My Guardian Knight (2 page)

Unable to find any other options, Amanda sat back and listened to the conversation between the two males, amazed at how soothing the lawman’s voice was.  He was like a balm to the senses, and she had never felt two such strongly opposing emotions for a man before.  On the one hand, the fact that he was a U.S. Marshal and therefore a possible enemy terrified her; but on the other hand, she felt a strange attraction to him.  Oh dear, on top of everything else, was she losing her mind, too?

Just then, he turned his smile on her, and she felt her insides melting.  His deep blue eyes twinkled at her, and she realized with awe that he was drawing a smile from her own lips, albeit small, but a smile nonetheless.  She couldn’t remember the last time someone other than Matthew had had such an effect on her.  Who was this man?! 

“Your son is most entertaining,” he said in that deep, rich voice.

She smiled at Matthew.  “You must bring out the best in him, Marshal Knight.  He is not usually quite so animated.  And he absolutely
never
speaks with strangers.”

“I like children,” he said, his smiling dimming a bit.  “It angers me that so many people believe that a man is incapable of caring for children.  If you are big and strong you must be a monster.  If you are kind to kids you are not a true

man.  What a bunch of damned nonsense!”

              Amanda’s eyes widened.  “I didn’t mean--”

Sebastian touched her hand, sending a tingling warmth up her arm.  Calmness stole over her yet again.  “I’m sorry,” he said with a quiet sigh.  “I didn’t mean you are like that.  I have a--” he turned away slightly, a rueful smile lighting his features.  “I shouldn’t burden you with my problems, Mrs. Darcy, yet I find myself so comfortable in your company.  Almost as if we were not the strangers we surely are.”

Goosebumps rose on Amanda’s skin, and she knew she should be wary, knew he may well be her downfall.  But sitting here beside him, his hand still touching hers, all she felt was a camaraderie, a closeness she had not felt in so long.  “I feel that way, too, Marshal Knight,” she was surprised to find herself answering.

              His smile returned.  “I think we have each found a

friend.  Please, call me Sebastian.”

Mortified, she felt a blush creep up her cheeks.  “I’m sorry, I don’t think I could do that just yet.  We’ve only just met.”

His disappointment was genuine, she was sure.  “I have a bad habit of jumping to conclusions.  So,” he said quickly, effectively changing the subject, “where are you headed?”

Amanda hedged, not certain she wanted to divulge such information.

              “St. Louis,” Matthew spoke up.

Amanda bit her lip hard, barely suppressing a groan.  If there were any chance that this man had not been sent after her, she didn’t want to make him suspicious.  

“What a coincidence.  I’m going to St. Louis, also.  Are you meeting your husband, Mrs. Darcy?”

She looked up in surprise, meeting his incredibly blue eyes.  Did he know something she didn’t know?  Forcing a calm she did not feel, she replied, “No, my husband is gone, Marshal Knight.”  It wasn’t exactly a lie, she told her conscious.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, laying a hand upon hers once again.

Her response was drowned out by the squeal of the brakes.  Here we go again, she thought, unconsciously straightening in her chair and focusing her attention on the doors.  It took a moment before she noticed that Marshal Knight had touched her arm, trying to claim her attention.

“Mrs. Darcy, this train doesn’t go to St. Louis.  We’ll have to get off at this station and take the next train bound west.”

She studied him warily.  Was this true, or was it a trick?  “I was under the impression that this train went all the way to St. Louis.”

              “No, ma’am.  It goes back east.”

She looked around.  Indeed, everyone had disembarked but them.  Smiling as if her nerves were not stretched to the breaking point, she nodded to him, motioning Matthew ahead of her.  Sebastian stood in the aisle waiting for her and, as she went to step out, her foot caught on the chair and she stumbled, pitching face first into the aisle.  Quickly, Sebastian’s arm snaked out and caught her around the waist, the force of her body slamming against his chest.

