For He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.
—Psalms 91:11 (NIV)
1876
It was only the second day of September, but the air was crisp and falling leaves were floating on a gentle breeze, a sure indication summer would soon be saying good-bye. Adelaide was thankful the journey home to Whispering Pines had been much more pleasant than the trek East five years prior. She, along with her two sisters, had left Whispering Pines on a hot July day, and the entire trip had been one laden with dust, unbearable heat, and cranky, smelly passengers wedged elbow to elbow inside the coach. She couldn’t imagine a more miserable experience, and she’d nearly jumped for joy when she’d learned there would be no additional passengers on the last leg of this trip. Actually, it was a godsend; the three children she was taking home were able to stretch out and sleep, as they were at this moment.
After the children had worn her out with their many questions, she’d suggested they settle on the coach’s bench seats while she read the story of David and Goliath. It was their favorite Bible story, and she’d read it to them so many times she knew it by heart. The children were quiet, listening intently, waiting for their favorite part, David slaying the tormenting giant. Addie didn’t make it that far this time; the rhythmic motion of the stagecoach lulled the children to sleep in minutes.
Addie’s eyes flickered over their innocent faces as they slept. She smiled, thinking of their many questions about their new home and cowboys. Davey, who was twelve years old, going on twenty, wanted to be a cowboy, and to his utter dismay he had yet to see what he thought was an honest-to-goodness cowboy. Addie had all but promised him that a cowboy or two would be traveling with them, but it was not to be, and Davey was sorely disappointed.
In truth, Addie was as excited as the children to reach Whispering Pines. She couldn’t wait to see her grandmother. She’d longed to return home for over a year, but she had promised to work for a period of time at the orphanage, and she had to see it through. It was always her plan to return home to teach, but when she became involved with the orphanage back East, she’d found her true purpose. Once she’d shared her desire to open an orphanage in Whispering Pines with the superintendent of the orphanage, he’d lent his full support and plans quickly came together. Everything had fallen into place so perfectly, Addie’s inner voice told her the orphanage was her destiny. She knew that as surely as she knew her name.
It wasn’t without some regret that she was leaving some close friends behind, but Whispering Pines called to her. Her thoughts drifted to Prescott. Prescott Adler III and his parents were benefactors of the orphanage in Boston. They had also donated the Colonial Revival–style house in Boston where the orphanage was located. She’d met Prescott the day she’d interviewed for a teaching position with the superintendent, and not long after their initial meeting, Prescott invited her to dine. He’d been her escort to every social function for the past year. He’d often hinted that one day he might make an offer of marriage, but it never materialized. She wondered if he missed her now that she was gone.
No doubt, Prescott’s mother was overjoyed that she’d left Boston. His mother never failed to remind her how fortunate she was to have caught her son’s eye. Mrs. Adler had a way of looking down her patrician nose when she discussed Addie’s inferior background, as though she had a choice in the matter of the family or circumstances into which she’d been born. The Adlers were one of Boston’s wealthier families; old money, as Mrs. Adler would quietly discern when introducing her to Boston’s elite. Frankly, Adelaide found it difficult to appreciate the difference between old money and new money. As Granny always said, Money doesn’t determine a person’s character.
Pulling her thoughts off Prescott, and what might have been, Addie decided it was the perfect time to check her appearance while the children were sleeping. She opened her reticule to retrieve the elegant tortoiseshell compact that had been a Christmas gift from Prescott last year, and peeked at her reflection. She fiddled with her hair until she was satisfied her unruly curls were under control, then turned her attention on her pale face. As she pinched her cheeks to add a little color, she wondered what it was like for her sister Rose when she looked in a mirror. What would it be like to see the image of an uncommonly beautiful woman instead of an average face? She would never know; she had long ago accepted she would never have a face that would launch a thousand ships. Checking the mirror one last time, she muttered, “Not bad for an old maid.”
She snapped the compact closed and glanced out over the passing landscape. No matter her accomplishments during the last five years, she worried her marital status would be the first thing everyone would mention when she arrived home. She’d told herself that twenty-six wasn’t such an advanced age, yet she was well aware most women her age were married with children. Even her younger sister had recently wed the most handsome man in Whispering Pines, so Addie thought folks were bound to pity her all the more. It was generally considered unseemly for the younger sister to marry before the eldest married. Perhaps she wouldn’t be subjected to as much salacious gossip since her eldest sister, Emma, had never married.
