Joshua nodded and then hugged the boy again. He smelled almost as strong as the big pile of manure they’d worked into the ground for Anna’s garden, but nothing that a good hot bath and a bar of soap couldn’t cure.
Anna returned with a sandwich and a glass of milk.
Caleb devoured it in a matter of minutes. “Thanks, Miss Lakeman.”
“You’re welcome. Now I’m sure your family will be thrilled to see you.” She tousled his hair.
Caleb handed her the glass and plate. He nodded and turned back to Joshua. “Will they be mad?”
“They’ll be so relieved to see you alive, son, there’s no need to worry about that.” He lifted the boy up onto his horse.
Anna tugged at his elbow. “May I speak with you for a moment?”
“Sure.” He followed her a few feet away.
“Did Julian have anything to do with this?” Her chin jutted forward.
He deserved the challenge. “No. Caleb said he found him at the train station.”
“Good.”
NoI told you so, or any other angry retort.
She studied him for a moment. “I meant what I said.”
The look in her eyes took him back to the creek. “I did too.”
“Good.” She blushed.
“Good,” he echoed. “I better get Caleb home. I might be late tomorrow.”
“That’s understandable. Take care of your family. I’m thankful he’s all right.”
She broke the connection and headed toward her house.
Now he had an entirely new problem to deal with.
How could he leave his heart behind when he returned to school?
sixteen
“It is terrible to lose a mother ... there is none left to love me with a mother’s love now.”
~Earl Douglass
MONDAY, JULY1
Julian couldn’t stop thinking about the way Joshua Ziegler had glared at him when he brought Caleb back from the train station.
“Ziegler was awfully suspicious of you.”
Why couldn’t Damian stop needling him? “I told him what happened. Just wish he believed me.”
“He was angry too. I don’t appreciate that.”
Julian didn’t appreciate it either. He’d done a good thing. He’d even fed Caleb and brought him home, knowing how much it hurt Anna that the little boy was missing. “People will respect me when they hear what I did.” At least, he hoped that was true.
“Don’t get your hopes up. That’s what gets you hurt every time. That’s why you need to nip this in the bud.”
