tucked her pencil and papers into a compartment of the portable desk before folding it into its box form. She did her best to ignore the mix of panic and dread filling her stomach as she nodded toward the suitcase. “Yes, please. It’s on the bed.”
She put on her hat, bending the brim to a daring angle that dipped low over her face. She had no illusions that it would keep her identity a secret for long in this town. Folks here were too observant and too friendly not to notice one of their own had returned. She wouldn’t mind seeing some of the friends she had kept in touch with over the years. She just didn’t relish the idea of word getting back to Chris that she was in town. Not that he’d care or want to see her. After all, she was the one who’d ended their engagement. She’d done it for a good reason, too—one far more important than she’d cited in her final letter.
Five years had passed since then. She was quite certain her heart was in no danger from him. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop it from racing as she followed the porter down the corridor to the railcar’s exit. Nor did it keep her hand from trembling slightly as the conductor took it to guide her across the gap between the tracks and the platform. Her gaze cautiously swept the busy depot as she went to stand beside her stepfather. “Pa, when is the next train out of here?”
“Ah, Adelaide, what a surprise! It’s so nice of you to join me.” Concern wrinkled his forehead slightly when she didn’t so much as offer a smile. “One hour and fifteen minutes. That gives us just enough time to grab some dinner and check out the lead I have on the story I’m investigating.”
“We are not eating dinner here.” Her stomach growled in disagreement. Perhaps Everett could fetch some food and she’d eat it at the station—behind a stack of luggage where no one would find her. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed upon her stepfather. “Wait a minute. What lead? I thought we were only here because we needed to transfer trains.”
“This is the only place for us to transfer, but one of the charities I’m investigating also happens to be based here.”
“In Peppin? Really? You think someone here set up a fake charity to steal people’s money?”
“No, I think someone in Houston is doing the stealing. I haven’t discovered who that might be despite the threatening letters I’ve received.”
Concern filled her. “Threatening letters?”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Nothing serious or out of the ordinary for an investigative journalist, I assure you. It only makes me more eager to break the story. I’ve a hunch whoever it is set up a fake charity in one of these out-of-the-way towns we’ve been visiting. The three we’ve been to so far have all seemed legitimate. I wasn’t planning to visit a fourth on this trip, but we may as well check it out since we have to stop here anyway.” He flipped through a few pages in his notebook. “Any chance you’re familiar with this address?”
She leaned closer and was relieved to see that it was on Main Street but in the opposite direction from Johansen’s Mercantile. “That has to be in the newer section of town. They were just starting to build in that area when Mother and I moved away. If you’d given me the address, I could have had one of my friends look into it for you.”
He shook his head. “A good reporter finds out the facts for himself. Besides, if something is amiss I’ll need some sort of proof. Think you can lead the way?”
“I’m sure I could.” They checked their luggage with the stationmaster before heading off to investigate. Adelaide kept her head down as much as possible, but the glimpses she caught of the town proved it had gone through a surprising number of changes within the five years she’d been gone. There were so many more businesses, and everyone looked more fashionable and up-to-date than she recalled.
It only took a few minutes for them to find the building. It looked like any other business, except that it boasted no sign to indicate what type of business might be conducted inside, and all of its cobalt-blue shutters were closed tight. Knocking on the door yielded no answer.
Her stepfather set up his camera and took a few pictures as proof of the building’s existence. “I think I’ll talk to a few townsfolk while we’re here to find out if they know anything about this place. The stationmaster told me there’s a popular café on the other end of Main Street. Let’s head over there and see what we can discover.”
Adelaide bit her lip as alarm lifted her brows. Yet, for some reason, she couldn’t find it within herself to protest as she followed Everett’s purposeful step in the exact direction she’d wanted to avoid. They’d nearly reached the café when she heard a delighted gasp. “Adelaide Harper, as I live and breathe! That is you. I knew it.”
Adelaide turned just in time to receive a hug from her former classmate. “Ellie O’Brien. No, it’s Ellie Williams now. Isn’t it?”
“It most certainly is.” The blonde grinned and then transferred her smile to the man who came to stand beside her. “You remember my husband, Lawson, don’t you?”
“Of course.” She offered her hand to Lawson who had graduated a couple of years before her.
He gave it a friendly squeeze. “It’s wonderful to see you again.”
Adelaide responded in kind before introducing her stepfather to the couple. They soon realized that they’d all been heading to Maddie’s Café and decided to share a table. As they ate, Ellie asked, “So, Adelaide, what brings you back to Peppin after all these years?”
Adelaide refused to follow the speculative glance Ellie sent out the nearby window, since she knew it would land directly across the street...on Johansen’s Mercantile. Feeling a hint of warmth spread across her cheeks, Adelaide allowed her stepfather to explain the nature of their visit. He didn’t go into detail, but what he said was enough to put a frown of pure confusion on Lawson’s face. “There is no orphanage in Peppin. I ought to know. If there had been, I would have been put there when I first arrived in town ten years ago.”
Ellie shook her head. “Lawson Clive Williams, you know that isn’t true. My sister and brother-in-law never would have allowed it. Neither would the Williamses.”
“You’re right, honey. I just meant that I would know if there had been an orphanage in town.”
Adelaide shrugged. “Well, the building is one of the newer ones. Perhaps it’s in the process of being set up.”
Both Ellie and Lawson seemed doubtful.
Everett hummed thoughtfully. “In that case, I’d like to find out just how long it’s taking them to get started. Where’s the local land office?”
“If you don’t mind me tagging along,” Lawson offered, “I’ll take you there myself.”
Ellie waved the men on saying, “We’ll meet y’all at the mercantile.”
As the men left, Adelaide’s gaze snapped to Ellie’s sparkling green eyes. “Ellie, I couldn’t. Things didn’t end well between Chris and me. He wouldn’t want to see me.”
Ellie tilted her head as her gaze slid between Adelaide and the mercantile several times. Finally the woman shrugged. “It seems to me, the question isn’t would he want to see you, but...” Ellie placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward before lowering her voice. “Do you want to see him?”
Adelaide wavered. “Well, maybe...just a glimpse. A glimpse—simply
