Kaitlin's Silver Lining (2 page)

Kaitlin looked at
Charley. “Obviously something already did.” Her jaw ached from the tight way
she’d pressed her teeth together.

For a few minutes,
silence claimed their company. Bryce played with the felt hat, his long fingers
stroking the rim. Finally, the man’s features softened.

“Is it possible we
could go and sit somewhere? I have something I’d like to tell you.”

She was about to
answer when Charley caught her eye.

“Don’t touch that.”

Charley snatched her
hand from the fragile china pitcher that sat on a small curio shelf. “I just
wanted to look at it.”

“Children should not
touch things that don’t belong to them.” She hadn’t meant to sound so harsh,
but she’d never been very good with children. She tried to soften her features,
but the damage had already been done.

“I’m not a child. I’m
almost twelve.” Charley tugged at Mr. Stanton’s jacket. “I told you. Didn’t I
tell you? She’d be mean and hateful. Just like momma told me she’d be. I don’t
wanna stay here, Uncle Bryce. I won’t.”

Kaitlin’s mouth
gaped, and her composure slipped another notch. “Stay here? What does she
mean?”

“Please, Miss
Kanatzer, can we go somewhere other than the middle of your entryway?”

“I don’t think that’s
a good idea. If I move, I’ll dirty everything in sight.” Why couldn’t he just
tell her? Had something happened to Bethany?

“Mr. Stanton, you’ve
caught Kaitlin when she’s obviously not at her best. Why don’t you let me help
her get washed up? You can wait in the parlor until she’s done. Then you can
tell her whatever it is you need to tell her.”

Maggie could always
be counted on to be reasonable in the face of adversity. Mr. Stanton appeared
unsure. Kaitlin glanced at Charley’s mutinous face. They’d gotten off on a bad
foot. Maybe it was best she heard what Mr. Stanton had to say right now.

“I apologize for
snapping at you, Charley. I’m not used to being around chil—young ladies.
And—you caught me at the worst possible moment.”

Though Charley
remained stiff, Bryce smiled. The expression lit his face. When he spoke, the
timbre of his voice flowed over her, soothing and seductive. “I think you have
every excuse for feeling out of sorts. That coating can’t be comfortable. You
must itch something fierce.”

She smiled back,
feeling more at ease. “I’d be grateful if you go ahead and divulge the reason
for your visit. I confess to a healthy dose of curiosity.”

His gaze dropped to
the floor. When he lifted his eyes to meet her own, a grim façade had replaced
his pleasant demeanor. “It’s with great sorrow I tell you of Bethany’s passin’,
ma’am. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news.”

“Bethany’s dead?”
Mild surprise accompanied her question. She should have suspected as much. Why
else would he bring Bethany’s child here? She tried to conjure remorse, but any
feelings she’d had toward Bethany had died long ago.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I see.” But in
truth, she didn’t. Bethany had been such a free spirit, a dreamer, a roamer.
She’d broken their mother’s heart and caused the difficulties Kaitlin now faced
with her father.

“I figured to give
you the opportunity to meet Charley. Actually, I was hoping...”

“Hoping?”

“Hoping you’d agree
to keep Charley for a while.”

Keep Charley? Her
eyes swung to Bethany’s girl. Charley’s face caused her heart to constrict. Try
as she might, she couldn’t stem the onslaught of memories. With the memories
came feelings suppressed until now. Her past collided with the present, and a
once confident and secure Kaitlin whimpered with the injustice of it all. Why
now? Why had Bethany’s ghost come to haunt her now?

“I...” Looking at
Charley, she knew the girl’s pain mirrored her own. The adolescent’s
belligerent manner hid a deep hurt. Kaitlin’s heart melted. In that moment, she
forgot the bitter history between herself and Bethany. Her feelings toward her
deceased sister had nothing to do with Charley.

“Here now.” Before
she could answer, Maggie stepped forward. “We have plenty of time to discuss
these things after you’ve had a chance to make yourself presentable. Kaitlin,
you head for the kitchen. Mr. Stanton, you follow me. I’ll get you and Charley
situated in the parlor. You’re welcome to hang your coats here on the hall
tree.”

