“I’m fine. Truly.” She returned her gaze to his. “Tell me about this U.S. Marshal you mentioned.”
Beau let her switch the topic—for now—and called to mind the last time he had been in Denver. Trey Scott had helped him find a miner who’d run out on his wife and five children. Clearly an advocate for abandoned women and their families, the lawman had been ruthless in his search.
“He’s a good man,” Beau said with sincerity. “He’ll do all he can to locate your sister, or, barring that, he’ll find someone who can.”
“Thank you.”
Relief glittered in her eyes. Still, she sat with her shoulders stiff and unmoving.
Time, he told himself. In time she would learn to trust him, perhaps even forgive him.
Uncomfortable on the bench that was far too small for his large frame, Beau shifted and rearranged his legs. “While we have a moment, I should tell you about Charity House so as to avoid any confusion once we arrive.”
She nodded slowly, her eyes searching his as though she wasn’t sure why his voice had changed but had decided to hold on to her curiosity while he explained himself.
What sort of woman had that kind of controlled patience?
“Charity House,” he began, “is an orphanage—”
“Orphanage?” Her eyes lit up, and she tilted her head forward. “How many children are housed there?”
“Forty.”
“So many.” She relaxed her head against the cushions and blinked up at the ceiling. Her eyes took on a faraway expression, as though she was calculating what forty orphans would look like.
“I should warn you,” he said, pulling at a loose thread in the upholstery. “When I say orphanage, I don’t mean it in the strictest sense.”
She cocked her head at him. “I don’t understand.”
He tugged on the string, the gesture releasing three more strands. “It’s a baby farm.”
She lifted a shoulder and shook her head in obvious confusion.
Releasing the thread entwined in his fingers, he boldly pressed on. “A baby farm is a home for prostitutes’ illegitimate children.”
Her eyes widened. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“The children aren’t accepted in other, more traditional homes because of their mothers’ profession. They can’t live in the brothels, so Marc and Laney Dupree take them in without question.” Beau kept his voice even, but the passion he felt for the orphanage sounded in his tone despite his efforts. “If not for Charity House, most of the children would have nowhere else to go. The cycle of sin and crime would continue in their lives.”
“How—” Tears filled her eyes, skimming along her dark lashes like tiny ice crystals. They disappeared with a single swipe of her wrist. “Marvelous.”
Beau hadn’t expected such a positive, heartfelt response from her.
Why not? he wondered. Why had he expected her to show immediate prejudice?
Because you were so quick to judge, yourself. You saw her from your own failings, not hers.
“Yes.” Beau swallowed. “It is marvelous.”
They shared a small smile between them, but then her forehead scrunched into a scowl, effectively dousing the moment with a dose of reality. “Didn’t you say you were going there on an errand for Jane Goodwin?”
“Yes, to pay the board for her daughter.”
Surprising him once again, Miss Southerland looked at him with glowing respect, as though he’d transformed into something good and noble right before her eyes. “How very kind of you.”
Unnerved by the change in her, he rolled his shoulders. “It’s what I do.”
“I know.”
She really smiled at him then. It was nothing more than an attractive lifting of the corners of her mouth that revealed straight, white teeth, but the gesture carried a spectacular wallop.
Beau had thought her beautiful before, but now…
He had to cough to release the breath lodged in his throat.
He should start anew with this woman, here and now. He should find a way to earn back her trust, in degrees if not all at once. He should do a lot of things that involved words and a healthy dose of groveling on his part.
Instead, he repositioned his weight on the bench and released his own grin.
Her smile widened in response. And for the first time in years, a sense of utter peace settled over him.
Words, Beau decided, were highly overrated.
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