When Love Calls (4 page)

“I didn’t come here to work.” He took hold of the horses’ bridle.

“No, you came here to do as much damage as you could. So either get busy or get out of here. We’ve got work to do.”

 5 

Cedric didn’t return to the house, and Lincoln wasn’t surprised. The man hadn’t done an extra stitch of work in the two years he’d known him unless it was to his advantage.

It had taken nearly an hour to load the wagon and another hour to deliver the items to town. Thankfully, the landlady, Mrs. Murphy, had a few neighbors ready to help unload the belongings. As soon as they’d deposited the items in the parlor, Lincoln returned to the wagon and headed back to the farm, praying Cedric wasn’t giving the girls any more grief.

Girls. He could hardly call Miss Hannah Gregory a girl. She was probably about twenty, which was five years younger than he. If she’d only smile once in a while, she’d be one of the prettiest young ladies he’d met in a long time.

All three of the Gregory sisters had hair the color of autumn leaves. Hannah’s, he guessed, was like apple cider, Charlotte’s was a richer amber, and Tessa’s, the color of brandy. But all three sisters shared the same hazel eyes.

If he’d had brothers or sisters, would they resemble one another?

He pulled up in front of the house and set the brake. It had been a while since he’d driven a wagon, but he’d not forgotten how to do the job. Taking two steps at a time, he climbed onto the porch and found the front door propped open.

Inside, he heard the girls gabbing upstairs and hurried up to see if they’d finished their packing.

“I may break a few rules, but I’ve never done anything dangerous.”

Recognizing Miss Gregory’s—Hannah’s—voice, Lincoln paused before opening the door to the bedroom. Through the crack in the door, he could pick out the three sisters gathered in the room, boxing up the remnants of their belongings.

“Have you forgotten the ice incident, sister?” Charlotte laid a decoupaged glove box in a valise.

“Ice incident? Have I heard about this?” Tessa plopped on the bed, and the springs of the brass bed creaked.

“No, and for good reason,” Hannah said.

He shouldn’t be spying like a gossip-loving old lady, but he couldn’t tear himself away. Was this how siblings spoke to one another?

He should leave them to finish packing. They obviously weren’t ready for him to take the furniture from this room yet. He began to back away, and a board groaned beneath his boot.

The girls stopped and turned his direction, but he ducked away. On second thought, maybe listening to a little more of the story would be fine. He peered back through the crack and smiled as Charlotte continued the tale.

“It was one of the first snows of the winter, and Daddy was taking Hannah and me to go sledding. Of course, Hannah didn’t wait for him. She ran ahead.”

So, Miss Gregory was a little impulsive. Why didn’t that surprise him?

“And naturally, Lottie, you followed.” Tessa giggled.

“I didn’t want to miss anything.” Charlotte accepted a silver brush and mirror from Hannah and added them to her bag. “Anyway, when Hannah reached the pond, she saw a fawn on the new ice, struggling to walk.”

“His little legs were going every which way.” Hannah demonstrated the movement with her hands. “He was slipping and sliding, and he couldn’t get off. It broke my heart.”

Charlotte snapped the valise shut. “So Hannah went out on the ice, even though Daddy strictly told us to stay away from the pond because he didn’t know if it was safe yet.”

Tessa let out a mocking gasp.

“Like you wouldn’t do the same thing, missy.” Hannah flicked her sister’s blue hair ribbon.

“So you rescued the fawn?”

Charlotte giggled. “No, it rescued itself and ran off—about the same time Daddy came over the hill and spotted Hannah in the middle of the pond. I don’t think I ever saw him that mad again.”

“I was only trying to help.” Hannah moved toward the door. “I don’t think a child should get punished for that.”

“He punished you because you risked your life. If I remember right, he made it quite clear you should have asked for help and not tried to do it all yourself.”

Tessa shook her head. “She hasn’t changed a bit.”

“What?” Hannah held up her hands. “I’m telling you, we should send Mr. Cole away. We could figure out another way.”

Lincoln sighed. Even after all the work he’d done this morning, she still wanted to be rid of him. Didn’t this stubborn woman have a lick of sense? How was he going to convince her of the truth? The only reason he’d come to deliver that awful news the first time was because it was his job. But he was here today because he wanted to be.

“It doesn’t make a difference.” Tessa hopped off the bed. “Hannah, you’ve been outvoted. We like Mr. Cole, and we’re smart enough to see he’s an answer to our prayers.”

He wished he were the answer to the Gregory sisters’ prayers, but he doubted Hannah would accept any additional help from him after today. Even though he barely knew her, he recognized a stubborn streak mirroring his own. After today, he’d never see her or her sisters again.

Strange. That thought shouldn’t bother him. But it did.

