Page 20 of The Heart’s Charge

“‘When her loving “yes” she gave my heart to please.’”

Katherine stumbled a bit at that line. Mark caught her arm smoothly and carried on as if no great irony lived in the lyric.

They continued through the rest of the song, singing of happiness and tipped hats and shared memories. But when Mark twirled her around for the big finish, dropping to one knee so she could perch on his upraised thigh and strike the final pose, memories of another time he went down on one knee flew through her mind in a distracting wave, causing her to overshoot her seat. As Mark’s gorgeous tenor voice belted out the last note, she slid off the back of his leg. Her feet flew up as she toppled. She squealed, he tried to catch her, and they both ended up in a heap on the ground.

“Kate? Are you all right?” Mark lifted up on one arm to take his weight off her. He searched her face, concern etched into his features.

Laughter burst from her. A snuffle at first, but it soon broke into a glorious guffaw that brought tears to her eyes. He matched her with a chuckle of his own, and the children joined in. Rolls after rolls of mirth convulsed through her, stealing her breath and leaving her weak. But she didn’t care. The laughter felt so good. It cleansed away all the unnecessary worry tied to the past and allowed her to revel in the simple joy of the present.

A present that included both Mark and her children. It might only last for this single, precious moment, but she would absorb the elation of it and store it away for those days to come when loneliness tried to weigh her down.

CHAPTER

NINE

Jonah sat atop Augustus, swaying in rhythm with the horse’s walking gait. Years of military training had him scanning the road and surrounding area for signs of trouble as he and Mark meandered toward Kingsland, but his mind paid scant attention to what he saw. His internal cogitations took precedence.

Miss Southerland’s stubborn silence after they’d dropped baby Sarah off at the James home should have given him plenty of time to strategize the best way to investigate the mysterious kiddy-snatchers. However, Eliza Southerland, even when silent, proved to be a powerful distraction. And not just because of her looks, though they certainly contributed to the problem. It was the curiosity she whetted in him.

The touch of Southern drawl in her voice made him wonder at her upbringing. Had she been born on a plantation? Illegitimate daughter to some entitled white man who thought he could take whatever he wanted from his female slaves? What had it been like for her growing up? She’d obviously been educated. Likely at her father’s expense. So what kind of relationship did that imply? Did she treat all men as if they carried some kind of contagion, or just him?

That last question had shaken him and caused him to urge Miss Southerland’s team to greater speed as they made for home. He’d hoped that putting some distance between himself and Harmony House would settle his mind back on matters of actual importance—like missing children. Unfortunately, leaving the foundling home brought trouble of its own.

“We should’ve stayed for supper,” Mark grumbled as he rode at Jonah’s side. “I spent a good thirty minutes prepping those potatoes.”

Jonah raised a challenging brow. “It ain’t taters you’re missin’. It’s the lovely Miss Palmer.” At least he wasn’t the only one with a woman glued to his brain.

“Yeah, well, you would be too, if you suddenly found yourself face-to-face with the girl you nearly married ten years ago.”

Jonah’s face jerked sideways. He reined Augustus to a halt. “Married?”

Mark shrugged. “Nearly.”

Jonah let out a low whistle. Mark “the Lady’s Man” Wallace, a husband? Hard to believe. Sure, Wallace had a soft spot for the ladies, but Jonah had never pictured him settling down with any particular one. He seemed the type to enjoy a variety of women without the tangles of commitment. But maybe that had less to do with enjoying his freedom and more to do with pining for the one who got away.

“Close call, eh?” Jonah smirked, but Wallace failed to rise to the bait.

Instead he just stared off into the air, his expression pensive. “Sometimes I wonder if it wasn’t close enough.”

Jonah wanted to ask more but held his tongue. A man’s past was his own to share or not as he chose. If he started peppering Wallace with questions, his friend might expect Jonah to answer in kind. And he’d just as soon keep his thoughts—at least about women—to himself.

“If you want to head back to Gringolet in the morning,” Wallace said, nudging his gray back into motion, “I’ll give you the papers and payment from the sale to give to the captain. I’m going to stay around here a few more days.”

“Oh?”

“You saw the place.” A touch of defensiveness slid into Wallace’s tone. “Harmony House is in desperate need of repairs, and from what I can tell, they don’t have the funds to pay anyone to do the work. I thought I’d volunteer some manpower. Put a few things to rights. Wouldn’t want one of those kids to fall through a rotted floorboard, you know.”

Or a horse-phobic woman to be stranded with a broken axle.

“I think I’ll join you.”

Wallace turned in his saddle, the intensity of his gaze warming the back of Jonah’s neck. “Why?” The simple word packed a wallop of suspicion.

Jonah rolled his shoulders, trying to rid himself of the uncomfortable weight of eyes that probably saw too much. “I got my reasons. Most of which are tied to a job I just signed us on for.”

“What kind of job?”

Jonah looked straight at his partner. “A Horseman kind of job.”