A Baby Between Them Read online

Nora tried to sound grateful. “That’s very generous of you gentlemen, but it’s really not necessary. I’m sure after just a few days’ time, you will all see that Mollie is no danger to anyone and it will no longer be necessary for anyone to stay at the house to act as her jailer.”

  “We’re going to build an extra room onto the cottage,” Maeve said firmly. “And Will and Flynn are going to take care of the costs and the details.”

  Wasn’t Maeve supposed to be on her side? “But—”

  “And while we’re at it we’re going to make certain that the existing structure is weathertight,” Bridget added.

  Nora tried to protest again.

  “It won’t do you any good to argue,” Maeve said firmly. “As you well know, Bridget and I each own a share of the cottage, and we want to do this, so you’re outvoted.”

  When had her sisters gotten so bossy? They had never ganged up on her so forcefully before. She swallowed her pride and nodded. “I see I don’t have much choice in the matter. And if this is what it takes for you all to feel comfortable going forward with my plans, then so be it.”

  “Good.” Flynn looked genuinely pleased. “You can expect the work crew first thing in the morning.”

  Nora stood and reached for Grace. “I’ll take my leave of you now. I still have work to finish up at the jailhouse before I head home this evening.”

  Cam stood. “There’s no need—”

  She shot him a determined look. “I plan to put in a full day’s work for a full day’s pay.” She hefted Grace to her shoulder. “Besides, we may have settled this matter amongst ourselves, but I have yet to speak to Mollie about it.”

  As they made their way to the door, Bridget moved beside her. “Don’t be angry, Nora. We are only trying to do what’s best for everyone.”

  She gave her sister a tired smile. “I’m not angry. I just wish it could have been handled differently.”

  Later, as Cam drove her back to his office, she let out some of her frustration. “One day I will own that cottage outright. But now, with the addition of this room, it will cost me more to do so.”

  “Why is it so hard for you to accept help?” he asked mildly.

  “It’s not that. It’s just—” She stopped. What was it? “It’s just that I don’t want to be a burden on my sisters,” she finished lamely.

  “You’re not a burden. Both Will and Flynn can afford to help you without any hardship whatsoever.”

  “But they shouldn’t have to,” she insisted.

  Cam shook his head, his disagreement with her attitude obvious, and they made the rest of the short trip in silence.

  * * *

  When they arrived back at the sheriff’s office, Cam was still trying to decide what he thought of the way this plan had been worked out among Nora and her family. But right now he needed to give Nora a bit of privacy to speak to Mollie. First he sent Gavin out to return his horse and wagon to the livery. Then a quick, meaningful look Ben’s way was enough to have Ben remember an errand he needed to run.

  Once they were alone, Cam unlocked Mollie’s cell door and Nora went inside and sat next to Mollie on the cot.

  He moved his desk chair to just outside the cell. He intended to keep a close eye on this little interaction. He figured he’d learn quite a bit about Mollie’s character in the next few minutes.

  “I want to talk to you about something,” Nora began.

  Mollie cast a quick glance his way, then focused all of her attention on Nora. “Yes ma’am. What about?”

  “What do you think will happen to you now?”

  Mollie picked at some threads on her raggedy skirt. “I suppose there’ll be a trial and I’ll go to prison for a long time.” Her voice trembled slightly.

  “What if I said there was another way for this to turn out?”

  Hope flared in the girl’s eyes. “What kind of other way?”

  “Well, Sheriff Long and I, along with my family, have been talking things over, and we don’t think you’ll be helping any of those folks you wronged by spending your time in prison. In fact, we’re wondering if you might better serve them and yourself by paying them all back instead.”

  The hope in her eyes died immediately. “That sounds good, but I don’t have any money.”

  “You could earn it.”

  Mollie perked up. “How would I do that?”

  “You could help out different people around town. And you could start by working here at the sheriff’s office.”

  Mollie gave her a confused look. “But, don’t you work here?”

  “That’s right. And I would still do the cooking and mending. But I’m trying to start a new business which is going to require more and more of my time. I thought perhaps you could take over the cleaning and we would split the wages.”

  Cam mentally shook his head. She had managed to make this sound as if Mollie would be doing her a favor.

  “Then if you do a good job here,” Nora continued, “and prove yourself to be trustworthy, we could find other work in other places for you to do.”

  “I’d work very hard for a chance like that.” Mollie lifted her head. “When Elden and I first ran off, I scrubbed floors at an inn to earn money and the innkeeper said I was a good worker.”

  Nora folded her hands in her lap. “Of course you’d have to turn over most of your wages to the sheriff to pay off your debts.”

  Cam raised a brow at that. So he was going to play banker in this little scheme of hers, was he?

  Mollie glanced his way again and nodded emphatically. “I understand that, Miss Murphy. And I won’t use any more of that money for myself than I need to. Why, I’ll pitch a tent beside the road to live in if I have to. It’ll just be good not to have to always be running and hiding anymore.”

  This time it was Nora who cast a quick glance his way. He gave a small nod of encouragement, more to show support for her than for her plan.

  With a small smile, she turned back to Mollie. “That’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. I would like for you to come stay at my home.”

