselves as much as possible. All things considered, it was best if they not draw any attention to themselves. It also made it easier to slip away when the time came to move on.
And it always came.
He’d had every intention of following that same course of action here by politely refusing her invitation.
But somehow, when he’d opened his mouth, yes came out instead of no. He still wasn’t certain how that had happened. Maybe it was because he was getting travel-weary, or that the constant worry over whether Guy would catch up with them was wearing on him.
Because it certainly couldn’t have anything to do with Miss Vickers herself. After all, in other towns, there’d been other ladies, some equally as pretty, some equally as interesting, who’d tried to claim his attention, and he’d never faltered from his course.
Then again, none had been pretty and interesting in quite the same way as Miss Vickers. A way that tugged at something inside him.
Riley gave his head a mental shake, pushing aside that totally irrational thought. It was more likely that he’d slipped up because he was just tired.
Her question about the kids had brought him up short, though. Brought him back to his senses. It was probably innocent, but he’d been put in tough spots by nosy, well-meaning folks before, folks who wanted explanations about where they’d come from, where they were going, what had happened to the kids’ parents. Trust had never come easy to Riley and nothing that had happened the last couple of years had changed that.
He toyed a moment with the idea of finding a plausible excuse to cancel on her. Then he discarded it. Doing that would call as much if not more attention to themselves than if he just followed through. Besides, reneging on a promise, even one as minor as this, didn’t sit well with him.
It was just one meal, after all. And once he’d fulfilled his obligation to attend, he could insert some distance, put up some walls. Which shouldn’t be difficult since he and the kids weren’t going to be here more than a few days anyway.
Grabbing a pitchfork, Riley headed for the hay stall, but before he could get to work, he heard someone step inside the livery from the street.
A new customer? Riley quickly looked around for Mr. Humphries, but when he didn’t spot the owner, moved forward himself. “Hello. Is there something I can do for you?”
The man gave him an easy smile. “Actually, I heard Fred had hired someone new and thought I’d come around and introduce myself. I’m Ward Gleason, the sheriff around these parts.”
Riley hoped his expression didn’t give anything away. “Good to meet you, Sheriff.” He pulled off his work gloves and extended his hand. “I’m Riley Walker.”
“Mr. Walker.” The lawman shook his hand and gave a short nod. Then he released it and eyed Riley with a casual glance that didn’t fool him one bit. “Mind if I ask what brings you to our little town?”
He’s only doing his job, Riley told himself. Surely there wasn’t anything more to it than that. “Not at all. I’ve got my niece and nephew with me and we’re making our way to California. But since we’re not in a hurry and they are kids, I’m making frequent stops along the way to give them a chance to get out and about and see other parts of the country.” That was true, as far as it went.
“Any particular reason you chose to stop here?”
Riley shrugged, keeping his demeanor open and casual. “I make it a point of never traveling more than a few days at a time. My niece was getting restless and this just happened to be a good stopping off point.”
“Just the luck of the draw, is that it?”
“I guess you could say that.” How much longer would this thinly disguised interrogation last?
But the lawman didn’t seem to be in a hurry to take his leave. He crossed his arms and leaned against a support post. “So this isn’t a permanent stop for you?”
“Nope.” Riley placed his hands on top of the pitchfork handle and leaned his weight against it, trying to emulate the sheriff’s relaxed pose. “Don’t plan to be here more than a few days.” Maybe shorter if the sheriff took too keen an interest in them.
“And where are your niece and nephew right now?”
Keep it casual. “They’re resting at your town’s fine hotel.”
“Hi there, Sheriff.” Mr. Humphries’s hail turned both men’s heads toward the side office. “You looking to rent a buggy?”
Riley tried not to let his relief at the interruption show.
The sheriff straightened. “Hello, Fred. No, I’m just getting acquainted with Mr. Walker here.”
Fred Humphries gave Riley a smile. “Well, he’s a good worker, at least so far. And he seems to know his way around horses, too.”
Uncomfortable with standing there while he was being talked about, Riley cleared his throat. “I think that’s my cue to get back to work.” He nodded to both men and headed toward the hay stall once more.
Riley jabbed the pitchfork into the hay with a little more force than was necessary. Did every newcomer to town come under such scrutiny or was there something about him and the kids that had brought them to Sheriff Gleason’s notice?
Now that he had come to the sheriff’s notice, though, he’d need to be more careful than ever. Not that he’d done anything illegal, but getting certain matters untangled if they came to light could prove tricky.
It seemed the sooner he and the kids left Turnabout, the better.
* * *
Later that afternoon, Riley exited the hotel with Noah and Pru, feeling unsettled. For one thing, he hadn’t had the chance to saddle up River and go for a ride as he’d hoped. Mr. Humphries had asked for his help repairing one of the stall gates and he’d felt obliged to agree. By the time that was done he’d had to get back to the hotel and check on the kids. Riley didn’t like to leave them alone for more than a couple hours at a time. But they’d be boarding the train again in a few days, and he had hoped to get a lot of riding in while they were here.
