A Worthy Pursuit (6 page)

She held the papers out to him. He took them from her hand, keeping his gaze locked on hers. He’d not be manipulated. Not by her. Not by anyone.

Their eyes held for a long minute, hers filled with as much determination as his, before he finally turned his attention to the documents she’d presented.

He scanned the first page. Signatures from a Joseph and Diana Farley glared up at him from the bottom of the page. Apparently they had granted permission to Sullivan’s Academy for Exceptional Youths and any representative thereof to act in one Stephen Farley’s best interest in their absence. The second page was practically identical. Only it was an agent from St. Peter’s Foundling Home who had signed on behalf of John Chang.

As a representative of the academy, Miss Atherton
could
be acting within her rights. Yet with the school having been dissolved, the agreement would likely not stand up in court. On the other hand, the supervisor at St. Peter’s had voiced no objection to the teacher taking charge of young John. Even seemed to believe it was better for the boy. He didn’t know if the Farleys would feel the same, but they were apparently still in Europe, according to what his inquiries had ferreted out.

As if reading his mind, Miss Atherton stepped closer to the bed. “I have written to Stephen’s parents.” She was a picture of calm as she presented that defense, though he imagined a twister reeled inside her. The only indication of her unease was the hand she raised to her throat. It didn’t tremble or shake, but her fingers stroked the cameo at her neck once, then twice before she caught herself and lowered her hand. “They have
been notified of his whereabouts and assured that he will be returned to their care as soon as they are back in the country.”

Stone pierced her with a look, thinking to catch her in a lie. “You didn’t worry that they would give away your location?”

Her composure slipped just a notch, but not in the way he’d expected. She didn’t glance away or bite her lip in nervousness or hem and haw while trying to come up with a plausible story. No, she scowled at him.

“Don’t be a ninny. Of course I worried. But what choice did I have? They needed to know where the boy was. I had Stephen address the letter, using his name as the return address to make it less obvious for someone looking for me, and we mailed it from a town in the next county as an extra precaution. I urged Mr. and Mrs. Farley to correspond directly with Stephen since the school had been closed and hoped that would keep them from mentioning the situation to anyone back in Austin. Did they write to Dr. Sullivan? Is that how you found me?”

Stone shook his head. “No.”

She made no response beyond a slight relaxing of her shoulders, but he could feel her relief. The scowl departed next, allowing the composed mask to slip back in place.

She was good. And as far as he could tell, she was not lying. Yet.

He set aside the top two sheets. The boys weren’t his concern. She could keep them as long as she wanted if no one made an issue of it. Lily was the one he’d been sent to retrieve.

Stone scanned the third page. Stopped. Then dragged his eyes back to the top to read every word. This couldn’t be right. The document had to be a fake. The signature forged. But it had been witnessed by a judge.

A sick feeling pooled in Stone’s gut. If this paper was authentic, it changed everything.

5

When Stone Hammond read over Rebekah’s will a third time, hope surged in Charlotte’s chest like a Thoroughbred straining for the finish line. But she reined it in. This was no quick turn around the track. This was a grueling cross-country race, one where dozens of unforeseen obstacles could appear without warning. The outcome was far from decided.

“I gather Mr. Dorchester failed to mention my legal claim to Lily when he hired you.” She paced down to the end of the bed and idly brushed wrinkles from the edge of the coverlet.

The man made no response.

Very well, she’d just have to answer his questions without him actually asking them. “Lily’s mother, Rebekah, became a dear friend to me after she enrolled Lily in the academy the term before last. She’d been widowed the year before and had taken up residence in her father-in-law’s home in Houston. Something happened while she and Lily lived there. I’m not sure what. Rebekah never told me.”

Charlotte wished now she’d had the temerity to ask when she’d had the opportunity. She’d guarded her own privacy for so
long, she’d been reluctant to pry into anyone else’s. The fewer questions she asked, the fewer she’d be expected to answer in return. Protecting her secrets seemed so pointless now. If she could trade those secrets for information that would help her ensure Lily’s well-being, she’d do it in a heartbeat.

