“What’s that mean?” Aaron looked down at her, his brows furrowed.
“Something must have happened.” She tugged him back into the street and toward the church.
Holding up her skirt, Elaine hurried toward her. “Oh, Jody, Pedro and Ray are missing.”
Jody’s heart all but stopped. Pedro, ornery as he could be, was one of her favorites. “How long?”
“No one has seen them since breakfast. They didn’t come in for dinner or siesta, so we started searching but to no avail.” Elaine wrung her hands together.
“Has the train been through? Could they have hitched a ride?” Jody couldn’t stand the thought of the two young boys so far from home.
“No. This is Tuesday. No train today.”
Jody clenched her eyes shut. Where could those rascally boys be? “We’ll just have to search the whole town.”
“Mr. Jacobson is doing that exact thing now.” Elaine hurried toward the gathering crowd.
Jody sought out Mr. Jacobson and found him near the train depot. Aaron followed her, and as they drew near, she heard the orphanage director organizing a search party.
“You men”—he pointed to Elmer and two of his freight workers—“you search the north end of town. Doc, you, Parker, and Lane take the east side. Me and Truesdale will take the west.” His concerned gaze fixed on Jody. “Jody, you and Mr. Garrett check south of town and be sure to check the livery well. You know how those boys love horses. The rest of you fellers pick a building and search it. Just make sure none of them get left out. All right, folks, let’s find those boys.”
The murmur of the crowd died down as people trotted off in different directions. Jody allowed Aaron to take her arm and guide her to the southern end of town. As they approached the weathered barn of the livery, Homer Sewell rode up on a bay mare.
“What’s all the ruckus?” He dismounted and held the mare’s reins in his big hand.
“Two of the orphanage children are missing.” The words nearly stuck in Jody’s throat. What if something happened to them before they could be found?
“I’ve been riding south of town, exercising my mounts, but didn’t see hide nor hair of any young’uns.” The big man lifted his hat and ran a dirty hand through his thin, greasy hair.
“Mind if we check in the livery?” Aaron asked.
Sewell shook his head. “No, sir. Not at all.” He turned toward the livery doors, opened them, and stepped into the shadowy recesses.
A blast of heat that smelled of leather, hay, and horses slapped Jody in the face. She lifted her hand to her nose and allowed Aaron to guide her inside. As her eyes adjusted, she looked around. There were plenty of places a boy could hide, but she couldn’t imagine them staying for so long somewhere this hot and stuffy.
Mr. Sewell opened the double doors at the back of the livery, allowing more air and light in. A gentle breeze drifted in, making the heat slightly more bearable.
“Pedro? Ray?” Jody slipped into the dark corners of the building, searching the shadows.
“I’ll check the loft.” Aaron headed for the ladder and deftly climbed upward, as if it were something he did daily.
Ten minutes later, their search unsuccessful, they stood behind the livery, watching Mr. Sewell ride off on another of his horses. He looked back over his shoulder. “I’ll keep an eye out for them boys.”
Aaron waved to him. Tears stung Jody’s eyes. “What if we never find them? What if some mean miner kidnapped them to use as slave labor?” She sniffed.
“Hey now.” Aaron took her shoulders and turned her to face him. “Don’t even think that way. We’ll find them.”
Jody’s throat burned, but Aaron’s gentle massaging of her upper arms soothed her. “How can you be so sure?”
“I’ve been praying for the boys ever since I heard they were missing. The Bible says that not even a sparrow can fall without God knowing. He even knows the number of hairs on our heads, so He knows where the boys are. We just need to seek His counsel on where to find them.” Aaron’s lips turned up in a sympathetic grin. He tucked a strand of hair that had escaped her bun behind her ear.
Jody shivered with delight at his gentle touch but also with chastisement as she realized she hadn’t even thought to pray about the boys. As usual, she’d charged forth in her own power. Would she never learn? Jody ducked her head, shamed to the core.
“Hey, stop fretting. We’ll find the boys. Trust me.” He lifted her chin with his finger and gazed into her eyes, pleading with her.