              She stood for a moment in the shelter of his arms, taking in the masculine smell of his leather vest and the warm musk of his skin.  A feeling of safety stole over her and, as if in a daze, she let her head remain on his chest where it had fallen.  For the moment, she felt safe and secure, something she had not felt in a very long time, if ever.

The tug from her son’s hand brought her back to the present, and she quickly stepped away, nodding her thanks and following Matthew out the door.  Once outside, Sebastian asked them to wait while he made arrangements to take the next train.

“No, Marshal Knight.  I can take care of that myself, thank you.”

He smiled.  “I’m sure you can, but since I happen to be in need of a ticket myself, it’s no trouble arranging for two more.”  With that, he strode off quickly before she could reply.  Amanda looked down at her son.  “Oooh!  That man exasperates me to no end, Matthew!”

He grinned, dimples flashing.  “I like 'Bastian, Mama.  He’s nice to me.”

She sighed.  “Yes, he is.  I suppose he is very nice to both of us.  If only I could trust him,” she said under her breath.

              “You can trust him, Mama.  He’s a lawman.”

Amanda gazed into Matthew’s eyes, wondering absently if she had ever been so innocent and trusting, and vowing that she would do whatever was necessary to keep his innocence intact.

Sebastian stepped up beside them just then, motioning to a small white clapboard building.  “Why don’t we have some supper?”  He took Matthew’s hand and charged off, leaving Amanda behind him, outraged.  That pretty little restaurant would surely be too expensive for her, and who did he think he was, anyway, to make sudden announcements and take off with her child in tow?

She caught up to them as they were being seated at a table.  She sat down and turned on Sebastian, hissing, “I hope you do not consider yourself a gentleman, Marshal Knight, after leaving me alone at the train station like that!”

He smiled.  “I never claimed to be a gentleman.”    “And how dare you take off with my son and just
assume
that I would wish to go with you?!”

His smile deepened and he leaned closer to her, until their noses were but an inch apart.  His voice was soft as he said, “If I had simply asked, would you have come with me?”  “No!” she exclaimed sharply.

He leaned back in his chair, triumphant.  “And there you have it.”  Sebastian turned to the waitress.  “Two coffees, please, and a milk for the squirt.”

Amanda was too angry to reply.  She flipped open the menu and stared blankly at the pages, silently fuming.  It took her a moment to realize that the conversation at the table had continued without her, and her son was giggling at something Sebastian had just said.  She sighed wearily.  Was she letting her jaded outlook on life affect her opinion of Sebastian, just because he was a lawman?  He certainly seemed pleasant enough, although she knew very well that first impressions could be misleading.  There had to be something about him, though, if Matthew had taken to him so quickly.  She decided to let her petty anger go and enjoy the meal.

When the waitress returned, she not only bore their drinks but food as well.  Amanda turned her gaze to Sebastian and he shrugged, grinning.  “So I ordered for everyone while you were pouting.  I was too hungry to wait.”

Three heaping plates were set before them, each bearing roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn.  Amanda’s heart beat wildly in her chest as she thought of the cost of such a meal, but what could she do?  The plate had already been set before her, the savory smell tempting her, and she couldn’t make herself send it back in favor of the cheese sandwich she had planned on ordering.

“Do you have a habit of making everyone’s decisions for them, Marshal Knight?  For all you know, we may not like roast beef.”

He laughed.  “Who doesn’t like roast beef?”  “I like roast beef,” Matthew spoke up, bouncing excitedly in his seat.

Amanda sighed.  She picked up her fork and gingerly tasted the mashed potatoes, closing her eyes and savoring the flavor.  How long had it been since she’d tasted anything even half this hearty?  Most of her meals consisted of cold sandwiches or the daily specials, which invariably tasted like lukewarm paper.

              “The next train doesn’t leave until tomorrow morning,” Sebastian said, “so we’ll have to find a place to stay the night.”                

