Courting Miss Adelaide (17 page)

A grin spread across the boy’s face. “Sure!”

Charles couldn’t believe he’d suspected Drummond, a man this kind, even tenderhearted toward a child, of abuse.

At the wagon, Ed turned back to Matthew Anderson. “If your family needs a place to stay, the Phillips family has offered their home.”

“The missus and kids are going to her sister’s. With chores to do twice a day, I’ll stay and sleep in the loft.”

Charles’s gaze turned to the imposing barn and the livestock now turned out to pasture.

As if on cue, Drummond and Anderson swiveled their heads to the ruins. “The fire department couldn’t save the house, but I’m grateful they kept it from spreading to the barn.”

Ed clapped a hand on Anderson’s shoulder. “As soon as it cools down, fourteen men from church will be out and start raising a new house on that foundation. With that many able-bodied men at work, before you know it, you’ll be moving in.”

Anderson bowed his head and swiped a hand across his wet eyes. “I appreciate it. More than I can say.”

“I’ll never forget you did my chores after…Eddie.”

“It was the least I could do.” Anderson tugged his son to his side. “When I think how close—” He stopped, shook his head.

Charles walked to the lane, mounted Ranger and rode to town, thinking about Drummond. Ed had gathered what the burned-out family needed and would help rebuild the house along with thirteen others from his church. He’d realized a frightened boy needed a stuffed animal to cuddle. The man didn’t fit the description of any child beater he’d ever seen.

But then, Charles’s father had been a caring man in the community, always joking, likable—and yet, a fraud.

Could Ed be a fake, too? Charles shifted in the saddle. He flicked the reins, refusing to think about Adam Graves.

His mind turned to Addie. To mention Ed’s philanthropy would start a disagreement. Were her suspicions the product of her unconscious hope she’d somehow end up with Emma?

He couldn’t take the chance on a hunch. If he did anything that led to Ed and Frances losing those children, and he was wrong, he’d hurt an innocent family
and
ruin his credibility.

Still, he wanted Addie to have Emma. She was a different woman than the one he’d first met at the interview.
That
Addie held her emotions inside. This new Addie stood up for what she believed in, laughed easily, but most importantly loved Emma.

When Emma returned to the Drummonds, Addie’s heart would break. At the prospect, his stomach clenched.

Adelaide clung to a thread of emotional conclusions, not to the strong rope of cold facts. For her sake, he either had to disprove her theory—or if abuse existed, uncover the truth.

With the paper out this morning, he had some time and would drive out to talk to Tulley. Maybe Ed’s neighbor would give new insight. He’d ask Addie to ride along.

Even with the turmoil between them, picturing Adelaide’s face in his mind, he longed to have her near.

At the livery, Charles left Ranger in the care of the freckle-faced stable hand, and then loped toward the center of town and crossed the street to Adelaide’s shop.

As he entered, two ladies toting hatboxes walked past. He held open the door and they gave him a friendly nod.

“Ladies,” he said smiling, and then closed the door after them. He crossed to where Addie stood and soaked up some of the radiance from her face. Was it the sales or could he be the reason for that glow?

“Charles.” His name sounded gentler, more refined coming from her lips. “This is a surprise.” She fingered a garment on the counter. “I figured you were still angry with me.”

How could he ever be mad at anyone with eyes that blue? “And you with me. Considering our dual ownership of the paper, it’s bound to happen. As a newsman, I’ve learned not to take a dispute personally.”

“As a woman, I’ve learned a man can be wrong—without taking it personally.” She shot him a triumphant smile.

He chuckled. “I kind of enjoy that temper of yours.”

Her eyes widened. “Me? What about you? You—”

“See how easy it is to raise your hackles?”

She let out a laugh. “So you came to pester me?”

“No, ma’am.” He stepped closer. “I came to look at you.” Her face colored, pretty as a pink rose in bloom. He liked tipping her poise with a few words. “And to hear about Jack.”

On the counter, she began ironing the garment’s folds with her hands. “I shouldn’t have said those things about Jack.”

“Oh, but I’m glad you did.”

Her chin went up and she shot him a look that would have squelched a weaker man, but Charles merely laughed.

“Don’t think you’re perfect. You have faults, too.”

“Name them.”

She examined her nails. “I can’t waste my day listing them. You’re a smart man. Surely, you can figure them out yourself.”

