in love with Matt, it was a sure sign that she wouldn’t be looking to him as future husband material.
Laura had been trying for the last thirty minutes to persuade Mrs. Potter to let her keep Hope at the boardinghouse.
The older woman touched a strand of Hope’s hair. “I’m sorry, Laura, but even as sweet as she is, I can’t have a small child living here.”
“I understand. I’m paid to the end of the week. Can we stay until then? I need time to find another place to live.” Laura watched as Hope silently played with a ball of yarn that Mrs. Potter had pulled from her knitting basket for her. She calculated the amount of money she’d saved from teaching and knew it wasn’t enough to buy a house. Perhaps someone would have one she could rent, although Laura doubted it.
“Yes, but no longer. I don’t mean to be hard-hearted, but I’ll need to rent your room out as quickly as possible.” She returned to her knitting.
Laura picked up Hope. The child had played silently at their feet. It worried Laura that Hope hadn’t asked for her ma or even attempted to communicate since she’d woken from her nap. “Thank you.” She carried Hope up to her room.
She’d lived at the boardinghouse for four years. After Charles had died, Laura tried to make their little farm her home but without him selling cotton, she’d had no income to pay the land payment. She’d been forced to return the farm to the bank and take the teaching job in town.
Her gaze moved about the small space she now called home. When she’d moved in, Laura had sewn new curtains for the windows, added a colorful quilt to the bed and braided a nice-looking rug for the floor. Pretty dollies lay on the dresser and side table. Her writing desk rested under the window. Laura had created many lesson plans there. Laura sighed, aware of just how much she was going to miss this room.
Hope laid her head on Laura’s shoulder. The little girl still clutched the yarn ball in her tiny hand. Her stomach growled loud enough for Laura to hear it. “Oh, my! I think there is a bear in your tummy,” she teased the little girl. Hope raised her head and grinned. She pointed to her mouth, indicating she was hungry.
Laura frowned. “Can you say you’re hungry?”
Hope pointed to her mouth again and smiled as if pleased that she’d done as Laura had asked.
She sat the little girl on the bed. “We’ll go to Pearl’s restaurant for lunch. Do you want to go eat?”
Hope continued playing with the ball.
Laura sighed. Hope hadn’t heard her. She feared the child couldn’t hear. She folded Hope’s blanket and set it on the chair. Then she pulled a small shawl from the closet and wrapped it about Hope. “Come on, sweetie. We are going to lunch and then go to see Dr. Stewart.”
She picked up Hope and headed down the stairs. The little girl held tightly to her yarn ball. Laura heard Mrs. Potter in the entryway speaking in low tones to a man. His voice carried up the stairs that she was swiftly descending.
Laura bitterly thought that the older woman was probably interviewing someone to take her room. She continued down the steps. