“I think he will be delighted. He wants Charlotte to be married and have children, and he was beginning to worry she would never marry. Don’t get me wrong, he loves his daughter more than anything. But I know that he has been courting a woman—discreetly, I might add. Please don’t mention that bit of information to anyone, not even Charlotte. My brother doesn’t know I’m privy to his personal affairs.”
Frank arched his brow in question. There were more sides to Aunt Ruth than met the eye.
Ruth smiled at his unasked question. “I have my ways of obtaining information, Frank. I’m not certain I approve of this particular courtship. More than likely it’s simply a matter of feeling his own mortality.”
Frank had wondered why the judge hadn’t insisted Charlotte wait a week and travel with him to Denver. He couldn’t say he was surprised a woman was involved in the judge’s decision. Most likely, the judge was less interested in his mortality than he was in his baser thoughts. To hear Ruth talk, the judge had lived his life for Charlotte. Frank figured he was in no position to criticize the judge if he wanted to seek out a woman. After all, he’d pursued Charlotte for his own motives.
“I’m thinking of having a party for you and Charlotte after my brother arrives. What do you think?” Ruth asked.
Frank smiled. “I think Charlotte would love a party.”
Chapter Nine
Over the next few days, Addie, Rose, Granny, and the children spent their time working on the interior of the new farmhouse. The night before school was to begin, Addie invited everyone to the orphanage for dinner as a thank-you for their hard work.
Jack arrived for dinner before the other guests, and when Addie opened the door, she was once again struck by his striking features. He looked so handsome in his white shirt and black hat that he took her breath away.
Jack smiled at her as he removed his hat. “I don’t know what you’re cooking, but I smelled it a mile away.”
Addie blinked at him, trying to focus on his words instead of his handsome face. “I hope it smelled good.”
“Delicious.”
Addie stepped aside. “Come in, please.”
Jack glanced around, expecting to see the children. “Where are the children?”
“They went to the ranch to make sure Joseph is coming. Jane baked an apple cake for him. I told her Joseph wouldn’t miss a chance to have some cake.”
“You don’t mind them walking through the pines alone?” Jack asked.
A chill ran down Addie’s spine. “I thought they would be safe. Am I wrong?”
“No. Some people don’t like to go through there, but there’s no reason the children won’t be safe, as long as they know the way.”
Addie smiled her relief. “They know the way. Davey would have made a great guide to the West. Before we left Boston, he’d memorized the map.”
Jack thought she looked so pretty in her yellow dress that accentuated her generous curves. Her cheeks were rosy, just as he imagined they would be if he kissed her. Where did that thought come from? He couldn’t say he was sorry he had a few minutes alone with her. “Can I help with anything?”
“Oh no, I don’t put my guests to work. You can have a cup of coffee, or if you prefer, you can wait in here for everyone to arrive. I have a few more things to do in the kitchen.” She realized she’d never been alone with Jack, and she didn’t know quite what to do. She couldn’t just stand there and stare at him.
“Coffee sounds good.” In the kitchen, he hung his hat on one of the hooks he’d nailed near the back door.
Addie filled a cup for him, but when she turned to carry it to the table, Jack was walking toward her. He took the cup, hitched his hip on the counter by the stove, and glanced down at what she was cooking. “I thought I smelled chicken.”
“Please tell me you like fried chicken.”
“Yes, ma’am, as long as you have mashed potatoes too.”
Addie pointed to one of the pots. “Right there. I was getting ready to mash them.”
Jack spotted the wooden potato masher on the counter. “I can do that.”
“Are you sure?” Addie couldn’t believe he was willing to help in the kitchen.
“Sure thing. But you have to tell Granny I helped. She doesn’t think I can cook. When I was shot, she brought me food every day for two weeks.”
Addie was reminded that it was a man in her brother’s gang who had ambushed him. “I was sorry to hear about what happened. We haven’t had much of a chance to talk about Frank.”
“What’s done is done. Nothing we can do about it now.” Jack didn’t really want to talk about her brother. He was going to have to go after Frank and bring him to justice. He didn’t want his friendship with Addie to suffer when he arrested her brother.
She stopped turning the chicken and looked up at him. “I just want you to know I understand why you have to go after him. After what he did to Stevie and to Rose, he needs to be caught.”
Jack nodded. “I’m glad you feel that way. Some people aren’t so understanding when I have to lock up their kin.” He started mashing the potatoes and glanced around the kitchen. A few days ago it had been just a room with four walls. But now, with all of her feminine touches, she’d made it warm and cozy. It felt like home. “You’ve made this kitchen real pretty.”
“Thank you.” She was surprised a man like him noticed such things. She leaned over his arm and reached for the butter.
Jack’s hand stilled as her breast grazed his arm. Mind on business, he reminded himself.
Addie sliced off a good portion of butter and plopped it into the potatoes. She went to the ice box and grabbed the milk. After she added milk to the potatoes, she said, “Let me know if it needs more.” She reached for the pan of biscuits and placed them in the oven. “This stove is wonderful.”
“Morgan and I picked it up in Denver. Granny told us you love to cook, and she even cut a picture out of a catalogue to make sure we ordered the right one.”
