The look in Joshua's eyes paused her immediate response.
“He said he's giving the Petersons notice and moving them elsewhere.” Joshua's voice lowered, strained, as if he was making some attempt to keep it low. “Is that what he told you?”
Kizzie swallowed then nodded. “Said it'd be a few weeks till me and Charlie could move in.”
“It ain't right.” He shot Nella a look. “This ain't good, Nella, and I mean to tell him so.”
Joshua cast another glance to Kizzie before turning and marching from the room.
“What … what does he mean, Nella? I … I gotta go somewhere, me and Charlie. We can't just keep stayin’ here.”
Nella released a long sigh, taking her time before meeting Kizzie's gaze. “Girl, it ain't got nothin’ to do with what you've done, but everything to do with Mr. Charles movin’ one of his tenants before the lease is up, especially the Petersons.” She pressed her fingers to her temples before meeting Kizzie's eyes again. “There are some folks you can swindle, and they won't do much about it. The Petersons ain't those kind of folks.” She stepped forward, placing her hand on Kizzie's arm. “You keep up your guard, girl. Mr. Charles may have just started trouble you and little Charlie weren't meant to fight.”
Chapter 3
KIZZIE SAT BESIDECHARLES INhis Model T as they moved over the dirt road from the Chappells’, the back seat of the car packed with blankets and pots and a few canned goods, courtesy of Nella.
Charles sent her a grin, his enthusiasm transferring to Kizzie a little, despite the lingering concern about the Petersons. Kizzie didn't know much about the family, since they lived as far from the main house as anyone on the Morgan property, but she'd heard enough to steer clear of them. One of the other maids even whispered about how the Peterson father was one of the biggest bootleggers in the area, and despite authorities knowing of his illegal runs, he'd never gotten arrested.
Joshua mentioned something about how Mr. Peterson had things to “hold over” almost everyone, including the police. But, since Kizzie's sins already lay out there for the whole world to see, she couldn't think of any reason the Petersons would bother her.
She pulled Charlie close and looked over at Charles. “You said you gave the Petersons another house?”
“Of course. I wouldn't break their tenant contract. I just set them up at a vacant house nearer the main house.”
She studied his profile. Nearer the main house? “But why didn't you send me to the vacant house instead of moving a whole family out of this one?”
His jaw tightened. “The Petersons could use a bigger house.”
The answer fell short of the mark.
“And this will give you easier access to town and keep you close to the Chappells.”
Why did she get the sense he held something back? Her mind sifted through what little she knew about the situation, and then her thoughts hinged on a possibility.
An achingly painful possibility.
Was Charles moving her and the baby as far away from his home as his land permitted? She shook her head against the notion. Surely not! He said he wanted to be with her.
“You'll have everything you need.” He gestured with his chin. “And the fence around the back will keep some of the critters in the woods from getting too close to the house.”
Her gaze moved to the forest along one side of the road, and a chill skittered up her spine at the memory of those coyotes. She'd grown up surrounded by woods her whole life, but the forest back home had been familiar to her—patched with people she knew along the path.
And her family had been there. Nearby. Scattered all over the mountain, ready to come at her cry. She squeezed her eyes closed. All her growing up, she'd imagined the world beyond the mountains like some sort of fairy-tale life, a place where she wanted to escape.
How had she failed to see what she'd possessed all along, even back in the mountains? How many immeasurable strengths and loves.
“Don't worry, Kizzie.” Charles covered her hand with his. “I've thought this through, and it's going to be a good place for you and Charlie. We can still move forward as a family, even if it's not the conventional kind.”
As a family? Didn't the notion sound sweet?
“I'll visit as often as I'm able.”
The warmth stilled its movement, and she curbed her disappointment with a smile for him. It had taken three weeks to get the house ready for her, and he'd only visited once.
Once.
Another truth struck through her silly, girlish ideals.
