A Lawman For Christmas

A ghost of a smile graced his mouth. “For someone who claims to dislike me, you issue that warning quite often.”

Heat flooded her cheeks. “That’s because I—”

“Don’t want to stitch me up again. I know.”

He ducked outside and headed for the mill. She watched his confident stride, troubled by her deepening interest in the lawman’s welfare.

* * *

He found nothing. Saw nothing. Ben had no answers for Isabel. After his search the boy was as big a mystery as he’d been an hour ago. His ears stinging and nose numb, he rapped on the Flores cabin door.

Isabel greeted him with a cautionary finger to her lips. Admitting him into her home, made toasty by the crackling fire in the hearth, she waved him over to the sofa. Eli slept beneath a maroon knitted blanket. His small hands were clasped together beneath his cheek as if in prayer, his forehead puckered in disquiet that had followed him into his dreams. Ben reached out his hand to smooth the mop of curls from his face before catching the action. He sank it deep in his pocket.

There could be no room for tenderness in this case, no personal attachment. Work involving children was tricky, full of emotional pitfalls, and Ben would have to be vigilant in order to remain detached. The sooner he reunited Eli with his guardian, the better for everyone.

Isabel regarded the child with open concern. “He seemed nervous with my sisters around, so they retired early. I fed him enough for three children his size. He was ravenous.”

A lump formed in his throat. Ben couldn’t abide the thought of anyone going hungry, much less an innocent child.

“Once his stomach was full, he got droopy eyed. I would’ve liked to give him a thorough washing, but it will have to wait until morning.”

“Thank you, Isabel.” He peered deep into her eyes. “Right after breakfast, I’ll interview the neighbors. It’s possible his family was traveling through the area, and he got separated. It may take a few days to locate them. In the meantime, he can stay with one of the O’Malleys.”

“I see no reason to move him. He obviously has a hard time trusting new people.”

He rested his hands on the sofa’s scrolled wooden edge. “You’ve got a point. But if I can’t reunite him with his folks in the next day or two, I’ll find a more permanent place for him.”

While she didn’t look happy with the pronouncement, she didn’t argue.

“Would you like for me sleep in here?” he said, indicating the rug beside the hearth.

“That’s not necessary. I can sleep here in case he wakes in the middle of the night.”

“I noticed he kept his distance from me.”

“To a four-year-old boy, a lawman like yourself must present an intimidating figure.”

“Did he tell you his age?”

“That was the only tidbit of new information I coaxed out of him.”

“Not a chatty little guy, is he?”

Her gaze clouded over. “Who knows how recent his mother’s passing was or what his current situation is like. The state he’s in...he didn’t accumulate this amount of filth by exploring the woods for an hour or two.”

“He’s awfully thin. In my experience, kids his age resemble cherubs with full cheeks and chubby hands and legs.”

“I’ll make certain he eats well,” she said, a fierceness to her tone.

As much as he yearned to linger, he chose the wiser course of action. “I’m off to my sleeping quarters for the night, then. Try to get some rest.”

“You, too, Deputy.”

“This deputy has a name, you know.”

She arched a brow. “Good night, Ben.”

“Good night, sugarplum.”

Seeing her protest brewing, Ben ducked through the door. He passed a fitful night in the hut, his mind alert to danger and not fully allowing his body to rest. At daybreak, he saddled Blaze and paid a visit to the Floreses’ immediate neighbors. No one had any useful information to share about the boy. Dissatisfied with his venture, he returned to the cabin eager to see how both Isabel and Eli had fared during the night.

She greeted him with disheveled hair—her braid was untidy, stray tendrils trailing her cheeks—and flour dusting her mauve blouse.

“Am I glad to see you.” Seizing hold of his coat sleeve, Isabel tugged him inside.

“What disaster has occurred that you’d say such a thing to me?” he uttered, nonplussed.

“That one right there.”

She jerked a finger toward the kitchen, where Eli was gleefully stirring the contents of a bowl, uncaring that some of the liquid was splashing over the rim. Eggshells oozing with remnants of whites littered the makeshift counter built into the wall. Milk puddled on the floorboards beneath the chair on which he was perched.

“I’ve never had a child in my kitchen before,” she whispered desperately. “You have to help me.”

Ben couldn’t stop a grin from forming. Isabel was a strong, independent woman. To see her unsettled by a tiny human filled him with mirth.

“Your sisters haven’t ever made messes?”

“I’m only three years older than Honor. I don’t remember the three of us in the kitchen together. Mama allowed only one of us to help at a time, and she had high standards of cleanliness.”

“Hmm. What will you give me in exchange?”

Her lips compressed. “I’ll grind your corn for free.”

“Have you ever known me to patronize your mill?” He laughed, tugging off his buckskin gloves and laying them on the hutch. “I don’t cook.”

“That’s right. You enjoy the generosity of the citizens your work for, mostly families who have eligible daughters.”

He chafed his hands together. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed the lack of an invitation from you.”

“Are you angling for one?”