~ *
~

“Thank you, ma’am.”
Bryce helped Charley out of her coat. He hung hers first, then his.

“Follow me, Mr.
Stanton.” Maggie led them into a cozy parlor situated a few steps down the
hall.

Out of the corner of
his eye, he watched Kaitlin navigate the hall toward the kitchen. He grinned.
He didn’t envy her job of cleaning.

“I’m sorry for the
mess,” Maggie said. “Kaitlin finds it more comfortable to sew in here than in
her own room.” Maggie rushed in ahead of them to pick up pieces of fabric
scraps that littered the floor. When she’d cleared a path, she insisted they
make themselves comfortable before scurrying off to help Kaitlin.

Charley made a
beeline for the fireplace, while he took a moment to look around. He wanted to
know more about the woman whom he planned to entrust with Charley’s care.

A less-than-tidy room
met his eyes. A thin layer of dust coated the fixtures. Scraps of material
littered the floor beside what looked to be a fairly new sewing machine. He wouldn’t
call the room dirty. Messy was a better term. All in all, the room had a
comfortable, lived-in feel to it. Decorated in cheery colors of rose and
yellow, the room radiated love and warmth.

He fingered an
unfinished peach dress draped over a chair in front of the sewing machine. Its
design indicated Kaitlin’s creativity with needle and thread. She did good
work. Hopefully, she’d want to teach these skills to Charley.

“She don’t keep house
very well, does she?”

“’Pears to me she’s
very creative and right handy with a needle and thread. All things a young
woman should know.”

“Not me.”

“Charley, don’t
start.”

“I don’t want to stay
with her. I want to stay with you.” Charley’s plea revealed such vulnerability,
making it difficult for Bryce to follow through with his plan. With great
determination, he pulled away from the fear and hurt in Charley’s luminous
eyes. He’d come this far. He had to see this through for Charley’s sake, as
well as his own.

“But Charley, she’s
your family, and she might want to get to know you. ’Sides, if she’ll agree to
let you stay on for a spell, I can start courtin’ Emma. If you and Kaitlin
don’t get along, you’ll still have a home with me. Hopefully, I’ll be taking a
wife back with us, so there’ll be a woman around who can teach you things.”

“If it’s about those
pranks, I’ll quit. I promise. In fact, you won’t even know I’m around.” Huge,
luminous brown eyes appealed to his heart. “I’ll be so quiet.”

“A working ranch full
of men isn’t a place for a young lady.”

“Your sister didn’t
seem to have no trouble growing up there.”

“Julia had no
choice.”

“Please, Bryce. I
don’t want to stay here. I want to stay with you.” Her bottom lip jutted
forward in a pout. “Besides, I’m old enough to take care of myself.”

“Look, honey. I’d
keep you with me in a heartbeat if’n I thought it’d be the best thing, but it
ain’t. I’ve got no wife, no female in my life who can teach you the things you
need to know. It’s important you let me have some time, so I can remedy the
situation. I can’t go courtin’ with a child underfoot.”

She stomped her foot.
“I’m not a child.”

“Then stop acting
like one.”

At eleven, she hadn’t
yet blossomed into a woman. He wanted to think of her as the cute button who
used to follow him around, and not the mischievous brat she’d grown into. A kid
her age should be able to take on a certain amount of responsibility, but not
Charley. No, she’d instigated one too many pranks for him to trust her to stay
home alone.

Charley settled down
on the settee and glowered at him. He shook his head. Why on earth had Bethany
named him the girl’s guardian? But he knew the answer. He had loved Charley as
if she were his own.

Trying to take his
mind off Charley, he meandered about the room. As he studied the decor, he ran
across the pile of mail. Absently, he thumbed through the stack in search of
his own letter. Finding one with his return address, he set it aside.