  Mollie was obviously surprised. “Why would you do that?”

  At least the girl recognized how extraordinary the offer was.

  “Well, for one thing,” Nora said, “I’m one of the people you need to pay back. If you lived at my place you could do some odd chores in the evenings to take care of your debt.”

  Interesting. No mention of Mollie needing to spend time with Grace.

  “I’m afraid there’d be lots of rules for you to follow,” Nora continued, “and some restrictions on your freedoms, especially at first.”

  “I understand. I just appreciate that you’d trust me enough to give me this chance.”

  Nora sat back. “Then I guess the question is, are you willing to follow the rules and work hard to repay your debts? And to live under my roof?”

  “I am.” Mollie glanced toward the buggy where Grace slept. “In fact, I’d like that a lot.” Then she turned back to Nora. “Mind if I ask you something?”

  Nora sat up straighter. “Of course not.”

  “Why are you being so nice to me?”

  Nora tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I think everyone deserves a second chance.” She stood. “Please don’t prove me wrong.”

  Cam stood and opened the cell door for Nora to exit.

  Then he leaned against the open doorway and stared down at Mollie. “There are a few things I need to say before we go through with this plan Nora just described to you.”

  “Sir?”

  “First, you’re going to be watched closely. Me or one of my deputies are going to be nearby at all times. If any of us gets even a hint that you’re thinking about running off or breaking the law in any fashion again, then the deal is off and it’s back to jail you go.”

  “Yes, sir. And I promise you won’t have any trouble like that out of me.”

  “Next, we’re going to sit down and you’re going to tell me every single thing you stole or pers
on you wronged from the time you slipped aboard that ship headed for America. And I do mean everything. I warn you, I know some of it already so I’ll more than likely know if you leave anything off.”

  “Yes, sir, every single thing.”

  “We’re going to make a list and then, where possible, we’re going to let the victims set a value on how much you need to pay back for them to feel compensated, including your passage to America. And until you’ve paid it all back you won’t be completely free to do as you please.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Promptly at eight o’clock each night you’re going to go into the bedchamber Nora here assigns you at her home and someone is going to lock you in for the night. You are not to attempt to leave that room until it is unlocked the next morning.”

  Nora made a disapproving sound behind him. “I don’t think—”

  He didn’t turn around. “I’ll have no arguments, from either of you, on that point.”

  “It’s okay, Miss Nora,” Mollie said, “I understand. I haven’t given any of you much reason to trust me yet. But that’s going to change, I promise you.”

  Cam nodded. She was saying all the right things, but did she mean them? “All right then. Me and Nora’s family have some work to do out at her place to get things ready for your stay. Once that’s done, we’ll give this plan of hers a try and see how it all works out.”

  For Nora’s sake, he hoped the girl was as eager to make amends as she seemed. He couldn’t bear to see Nora disappointed again.

  He waved Mollie out of the cell and over to a chair by his desk. He lifted his own chair and followed her. “In the meantime, let’s get started on that list.”

  * * *

  Just as Flynn had promised, bright and early the next morning, four workmen showed up at the cottage, accompanied by three large wagonloads of lumber and other equipment. Right behind them were Flynn and Maeve, Will and Bridget, and Cam.

  Did her sisters’ husbands and the sheriff plan to roll up their sleeves and get to work, as well? Within minutes it was obvious they did, as they helped unload the wagons. Once that was done, everyone went to work. James took care of the horses and wagons while the rest of the men started on the construction. Maeve and Bridget joined Nora and Agnes in the kitchen, each carrying a large basket.

  “What’s this?” Nora asked suspiciously.

  Maeve started unpacking her basket on the kitchen table. “A pair of already plucked chickens and some fresh vegetables. Bridget has two jars of lemonade and some blueberries. We figure there’s going to be quite a few mouths to feed for lunch today.”

  It wasn’t enough that they were building her an addition to her home—they thought they had to put food on her table, as well. “I had planned to take care of that,” she said stiffly.

  “Don’t worry,” Bridget said with an unrepentant grin. “We intend to let you do all the cooking while we visit with Agnes and Grace.”

  Nora felt some of her annoyance ease and she returned her sister’s grin. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  Throughout the morning the hammering continued. It made Grace fussy so the sisters carried her out into the garden and then took walks along the beach with her. Nora joined them when she could get away from the stove and enjoyed the time spent with them. They did a lot of catching up with each other’s news and slipped into the easy camaraderie she was afraid might have been lost to them when they went their separate ways.

  When the men stopped to take a break, the ladies stepped outside to admire their work.

  Nora tried to imagine what it would look like when it was completed. “It’s so much bigger than I expected. You could almost fit both upstairs bedchambers in there.”

  Cam shrugged. “It’s nearly as easy to build a large room as a small one.”

  Will nodded. “And we figured that when this is all over, you might want to move into it yourself.”

  The room was situated on the back side of the house and opened into the small room next to the kitchen that Laird had apparently used as an office when he lived here. It also had an outer door that faced the kitchen stoop. Then Nora looked again at the roofline that was taking shape. It extended well beyond the walls of the new room. “Are you planning to build a porch back here?”