“I didn’t notice any suspicious bruises on the child when I helped her ready for bed the first night she came to us, so I don’t think Dorchester beat her, yet Rebekah had seemed desperate to get Lily into Dr. Sullivan’s school. Thankfully, Lily had no trouble earning a place in the academy. She’s an extremely bright girl. I recommended her admittance immediately, and Dr. Sullivan concurred. Rebekah nearly wept when I relayed the news. Then she immediately arranged for Lily to board with us through the holidays as well as the school terms. That’s when I realized we weren’t simply providing education, but sanctuary.”

Charlotte paused, lifting her hand from the perfectly smooth end of the coverlet, and turned to face the man called Stone. She prayed the name did not describe the condition of his heart.

“Sounds to me like the mother just wanted to get the girl out from underfoot. Probably had pressing social engagements or maybe a man on her hook that didn’t care for having her brat around while courting.”

“It’s that kind of imbecilic male logic that—” Charlotte stopped. No. She wouldn’t explain her fears. It would only weaken her argument. Men wanted facts. Anything that smacked of feminine emotion simply gave them an excuse to discount everything. She would not allow Mr. Hammond to bait her.

“What I meant to say,” she amended, her tone calm, collected, “is that you could not be more wrong. Rebekah Dorchester was
a devoted, doting mother. She wrote Lily every week, long letters full of news and witty anecdotes about the resident tabby at Dorchester Hall. Those stories never failed to bring a smile to Lily’s face. Rebekah visited once a month as well. Nothing kept her away—not rain or freezing temperatures, not the broken carriage wheel that left her stranded three miles outside of town, not even the wasting illness that eventually took her life.”

Charlotte took a moment to swallow the rapidly growing lump that always plagued her throat when she spoke of Rebekah’s last days. Once certain her voice would not betray her, she continued. “She always found a way to be there for Lily. It is through those visits that she and I became so well acquainted.”

Stone Hammond frowned, not at her, really, but at the document residing in his hands. “Still seems odd for a woman to grant guardianship of her daughter to an . . . acquaintance when the child’s grandfather was wealthy enough to provide for any need she might have.”

“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” That brought his head up. His eyes met hers, confusion and mounting impatience burgeoning in his amber gaze. “A rather desperate act, wouldn’t you say?”

“Or just plain crazy.” He pinned her with his glare, but it wasn’t as if she’d not heard this argument before.

“That is what Mr. Dorchester alleges. However, the lawyer who drafted the guardianship agreement as well as the judge who signed it both found Rebekah Dorchester to be of sound mind.”

Mr. Hammond scratched at a spot along his jaw. “I suppose copies of this agreement are filed at the county courthouse?”

“Yes. She filed copies both in Austin and in Houston.” So much for hoping the man would accept the documents at face value. It would have made things so much easier. But when had anything in her life ever been easy?

“Then it appears you’ll be enjoying my company for a spell.” He grinned at her, a full, toothsome smile that would have been handsome if it hadn’t been so arrogant.

Charlotte did
not
smile back. “And why is that?”

“I’ll need to verify the authenticity of these documents before I can decide what to do. I’ll write to an associate of mine in Austin. Get him to make a few discreet inquiries.”

She stiffened. “Can this man be trusted?” If Dorchester discovered her whereabouts, she had no doubt he would come for Lily himself. She wasn’t so naïve as to believe her piece of paper could get Lily back if Dorchester had the child in his possession. Rebekah had told her the man regularly exchanged favors with a handful of prominent judges and politicians in Houston. He wielded power the way a conductor directed an orchestra, ensuring the people around him played the tune of his choosing. If she lost physical possession of Lily, she’d never get it back.