Her rebellious heart leapt at his nearness. She wanted to absorb his strength, but she’d had to rely on herself for so long that it was hard to lean on someone else.
“Jody.” Aaron pulled her into his arms, and her tears gave way.
She clung to his shirt and cried, feeling good in the release of her fear and frustration.
He gently rubbed her hair. “You don’t have to be tough all the time. It’s okay to lean on people who care about you.”
She wiped her eyes and tilted her head up, not quite ready to step from the security of his arms. “You care for me?”
Aaron grinned so widely her heart nearly stopped beating. “Isn’t it obvious?”
She sniffed, thinking that throwing her in jail surely didn’t prove his affection.
“Perhaps I’ve been too subtle.” His eyes flamed with passion, and Jody’s mouth suddenly went dry. He leaned forward, gazing intently at her as if waiting for an objection. Her eyes drifted closed of their own accord. His lips were warmer and softer than she’d expected, and his kiss set every speck of her being on alert. When he pulled back, his lips looked damp and his eyes warm.
Jody suddenly realized the inappropriateness of the situation and stepped back. As much as she enjoyed her first kiss, this wasn’t the time for romance. Aaron seemed to sense that, too.
“So where now?” He lifted his hat and ran his hand through his dark, curly hair.
“I don’t know.” They wandered back down Main Street, listening to the calls for the boys coming from all directions.
Suddenly, like a light in a fog, a memory began to take shape in Jody’s mind. She grabbed hold of Aaron’s sleeve, and he turned toward her.
“What is it?”
Jody kept her eyes shut as the memory came into focus. Suddenly she opened her eyes and stared at Aaron, hope blossoming. “I know where the boys may be.”
She grabbed Aaron’s hand and dragged him down the street.
“Where are we going?”
“The boys used to play in the root cellar at the old mercantile.”
“Root cellar? I never saw one there.”
Jody glanced at him as she hurried on. “It’s around back, where your workers were dismantling the day I—”
A tiny smile twittered on Aaron’s lips. “Ah, yes. The day of the protest.”
She scowled at him for finding amusement in something she took so seriously.
“I’ve had the men working out front since then, but they finished and were going to resume work on the back again today.”
The thought of the boys lying hurt or worse flashed across her mind like lightning. Hoisting up the front of her skirt, she hurried around the side of the old mercantile, noticing how little of it remained standing. Her heart ricocheted inside her chest. Please, God, let them be there and not hurt.
She skidded to a halt near the cellar, but disappointment slowed her steps when she saw the doors had been covered with aged lumber from the building. There was no chance the boys could have gotten into the cellar with all that wood covering it.
Aaron must have noted her disappointment. He put a comforting arm around her shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. “It was a good idea, Jody.”
She wiped her damp eyes. “Where do we look now?”
John, Aaron’s lead worker, tipped his hat and tossed another board onto the pile, making a loud clatter. Jody jumped and gazed up at Aaron.
His eyes sparked, and he turned toward the man. �
�How long has this pile of wood been here?”
John wiped his sweaty forehead with his sleeve. “Not long, boss. We started piling it there this morning after we started working back here.”
Aaron grabbed a board and slung it aside. “Get the other men. We need to clear these boards away.”
“But why?” John brushed his arm across his sweaty forehead.
“Jody suspects the missing boys could be in the root cellar.” He stopped tossing boards and glanced at John. “Were the doors open when you first started work this morning?”
John peered up at the heavens as if he was thinking hard, and then he nodded. “Why, I believe they were.”
Aaron glanced at Jody and smiled. She was certain once the boards were cleared, they’d find the missing scamps down there. She just hoped they weren’t injured.
Half an hour later, a crowd had gathered. Aaron tossed aside the last of the boards. The cellar door creaked open with a loud groan. An echoing clatter erupted when the door dropped to the ground.
Anxious and brimming with hope, Jody hurried to the steps and cupped her hand around her mouth. “Pedro? Ray?”
The crowd waited with hushed silence. Jody’s hope wavered when there was no response.
