Page 37 of More Than Meets the Eye

Ten minutes later, Zach had filled the bath with water from the kitchen pump along with a pail from the stove’s reservoir and two steaming kettles. Evangeline plunged her arm in to test the temperature. Her skin was chilled enough that the sudden warmth was a tad uncomfortable, but not unbearable. Just what a shivering female needed to regain her equilibrium.

With the men gone and the door closed, Evangeline reached for her guest and clasped her hands. “The water’s warm. I’ll help you out of this sodden dress and let you soak for a while. Then I can wash your hair and help you comb out the tangles. Would you like that?”

The girl’s eyes misted, but she nodded, and Evangeline smiled. Heaven knew this poor dear had been through enough hardship for one day. A little pampering was definitely in order.

As Evangeline helped peel away the black dress and aided her guest out of her frayed petticoat and threadbare chemise, she fought to hide her rising anger. Bruises. All over the girl’s body. Purple marks in the shape of fingers along her upper arm. Shadowy contusions on her belly. Thin red marks on her back as if she’d been struck by a switch or a cane.

No wonder she hadn’t struggled when that beast had carted her to the water’s edge. She’d been beaten into submission. Probably into unconsciousness. Evangeline would have to take care with washing her hair. The girl had probably been knocked on the head before being rolled into that awful blanket.

Evangeline sniffed quietly and blinked away the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. The girl didn’t need pity right now. She needed hope. So Evangeline took her by the elbow, gave her a nod that promised a lending of strength until the girl could recover her own, and helped her into the bath.

Logan kicked the toe of his boot against the fence post and leaned his forearms along the top rail. What was he doing? For the first time in years, he was back on his father’s property, the barn and the house both at his disposal. The girl they’d pulled from the river made a perfect distraction. He should be searching for something he could use against Hamilton, some type of leverage to force him to the gaming table.

Instead, Logan was leaning over the rail of a pigpen, watching a boar named Hezekiah wallow in a slimy mud puddle and worrying about the welfare of a woman he didn’t even know. Not to mention obsessing over the woman he did know.

He hadn’t been able to stomach the barn for more than a few minutes. He’d loosened Shamgar’s girth, rubbed him down a bit, and walked him over to the trough by the well so he could drink his fill. Then Logan had turned his back on the mausoleum that masqueraded as a harmless shelter for animals and trudged in the opposite direction.

He’d needed to escape the darkness of his memories, to find relief from the vise tightening around his chest, the growing pressure making it hard to breathe. When he’d spotted the pig, he’d immediately crossed the yard to the pen and leaned over the fence rail. Not because porcine rapport was particularly comforting in and of itself, but the bristle-haired creature snorting in the corner brought a much fairer companion to mind, one who could siphon sunlight through the darkest cloud. And if ever he’d needed a dose of sunlight, it was now.

“I understand you and Hezzy have a history.”

Logan straightened and twisted his neck to cock a wry grin at Seth. He supposed he should be thankful the younger Hamilton brother had been the one assigned to quiz-the-suitor duty. After his brief stint in the barn, Logan didn’t think he was up for a confrontation with Zacharias.

“Well, I did try to shoot him when we first met,” Logan said, tipping his chin toward Eva’s pet, “but your sister insisted I spare him.” He leaned his weight on the fence after Seth rested his back against the wooden slats. “I thought maybe if I hung out with him, he’d grow on me.”

“Hasn’t worked for me yet.” Seth crossed his arms over his chest, his pale blue eyes scanning Logan’s face. “But the strategy is sound enough.”

Logan raised a brow. “Trying it on me?”

“Yep.”

Logan chuckled at the honesty. “Am I growing on you yet?”

Seth shrugged. “Too soon to tell. But be warned . . .” He straightened away from the fence, his arms still crossed and his eyes anything but teasing. “We’ve been dealing with Evie’s penchant for bringing charity cases home for years. We know how to protect her.” He nodded toward the boar who was giving his back a good scratch against a post. “Pulled Hezzy’s cutters out before they grew long enough to inflict any damage.” Seth dipped his chin, his gaze lowering to Logan’s waistband before lifting back to his eyes.

Logan tapped the brim of his hat in acknowledgment of the brotherly threat. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good.”

They fell silent. Seth turned and braced a boot on the bottom rail of the fence as they both stared at the pig neither of them liked. ’Course, they didn’t much care for each other at the moment, either.

“So how’s the girl?” Logan said, finally breaking the silence.

“Under Evie’s wing.” Seth lifted his face toward the sun, as if he, too, thought of Eva as a bright spot in a dark world. “Best place for her right now.”

“Agreed. Your sister can raise a person’s spirits better than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“Spoken like someone who’s spent significant time in her company.” Seth shifted to face Logan, his bland expression doing nothing to disguise his pointed interest.

Logan inwardly scolded himself for the misplay. The compliment to Eva had risen unbidden and slid off his tongue without thought. He’d played a card that should have been kept hidden in his hand. She had him off his game.

Seth eyed him with raised brows. “Exactly how much time have the two of you spent together, neighbor?”

14

Logan did his best to downplay his interactions with Eva. “We’ve met a few times out and about. She was kind enough to help me decide on the best place to build my cabin.”

Seth looked far from appeased. “She told us you weren’t planning on staying. That you’d only bought the property as an investment.”