The Baby Compromise

Rebecca has no such intention. She tucked her chin in and prepared to join the pair.

Miss Ward adjusted her pristine white gloves. “I can’t imagine what this town is becoming. Misbegotten children. Children bearing the mark of judgment.” Her gaze slid toward Heidi.

Rebecca swept across the carpeted floor, her heart thudding hard. “Miss Ward.”

Miss Ward jerked around to face her, lines of disapproval deepening the tangled wrinkles in her face.

Colton turned at the same time. Their gazes crashed together with such force that Rebecca jerked in a tiny gust of air.

Beatrice Ward stepped directly in Rebecca’s path, making escape impossible. “This town is overrun with the likes of these.” She swept her hand to indicate the baby and Heidi, who pressed into Rebecca’s back. “It has to stop.”

Rebecca did her mother’s memory proud with the smile she pasted on her face. “Gabriel and Heidi will be out at the Hayes ranch for now, so I’d say things have already changed. As to God’s judgment, might I remind you that we are warned against judging others for we will ourselves be judged? Good day, Miss Ward.” She nodded politely and swept past the woman, Heidi clutching her skirts.

Colton followed. As soon as the door swung shut behind them, he let out a low whistle. “So that’s how it’s done in New York.”

“I have no idea what you mean. I was nothing but polite.” She spun around to confront him. “How dare she say such awful things?” She almost sniffed, but caught herself just in time. Heavens above, the action had a solid hold on her.

“I’m glad Gabriel is too young to understand.” He shifted his gaze just enough to indicate that he understood Heidi wasn’t.

Rebecca’s anger fled as she turned and pulled the child around to face her.

Heidi hung her head, hiding her face in the curtain of her hair. Rebecca tucked the hair behind Heidi’s ears and gently lifted her face toward her. “Honey, I wish I could say it doesn’t matter what people say about you, but I know it does.” She herself had felt the sting of disapproval in words or expressed in long sighs and sad looks. Her jaw muscles clenched. Not to mention the shame of being left by her fiancé like so much wasted produce. There was no way she could pretend it didn’t hurt. Thankfully, her tears had finally subsided. “But someone saying something unkind doesn’t make it true. You are a beautiful little girl with a sweet spirit.”

Heidi clung to Rebecca’s gaze, her eyes full of hope. Then sadness slumped her shoulders.

Colton put the baby back in the basket. “Come on. Let’s go home.” Colton caught Heidi around the waist and, before she could utter a protest, lifted her into the buggy.

Heidi, her eyes big and round, gasped, then she ducked to hide her face.

He released her, but rested his hands on the back of each bench. “Heidi, Miss Rebecca is right. You’re a beautiful little girl. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. Do you hear me?”

Slowly, Heidi lifted her head enough to steal a glance at Colton.

“Do you hear me?” he repeated gently.

She nodded and hope lit up her eyes.

Rebecca couldn’t believe what she’d seen. She was so bemused by how Colton had reassured the child that she didn’t hesitate when he held out a hand to help her into the buggy.

She was silent as they headed north through town.

She’d been right about one thing. Colton was kind. She expected she was right about more than that. He was likely as domineering as she thought, too.

Out of appreciation for his kindness to Heidi, she would do her best to overlook that trait. Or, at any rate, she’d try. Only time would tell if she’d succeed.

Chapter Five

Colton couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt such a burning anger toward anyone. He knew it was wrong, but when Beatrice Ward self-righteously said such nasty things about Gabriel and Heidi, including Rebecca in her attack, he saw a flare in the back of his eyes.

Beatrice might rail against the orphanage and Rebecca, but Colton Hayes would not stand back and let her do so unchallenged. But though he’d been ready to leap to her defense, he couldn’t help but be proud of the way Rebecca had defended herself and Heidi. Without raising her voice and with a steady smile on her face, she’d cut Beatrice Ward right down to size.

His anger waned as he escorted Rebecca and Heidi to the buggy and helped young Matt, who worked at the hotel, tie the trunk to the back.

And then they were on their way, north past the town square. They drew abreast of Miss Ward’s damaged house and he stopped the horse.

“That’s what’s left of that woman’s house.”

They stared. The roof had been badly smashed.

“I know,” Rebecca said. “Holly showed me.”

“The businesses and homes near the creek took water damage in the flood. But this house is beyond where the water came. Nope. This is wind damage. If disasters are a sign from God, I wonder what message He was trying to send her.”

“Do you believe that?”

He couldn’t tell from her guarded tone which opinion she held. So he gave his answer careful consideration. After a moment, he spoke. “I think we too often decide that a man’s neglect or meanness is God’s hand. I don’t believe it is.”

“Exactly. The delays at the orphanage are being caused by men. Not God. And I get mighty weary of Miss Ward suggesting otherwise.” Her shoulders rose and fell in a way that made him wonder if she grew tired of her struggles. He wanted to assure her that he would take care of vandals and delays, Miss Ward and her interference.

But he didn’t want to prompt a reaction from her, so he kept his thoughts to himself.

On second thought, it was kind of fun to see her get all huffy. But before he could speak, Heidi leaned forward to whisper in Rebecca’s ear.

“She wants to know what a hooligan is,” Rebecca said.

He guessed she was trying to keep the emotion from her voice, but she failed. She sounded ready to explode. He’d spare her the pain of explaining the word to Heidi.

“A hooligan is a person who does bad things to hurt others.”

Heidi hung her head. “She doesn’t like me.”

“Do you hurt people?” he asked softly, turning toward the child.

“I try not to.”

“Then you’re not a hooligan.”

She tipped her head, hiding her face behind the curtain of her hair. “It’s ’cause I’m ugly.”

He scooped the hair aside and studied her scars. “You are not ugly. Ugly is something that happens on the inside. Not on the outside.”

Slowly, Heidi lifted her face to him and glimmers of trust dawned in her eyes. “I don’t want to be ugly on the inside.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Like Miss Ward.”

Rebecca faced the girl. “Heidi, we should not speak ill of others.” But her voice bore no trace of scolding and she favored Colton with a smile full of gratitude.

Now, if she could be this pleasant all the time, life at the ranch would be as easy as pie.

He urged the horse onward. They traveled north for another mile, then turned east.