“Hand me that lantern.” Aaron motioned to Clint Stevens. Clint climbed over some of the discarded boards and passed the lantern to Aaron. He struck a match and the wick flamed to life.
Aaron gave Jody a wobbly smile. “You wait here.”
He made his way down the rickety stairs, holding the light in front of him. As soon as his head disappeared in the dark hole, Jody hoisted her skirt and followed. If the boys were hurt, they’d need her comfort. The stairs screeched as she made her way down.
“They’re here, thank goodness, but you don’t mind too well.” Aaron lifted up the lantern, illuminating the two boys huddled together asleep.
Her heart soared with relief when Pedro rubbed his eyes and looked up.
“Who’s there?” he called in a hoarse voice.
“It’s me, Jody. And Mr. Garrett.”
“I’m hungry.” Pedro shoved Ray. “Wake up. We can leave now.”
Ray yawned, rubbed his eyes, and glanced around in confusion. “I’m thirsty.”
Jody hurried across the dirty floor and pulled the boys into her embrace. “You had us all scared.”
“Ray was scared, too.”
The smaller boy shoved Pedro. “Nuh-uh. I wasn’t.”
“They found them!” Mr. Jacobson’s voice boomed, setting off a chorus of muted cheers upstairs.
“Let’s get out of here.” Aaron raised the lantern, illuminating the small room. Go on up, boys. I imagine you’d like some supper.”
Both children cheered and charged up the stairs. Jody looked at Aaron, gratitude warming her heart, though physically she was exhausted from their long day in the sun and then their searching.
“I had a feeling they’d be all right. God was watching out for them.”
Jody nodded. “You were right.”
Aaron grinned. “I could get used to hearing that. I suppose this reinforces my theory that moving the orphanage is the right thing to do.”
Her initial happiness turned to irritation. “Well, you don’t have to gloat.”
His smile dimmed, and he lowered the lantern. “I’m not gloating. Just trying to get you to see the truth.”
Jody stomped toward the stairs. She was tired, hungry, and dirty and wanted only to eat and then soak in a tub of cool water. “Well, you should be happy. You’re getting what you want.”
He grabbed her arm. “Wait a minute. This isn’t about me or what I want. It’s what’s best for the children.”
Jody yanked her arm from his grasp. “Yes, well, you won. You will have your hotel.”
Aaron sighed. “This isn’t a competition, Jody. I’ll admit at first I may have felt that way, but once I saw the need for a new children’s home, that’s what drove me.”
“And what happens when your hotel is built? What then?” She didn’t want to hear his answer. She’d opened her heart to Aaron Garrett, and just like everyone she’d ever loved, he’d leave her. Her parents died, leaving her scared and alone. When she was fourteen, her best friend died from a tiny scratch that became infected. The children she loved either got adopted or moved away once they were old enough to live on their own, and even her spinster friends had all found love and left her alone.
Aaron’s hand made a bristly sound as he rubbed it across his chin. “It will take quite a while to build a hotel. A lot can happen between now and then, but in the end, I suppose I’ll return to Phoenix or search out another town to build in.”
Jody closed her eyes against the stinging sensation. It was just as she thought. Aaron was leaving. She couldn’t afford to lose her heart to a man who’d ride off someday and leave her behind. She was the only person who could protect herself.
“Well”—she hiked her chin—“it seems to me you’re getting everything you want, Aaron. You ought to be quite happy.” She stomped up the stairs, blinking back her tears.
“Not everything …” she thought he murmured as she stepped onto the hard ground.
Chapter 8
Aaron paced his small room at the boardinghouse. Rubbing the back of his neck, he stopped at the window and stared out. His own scowling reflection glared back.
Why had Jody reacted that way after finding the boys? She should have been happy, but instead, she seemed more irritated with him than ever.
Women! Who could understand them?
He pushed away from the ledge and flopped onto the bed, lying back, staring at the ceiling. A water stain marred the whitewashed wood. He pressed his lips together as he contemplated what to do.
Jody had responded almost eagerly to his kiss, but later she was as mad as ever at him.
