“Good morning, Miss Felicity. Don’t you look lovely.”
The woman blushed, the redness spreading over her cheeks as she reached up to adjust the ribbon holding her hat in place. “Thank you, Mr. Hannigan.”
“Are you ready, dear?”
She gave her husband a slight nod and a smile. Alovingsmile. There was no other word for it. No one had ever smiled at him that way.
He started to assist Felicity into the buggy, but Charley took his wife’s hand first and helped her, then made sure she was settled comfortably before he trotted around to the other side of the buggy and climbed in.
As Charley flicked the reins and started the vehicle moving, Felicity faced him. “Have a lovely afternoon, Mr. Hannigan.”
“Thank you, Miss Felicity. You as well.”
He watched the buggy until it disappeared from view, his hands on his hips, his lips pressed together in thought. There had been such love in Felicity’s smile for her husband and such devotion on Charley’s face when he looked at his wife.
Is that what a loving relationship looked like? He had no experience to draw from. That wasn’t to say he wasn’t fond of women. He was. Tremendously. And there were some in his past, former lovers whom he now considered friends, but not one of them had ever looked at him like that.
Charley and Felicity weren’t the only ones, either. He’d seen that expression of love and devotion on the faces of all the couples around him. Antonio and Hilde. Heath and his Jenny. Teddy and Esmeralda. Even Esteban, who spoke very little, more than made up for his lack of speech when he gazed upon Catalina…and she returned his expression, as if words were unnecessary.
Is that what I want?
The plain, honest truth was…he didn’t know. One does not miss what one has never had, but one could definitelywant. Could Evie be the woman he’d been waiting for all his life, though he hadn’t known it? Could she be what had been missing, even though he had everything he thought he wanted. He wasn’t sure, had never really thought about it until Father O’Malley reprimanded him for his way of life, convincing him that it was time to put away the cards and become respectable. Was he worthy of her? Could he offer her more than what she alreadyhad? He had no family except for Father O’Malley and the good Sisters. And he had a past, one he knew Evie wouldn’t approve of. She despised gambling after losing her sister the way she had.
Shaking his head as if that would help his thoughts roll into the right place, he strolled back toward the barn.
CHAPTER 6
Evie came in from the garden with a sigh. She couldn’t put it off any longer. With the children and their mothers down for their naps, and everyone else busy elsewhere, it was the perfect time to work on payroll.
In truth, it was not a chore she enjoyed. Lucy had been doing it for the past few years, but Lucy was married now and living in Serenity with her new husband, so the task once more belonged to her.
She strolled down the hall and stopped short in the doorway to the study. The desk chair was already occupied, the payroll ledger, neat piles of coins, packets of greenbacks, and little envelopes spread out on the desk’s shiny surface. Steam rose from a coffee cup. The door to the safe in the corner stood wide open. Pleasure swept over her in an instant. She’d recognize the back of her niece’s head anywhere—there was no mistaking those ringlets of dark brown, nor the pencil shoved into those glossy locks. “Lucy! What are you doing here? I thought you’d still be setting up the house.” She entered the room with quick footsteps, her paralysis broken.
“Hello,TiaEvie.” The young woman smiled at her as she swiveled the chair around to face her and leaned back into thesoft leather, a smudge of ink on her chin. “The house is set up, everything put away exactly how I like it. We’re just waiting for a few more pieces of furniture that Ben is having made, and it’ll be done. He decided to leave his medical office where it is for now, because all his patients know where it is, but eventually, he’ll move his practice to the house. It’s certainly big enough.” Undeniable happiness shone from her eyes, obviously proud of her accomplishments over the past two weeks. “Thank you for our home. The house is perfect.”
“Thank your brothers, too. It was their decision as well. They wanted you and Ben to have a good beginning.”
Lucy stood as Evie gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek, then flounced back into her chair.
“I’m glad you’re here.” Evie took a seat on the sofa and studied her niece. “I have some questions for you, young lady.”
Lucy settled herself more deeply into the chair and leaned forward a little, giving Evie her undivided attention. Her eyes were wide and twinkled with mischief. “I’m sure you do.”
“I find myself in the strangest of circumstances and it’s all, as I understand it, because of you.” There didn’t seem to be a bit of remorse on Lucy’s face. In fact, it seemed that she was trying hard not to laugh. “You think this is funny?”
The young woman nodded. “Yes, I do.”
“Well, I don’t.” She stared at her niece. “Would you mind explaining to me why you put an advertisement in the newspapers for a…a…mail order husband? Exactly how many newspapers did you put it in?”
“Oh, a few.” She giggled, her exuberance almost contagious. Almost. “You’d be surprised how many men responded to my advertisement. Apparently, you’re quite the catch,TiaEvie!”
“Lucy!” She very rarely raised her voice, but this time, she did. “Please be serious. How many advertisements did you place? And where?”
“Seven.” She counted off the cities. “Santa Fe. San Francisco. Denver. Phoenix. Sacramento. New Orleans. Even Atlanta.”
Seven! Evie groaned. “And how many men are going to show up here claiming that they are my future husband?”
“Well, I corresponded with several men, but only chose the best five, in my opinion, based on their letters. I wanted you to have a choice.”