Amanda’s heart sank.  That was more money she hadn’t expected to spend.  If she weren’t careful, she wouldn’t have enough money to reach St. Louis.  

              “There’s a hotel above this restaurant.  Maybe there

will be a couple of available rooms.”

She nodded.  “Yes, that would be nice.”  A hotel this nice would cost a pretty penny, but her pride would not allow her to reveal her poverty to Sebastian.  And her longing for a clean, comfortable room outweighed the fear she felt.  In fact, the thought buoyed her spirits and she found herself smiling at him across the table.

“Mama, can we find a place to play?  On the train you said we could and now we have lots of time before the next train.  Can I play?”

She couldn’t help smiling at the excitement in his voice, and her eyes twinkled into his.  “I suppose we could find somewhere for you to play after we’ve found a room for the night.”

              Matthew bounced up and down in his chair, his happy gaze straying to the door impatiently as the adults talked.

“If you’d like, I can take care of the rooms while you take Matthew outside.  He does seem to be a bit anxious to be going.”

“Thank you, but you’ve certainly done quite enough for us already.”

Sebastian grinned.  “Suit yourself.  I think I’ll give my legs a good stretch, I’m feeling as cooped up as Matthew. 

Would you like to join me?”

              “No, thank you.  I saw a little church across the road

and thought I’d take him there to play a while.”

With a smile and a nod, he strode across the room to book his accommodations for the night.  Amanda noticed, begrudgingly, that he seemed to take a certain brightness away with him.  A happy light, like the warm rays of the sunshine, that she hadn’t really noticed until she felt its absence.     Sighing, she rolled her eyes at her own silliness and motioned the waitress over.  “I’d like to pay my bill,” she said, reaching for her reticule.

“Don’t worry, ma’am, the gentleman has already taken care of it.”

              Amanda glanced across the room in surprise but

Sebastian was nowhere to be found.  “That man is really good at escaping sticky situations,” she muttered under her breath. 

“But just wait until I run into him again.”  

But her irritated mumbling lacked conviction, and a soft smile creased her pretty pink lips.  Taking Matthew by the hand, she hurried over to the reception desk.  Amanda smiled at the woman sitting behind the desk.  “Hello.  I need a room for the night, please.”

              The plump woman shook her head, smiling

regretfully.  “I’m sorry but I just gave out the last room.”  Amanda sighed.  Well, she shouldn’t have expected to have a pretty room in this nice little hotel.  “Can you tell me where else I might find a room to rent?”

              Again, her response was negative.  “There is a

festival in town tomorrow and all the rooms are booked solid.  Have been for weeks.  The gentleman was only able to get a room because we had a cancellation.  Miss Mabel decided to stay with her daughter this year.  If you ask me, she’s better off here, what with her daughter havin’ all them kids.  Seven children and another one due any time now.  I told Miss Mabel she’d have much more peace here, but she insisted on helping her family.  I only had the one boy, you know, so I don’t know what it’s like to be around so many at one time, but I think they’d drive me plumb crazy!  My son owns this business and, since I get lonely at home, he lets me help out here while my husband is at work.  He’s such a good boy!”

Amanda listened to the woman’s monologue with a mixture of amusement and depression.  Where would they spend the night?  She tried to smile.  “Thank you for your time.”

As she turned to go, the woman called, “Oh, wait a minute, dear.  I just had an idea!  Our regular housekeeper is out of town this week.  She went to visit her children back east.  Sometimes she has to work late, and we keep a place for her so she doesn’t have to walk home after dark.  She lives about

three miles out of town.  You can use her room, if you like.”

              “Are you sure she wouldn’t mind?”

              “Of course not.  She doesn’t keep any belongings here.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful!  I don’t know how to thank you.”

              The woman, who introduced herself as Mrs.

Mayberry, motioned Amanda to follow her.  “Now, it’s not very big, mind you.  The furnishings are a bit scarce, too, but it is a room and better than nothing at all.”