Mrs. Flanagan said. “A single man in charge of two young’uns sounds like a gentleman in need of a wife if there ever was one.” Dapple had wandered into the kitchen and, with a graceful motion, leaped into Mrs. Flanagan’s lap. The woman stroked the cat’s back, her eyes remaining fixed on Cassie Lynn. “So tell me about these newcomers. Who’d they come here to visit?”
“According to Noah, they don’t know anyone in Turnabout.”
“Humph. That’s strange. Not many folks come to Turnabout unless they have some purpose.”
“I’m sure they have a purpose, it’s just not to visit someone they know.” Cassie Lynn hadn’t given the reason for their visit much thought until now. She hoped that, whatever it was that had brought them to Turnabout, it would keep them here for a while. Mr. Walker had taken a job, after all.
“If I am to advise you, then I think it’s important that I meet this young man and his charges.”
Cassie Lynn nodded in agreement, pleased that Mrs. Flanagan had given her the opening she wanted. “We could invite them to have supper with us tomorrow evening. Sort of as a neighborly gesture, welcoming them to town.”
“Excellent idea.” She stroked Dapple’s head absently “In the meantime I’ll think on what other men might also meet your requirements.”
Cassie Lynn smiled as she pulled the cast-iron pot from its hook above the stove. Having the Walkers over for supper would do more than give her an opportunity to get to know them better.
It had surprised her that Mrs. Flanagan never had anyone, other than Dr. Pratt or Reverend Harper, drop in to see her since her accident. The woman apparently didn’t have any close friends.
Cassie Lynn had been trying to come up with a way to remedy that. But how did she invite people to come by and visit a flinty widow who’d never made any effort to make friends with her neighbors?
And now she would be able to do just that. Having Mrs. Flanagan help her find a suitor wouldn’t just benefit her, it would give the widow purpose, as well.
And wouldn’t it be nice if Mr. Walker turned out to be the one.
From a purely expedient perspective, of course.
Cassie Lynn exited the Blue Bottle Sweet Shop the next afternoon with a spring in her step. Eve Dawson had sold all four fruit tarts she’d delivered to her this morning, and was very happy with her customers’ reactions to them. It had been the same story with Daisy Fulton over at the restaurant. Both of them had placed additional orders for her goods.
If the worst happened and Cassie Lynn ended up back at her father’s farm—though she still wasn’t ready to surrender to that possibility—she would have the pleasure of knowing that folks enjoyed her baked goods well enough to pay for them.
Of course, if she was being entirely honest with herself, part of the reason for the lightness of her mood was her current destination, the livery. She was looking forward to visiting Scarlett and Duchess again, of course. But she was hoping she might also run into Mr. Walker. He was working there, after all.
When Cassie Lynn arrived at the corral she saw Scarlett and Mr. Walker’s horse, River, penned there. But Duchess wasn’t anywhere in sight.
Scarlett trotted over to the fence, nickered and tossed her head.
“And hello to you, too,” Cassie Lynn said as she reached into her basket for one of the carrots she’d brought for just that purpose.
To her delight, River wasn’t far behind. “Well hello, boy. Ready to be friends.” She held out a carrot and the horse took it as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.
“So where is our friend Duchess?” she asked as she rubbed the horse’s neck. “Did she get the chance to leave the livery today?”
“She did indeed.”
At the sound of the male voice, Cassie Lynn turned to see Mr. Walker leading the mare into the corral. Her pulse immediately kicked up a notch.
“She and the buckboard were rented out to a Mr. Hendricks to transport a load of lumber.” Mr. Walker gave Duchess a final pat before removing the lead and closing the gate to the corral.
Cassie Lynn smiled. “I understand you’re working here now?”
“I am. A few hours a day, just to pay for River’s upkeep.” He moved around to where the trough was situated, checked the water level and began working the pump. “So, do you stop by here every day?”
She nodded. “Most days, anyway. It’s my favorite part of the day.” She held out another carrot as Duchess pranced up to her. “These two ladies and I are good friends.” Then she reached out to touch River’s muzzle. “And I hope this handsome gent and I soon will be.”
“River likes you.” Mr. Walker sounded surprised. “He’s pretty discerning when it comes to who he lets get close to him.”
“I believe the carrot might have had something to do with it,” she said drily. Then she turned to face him fully. “Actually, though, I was hoping I’d run into you.”
He raised a brow. “Were you now?”
Her cheeks warmed as she realized how that had sounded, and she rushed to clarify. “I mean, I told Mrs. Flanagan, the lady I work for, about meeting you and the children. And she thought it might be good to have the three of you over for supper, just as a neighborly gesture, you being new to town and all. Anyway, she asked me to invite you to join us this evening. If you’re free and you’d like to come, that is.” Cassie Lynn mentally winced. She wasn’t normally one to babble, but felt that’s exactly what she’d just been doing.
He kept working the pump. “That’s mighty nice of you ladies, but please don’t feel obliged.”
Was he going to refuse? “We’re not inviting you because we feel obliged. It’s something we want to do.”
“Still, I wouldn’t want to take advantage.”
Why did he seem so reluctant? “Actually, you’d be doing me a favor,” she said diffidently.
He looked up from his task. “How’s that?”
“Mrs. Flanagan is currently confined to a wheelchair. That’s why I’m working for her, to take care of her and do the things around the house that she can’t do for herself from that chair.”
He finished pumping the water and leaned against the fence, facing her. “Sorry to hear that, but I don’t understand where the favor comes in.”
“With her being confined to the house the way she is, I think it would really cheer her up to have some new folks to talk to.”
He studied her face for a long moment, as if mentally weighing some issue. Had she pressed too hard? Did he really not want to be their guest for some reason?
She was trying to steel herself to accept his refusal when he finally spoke
