Page 55 of The Heart’s Charge

Mark’s jaw ticked. “They’re boys on the cusp of manhood, Kate. Far too eager to prove themselves. You saw that look in his eyes. If we don’t find a way to involve him, he’s going to leave and do it on his own.”

She pressed her lips together and shook her head, wanting so badly to deny the truth staring her in the face.

Mark curled his hands around her upper arms and tugged her close. “I don’t like it either, sweetheart, but in all honesty, we might actually need them out there if we’re going to make any progress with this investigation.”

Katherine peered at his face and noted the haggardness of his features, the dark smudges beneath his eyes, the flat line of his mouth. The late nights standing guard and the frustration of a less-than-fruitful investigation had taken their toll. He was worn out. Fighting discouragement. She didn’t want to add to his burden. She wanted to lighten it. But how? She couldn’t just agree that they throw Rawley and the others to the wolves.

Reaching for him, she bent her arms upward and clasped his elbows. She’d listen. Stand with him. Love him. Even if she didn’t agree.

Mark stared at the blond topknot belonging to the only woman he’d ever loved. He hated that he had to disappoint her, sure her protective instincts toward the children would put them on opposites sides of this argument. Yet as he rubbed her arms and sought the right words to assuage her concerns while not shying away from doing what had to do be done, she surprised him.

Instead of pulling away, she leaned closer. Her palms curled around his elbows. And when her face tipped upward, it wasn’t anger or disillusionment he read in her eyes. Nor was it surrender. It was commitment. A decision to stand by him no matter where the upcoming discussion led.

A weight he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying shifted and fell off his shoulders. She wasn’t holding their burgeoning relationship hostage. If he displeased her with his decision, she wasn’t going to send him away. Her affection wasn’t shallow.

His hold on her arms tightened, and if there hadn’t been half a dozen sets of footsteps tromping across the yard behind him, he would’ve bent his head to hers and kissed her. Ah, horsefeathers. He had to kiss her. There were too many fireworks shooting off inside of him to ignore. Releasing her as if nothing earth-shattering had just occurred would be a crime. She’d offered him freedom, love, and trust. He had to respond in kind.

So he tugged her close, leaned down, and pressed his lips to the top of her forehead. His eyes slid closed for a precious heartbeat as he savored the feel of her skin on his lips. Inhaled the fragrance of her hair. Heard the tiny sigh that escaped her lips. Felt the slight softening of her posture and the caress of her thumb against the crook of his elbow.

It was the best moment of his life. But that was all he could allow it to be. A single, glorious moment.

He lifted his head and set her away from him, trailing his fingers along the length of her arms as they separated.

By the time Jonah and the boys reached them, Mark had his mind back on the question at hand and preempted the conversation before anyone could comment on what they’d just witnessed.

“Learn anything at the livery?”

Jonah shook his head. “Still no word about a knife-injured horse. I hoped Rawley’s snatcher would have sought out a healing salve at one of the liveries in the area or called someone out to treat the animal, but no one’s heard anything. Not here or in Llano or in Hoover’s Valley. The farrier’s done a handful of trimmings in the last week, but only for local customers, and none had a nick on the right rear hoof. Our two strongest leads have gone cold. We got no choice but to mix things up. Try something new.”

Mark nodded. He’d come to the same conclusion when his two forays into Burnet County had turned up nothing substantial on the dark-skinned man clad all in black. The fellow probably only dressed that way when hunting kids at night, using the camouflage to conceal himself in the darkness.

Mark had been widening his search, trying to learn about any vaqueros in the area who might match the description and checking on their whereabouts on the night Wart had been taken. But of the half-dozen men he’d tracked down, none raised any suspicions.

Not even the Mr. Lopez Alice had mentioned. Mark had checked on him first, seeing as how his job as porter at the train station gave him access to the boys who had been targeted. But Lopez was pushing sixty and far from spry. With his bum knee, Wart and Alice could have easily outrun him. The old fellow seemed harmless. He was the friendly sort who could talk a man’s ear off. Told Mark all about the boys who rode his train. Rawley confirmed Mr. Lopez was an ally. The porter had never turned them in and even gave them a few coins when they carried the heavier luggage for him. He wouldn’t hurt the kids.

However, his garrulous nature could have endangered them unintentionally. He’d shared all kinds of stories with Mark despite the fact that Mark was a newcomer to town. What if he’d told another stranger the same stories? He could have unwittingly painted a target on the boys’ backs. Yet when Mark had asked if any other men had questioned him about the boys in recent weeks, Mr. Lopez had shaken his head. Said most people just wanted their luggage, not conversation.

“What do you think about letting Rawley and the boys sniff things out around the train station during the day?” Mark kept his gaze locked on Jonah, knowing he’d be tempted to waver if he looked at Kate.

Jonah rubbed his chin. “I think Miss Eliza won’t want them missin’ their lessons.”

Rawley scowled. “Addin’ numbers on a slate ain’t gonna get Wart added back to his sister. Schoolin’ can wait. Wart can’t.”

Something moved to Mark’s right. Alice and Ruby must have overheard the commotion and come to investigate. They eased close, eyes wide, ears probably open even wider. Abner neared too, though he hung back, not mixing with the other boys. It was a good thing Miss Eliza had the youngest ones upstairs in the schoolroom, or they’d have a three-ring circus on their hands.

Scraping the bottom of his diplomacy barrel, Mark quickly hatched a plan he hoped would grant Rawley enough freedom to satisfy while still keeping some protective measures in place. “How about this?” he said. “You and the boys conduct your investigation, but keep in groups of two or three at all times. And report back to Harmony House once a day to let us know what you’ve learned and help us plot our next moves.”

“There’ll be food waiting for you,” Kate inserted. “Whenever you come. And cookies.”

Mark couldn’t hide his grin. Bribery wouldn’t keep Rawley at Harmony House permanently, but the kid had enjoyed more than a week of regular meals and probably wasn’t all that eager to scrounge for scraps and leavings again.

Jonah tucked his thumb into his gun belt and nodded toward Rawley. “If you get a lead on someone you suspect as a snatcher, send a runner for us right away. I got the wagon back yesterday, so I won’t be making any more trips to Llano. But if we ain’t here when you come, Miss Eliza or Miss Katherine will get word to us.”

“If you don’t report in,” Mark warned, “we’ll round you up and lock you in the classroom with Ted, Quill, and Prissy for an entire afternoon.”

The inane threat elicited a round of groans, but it also elicited unanimous avowals of agreement.

“We still got a good five or six hours of daylight left,” Rawley said, squinting up the sky. “Let’s get a move on, boys. Leave your gear here for now. We’ll fetch it tonight when we come back to make our report.”