“I wouldn’t work with him if he couldn’t be trusted.” Mr. Hammond’s fierce growl of an answer was oddly reassuring. “He’s a Texas Ranger. He’ll not be bandyin’ the information about, nor will he ask too many questions. What he will do is uphold the law. He’s quite a stickler about that.” Stone’s eyes narrowed. “He’ll know if the document’s a fake or not.”

“I’m not worried about what he’ll learn about the guardianship agreement.” Charlotte leveled her own stare at him. “I’m worried about another person knowing our location. Lily must be kept safe at all cost.”

“Why do you think I’m taking the time to verify your documents?” Stone planted the sides of his hands on his thighs and clenched his jaw against the pain that obviously hadn’t fully abated yet. Her papers crinkled in his right fist as he moved to stand. “I’ve never done anything to put a child in harm’s
way, and I ain’t about to start now. I might have been hired by Dorchester, but I won’t be led around by the nose. Not by him and not by you.”

Here was the warrior—the man who carried seven weapons on his person and rode a horse large enough to carry two normal men. She should be frightened, yet she wasn’t. Stone Hammond might be a barbarian, but he’d just vowed to keep Lily out of harm’s way. Perhaps a little barbarism was exactly what they needed.

Stone shoved to his feet. His head pounded, but he ignored the pain. All he wanted now were his boots and room to pace. He needed to think. To figure out what in the world he would do if the teacher’s guardianship proved genuine. He strode toward his boots, but a slender figure glided past him, placing herself in front of the door. As if she could stop him if he wanted to leave. Then she took hold of his knife, the one she’d left on the bureau after releasing him from his bonds.

“I hope you’re not thinking of tryin’ something, teacher.” He flicked a meaningful glance at the knife. “I’d hate to have to hurt you.”

Charlotte Atherton raised her chin, fire sparking in her usually cool gaze. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m going to give it to Mr. Dobson to lock away with your other weapons. They’ll be well kept until you are ready to leave us.”

So she thought to clip his claws, did she? Not that he would ever use them against her or the kids. Dobson on the other hand . . . Stone ran a pair of fingers over the lump pushing out of his forehead. Maybe locking his arsenal away wasn’t such a bad idea. A pen and paper were the weapons he had use of at the moment anyway.

“Fine,” he groused, waving her off with a sweep of his hand. “Keep the hardware. But I’ll need my other belongings. And if you could spare a spot in the barn for me to bunk down, it’d be appreciated.”

“That can be arranged.”

He straightened to his full height, planting his toes six inches in front of the teacher’s. He waited for her head to tip back, for her eyes to meet his before he made his first demand. “I want to question the girl.”

A layer of color drained from Charlotte Atherton’s face, but her voice held steady. “Absolutely not.”

The schoolmarm tone grated on his nerves, but he’d expected that response. He crossed his arms and pierced her with a look. “Dorchester has his agenda. You have yours. The only party who can testify impartially as to what Lily wants is Lily. Forbidding me from talking to the girl only makes me wonder what you’re trying to hide.” He leaned an inch closer. “You’re not afraid of what she might reveal to me, are you?”

“Not what Lily might reveal, no.” The hard set of Miss Atherton’s face softened just a bit, as if he’d chinked her armor. “My concern is what you might reveal to
her
.”

Stone’s arms unfolded. Not the answer he’d anticipated.

The teacher dropped her gaze and let a small puff of air escape her lips. Stone stepped back, giving her space.

“Lily doesn’t know her grandfather is searching for her. All she knows is that her mama gave her into my care and that we moved here to start a new life after the school closed.”

“Didn’t she wonder why you spirited her away in the middle of the night? For I know you did. A Miss Greenbriar mentioned that you departed before dawn and a Mr. Fellows from two doors down remembered hearing a wagon roll past his house a little after midnight. Seems he thought it strange since the
street was usually so quiet. He took a gander out his window and saw a short driver with a woman on the seat beside him. Didn’t mention any young’uns, but I figure you had them bedded down in the back.”