A Baby Between Them

Gavin shook his head. “No sign of her yet. I think Mrs. F is beginning to feel a bit discouraged.”

Nora’s heart ached for the older woman. “I will continue to pray for the two of them.”

As she hung the hat on a peg, Ben rejoined the conversation. “You’ll find a pair of freshly cleaned rabbits in there.” He nodded toward the kitchen. “Andy Dubberly brought me those yesterday evening in exchange for a favor I did for him. Thought they might be good for lunch.”

“How wonderful.” Nora was genuinely delighted. This being a coastal town, fish was plentiful and inexpensive, so that was what she usually purchased when she did the sheriff’s shopping. But red meat was a welcome change. “And I know just how to cook them.” She was already going over the list of supplies she’d need to make her da’s favorite rabbit stew. Carrots, onions, turnips—

“I have the stove already warmed up for you, Miss Nora.”

Nora smiled at Gavin’s not too subtle hint that he was ready for the morning meal. “Thank you. I’ll have breakfast ready quick as can be.”

She shook herself out of the borrowed raincoat. “And thank you for the use of your coat,” she said to Ben. “It was most welcome on the ride in this morning.” She hung it next to the hat. “It certainly kept me drier than I would have been without it.”

Ben shook his head. “It’s Cameron you should be thanking. The boy let himself into my place before dawn and grabbed my coat without so much as a knock or a may-I.” Then the older man smiled. “But I’m very pleased to see he put it to such good use.”

So it had been Cam’s idea, not Ben’s as he’d led her to believe. “Well, thank you anyway.” She moved toward the kitchen. “Now, I believe this is a three-egg morning for the lot of you.” She wagged a finger at the two deputies. “And no snatching the biscuits while my back is turned.”

Nora found herself humming as she moved to the room she had nicknamed her “galley.”

The sheriff and Ben had living quarters in a small two-story building behind the jailhouse. Ben lived on the lower floor and the sheriff on the upper. Both homes, if one could call them that, were quite small. They each had three very small rooms—a kitchen, a parlor and a bedroom.

Gavin, the newest member of the peacekeeping team, slept in one of the two cells at the jailhouse. He couldn’t afford to stay at the boardinghouse and there was nowhere else.

She’d decided almost from the outset to do the cooking in Ben’s quarters instead of the sheriff’s since it was on the ground floor and meant easier access for everyone. She also insisted on feeding them at the same time so neither had to eat their meals cold. But when Gavin came on the scene it really made Ben’s tiny place seemed cramped and uncomfortable.

Especially since Cam wouldn’t hear of her excusing herself to work elsewhere while they ate. Instead, he insisted she share their meals with them and would not even listen to her very reasonable arguments on why it was inappropriate for the hired help to sit down to dine with her employer.

I need to make sure you’re keeping your strength up so you can handle these chores I hired you to take care of, he’d said. And, on another occasion he’d made the outrageous statement that I can’t have a cook who won’t eat her own cooking in front of me. So she’d finally given in.

Which meant four people sat down to eat two meals a day in Ben’s cramped quarters.

But when she’d returned to work the Monday after Gavin became a permanent resident, the men had had a surprise for her. She’d arrived at the sheriff’s office to find that they’d cleared out the jailhouse storeroom and set up a makeshift kitchen in its place. The sheriff had said it was so he could eat in the office where there was more room, but she suspected it was as much for her benefit as anything else.

Whatever the reason, Nora had been delighted with the new arrangement. There was a brand-new stove already stoked and ready for her to put to use. One wall was lined with shelves that now contained foodstuffs, cooking implements and rudimentary serving dishes. A small but sturdy table stood near the opposite wall. And the room even had a window that not only let in the sunlight but provided her with a view of Ben and Cam’s living quarters.

Water had to be hauled in, of course, but there was a small water barrel in the corner and Gavin, bless him, usually took care of keeping it filled for her.

She’d nicknamed the storage room-turned-kitchen her “galley” because it reminded her of the kitchen aboard the Annie McGee where she’d spent a good deal of her time on their voyage from Ireland. She’d worked as a helper to the ship’s cook.

So now she started her days in here, fixing up a hearty breakfast for everyone.

Nora continued humming as she cracked three eggs for each of the men and one for herself. The more she thought about her baking venture, the more excited she became. And now that she knew the sheriff wouldn’t be opposed to her combining her job here with her new business, the way seemed clear for her to give it a try. It was certainly a generous concession from him, and she was determined to make certain he didn’t regret it.