And he had no clue why.
He hopped off the bed and crossed to the window again. Shoving aside the curtain, he stared at the inky pane as dark as his dreams.
“Lord, why did I have to give my heart to a stubborn, fickle woman who doesn’t want it? Did I miss Your guidance?”
He was fooling himself to believe Jody could ever care for him. He’d allowed himself to hope, and now his heart was aching because of it. He paced to the door, pivoted around, and strode back.
A pair of laughing green eyes teased his memory. Once before he’d dared to love a woman. Florence had turned the heads of most men in Phoenix with her unparalleled beauty and lively personality. She’d done more than just snag his attention; she’d stolen his heart when he was but seventeen, then stomped on it when she quickly married a wealthy businessman. The joke was on her when Aaron unexpectedly inherited nearly a quarter of a million dollars from his grandmother on his eighteenth birthday.
He pulled out the desk chair and dropped into it. Jody and Florence were almost complete opposites in every way. He shouldn’t be comparing them, but the one thing they had in common was that both women had staked a claim on his heart.
Aaron growled and jumped up. He jerked his suitcase out from under his bed. Jody had made her feelings clear. She had no interest in him—could barely tolerate him. He couldn’t spend months in Cactus Corner building a hotel and seeing her all the time. The pain would be too great.
He slapped his belongings into the case and clicked it shut. Only one more thing to do.
Aaron pulled an envelope and a sheet of company stationery from his briefcase, then sat at the small desk and picked up the pen.
Dear Father,
After careful consideration, I have decided to use the alternate location as a hotel site. I will be leaving tomorrow for Banner Ridge. I have workers here clearing the property I purchased. With the vacant land being so near the railroad, it should sell for as much as I have invested in it. The orphanage next door is interested and will most likely purchase the property to expand their facilities.
I hope you and Mother are well.
I remain your loving son,<
br />
Aaron Garrett
He set the pen down and blew on the ink, then stuffed the missive into the envelope. Tomorrow morning he’d catch the train to Banner Ridge, leaving his heart behind in Cactus Corner.
Jody swirled the coffee in her cup and glanced around the café, knowing she wouldn’t see the man she’d come to love. She’d looked for Aaron at the boardinghouse at breakfast the day after they’d found Pedro and Ray, hoping to apologize for her appalling behavior, but he never came downstairs. That evening she learned he’d checked out and left town.
“I still can’t believe Aaron is gone.”
Anika gave her a pensive stare, then a sympathetic smile. “I knew you cared for him.”
Jody snorted. “Lot of good it did me.”
Elaine patted her arm. “At least Elmer has turned his attentions on the Widow Classen. You no longer have him pestering you to marry him.”
“Yes, that’s something to be thankful for.” Jody toyed with her fork, doubting she’d be able to eat the plate of food Etta would soon deliver to their table. Why had she been so mean to Aaron that night when they’d found the boys?
She was a coward, that’s why—frightened that Aaron would up and leave town, breaking her heart, so she had tried to keep him at arm’s length. She sniffed, and her lower lip trembled. The very thing she dreaded had happened sooner rather than later.
“Stop it.” Anika lowered her brows, giving Jody a stern glare.
Jody blinked, her mind swirling. “Stop what?”
“All the what-ifs and why-didn’t-I’s.”
Jody glanced at Elaine, who nodded her head. “You can’t rationalize everything—wondering if the situation would have turned out better if you’d done things differently.”
“But I drove Aaron away.”
Anika squeezed Jody’s fingers. “You need to leave all this in God’s hands. If you and Aaron are meant to be together, God will work it all out. Fretting won’t help.”
Jody sighed, feeling the tension leave as she accepted her friend’s advice. “You’re right. I’ll try harder to leave things in God’s hands.”
She took a sip of coffee, the cup clinking as she set it back in the saucer. “So are we in agreement to ask the board’s permission to purchase the Nickersons’ farm? It could be quite a long while before we raise enough money to build a dormitory, though.”
Love Is Patient Romance Collection Page 43