She’d thought Prescott might ask her to marry once she told him she was leaving. But she hadn’t made her decision to leave Boston to force Prescott to propose. Even if he had asked her to marry, it wouldn’t have made a difference in her decision to go home—at least that’s what she told herself when he didn’t profess his undying affection. She was fond of Prescott, but she’d always dreamed of marrying a man who took her breath away. Like her sister’s husband, Morgan LeMasters. Not only was Morgan considered the most handsome man in the territory, he was also the most eligible, and there wasn’t a woman in Whispering Pines who wouldn’t have jumped at the chance to marry him. It came as no surprise Morgan had been smitten by Rose, and Addie couldn’t wait to hear how he’d won her hand. Rose had had her choice of suitors in Boston, but she’d always kept them at arm’s length, not encouraging their attentions. Addie sighed. If she were as comely as Rose, she wouldn’t worry about being an old maid. Everyone would think she was just waiting for the right man. Sometimes the truth was more difficult to face.
She told herself not to waste time worrying about what people might think. She was happy with her choices. Nothing would be as rewarding as opening an orphanage and providing children a home until they were adopted. Like the three children traveling with her now; they were literally starved for love and attention. Addie wanted to fulfill their emotional needs, and provide them with some stability in their lives. Faith, hope, love. Isn’t that what Granny taught were the most important things in life? What could be more important than loving children? She might die having never experienced the love of a man, but that didn’t mean her life would have been meaningless.
Prescott often reminded her she shouldn’t become so attached to the children since they would leave the orphanage one day. He’d said he couldn’t imagine living on the premises of an orphanage as if the children were his own. Prescott was financially generous, giving the orphanage more support than she could imagine, but that was where his commitment ended. After spending a year with these three children in particular, she almost dreaded the day they would be adopted. If Prescott had asked her to marry and agreed to adopt the children, she might have been tempted to stay in Boston.
She gave herself a mental shake. One couldn’t live their life with what-ifs, one had to go forward. She glanced out the window once more, and realized they were close to town. “Children, wake up. We are almost there.”
Davey’s eyes snapped open, and he slid across the bench to stick his head out the opening. “Really?”
Adelaide shook her head at his question. Davey reminded her of a doubting Thomas; he had to see everything with his own eyes to believe. “Yes, really.” She leaned over and gently shook the girls. “Girls, time to get ready.”
“Ready for what?” Jane asked as she slowly moved to a sitting position.
“Time to straighten your dresses. We are almost there.” Adelaide watched as Jane’s eyes moved to her younger sister, Claire. Jane was the middle child, and at ten years old, she’d taken on the responsibility of looking after her baby sister.
Jane stood and ran her hands over her blue dress, smoothing out the wrinkles before she squeezed beside her brother to look out the window.
Claire was only four years old, but she understood they were going to a new place where they might find people who wanted to adopt them. She climbed in Adelaide’s lap, and looked up at her with large, pale blue eyes. “Are we going to find my papa now?”
Adelaide ran her fingers through Claire’s blond curls and kissed her cheek. The question was asked with such yearning that Addie knew it was one Claire had long considered. “We are going to our new home. Right now that is what is important. You will get to meet my grandmother, my sister, and her new husband. They will be part of your family too.”
Claire scooted off of her lap and tugged at her pink dress with her chubby little dimpled fingers. “Does it look good?”
Adelaide smiled at the beautiful child. “Perfect.” She glanced at Davey and Jane as they craned their necks out the window. “Do you see anything yet?”
“No, ma’am, not yet,” Jane said. “Do you think your grandmother will like us?”
Hearing that question brought a lump to Adelaide’s throat. Sometimes the children would ask such questions so unexpectedly that it would catch her unaware. It never failed to sadden her that they thought no one would love them, or want them. “I know Granny will love you, just as my sister Rose, and her husband, Morgan, will love you.”
“Are they as nice as you, Miss Adelaide?” Davey asked.
“I think they are, but you will see for yourself.”
“Will we really learn to ride a horse?”
“You most certainly will. To live out here, riding is a necessity.” Adelaide had wanted to teach them to ride in Boston, but the superintendent at the orphanage wouldn’t hear of it.
“I think I see something,” Jane said. “There aren’t very many buildings. Are you sure this is the right place?”
Adelaide felt the coach slowing, and she leaned to look out over Jane’s head. “It’s a much smaller town than Boston.”
“I want to see,” Claire said, worming her way to the window.
The coach pulled to a halt in front of the hotel. Davey made a move to open the door, but Adelaide cautioned, “Wait for the driver.”
The stagecoach driver, George, opened the door to see the two older children ready to jump to the ground. “I bet you children are happy to be here.”
“Yes, sir,” Davey said, leaping from the stagecoach. He looked around, and his eyes landed on two very large men and two women walking toward the stagecoach.
