Page 27 of The Heart’s Charge

“I unwrapped my legs and starting sliding to the ground, but Miss Katherine wouldn’t let me. She grabbed me around the middle and held on tight. She looked right at the church lady and said she was sorry they wouldn’t be working together. Then she carried me to her wagon and held me on her lap all the way here.”

Abner finally looked at Mark. “She chose me, Mr. Wallace. Even though she got nothing in return. She chose me.”

“She’s a remarkable woman,” Mark said, his voice thickened by the emotion he couldn’t quite contain. Pride in a woman who would trust God to provide for her calling instead of bending to the demands of prejudiced wealth. Triumph for a hurting kid who’d found a love that would change his life. And just the smallest twinge of jealousy that he couldn’t yet make the same claim Abner had.

She chose me.

CHAPTER

TWELVE

Jonah held the railing steady while Mark nailed in the last makeshift spindle. Jonah had arrived at the foundling home about an hour ago and joined Mark in his work. Not wanting to bring up their investigation so close to the house, where an open window or ill-timed visit around the corner could lead to one of the kids overhearing, he’d held his tongue and focused on helping Wallace with the repair work instead.

They’d found a handful of dowel rods in the barn to serve as substitute spindles. Jonah had cut them down, whittled the ends, and sanded them smooth while Mark straightened and refastened the spindles he’d deemed salvageable. The new rods might not match the rest of the balustrade, but they’d hold the railing secure.

After Mark hammered the final rod in place, Jonah signaled with a tip of his head for them to take a walk across the yard. Once at the barn, Jonah moved inside and braced his back against the nearest stall, choosing a position that allowed him to keep an eye on the door.

Mark dropped his hammer onto the workbench, then massaged his right shoulder, rotating his arm in a wide circle to loosen the tightness in the joint. Wallace had regained full mobility in his arm after taking a bullet last year, but the old wound still pained him from time to time. Especially after heavy use. Jonah didn’t insult him by asking about it, though.

“What’d you learn from the deputy this morning?” Mark winced slightly as he made one final rotation with the shoulder.

“I learned he’s young.” Jonah had been less than impressed with Deputy Bronson. He seemed like one of those kids who got the job because he knew the right people, not because he had any particular aptitude for the post. “He answered my questions, but I got the impression he wouldn’t make a move on anything without the sheriff’s say-so.”

Mark raised a brow. “The sheriff in Llano?”

“Yep. Name’s Porter. If I take that axle in for repair tomorrow, I’ll stop by his office and have a word. I doubt he’ll have any more to offer than Bronson, though.” Which had been precious little.

Jonah reached into his trouser pocket and closed his fingers around his father’s pocket compass. The feel of the smooth brass casing never failed to focus and orient him when he lacked direction. This compass had led his father north to freedom when all he’d known was slavery. With it, his father had taught him how to gain one’s bearing in unfamiliar territory and how to find his way home in the dark after long days of hunting. With it, his father had taught him about the unchanging nature of God. How his presence was always ready to guide those who sought him.

This one’s murky, Lord. If you could see your way to pointin’ the needle in the right direction, I sure would appreciate it.

“So what did Deputy Bronson offer?” Mark asked.

Jonah released his hold on the compass and brought his hand up to rub at an itchy spot at the back of his neck. “Said no one had reported any missing children.”

Mark frowned. “So either no children are truly missing . . .”

“Or children are missing, but no one has reported it,” Jonah finished.

Mark scowled and pushed away from the workbench, agitation sending him pacing across the barn floor. “Who wouldn’t report a missing child?”

“Not all kids have family, Wallace. And of those who do, not all would trust a lawman.”

Mark ceased his pacing. “You’re right.” He blew out a breath. “Just this morning Abner told me the story of how he came to be here. His mother worked in a saloon. Abner was an . . . unintended consequence of her profession. She never wanted him. Treated him abominably. Drank so much she probably wouldn’t have noticed for days if he went missing. I’m thinking it’s a blessing she abandoned him so he could find a home here. Something tells me Kate and Eliza would tear the town apart if one of their flock went missing.”

A flash of lavender skirt at the edge of Jonah’s vision had him straightening away from the wall and standing at attention in a heartbeat. But it wasn’t soon enough.

“Who’s missing?” Eliza Southerland swept into the barn, her eyes piercing his with all the ferocity of a tigress preparing to fight for her cubs.

Mark spun to face the headmistress of Harmony House, but for once his smooth tongue failed him. Of course, it wasn’t Mark she was looking to for answers. No, her gaze had locked on Jonah, pinning him to the stall wall as effectively as a javelin.

Eliza marched into the barn on a mission. Katherine might have sent her to call their uninvited handymen to lunch, but the moment Eliza heard Mr. Wallace mention Abner’s name, her objective changed. Halting just outside the door, she’d shamelessly eavesdropped, determined to learn as much as she could about why these men were truly here. Wallace might have courting on his mind, but Mr. Brooks?

A little tickle stirred in her belly, but she eradicated it with ruthless force. She was far too headstrong to attract a man. Friends and family had been expressing that opinion for years, hoping she’d take a softer stance, she supposed. Not that it had the desired effect. She didn’t have time to worry about attracting a man. Not when there were needy children to care for. And if there were children in danger here in Kingsland, no man was going to keep her in the dark.

Without slowing, she bypassed Mr. Wallace with his half-open mouth and strode straight to Mr. Brooks. “Explain.”

The irritating man just stood there, his stoic face giving nothing away, his uncooperative tongue frustratingly still.