“Your friend Mr. Knox sure rushed out of here.” Hannah passed a wrench to Mr. Cole after he lay down on the floor to unscrew sections of the brass bed in her bedroom. Her mother would have
been appalled that she’d let a man into her private quarters, but there was little she could do about it now. They needed to take the beds apart, and Mr. Cole had offered. She wanted to refuse his assistance, but since Charlotte and Tessa had both welcomed him in like a long-lost brother, how could she refuse?

“First of all, Cedric Knox is not my friend.” He shoved the wrench hard to the left, then twisted the loosened nut off the screw. “He’s a colleague who works in the same law office, and that is where all similarities end.” He handed Hannah the screw. “Second, he’s a first-class troublemaker—especially if I’m involved.”

“And why is that?”

Mr. Cole shrugged. “He sees me as a threat, I guess.”

“But what does that have to do with my sisters or myself?”

He moved to the other end of the rail. “Nothing. Like I said, he’s a troublemaker. If I hadn’t showed up, he might have . . .”

“He might have what?”

He undid the next screw, lowered the rail to the floor, and hopped to his feet. “He might have made good on his threat or made an offer to look the other way in exchange for certain favors.”

“Favors?” Her cheeks burned hot.

“Nothing like that, Miss Gregory. The cad might have strongly suggested you agree to an outing with him to take in a show or go out for dinner.” He moved to the other side of the bed to finish his task.

“Do your law partners know he does this? It’s terribly unethical. Why is it tolerated?”

“Whoa. It’s not. But he knows it would be his word against yours. He takes advantage of any opportunity he can.” He pointed to the rail. “Better grab that before I undo this screw. Hold on tight and watch your toes.”

“But why the interest in us?”

“Not all three of you, Miss Gregory.” He looked up from his position on the floor and met her gaze. “I’m guessing as soon as he arrived, he would have directed his interest solely upon you.”

Hannah dropped the rail. It landed on her toe and she yelped.

“You okay?” Mr. Cole was on his feet in seconds, ready to help her to a chair.

She limped there on her own. “I’m fine.”

Apparently, she was fine thanks to his appearance today, but she had no intention of telling him so. Would Mr. Knox really have suggested the favor of her company in exchange for the use of the wagon? Somehow the thought made her feel tawdry.

“Why don’t you rest a minute while I take down the bed rails? Then I’ll be up for the headboard.” He scooped up the long bed rails, his muscles cording beneath his rolled-up shirtsleeves. “I shouldn’t have maligned Cedric. I apologize. It’s not a very good Christian witness.” He swallowed hard. “And I’m sorry about your home too. If there was another way . . .”

He didn’t finish the thought and let the words fall away as he walked from the room.

Was he genuinely sorry? She simply refused to believe that. Christian witness? No good Christian man went around putting orphans out of their homes. Why hadn’t he offered his help that day? A good attorney should have been able to see a way to let them keep the farm.

Still, he had gone out of his way today. Was she being too hard on him?

She shook her head. No matter how kind Mr. Cole was today, she needed to remember it was his fault they were in this predicament in the first place, and she didn’t plan to forget that anytime soon.

“Hannah, I’ll get that!” Lincoln hurried to the landing at the top of the stairs and lifted the brass bed’s headboard from her shoulder.

“I have it, Mr. Cole.” She yanked the bed back, saying his name as if it were as distasteful on her tongue as a swig of castor oil.

“I see.” He let go of the bed and watched her shoulders sag beneath its weight.

“And I do not remember offering permission for you to use my Christian name.”

He stepped back, his jaw set firm. “I apologize, and since you have this headboard well in hand, I’ll leave you to it.”

He stood at the top of the stairs and watched her heave the monstrous piece down the stairs. The back end clunked on each of the wooden stairs, possibly denting them, but he didn’t intervene. With her chin set and determination showing in her hazel eyes, she managed to get the headboard to the front door and onto the porch without a single glance back at him.

Lincoln shook his head. Hannah Gregory was one stubborn woman. He headed to the bedroom they’d been emptying and relieved Charlotte of the footboard.

“Thank you, Mr. Cole.” She picked up a pile of quilts. “But I thought you were helping Hannah.”

“She said she didn’t need my help.”

“And you believed her?”

He chuckled, remembering her slight limp. “No, but she sure tried to look convincing.”

“That’s her problem. She’ll help anyone, but she never wants anyone to help her. I guess it’s part of being the oldest.” She glanced around the room. “Looks like we’re finished up here now. How much room is left in the wagon?”

“It’s getting tight, but we should be fine. Why?” He followed Charlotte from the room and down the stairs.

“There are two crates in the parlor that Hannah said we had to leave until last. They belong to her.”