Jane jumped to the ground next, and Adelaide was holding on to Claire’s hand to help her out, but Claire pulled away and vaulted out the door.
“Claire!” Addie exclaimed in horror.
Jack Roper had been talking with Granny, Rose and Morgan when the stagecoach arrived, so he walked with them to greet Rose’s sister. He was saying hello to George when he saw the little girl out of the corner of his eye. She was holding her arms out as though she expected someone would be waiting to catch her when she jumped. Reacting quickly, Jack took one step closer to the coach and scooped the child up before she hit the ground. His heart was in his throat when he looked down at the curly blond bundle in his hands. Her eyes were fixated on his face, and she didn’t seem the least bit rattled by the incident. He couldn’t help but smile at her trusting, impish face. He’d never seen such an adorable child. “Well, hello.”
“Hello,” Claire said, her eyes boring into his with more intensity than any outlaw Jack had ever faced.
“Claire! Don’t you ever . . .” Addie stopped. Claire was safe and secure in the arms of a tall man who had his back to her. Seeing Claire was not injured from her jump, Addie’s heart rate settled.
“Addie!” Rose exclaimed when Addie appeared at the coach’s door.
Jack turned, positioned Claire on his hip, and extended his hand to assist Addie to the ground. She didn’t look a thing like Rose. Addie had auburn hair and blue eyes, and she was taller than her younger sister, not to mention she had a much fuller figure. She wasn’t a heart-stopping beauty like Rose, but she had a sweet, innocent look about her, and the bluest eyes he’d ever seen.
As soon as the man holding Claire turned, Adelaide recognized Sheriff Roper. What she didn’t remember, or perhaps she’d never noticed, was his ruggedly appealing face. His features were not as perfectly formed as Morgan LeMasters’s, not handsome in the usual definition. More like strikingly dangerous looking. The slash of a thin scar running along the top of his cheekbone, along with his severely square jaw and penetrating silver eyes, lent him a formidable appearance. “Sheriff,” she said, placing her hand in his. As soon as her feet were on the ground, Rose and Granny converged on her and wrapped their arms around her.
“I’m so glad you’re home,” Granny choked out on a sob.
“I’m happy to be home.” Addie was so overcome with emotion seeing her grandmother that she could barely speak. “It’s so good to see you.”
Granny pulled back, and seeing Addie’s tears, she pulled her handkerchief from her sleeve and started dabbing at her cheeks. “Now, no crying. You’re home and this is a happy day.”
Addie wiped her tears away. “Of course it is. These are happy tears.” She turned to the children. “Let me introduce you to the children.” She placed her arm around Davey’s shoulders. “This is Davey, the eldest, and our protector on our journey.” Jane was standing behind her, so Addie reached for her hand and urged her forward. “This is Jane, and I don’t know what I would have done without her help.” Addie’s eyes moved to the sheriff, and she pointed to the young child in his arms. “Claire is the youngest, and as you can see, a real handful.” She gave Claire a stern look. “Claire, you shouldn’t jump from the coach. You could have hurt yourself. Thank the sheriff for catching you.”
Claire scanned the group before she turned her serious, wide eyes on Jack again. “Thank you for catchin’ me.”
“Any time,” Jack replied.
Running her tiny fingers over the scar on Jack’s cheek, Claire frowned. “Hurt?”
Jack looked at her sweet little face filled with concern. He smiled at her, flashing a row of perfectly aligned white teeth. “Not any longer, honey.”
Like Claire, Addie couldn’t seem to force her eyes from the sheriff’s face. She was definitely wrong about him, he was very handsome when he smiled. She held her arms out to take Claire from him, but her eyes remained on Jack’s mind-numbing smile.
Claire ignored Addie, shaking her head from side to side, silently conveying she was happy where she was. Jack just grinned at the child’s refusal to leave his arms, leaving Addie speechless.
Claire placed her small hands on Jack’s cheeks, turning his head until he was nose to nose with her. She studied his face, seriously appraising his every feature. “Are you my new papa?”
Jack was taken aback by her question. He didn’t know what to say to the sweet little girl. He glanced Morgan’s way, hoping his friend might help him out, but Morgan looked as flummoxed as he was.
Claire’s question drew Addie’s focus from Jack’s smile.
Granny realized no one knew what to say to the child, so she spoke up. “Children, you can call me Granny if you like.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Davey and Jane said in unison.
Addie breathed a sigh of relief when Claire turned to stare at the older woman. “Granny?”
“Yes, Claire, you can call her Granny,” Addie said, unable to read what was on Claire’s mind. She had a sinking feeling the child had already decided she now had a father and a grandmother.
