Brace began, his mind working as he reached for her and eased her from the chair, “let’s go over to the hotel first off and feed this young man some breakfast.”
“It’s closer to dinnertime, isn’t it?” Sarah asked, her confusion apparent.
“Yeah, I suspect it will be by the time we make a stop at the doctor’s office, but this boy hasn’t had anything to eat today, unless I miss my guess.”
She looked down at Stephen, whose gaze traveled from one adult to the other in a bid to keep up with the conversation. “Haven’t you eaten this morning?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, ma’am. Pa said we was in a hurry.”
“I’ll just bet he did,” she muttered. Her face dark with anger, she lowered Stephen to the floor before her and he stood where she’d placed him, apparently willing to do whatever she bid him. “Let’s go,” she said, gripping his hand and walking to the doorway. “Lead the way, Sheriff.”
“This isn’t anything permanent, ma’am,” Brace told Sarah. They sat at the small table, watching Stephen devour a plateful of pancakes and eggs, and Brace felt more than a twinge of anger at the man who’d neglected the boy to such an extent.
“I’ll not give him up,” Sarah said firmly. She clasped her hands before her on the white tablecloth and her chin jutted forward as if she had drawn a line in the sand and dared him to step over it. “Lester is not getting his hands on him again.”
“He’s his son,” Brace said quietly. “I broke the law by taking Stephen today, if you really want to know the truth. I can keep him at arm’s length till the judge comes to town in a couple of weeks, but I doubt you’ll have a leg to stand on once we go to court and present your case.”
Sarah leaned over the table. “I don’t care what it takes, Lawman, I won’t give him up again. Did you pay attention to what the doctor uncovered in his office? Didn’t you see the bruises he wears?”
“Yeah, I saw them,” Brace said agreeably. “But the fact remains that Stephen’s place is with his parent. That’s legal and binding, no matter what you and I think about it.” He leaned back in his chair and shot a grin at the boy, whose wary gaze was once more following the adult conversation that concerned his future.
“Isn’t there any way? Legally, I mean?”
“You’re a nice lady, Sarah, but you’re a woman alone. No matter how bad the boy wants to be with you, you won’t be considered a good risk, not stacked up against a father’s claim, anyway. In fact, you’re gonna have a tough time finding a place to stay while we wait for the judge. You aren’t going to be safe here, not with your brother-in-law running around town.”
“If I leave, he’ll never find us,” she said quietly. “We can skin out of here after dark, and by morning he won’t have a trail to follow.”
Brace sighed and shook his head regretfully. “Sorry, ma’am, but I can’t let you do that. You’re gonna have to stick around till the judge shows up. I can’t let you run off.”
“You can’t stop me,” she said harshly.
“Yeah, I can,” he said. “If I have to I can stick you back in a cell and take the boy home with me. That way I’ll know where the both of you are.”
“No.” The word was accompanied by a violent shake of her head. “Anything but that,” she whispered. “Don’t take him away from me.”
“I’m not leavin’ you, Aunt Sarah,” Stephen said stoutly, thrusting his chin forward in a fashion much like that of his aunt.
“Well, we can try something else,” Brace said, leaning back in his chair. “You could both come home with me. I’ve got a couple of extra bedrooms I never use. As a matter of fact, I rarely even use any part of the damn house. I spend a lot of nights here at my desk, or, on occasion, at the hotel instead of going all the way home.”
“Why?” she asked, confusion alive in her face. “Why don’t you stay in your house?”
“It’s lonely there,” he said simply. “And sometimes I need to be handy in case there’s trouble at one of the saloons.” His smile was sheepish and he knew it. “It’s no fun to rattle around in an empty house.”
“Will there be a problem if we stay there?” she asked. “Will you be in trouble with anybody in town if you let us move in?”
He shook his head. “I don’t see why. It’s my house, bought and paid for with hard cash. I’d think I can pretty much do whatever I want to with it, including inviting company to stay if I want to.”
“I don’t want to damage your reputation,” Sarah said softly.
“More likely that I’ll damage yours,” he answered with a slow grin. And for the first time he wondered what had possessed him to make such an offer. The woman was about as appealing as any he’d ever met. Dressed in her pants and shirt, she drew every eye, especially those of the men who’d had a hard time keeping their gazes from her as she walked from the jailhouse to the hotel. She was slender, but rounded in all the right places, and he’d probably do well to park her somewhere other than his front bedroom.
But the offer had been made, and Brace Caulfield wasn’t a man to back down once he’d made a decision. “I picked up your pack from the livery stable. I kept the gun, just in case you planned on using it.” He watched her closely, noting the wary expression she wore. “You’ll be safe with me,” he told her, and as he watched, she nodded slowly.
“I suspect I will. I found that out last night.”
“About last night,” he began, and halted when she held up a hand to silence him.
“Let’s not talk about it,” she said, glancing at Stephen. “You were within your rights, and the way things have worked out, I’m not going to complain.”
“All right.” And wasn’t that an easy resolution to the issue. He’d thought he’d have to mend fences, but apparently Miss Sarah Murphy wasn’t a woman to hold a grudge.
All in all, this might be an interesting proposition.
Chapter Three
I t rose two stories high, the roof sloped and gabled, the windows abundant, their surfaces gleaming in the sunlight. All in all, it was a place that appealed to her, and Sarah found herself slowing her pace as she walked from the buggy toward the wide front porch. It was barren of furnishings, but the cool, shaded area looked to be ideal for a swing, perhaps a rocking chair, or even just a bench beside the door.
She could imagine whiling away the hours of eventide here, watching the sun set and the first stars appear in the night sky. The notion was fanciful, and she moved it aside for the more practical questions that begged to be answered.
“Why did you buy a place so large?”
Sheriff Caulfield looked a bit uncomfortable, she thought, but gamely met her challenge. “I’d thought to find a wife and settle down here, maybe have a family.”
“What changed your mind?” She’d seldom ever been so intrusive, but there was a sense of sadness about the man that spoke to her. Perhaps he’d been disappointed in love, or had lost his beloved to death. Sarah looked up at him, her gaze seeking to look beyond his casual manner. “You needn’t answer,” she said hastily as his mouth tightened. “I was rude to press for details.”
“No.” He shook his head. “Not rude, Miss Murphy, just being a woman, I suspect.” His smile appeared then, and she welcomed its return. “I found that my job took more time at first than I’d planned, and then I decided that the choices in Benning were pretty scanty.”
“Surely in a place this size there are available women,” she said, her tone unbelieving. “Or are you too fussy?” She’d murmured