  “That we are,” Flynn answered.

  “But that wasn’t part of the deal.” Though if she was honest with herself, she was quite taken with the idea.

  “We’re not doing it for you,” Cam said with a completely straight face. “It’s for James. We’re building it so he has a place to take off his boots before tracking into your kitchen when he comes in from the barn every morning.”

  “That’s right,” James answered. “I can’t stand to have Agnes go on about my dirty boots every morning. That wife of mine is quite determined to drive me to distraction on the subject.”

  Nora couldn’t resist a smile as she gave in. “Well, I wouldn’t want to have that happen. And I’m sure we’ll all enjoy having a back porch and will make good use of it.”

  By noon the four walls were up and the workers were constructing the roof and the floor of the porch. Because of their numbers, they ate in shifts and Nora found herself grateful that her sisters had brought along the extra foodstuffs. Those carpenters had worked up quite an appetite.

  Cam was among the last of them to sit down at the table and she joined him. For a few minutes they had the kitchen to themselves. “So, do you think you’ll manage to survive having to accept this generous gift from your sisters and their husbands?” he asked.

  He knew her so well. “It will be difficult, but yes, I think I will survive.”

  He reached over and squeezed her hand. “That’s my girl.”

  His words and tone as much as his touch set her pulse racing unexpectedly. He felt it, too—she could tell by the way his eyes darkened and then focused more sharply on her, as if she were the only thing he could see, the only thing he wanted to see.

  For a moment neither of them moved, barely breathed. The tightness in her chest had become almost unbearable.

  “Nora—”

  Whatever he was planning to say was lost when Maeve bustled into the room. They simultaneously yanked their hands back and focused on eating their lunch.

  “Bridget thinks Grace is ready for another bottle,” Maeve said with a laugh. “I declare, that child is growing so fast, she—” Nora’s sister paused, looking from Nora to Cam as if sensing something was wrong. “Sorry, did I interrupt something?”

  “Not at all,” Nora answered quickly. “We’re just getting a bite to eat.”

  “I see.” A secretive smile curved Maeve’s lips. “Well, don’t let me stop you. I’ll just fix this bottle and be on my way again.” Maeve reached for the pail of milk, humming cheerfully as she did so.

  Nora and Cam continued to silently focus on their plates, even after Maeve had departed. Finally, Cam stood. “Thank you. That was delicious, as usual.”

  Was he going to leave it at that? “Cam, what—”

  “I think we should be able to finish things up today.” Cam didn’t turn around as he placed his dish in the sink. “That means we can begin your project with Mollie tomorrow if you think you’ll be ready.”

  Okay, so he didn’t want to talk about it. “Of course.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “Which reminds me, I need to make certain that bedchamber door can lock securely from the outside. I’ll grab the materials I need and take care of that right now.” And with that he headed out the back door.

  Nora slowly moved to the sink with her dishes, feeling totally dissatisfied.

  What was going on with Cam?

  * * *

  Just as Cam had predicted, the workmen finished the construction, right down to the installation of two glass-paned windows, well before dark. Then they tackled the other critical repairs to the house, tightening loose boards, repairing or replacing sills, patching over chinks in the walls. When they were done, Nora was certain
she no longer had to worry about drafts and leaks. They’d be able to face the coming winter with a snug, dry home.

  Finally, Flynn walked up and gave her a short bow. “We’re ready for your inspection.”

  Surprised by their desire to have her review their work, Nora nodded. Accompanied by her sisters, she walked through the large new room, inhaling the scent of sawdust and paint, admiring the craftsmanship of the well-sealed windows and square corners, enjoying the solid feel of the floors and the warmth of the sunlight streaming in through the windows. She pictured the curtains she would hang there, something light and cheery but not too feminine. And maybe some colorful rag rugs to warm up the floor.

  Smiling, she opened the side door and stepped out onto her new back porch. The workmen were all standing there, including the sheriff and her brothers-in-law, waiting for her reaction. Agnes and James stood there, as well.

  “I love it,” she said with absolute sincerity. “It’s perfect.”

  The men all smiled back at her.

  “I have a chocolate blueberry pie and a buttermilk pie fresh from the oven waiting in the kitchen. I insist you all have a large slice and a cup of coffee before you go.”

  Before anyone could move, the sound of horses and wagons intruded.

  Bridget clapped her hands. “That must be the furniture Will and I are giving you.”

  Sure enough, several wagons paraded into her front yard. In addition to the bed, which she had expected, she saw a chest, a padded chair, a small table, two rocking chairs and something she couldn’t quite make out.

  “Oh, Bridget, this is too much. I can’t take all of this.”

  Bridget didn’t even turn around. “Of course you can,” she said brightly. “All you have to do is stand back and let the workmen do their jobs.” Then she went back to directing the men unloading the wagons.

  Within short order, the bed, complete with bed linens, along with the padded chair, chest and small table had been installed in the new room. The remaining items, the two rockers and what turned out to be a porch swing, were installed on the back porch.

  She looked around at the circle of her family and friends who had done this for her and realized once again just how blessed she was. She might not want to lean on them so heavily as they seemed to wish, but they loved her and that was what mattered.