Ceramic thudding against the wooden floor was followed by a guilt-ridden uh-oh.

They both turned to see Eli’s bent head as he contemplated the batter oozing onto the floor.

“I don’t handle messes well.” Isabel put a weary hand to her forehead.

“I’ll clean it up if you promise to cook for me.”

“Fine. I was in the process of preparing breakfast anyway.”

“Doesn’t count. Has to be a full evening meal.”

She glowered at him. “Served on my best dishes, I suppose?”

“As long as it includes dessert, you can use whatever dishes you want.”

Chapter Six

Isabel’s sisters were aware of her preference for neatness, even in the midst of a task such as preparing flapjacks. If Eli’s circumstances had been different, she would’ve had no qualms guiding his attempts to help. But he was motherless and lost, stuck with strangers mere weeks before Christmas—the most special time of year for any child. He’d tossed and turned during the long night, at times calling out for his mama. How could she manage a single stern word to this hurting child?

As Ben approached, Eli pressed flat against the counter, apprehension in his thickly lashed blue eyes.

“Are you angry?”

“Angry? No, sir. Accidents happen.” Ben indicated the chair. “I promised Miss Isabel I’d clean this up, though. Once that’s done, how about we watch her make breakfast and later, after we’ve eaten, you can help me wash the dishes?”

Eli looked to Isabel for confirmation. She nodded in encouragement.

“Okay.”

“Good. Mind if I help you down from there?”

Without waiting for an answer, Ben picked him up and deposited him beside the doorway, close to where Isabel stood watching them. Eli toyed with his hair, knotting it further. Somehow she was going to have to coax him into the bath.

As Ben hunted for a clean washrag, she couldn’t help noticing his bedraggled allure. Auburn-tinted whiskers shadowed his jaw, and his hair refused to stay out of his eyes. He’d divested himself of the suit jacket, and his shirt and pants were slightly creased from sleeping in them. Even so, his shirt’s pale green fabric added a rich sheen to his hair and deepened the sea-glass hue of his eyes.

If anyone had suggested she’d be fixing breakfast in the company of Ben MacGregor, she’d have marked it off as an insane notion. She glanced at Eli and, resisting the impulse to tidy his out-of-control curls, admitted she was grateful for Ben’s company.

“Where’s Honor and Carmen?” he asked.

“In the barn tending our animals.” They shared her curiosity and concern about Eli, but sensing his shy nature, had decided not to crowd him. “We divide the chores. I’m responsible for breakfast and supper, and Honor fixes the noon meal.”

“Carmen doesn’t cook?”

“You don’t want her to cook, believe me.”

Wiping the floorboards clean, he said, “With my ma and three sisters in the house, I didn’t see the need to learn. I could use the skill now, though.”

“Are any of them married?”

“Anne’s married with one child. According to Ma, the other two are enjoying the attentions of multiple beaus.”

“They’ve learned from your example.”

His gaze enigmatic, he lifted one shoulder. “Or I’ve learned from them.”

The girls returned then, glad to find Ben in their home. They chatted with him as if they were a group of old chums. Isabel prepared another bowl of batter while Honor set the table and Carmen poured coffee for the adults and milk for Eli. Content to quietly absorb the activity around him, Eli remained close to watch Isabel cook.

When the meal was ready, Honor and Carmen abandoned their usual spots in order to accommodate their guests. That put Isabel between Eli and Ben. Squelching the complaint springing to mind, she busied herself tucking a cloth into Eli’s collar.

“Is that necessary?” Carmen smoothed her napkin on her lap. Her bright yellow blouse, combined with her tanned skin and flashing brown eyes, put Isabel in mind of summer and sunflowers. “Extra stains on that shirt will hardly be visible.”

“Carmen,” Honor said in exasperation, “don’t be rude.”

“When will you stop chiding me as if I’m eight years old?”

Isabel caught Ben’s sparkling gaze upon her. “I miss this.”

“What? Constant squabbling?”

“Family,” he said simply.

She averted her eyes. Never had she thought of the deputy as lonely. He had enough admirers to keep him entertained during his nonworking hours. She envisioned her fragile mother and the many moments over the past months when Isabel had wished she was around. And while her siblings sometimes annoyed her, she couldn’t imagine living an entire day’s journey away.

“When was the last time you saw your family?” Carmen shifted the molasses closer to her plate.

“I spent a couple of weeks in Georgia last summer. My father’s not one for traveling, so if I want to see them, I have to go out there.”

Impatient, Eli ambled onto his knees and reached for the topmost flapjack.

“We haven’t said grace yet, Eli.”

She placed her hand on his back, compassion and consternation mingling when she felt his leanness. He could be part of a destitute family with a guardian who struggled to put food in the children’s bellies. Or he could be in the care of someone who put their selfish desires above his welfare. Isabel found herself hoping he’d stay with her long enough to see him gain weight.

“Who’s Grace?” Eli said.

Carmen snickered. Honor shot her a quelling glance.

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