Meanwhile, Charley
began to relax, and her eyes looked heavy. Traveling must have worn her out. He
yawned. He could do with a nap himself, but he had more errands to attend to
before dark, and he had no idea how long it would take Kaitlin and Maggie to
return from the kitchen.

As expected, Charley
curled up on the settee and fell asleep. Bryce pulled his trench coat off the
hall tree and draped it over the sleeping child. Since Charley could no longer
be counted on for company, he prowled the room in search of a diversion from
his boredom. Spying a newspaper on one of Kaitlin’s fancy end tables, he
settled into an armchair and proceeded to read about the local politics.

He read one article
and started another before his eyes grew heavy. He blinked, trying to
concentrate. The ticking of the mantle clock beat a monotonous tune. Its
rhythmic cadence lulled him. His head fell to his chest, and the newspaper
floated to the floor.

A loud crash jarred
him awake.

His heart thudded in
his chest. Disoriented, he gazed about unfamiliar surroundings. What had
disturbed his sleep? Blinking, he tried to remember where he was. He drew for
his gun, but his hand met empty space. Not there. Irritated, he recalled
hanging his gun belt on the hall tree under his hat.

A dead quiet
descended. He jumped up. Rounding the corner of the parlor, he found the
entryway floor littered with shards of glass. A fist-sized rock sat in the
center of the debris. He picked up the rock. Around its girth was a note tied
with twine.

His gaze shot to the
broken window. A figure retreated by foot down the street toward town. Rushing
back into the parlor, he snatched the coat from Charley’s prone figure and
grabbed his hat and gun belt. He shoved the rock into his pocket. Running out
the front door, his boot met a patch of packed snow. He slipped and landed hard
on his backside.

Ignoring the pain, he
scrambled to his feet just in time to see the fleeing figure turn a corner at
the end of the street. He debated chasing the man on foot, but decided he might
have a better chance at catching him if he took Burlap.

In record time, he
galloped down the street and turned the same corner. He caught a glimpse of
green and paused. His quarry stood at the end of the street. The man turned for
a split second.

Bryce drew his gun.
“Stop.”

The vermin tipped his
hat, a challenge if Bryce ever saw one. Fleet of foot, the man darted down an
alleyway. Taking careful aim at the ground, Bryce shot out a warning. Burlap
pranced about, skittish from the unexpected noise.

The man jumped a
fence, turned the corner, and disappeared. Bryce yanked on the reins, unable to
go any farther on horseback. By the time he dismounted, the villain had
disappeared. With a groan of frustration, Bryce holstered his gun and
remounted. For a long time he stared at the spot where he’d last seen the
fleeing man.

Man?
The
varmint appeared younger than he’d first thought. Small, he could have passed
for a boy or even a young woman. Bryce frowned. He could well imagine a boy
throwing a rock through a window as a prank.

He fished around in
his pocket and pulled out the stone with the note still attached. Finding his
pocketknife, he sliced through the twine. The rock fell from his grasp, and he
held the letter at an angle he could read.

You’ve
ignored previous warnings. Maybe this one will carry more weight. Leave Denver
or else.

He mulled over the harsh
words.
Previous warnings?
His eyes widened. The handwriting seemed
familiar. Some of the addresses on Kaitlin’s mail had been written in a similar
hand. He recalled her aversion to mail. Had she received other such messages?

He glanced down the
alley. At least he’d gotten a look at the culprit. Finding the nameless skunk
might prove difficult in a town the size of Denver, but Bryce could be patient.
He enjoyed solving mysteries, and for the moment, he had nothing but time on
his hands. His brother William wasn’t expecting him home for another two
months.

Compelled by his need
to help, he made a conscientious decision then and there to find the man behind
these threats.

But another thought
stopped him in his tracks. Charley.

Dagnapit,
what am I going to do about Charley?

He couldn’t leave her
like he planned. Not now. Not if it meant she’d be in danger. And with Charley
underfoot, how in tarnation could he court Emma?

He let out a long
sigh and watched his breath steam in the cold air. With a heavy heart, he
turned around and headed back to Kaitlin’s house.