He chuckled, then let his gaze roam her face, memorizing every contour. The high cheek bones, pert nose, slim straight brows. He couldn’t let her down. “You looked busy when I came in.”

“Those ladies were my first paying customers since my column came out.” She sighed. “Still, I’ve got to start on fall hats. I’ve decided to ask Laura Larson to help in the shop two days a week so I’ll have more time with Emma.”

Charles laid a hand on hers and gave it a squeeze. “And for me, I hope.”

“All I can concentrate on is keeping that precious little girl.” Adelaide pulled her hand from under his.

“That’s why I’m here. I have to see Joe Tulley, one of our county commissioners, for an article. His farm edges the Drummond place. If you want to ride along, we’ll ask his opinion of Ed.”

“I’d love to.” Adelaide gave him a dazzling smile. “What do you want to see the commissioner about?”

He blinked. His mind suddenly blank as a new chalkboard. “What?”

“Why are you interviewing Mr. Tulley?”

He cleared his throat. “Ah, Tulley is pushing for upgrading the county roads.”

He was reacting as if she were a magnet and he was a pile of iron filings, losing every coherent thought, except ones of her. He rose and walked to the counter to put some distance between them. “I spoke to the committee. They had nothing new to say about Ed, though they all mentioned the tragedy of his son’s death.”

“Sympathy for the Drummonds’ loss colors the committee’s judgment. And it doesn’t help that Ed’s uncle, Roscoe Sullivan, is a respected member of the community.”

Maybe she had valid points. Still, he suspected Addie of overreacting, not maliciously, but because she cared.

Deep down, Charles knew Addie would never have permitted a child of hers to be beaten, by anyone, even the child’s father. Unlike his mother or hers, Addie had an inner strength, a strength he supposed came from her deep faith in and obedience to God.

For her sake, he’d gather information and see where the facts led, hoping they would point to Ed’s unsuitability. But after what he’d seen out at the fire, the gentle way Drummond had treated the Anderson boy, he doubted it. “So far, we have no reason to suspect Ed of abusing William.”

He saw disappointment in Addie’s eyes, knew how much she counted on discrediting the Drummonds, counted on having Emma permanently.

She returned to her work, but her shoulders drooped.

“A ride in the country will do you good. When can you leave?”

“Emma went home with a friend after school, and she’s staying for supper. I can leave at closing time.”

He stepped near and caught the scent of her. Crisp and clean, with the faintest hint of honeysuckle. His gaze drifted to those rosy lips. He bent his head…Then realized kissing wasn’t appropriate in a place of business. He straightened. “Five-thirty, then.”

“Thanks for inviting me,” she said a little breathlessly.

He strode to the door, then paused and turned back. “Uh, when, ah, did I say?”

She smiled. “Five-thirty.”

“Oh, yeah. I knew that.”

Charles said goodbye and then dashed across the street, back to the world he could control. One where he didn’t make a fool of himself because of the way a woman breathed. One where he didn’t lose track of what he’d said all because of a woman’s smile. Or didn’t lose the objectivity he’d prided himself on.

At five-twenty-five, Charles had hitched Ranger to the buggy and pulled up to her shop, a smile of anticipation curved at his mouth. Evidently she’d been watching for him because she immediately stepped onto the walk.

He jumped to the ground, his gaze resting on her face. “Hello again.”

“Hello,” she answered back.

He stood a moment, merely looking at her. She’d donned a wide-brimmed straw hat with blue ribbons that tied under her chin. Whenever she went out, she wore a different hat. Her stock-in-trade, like the tablet he carried.

Inside that pretty head lived a keen, determined mind, which both fascinated and annoyed him. “You’re beautiful.”

A blush tinged her cheeks and put a glow on her face even the wide-brimmed hat couldn’t hide. “Thank you.”

He offered his hand to her, giving it a squeeze. When she returned the pressure, the contact filled him with contentment. Is this how other men felt with the women who cared about them?

He handed her into the buggy, then walked to the other side. She pulled aside her skirts, making room. He climbed in, took the reins and then glanced her way. When he caught her gaze, she lowered her lashes, looking feminine and oh, so alluring.

Seeing her smile, touching her hand, these simple things brought him joy and optimism. He wanted to protect her, to see her have Emma. But no matter how much he longed to be with her, he couldn’t marry her.

Not with the blackness inside him.

