Page 57 of More Than Meets the Eye

“Because they don’t just encompass the moonshine accounts,” Christie intoned as if it were the most scandalous secret. “They include the household accounts as well.”

Seth shook his head. “I still don’t under—”

“I’m trying to find my baby brother,” Christie blurted.

Evangeline nearly toppled the settee as she grabbed the sofa arm and jerked forward. “What?”

Christie must have caught the movement in her peripheral vision, for she glanced away from Seth and met Evangeline’s gaze. “My mother had a child before she died. A little boy. Archie.” Her voice cracked, and she stopped to take a couple breaths before continuing. “I haven’t seen him for two years. When Mama died, Archie was only a year old, not even fully weaned. Earl didn’t want to be bothered with a baby and didn’t trust me to tend him, so he sent him away. To a sister, I think, but I can’t be sure. Earl just took Archie away one day and returned without him. Stole my brother from me and told me to forget him. As if I ever would.”

Christie turned back to Seth. “What if Earl’s sister is as cruel as he is? I can’t bear the thought of that sweet little boy suffering. He’s only three. I don’t want him under Earl’s control, either, but if I could learn his location, I could run away from Earl and track him down. That’s why I needed to examine the ledger. Earl has to be sending money somewhere for Archie’s upkeep. If I could find an address or even a bank name, I would have a place to start.”

Seth bent his neck and dropped a soft kiss on one of the hands gripping his wrists. Then he lifted his face and met Christie’s dewy gaze. “We’ll find him, Christie. I swear to you. Whatever it takes, we’ll find him.”

A small sob escaped Christie’s chest, and an empathetic tear rolled down Evangeline’s cheek. Memories of Hamilton besieged her as determination filled her breast. Christie’s brother was still alive. He could be found, restored to her. Evangeline would do whatever she could to make that happen.

“Thank you.” Christie folded over onto Seth, fitting her cheek next to his. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

Evangeline stood, thinking to grant them some privacy, but Seth stopped her with a look. Gently, he pulled his head away from Christie’s and helped her to her feet. She released her grip on his wrists, and he wrapped his arm around her waist.

“I have one more question for you, Christie,” he said.

She sniffed a bit, then nodded.

“Why would Benson attack you if you were just looking at Earl’s ledgers? That makes no sense to me.”

Christie’s face hardened. “Because he didn’t leave me Earl’s ledger. He accidentally left one of his own.”

Evangeline met her brother’s puzzled look, then both of them turned back to Christie.

“The scoundrel’s embezzling money from the school board.”

23

Logan stood in front of the door he’d barged through as a kid and shuffled his feet. Then pulled off his hat. Then cleared his throat.

For pity’s sake, man. Just knock on the door. It’s not as if you’re asking her to marry you or anything. You’re simply paying a call.

At her home. With at least one brother in residence. The other, thankfully, was out working the sorghum. Logan had checked. Still, this was the first time he’d called at the Hamilton homestead of his own volition. Technically he’d attempted a call last night, but he’d never actually dismounted from his horse in all the excitement surrounding Eva’s disappearance, so that didn’t count. He hadn’t had time to get nervous.

Staring at the back door with a covey of flushed quail flailing about in his gut, Logan couldn’t help wishing for some other emergency to sweep in and save him. He much preferred having her on his turf, away from her brothers, but he’d grown impatient waiting for her to show up at his place today. And really, waiting was for cowards. What kind of man forced his woman to do all the courtship work? Men were the hunters, the pursuers. Seth and Zacharias were aware of his presence, so there was no point in hiding any longer. Time to lay claim to his woman, to make his intent clear.

An intent that had only become clear to him last night. Oh, it had been sneaking up on him for a while. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen it coming. He just hadn’t expected it to whoosh down on him like a twister, knocking his feet out from under him and banging his limp carcass against rocks and trees until finally spitting him out at the feet of truth.

He was in love with her. If he lost her . . . well, it would hurt a heck of a lot more than that twister ride.

“Ya gonna stand there all day or actually thump knuckles to wood?”

Logan lurched sideways, his hat nearly falling through his fingers as his heart rammed his rib cage. “Hamilton!”

Good gravy. He hadn’t even heard him approach. His nemesis stood not five feet behind him, just off the porch—smirking. So much for Logan’s keen observation skills.

“I didn’t hear you come up,” Logan said.

Was it possible for a smirk to get smirkier? If so, Zacharias Hamilton had mastered the maneuver. “Countin’ the grain lines in the wood?”

He was hilarious, too.

Logan shrugged. “Everyone’s got a hobby.”