“Everyone has done so much, I don’t know how to thank you,” she said.
That was the second time she’d said that. The first time he was tempted to tell her he would take a kiss for a thank-you. He smiled to himself as he thought about saying it now that they were alone. “You could . . .”
She turned her big blue eyes on him, wondering what he was going to say.
His gaze started at her eyes and drifted to her pink lips. Coward, he thought. “Taste these potatoes.”
Picking up a fork, Addie stuck it in the potatoes and took a small bite. She reached for another fork, dipped it into the potatoes, and held it to his mouth. His eyes met hers, and Addie thought her heart might leap out of her chest when those intense silver eyes slid down to her lips. She felt herself turning pink. “Salt and pepper?”
Jack grinned. He liked how he could fluster the schoolteacher just by looking at her. “Yes, ma’am.”
Grease snapped in the skillet, causing Addie to jump. She turned to check the chicken and grabbed the fork to turn the remaining pieces before they burned.
“That chicken smells as good as you, Miss Addie.”
“Thank you . . . the only thing I have left to do is make some gravy.” Suddenly the large room seemed to shrink around her. She couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything other than the handsome man beside her.
“I love gravy.” He knew he was making her nervous, so he moved closer and leaned down to her ear. “Do you have a bowl for the mashed potatoes?”
Addie shivered at his nearness. “Right on that shelf.” She pointed to a shelf away from her. She removed the chicken from the pan, and reached for the flour to make some gravy. Thankfully, gravy required her full attention so it wouldn’t burn. She picked up the milk and poured some into the skillet as she continued to stir.
Jack moved next to her again, so close that her skirt brushed against his pants. “I can stir for a while if you want to check the biscuits. They smell really good.”
She relinquished the wo
oden spoon to him before she checked the biscuits.
“It’s nice cooking with you.” Jack had never given a thought to how much fun it could be helping a woman in the kitchen. But being here with Addie, he couldn’t think of another thing he’d rather be doing.
“Haven’t you ever cooked with a woman before?” She tried to sound calm, though her heart was beating as fast as a Thoroughbred after a race. Then she made the mistake of looking up at him again.
Jack winked at her. “No, ma’am, I haven’t. Generally, women have dinner cooked when I arrive.” He didn’t say he’d intentionally arrived early tonight so he could spend some time with her and the children before the other guests arrived. He’d told himself he liked spending time with the kids. Now, he realized it wasn’t just the children he enjoyed. He liked being with Addie. He felt an easiness with her. It was like being home. A real home, where people talked to each other, ate together, teased each other, simply enjoyed being together. It was odd that he would feel that way, since he’d never really had a home.
When he winked at her and smiled that perfect smile of his, Addie realized she was in danger of becoming completely besotted with the devastatingly handsome sheriff. She thought he was teasing her, and not being flirtatious, but that thought didn’t slow her heart rate. She reminded herself for the umpteenth time that a man like Jack wouldn’t be interested in her. Trim and pretty Clarissa was his type of woman. “Perhaps next time you can help Clarissa with dinner. That might get you back into her good graces.”
Jack cocked his head at her, his brows drawn together as if he was trying to figure out a complicated puzzle. He couldn’t understand why she was thinking about Clarissa at this moment. Sometimes women could be downright confusing. She wouldn’t look at him, so he said, “I don’t think I have much to worry about on that score.”
Addie interpreted his comment to mean he’d already mended fences with Clarissa. She wasn’t surprised; a woman would be an idiot to stay mad at him. Actually, she was feeling a bit envious of Clarissa. She reminded herself that Granny would tell her envy was a sin. She handed him a bowl. “Would you put the potatoes in this bowl?”
Jack handed her the spoon so she could continue mixing the gravy. Addie was lost in thoughts, and stirring the gravy so vigorously that Jack reached over and placed his hand over hers. “Are you stirring or attacking?”
Her gaze was on his large hand covering hers, and her heart started racing again. “Oh, I guess it is done.” She glanced up at him and he was so close she could smell his scent.
His eyes were focused on her lips. “Addie . . .” He wanted to kiss her so badly he could almost taste her. He lowered his head to hers, but they were both startled by footsteps on the back porch. They turned together to see the kitchen door swing open and the children ran in. Claire ran right to Jack with arms stretched wide. He swept her off the ground, high in the air. “How’s my girls and my best young man?”
Their faces lit up every time Jack spoke to them. He treated them as though they were the most important people in his life.
“We’re good. School starts tomorrow,” Jane said excitedly.
“Yeah, I wish it didn’t start so soon,” Davey said.
Jack heard from his tone that he wasn’t as thrilled as Jane about school.
“I go to school too,” Claire said.
“How about I take all of you to school in the morning?” Jack asked.
Claire responded by kissing him on the cheek and hugging his neck.
“Now, that’s a fine thank-you.” He glanced at Jane, and said, “What about you? Does that earn a kiss on the cheek?”
Jane stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
Jack glanced at Davey and put his hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I won’t make you give me a kiss.”
Davey made a face at him, causing Jack to laugh. “You just wait, young man. One of these days you’ll change your mind about getting kisses.”