Flicking the reins over Ranger’s back, he forced his gaze to the road, away from Adelaide Crum. He couldn’t have her, except for moments like this.

The reminder tamped down his emotions and he resolved to keep the day impersonal. He would focus on
The Ledger
and the state of the county roads. And distance Addie, with her controversial column and her distracting blue eyes, from his mind.

Adelaide laid a gloved hand on his arm and his good intentions faltered. “Thanks for this chance to ask about Ed.”

“I want what’s best for Emma, too.”

They drove out of town, passing a field with shoots of corn cracking the dry soil, then another with winter wheat dancing in the breeze. In an evergreen alongside the road, a cardinal whistled a greeting. Open land pushed to the horizon. Except for the beat of hooves on the road, quiet reigned and a sense of peace settled over him.

Adelaide leaned against the seat and sighed. “I can’t remember the last time I went for a ride. I’d forgotten how lovely it is to see nothing but fields.”

Empathy rippled through him. Addie had been cooped up much of her adult life, while he’d been free to come and go, riding Ranger into the country whenever he found time.

She removed her hat and held it on her lap. Wisps of hair escaped the knot at her neck and drifted about her face. She pointed to a black horse galloping in the nearby pasture. “Oh, look at him run.”

Charles leaned past Adelaide to peek at the sleek stallion. “He’s probably tired of those fences and wants to flex his muscles.” He found his face very close to hers. Captured by those blue eyes, he couldn’t look away.

“It’s too bad he’s fenced in.” She sighed.

He slowed the buggy and with a gentle touch, turned her face toward his. “Do you feel that way sometimes? Boxed in, not by rails but by people’s expectations?”

Her eyes widened. “I do,” she said softly. “That’s why I want a voice at the paper. Do you understand?”

“Why must you work for change? You have nothing to prove.”

“I may have nothing to prove, but there are lots of things to
improve
—not just for me, but for all women. With your family situation, you should understand some things need to be changed—like terrorized women, who have nowhere to go.”

Charles flicked the reins. Ranger picked up speed. “Neither law, politics nor community expectations kept my mother in that house,” he said, his voice gruff. “Her lack of courage did.”

“It wasn’t only a lack of courage.” She laid a gentle hand on his forearm. “She probably had no options.”

Her gaze returned to the horse still running around the enclosure. “As a child, did you ever think about running away?”

He nodded. Somewhere along the line this had become about him, not her. “Sure.” He exhaled. “But I’ve learned memories travel with you.”

They were both pinned by their pasts. The thought shook him, but he laid it aside to examine later. “Why not learn to ride? On a horse, you can feel that freedom. Feel in control, in tune with the world.” He pushed back a wisp of hair that had blown across her cheek. “If you’d like, I can teach you.”

She swatted at his hand. “I’ll do no such thing.”

He shot her a grin. “Too scared?”

“I am not.”

“Good. That’s what I thought.” Then he clicked to Ranger and snapped the reins. He wished he were riding Ranger, with Addie tucked close, his arms encircling her and the wind blowing in their faces. “Once you get used to the size and power of a horse, you might find you enjoy riding as much as I do.” He knew how to give her a taste of that freedom. “Here, take the reins.” She shook her head, hanging on to the side of the buggy. “I won’t let anything happen. Come on, you can do it.”

She released her grip and scooted closer, reaching for the leather ribbons.

Charles gave her an encouraging smile. “Good, now flick them.” Ranger broke into a trot and Addie gave a little gasp. “Isn’t this fun? Feel the freedom, Addie?”

“Oh, yes!” She glanced at him briefly and her eyes shone with delight. As the landscape sped by she laughed.

Memories wafted away on the breeze and for a moment, they both were carefree, released from their pasts.

But up ahead, Charles saw their turn and put out a hand for the reins. “I’ll take over now.”

“Am I doing it wrong?”

“No, we’re here.” At his gentle tug, Ranger slowed and turned down the lane. “This is the Tulley farm.”

And the return to reality.

Adelaide took in the limbs of huge elms reaching across the lane like a canopy. An occasional burst of sunshine broke through the shade, throwing mottled, swaying patterns upon Charles’s face. He had offered to teach her to ride. Even with the exhilaration of the speeding buggy, Adelaide couldn’t imagine climbing on a horse, but she’d do it. Not because it meant spending hours with Charles, but because she wanted to come and go as she pleased. For that, she’d risk her neck.