been running from something?
Or from someone?
If so, Tom didn’t like the idea of Sarah Jane being caught up in the backlash of whatever the adults in her life had been involved in—or running from.
He hoped he was wrong, but the only one who could answer his questions was Erin, and she was in no condition to talk yet.
“How do you plan to travel with a child and an injured woman?” Miss O’Malley asked.
That wasn’t going to be easy. And Tom didn’t expect to do much sleeping on the three-day ride to Hannah’s house, where he intended to leave Daisy to heal.
“I can see that you haven’t thought that through,” Miss O’Malley said, her tone and stance a little too smug for her bustle.
“Actually,” Tom said, “I’ve done a lot of thinking.” More than she would ever know—and not just while he’d been on the trail looking for Caroline.
“Perhaps we should compromise,” she said.
“About what? The way I see it, Miss O’Malley, you don’t have a dog in this fight.”
As though his words had fallen on deaf ears, she continued to speak her mind. “Erin and Sarah Jane need to get out of town fast, correct?”
“That’s the way I see it.” What was her point?
“And Sarah Jane might or might not have a family who might—or might not—want her. Is that a safe assumption?”
“I suppose so.” Where was she going with this?
“If she has no family—or if they don’t want her—she’ll need another home.”
He didn’t dispute that.
“And if they want her, we’ll need to determine whether they deserve her. And if they don’t, then we’ll still need to find her another home.”
We? Who included Miss O’Malley in any of this?
“So you see, it’s all very simple.” Miss O’Malley crossed her arms and smiled. “I’ll go with you. And if Sarah Jane needs a home for any reason, I’ll be prepared to take her and Erin with me to Wyoming as planned.”
She couldn’t be suggesting that he travel for three days with her, an outspoken, headstrong schoolmarm. He’d be a fool to even consider such a notion. A woman like Miss O’Malley, no matter how pretty she was, would make the trip as unbearable as a throbbing ingrown toenail.
“Miss O’Malley, thank you for the kind offer, but I’m afraid that won’t work.”
“Why not?”
“To be honest, I’d run naked through a briar patch before I’d travel with you any longer than necessary.”
Up went that pretty little chin again. “Traveling with you wouldn’t be a picnic, Mr. McCain.”
“It certainly won’t. I’m not packing silver tea service or linen napkins.”
“How dare you accuse me of being prissy. I’ve made it a point to not be cast in that mold.”
“The mold of a lady?” He asked, awaiting a slap—or a sharp retort.
Instead, she uncrossed her arms and tossed him a pretty smile. “I don’t really care what others think of me, Mr. McCain—you included. But that’s beside the point right now. You’re going to need help traveling with an injured woman and a traumatized child. And it looks as though I’m the only one willing to go with you. So the way I see it, you don’t have much choice.”
Trouble was, as much as he hated to admit it, she was right.
Chapter Three
McCain glared at Katie as though she’d gone daft, then he shook his head. “Be ready in an hour—and not one minute more. We’ll leave from here.”
Before she could object to the unreasonable time limit, the man left her standing in front of the brothel and strode away as though it wouldn’t take much to change his mind or to alter his travel plans.
While she should feel somewhat victorious, she had to admit that she felt as unbalanced as a blindfolded child in a sack race.
How in creation was she ever going to pack for a trip like that in so little time?
Well, she couldn’t very well stew about it a moment longer, so she hurried home as quickly as her skirts would allow. She did, however, stop briefly to let Ian Connor know that she’d be leaving town.
Ian, who’d been a dear friend and a colleague of her late father, had suffered an attack of apoplexy last year that left the right side of his body so weak that he’d had to retire from his law practice. He now lived with his widowed sister in a white clapboard house just down the lane from Katie.
As she’d expected, Ian greeted her with a warm smile. “Katie, my dear, it’s always good to see you. Please come in.”
“I’m afraid I don’t have time to come inside. I just wanted to let you know I’ll be leaving and will be away for a week or so.”
Ian stroked his right arm and furrowed his brow. “Where are you going?”
“I’m taking Daisy Potts and Sarah Jane out of town.”
Ian stiffened. “You’re what?”
“I take it you heard about the attack. Poor Miss Potts was assaulted and nearly killed. I’m going to escort her and the child out of town.”
“Yes, I heard about the attack—and her injuries. But why in the world are you getting involved in that?”
“You know me.”
“Yes, I’m afraid I do.” Ian blew out a weary sigh. “May I remind you that you’re an unmarried woman, Katie? Traveling the country with a small child and a battered prostitute is dangerous and...well, it’s uncalled-for. Think of your reputation.”
“I’ll have an escort—Mr. Tom McCain. So I’ll be perfectly safe.”
Ian clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Why are they leaving? Wouldn’t it be best if Miss Potts stayed here in town until she recovered?”
Katie didn’t dare mention the danger Daisy and Sarah Jane might be in, so she chose another reason for their hasty departure. “The town hasn’t been kind to the child, and there’s been talk of sending her to live in an orphanage.”
The dear old man who, along with his sister, had become as close as family members to her, especially since her da’s passing, blew out a weary sigh. “Sending that poor child away isn’t necessarily a bad idea, Katie. People around here aren’t likely to ever forget what her mother did for a living.”
“I don’t know much about her real mother, God rest her soul. Sarah Jane once mentioned that she used to work at a hotel.”
“That’s probably what the child considers the Gardener’s House to be.”
“You may be right, but a little girl shouldn’t be punished for her mother’s mistakes.”
“I agree. However, that’s the way of it, Katie. When are you going to learn there are some things you can’t change or fix? I’d think that after getting arrested last November for creating a public disturbance at the town hall meeting you’d be smart enough to figure that out.”
“First of all, I’m not the only woman in this community who spent time in jail for speaking her mind.” Katie leaned against the doorjamb. “And secondly, I have given up. At least, here in Pleasant Valley.”
“What do you mean by that?” Ian asked.
“I’m going to leave as soon as I return from escorting Miss Potts.”
His