He was right about starting small, of course. Maybe two pies and a cake of some sort each day this week. Hopefully it would grow from there. And if things worked out well, perhaps one day she could have her own little bakery right here in Faith Glen.

By the time Cam came back in, Nora had the morning meal almost ready. “There’s a fresh pot of coffee here on the stove,” she called out to him. “You have just enough time to grab a cup before I serve breakfast.”

Cam joined her in the galley, his large presence filling the small space. “Something sure does smell delicious. That’s the kind of aroma a man likes to be greeted with on a day like today. I should have set up a kitchen in here ages ago.”

Just as she turned to retrieve a platter, he reached around her to grab the coffeepot from the warmer. The minor collision that ensued caught Nora completely by surprise.

His arms reflexively closed around her to keep her from falling and she pressed her hands on his chest in an effort to maintain her balance. For a frozen moment of time they were locked in an embrace that took her breath away and pushed everything else aside. She couldn’t move, couldn’t think straight. All she could do was feel—feel his arms around her, feel his heartbeat beneath her palms, feel the warmth of his breath on her forehead.

Then everything came rushing back in, including her wits. Flustered, she took a hurried step back and he released her, dropping his hands to his sides. Unable to look at him directly, she cast a sideways glance his way, trying to figure out what he was thinking. But his expression was unreadable.

“I’m so sorry.” She was appalled by the stammer in her voice and swallowed, trying to get herself back under control. Where was that resolve she’d counted on?

Before she could say more, he spoke up. “My fault entirely. I shouldn’t crowd you here in what is indisputably your domain.” If his tone was any gauge, he’d been entirely unaffected by the momentary contact.

She mentally cringed at the implication behind that betraying thought. Of course he’d been unaffected. It had been nothing more than a little everyday mishap. Her own reaction was no doubt due to the fact that she’d been caught off guard. She wouldn’t allow it to be anything more.

His expression changed to one of concern. “I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

Mercy, did she look as rattled as all that? Nora attempted a reassuring smile. “No, no, I’m fine. Don’t think anything of it.” Please don’t think of it.

“Well, then, I’ll just leave you to your cooking. I can get that cup of coffee later.”

“Nonsense.” Glad of an excuse to turn away, Nora quickly poured him up a cup. She turned and handed it to him, careful to keep their hands from touching. Then she made shooing motions with her hands. “Now, if you’ll leave me to finish up in here, I’ll have breakfast ready to serve in just a moment.”

Raising the cup in a friendly salute, he left the galley and joined Ben and Gavin.

Nora turned back to the stove but had to force herself to concentrate on the task at hand.

Because she could still feel the beat of his heart under her palms. And she didn’t understand why that should make her feel so flustered.

* * *

Cam sipped his coffee without tasting it. Hang it all, what had just happened in there? It had been a simple accident, a reflexive response to a minor collision, nothing more. Yet it had affected him more than it should have, and from the expression on Nora’s face just now, it had affected her, as well.

Only he wasn’t sure in just what way. As far as that went, he wasn’t sure exactly what he was thinking or feeling about it either.

Truth to tell, he was having trouble getting his thoughts clear from the warm feel of her hands against his chest, the sight of her suddenly wide blue eyes and the sound of her quickly inhaled breath that inexplicably seemed to suck all the air from the room.

This was definitely not a good development. He liked Nora well enough. To be honest, maybe a sliver more than “well enough.” But it wouldn’t do for him to start having stronger feelings. And not just because she was his housekeeper.

“Hey, sheriff.”

Gavin’s hail brought a welcome break from Cam’s muddled thoughts. “I’m listening.”

“I almost forgot to tell you—Mr. Lafferty stopped by while you were out fetching Miss Nora. He said someone’s been raiding his garden and he wants you to do something about it.” Gavin shook his head. “He sure was mighty angry.”

Ben snorted. “Amos Lafferty’s not happy unless he’s got something to complain about. Why, if someone walked up and handed him a fistful of coins he’d likely complain because it wasn’t in a shiny leather pouch.”

Cam grinned at Ben’s very apt description of the town’s most cantankerous citizen.

Ben leaned back in his chair. “It was likely just a deer or fox or some such deciding to take a midnight graze through his place.”

Ben was probably right. Still… “All the same, I think I’ll go have a look around after breakfast. If there is somebody raiding his garden I want to put a stop to it.”