Page 71 of More Than Meets the Eye

Should he play? Not for revenge, but to help Eva’s brother exorcise his demons? It seemed like the right thing to do. But then, his barometer on righteousness had been less than accurate lately.

“Sit!” Hamilton demanded.

At sea in his own mind, Logan sat. Cards appeared in front of him. He picked them up and stared blankly at the red and black markings. Coins hit the plank table, clattering against the wood. Logan blinked.

“Ante up, Fowler. Time to put the past to bed once and for all.”

29

Evangeline mashed the potatoes with excessive force. And why not? She could work out her frustration over Logan’s obstinance and produce silky smooth potatoes at the same time. Benefits all around.

Brushing a droopy strand of hair from her forehead with the back of her wrist, she exhaled in what would have been dramatic fashion had anyone been in the room to appreciate her woebegone fervor. Not that she wanted an audience. She’d pointedly avoided both of her brothers all afternoon. Seth was busy encouraging Christie, and Zach . . . well, those wounds were too fresh to prod just yet.

He’d cheated. Without apology. And stolen and lied and who knew what else, all in the name of providing for her and Seth. It made her feel dirty. Undeserving. She shouldn’t be standing in this kitchen making dinner; Logan’s mother should be. Zach never should have stooped so low, no matter how great their need.

But he had. And a man had died. Not at Zach’s hand, but still—sin had consequences, and these had been steep. A family ruined, and Zach? She’d seen the agony he tried to hide. He suffered, too. It was all a huge mess, and as much as she wanted to rail at Zach for not being the idealized hero she’d thought him, she couldn’t despise him. In fact, deep down, she ached for him, for the guilt eating away at his soul. He’d made a mistake. Many mistakes. But so had Logan. So had she. No human had ever escaped that fate.

Except one. And that divine exception was the only one who could take all their wrongs and create something right.

I don’t know what’s going to happen between those two, Lord, but please keep them from hurting each other. Or from doing something they’ll both regret.

Logan.

Evangeline set aside the masher and gazed out the window, as if wishing for him could make him materialize. He might not have been willing to let go of his vengeance, but Evangeline wasn’t quite ready to let go of him. After cooling her heels on a long walk with Hezzy—in the opposite direction from Logan’s property—she’d calmed and examined the situation from a slightly more objective position.

Logan had said he loved her, and she believed him. She loved him as well, even with his destructive agenda. He hadn’t challenged Zach to that awful game yet, so she had time. Logan was worth fighting for. Their future was worth fighting for. She wouldn’t give up while hope remained, no matter how thin the thread, so she’d prayed with all her soul. Prayed for the Lord to soften Logan’s heart, to speak truth into his life in a way that could not be ignored.

She’d prayed for her brother, too. For Zach to find healing from the scars he’d carried for so many years, and for her to forgive his mistakes and not hold them against him.

She was still working on that forgiveness. For both the men she loved. Hence the silky potatoes. Potatoes that needed to be in the warming oven.

Evangeline snapped out of her thoughts and set the bowl of potatoes next to the ham she’d sliced earlier. Green beans with a few ham chunks thrown in for flavor simmered on a back burner. Yeast rolls sat in a towel-covered basket on the table, butter crock alongside. Dishes were laid out. Utensils in place. Everything was ready.

Except for the folks who were supposed to eat.

The last she’d seen Seth, he was in the parlor with Christie, learning all he could about the schoolmaster, her stepfather, and her baby brother. Evangeline had wanted to listen, to distract herself with someone else’s problems, but the two of them had been cozied up together on the sofa, their conversation low and intent. She’d felt awkward about interrupting, so she’d turned her attention to the kitchen. And good thing she had. Seth was so involved with Christie, she doubted he was even aware of the time.

Evangeline strolled down the hall and waltzed into the parlor. Only to have her feet freeze to the ground while her jaw fell unhinged.

Seth had Christie wrapped in an amorous embrace, the two of them kissing with impressive enthusiasm.

Heat rushed to Evangeline’s cheeks, and she ducked her head. Good heavens. Her dinner announcement could wait.

She started to back out of the room, wishing herself invisible. If someone had walked in on her and Logan while they’d been embracing, she would have been mortified. She couldn’t do that to Christie. She’d probably find the wherewithal to tease Seth about it later, but not now. This was a private moment, one she had no business witnessing. Especially since seeing their shared intimacy highlighted all the bruised places on her sore heart.

She missed the doorway, and her heel knocked into the hutch that stood against the wall. The knickknacks inside rattled, and Seth’s head came up. Fierce blue eyes ready to do battle zeroed in on her.

Sorry, she mouthed, hoping Christie hadn’t been alerted. “Dinner’s, um, ready.”

He gave a small, disgruntled nod, then turned his full attention back to the woman in his arms.

Evangeline pivoted and navigated her way safely through the doorway without jostling any other random furniture items along the way.

She was happy for her brother. Seth deserved to find love, as did Christie. They were perfect for each other.

Just as she and Logan were perfect for each other. She set her jaw. They were. They’d just hit a bump in the road, that was all. Logan would come to his senses. She’d help him. Maybe she’d even go visit his mother, have a nice long chat with her, see what she could do to help the two of them reconcile.

She’d been praying for Mrs. Fowler every night in her evening prayers, just as she’d told Logan she would do when they first met. The poor woman had been through such horrible heartbreak and loss—a loss Evangeline could relate to all too well. Her parents. Her home. Her brother, Hamilton. She’d not leave Mrs. Fowler to battle that pain on her own. Neither would she abandon Logan.