“That day is a long way off,” Addie said.
Jack grinned at her as his eyes moved to her lips once again. “Well, he has something to look forward to, doesn’t he?”
Addie thought Jack would know the answer to that question better than anyone.
“You’ll really take us to school in the morning?” Jane asked.
“You don’t have to come all this way just to drive us to school,” Addie said.
“It’s my pleasure.” He winked at Claire. “Maybe Miss Addie should give me a kiss for taking her to school tomorrow. What do you think, Claire?”
Claire clapped her tiny hands together and said, “Un-huh.”
Jack smiled at Addie. “Claire thinks you owe me a kiss.”
Like Jane, Addie stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to Jack’s cheek.
He was tempted to turn his head so her kiss would land on his lips, but the children were watching. He settled for tugging on a lock of her hair that had fallen over her shoulder. “For a kiss like that, I may have to take you to school every day, Miss Addie.”
The remainder of the dinner party walked through the door, and everyone started talking at once. With Claire on his hip, Jack helped Addie carry the bowls to the table and Rose poured coffee.
Addie had added chairs at each end of the table and she placed Jack’s cup at one end. “Jack, sit here.” Jane and Davey quickly claimed the seats to the side of Jack.
Even if Addie hadn’t considered the seating arrangement, he felt honored being placed at the head of the table. He looked around at everyone at the table, and for the first time, he had a sense of what it felt like to belong to a family. He felt the excitement of the children next to him, and their need to be loved by this family.
Addie looked at Claire sitting on Jack’s lap. “Claire, sit on the bench by Jane so the sheriff can eat.”
“I don’t mind if she wants to sit on my lap.” He kissed Claire’s cheek. “I have to warn you, I may eat all of your potatoes.”
Claire’s face lit up. “Okay.”
“She may leave more on your shirt than she does on the plate,” Addie warned.
“It’ll wash,” Jack replied, unconcerned.
Addie lowered her eyes so no one could see she was about to cry. She’d never met a man like Jack. He was wonderful with the children, making them a part of everything he did, and she could see the small changes in their manner because of him. While she was thrilled they enjoyed being with Jack, she worried the day would come when they would be adopted and that relationship would change. No matter how much she wanted to protect them, she couldn’t stop all of the heartaches they were sure to face in the future. She might as well allow them to enjoy today. As Granny always said, Tomorrow will take care of itself.
Morgan was the one who usually said grace, but she looked at Jack and asked, “Jack, would you give the blessing?”
At first, Jack stared at her blankly. He’d never said grace with a table full of people, but seeing all eyes were on him, he nodded. He almost choked up at the privilege, and he tried to keep his voice even when he said, “Claire, let’s bow our heads so we can pray.”
Claire interlocked her fingers, bowed her head, and squeezed her eyes shut.
Jack smiled, and when he glanced Addie’s way, he saw she was watching Claire and smiling too.
After Jack blessed the meal and said amen, he heard Claire say softly, “Thank you for my papa.”
Jack felt a lump the size of Texas growing in his throat. He glanced at Addie to see if she’d heard Claire, but she was talking with Joseph and wasn’t paying attention. When his gaze slid to Jane and Davey, he knew by their expressions that they’d heard Claire. He didn’t want them to say anything to Addie that would upset her, so he simply shook his head, as if telling them it was their little secret. “Jane, Davey, I made the potatoes, so you’d better eat a lot of them.”
“Did you really?” Davey asked.
“Ask Addie.” He glanced her way and winked.
Addie blushed. She wished he w
ould stop winking, it flustered her every time. “Yes, he did, and they taste wonderful.”
“The sheriff is going to take us to school tomorrow,” Jane said.
“That’s nice of you, Jack,” Morgan said. “But you don’t have to come all the way out here. I was going to have one of my men take them to town.”
“I don’t mind,” Jack said.
“We need supplies anyway,” Morgan said.
Jack let the matter drop, but he’d tell Morgan later when they were alone that he wanted to take them. He didn’t want Jane and Davey to think he’d changed his mind because it was inconvenient. Not to mention Claire would probably cry all the way to school.
Addie didn’t let on that she’d been listening to every word exchanged between Jack and Morgan. She was disappointed Jack wouldn’t be taking them, but it didn’t make sense for him to ride from town only to turn around and go back.
Everyone finished their dinner, and Addie told Jane she could slice the cake.
“Mr. Longbow gets the first piece,” Jane said, slicing him a large piece.
Joseph took a bite and told Jane her cake was about the best he’d ever eaten.
* * *
“Jane, are you asleep?” Davey asked.
“No, but be quiet, Claire’s asleep,” Jane replied.
Davey slipped into the room and quietly closed the door behind him.
Lifting her head from the pillow, Jane could see him in the moonlight. “Is something wrong?”
“No, I just couldn’t sleep.” Davey sat at the foot of her bed.
Jane sat up and propped the pillow at her back. “Me neither.”
“Do you think Miss Addie likes the sheriff?”
Jane shrugged her shoulders. “I guess she likes him. Why?”
“Do you think she likes him as much as she does Mr. Adler?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know why she liked Mr. Adler in the first place,” Jane said.
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