Davey’s eyes were bouncing from Jack to Morgan. The two men definitely fit his definition of cowboys: big and tall, wearing pistols and cowboy hats. He’d never seen men like them and he was enamored.
Morgan saw Davey gaping at him and stuck his hand out. “Davey, nice to meet you.”
Davey shook Morgan’s hand and said, “Do you have horses?”
“Yes, I do. You’ll be welcome to ride anytime on the ranch.”
“I’ve never ridden a horse,” Davey admitted.
Jack extended his hand to the young man. “We’ll change that.”
“Are you really the sheriff?” Davey asked when he took Jack’s hand.
Jack pointed to the badge on his shirt. “Yes, I am.”
“Are you really a cowboy?” Jane asked Morgan.
“Yes, ma’am,” Morgan said.
“Can I ride a horse?” Claire asked Jack.
“You can ride in front of me until you are just a bit taller,” Jack said.
That seemed to appease Claire. “Okay.” She was running her small palm over Jack’s cheek, feeling his afternoon stubble. “What’s that?”
“That’s my beard,” Jack answered.
Adelaide was surprised by the sheriff’s patience with Claire. She held her hands out again to Claire, saying, “Honey, we need to let the sheriff get back to work.”
“But he’s my new papa.” Claire wrapped her arms around Jack’s neck, hugging him as tightly as she could.
Addie had never seen Claire so taken with a man. She couldn’t recall another man even holding Claire before, certainly not Prescott, nor the superintendent of the orphanage. She hated to disappoint Claire, but she couldn’t allow her to think she had a new father and later have her hopes dashed. “No, honey, the sheriff isn’t your papa, but you will see him often since he’s the sheriff.”
Jack’s gut clenched when he saw tears welling in Claire’s eyes. “I tell you what, honey, I’m riding to Granny’s farm to do some work, so how would you like to ride on my horse with me?” He glanced at Addie and read the worried look on her face, and realized that he may have overstepped his bounds. “That is, if Miss Adelaide says it’s okay.”
Claire’s lower lip started quivering, but she nodded before she buried her face in Jack’s neck and sniffled.
“Are you sure it’s not an imposition, Sheriff?” Addie asked. The sheriff hadn’t given her much of a choice, lest she break Claire’s heart the second time in a matter of minutes.
“No problem at all,” Jack said.
“Addie, Jack is helping Morgan rebuild the farmhouse and there’s more work to be done, so you will be staying at the ranch for a few days,” Rose said.
Seeing the confused look on Addie’s face, Granny took her hand. “We have a lot to tell you. We’ll explain everything later. We are having lunch at the ranch before Morgan and Jack leave for the farm.” Granny hated to give Addie the sad news of her brother’s death upon her return, but it wasn’t something that could be avoided. Addie had already departed Boston when Stevie was killed in the fire at the farmhouse, and they’d had no way of contacting her.
Not wanting to be an imposition on Rose and her new husband, Addie said, “Perhaps it would be better if we stayed at the hotel. Adding four more to a household can certainly be daunting.”
“We have the room, and we want you to stay with us,” Morgan said. He picked up the valises that George had placed beside them. “Let’s get to the buckboard.”
The women followed the men to the buckboard, and Addie approached the sheriff as he untied the reins of his horse. “Are you sure you will be okay with Claire?”
“We’ll be fine.” Jack couldn’t stand the thought of the little girl crying, but he figured Addie was worried about Claire being on a horse for the first time. “We’ll ride right beside you all the way.”
“Claire, you listen to Sheriff Roper and do what he tells you,” Addie said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Jack mounted his horse with Claire in his arms and situated her in front of him, telling her to hold on to the saddle horn. He wrapped his arms around her and backed his horse from the hitching rail.
“I gotta go,” Claire said softly.
Jack chuckled, thinking she was anxious to be on her way. “We’re pulling out, honey.”
“I gotta goooo,” Claire repeated, twisting around nervously.
When he understood what she was saying, he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off his saddle, holding her in the air to the side of his horse. He held her at arm’s length like a rock loaded in a slingshot seeking his intended target—Addie. “Miss Addie,” he said in a serious tone.
The women were chatting and not paying attention, but when they heard Morgan laughing they all turned to see what was so funny. Seeing Morgan’s eyes were on Jack, Addie glanced his way. Jack was holding Claire away from him as if he’d just discovered she had the plague. Thinking he’d changed his mind about Claire riding in front of him, she arched her brows at him. “What is it?”
Panic was written all over Jack’s face. “She’s got to go!”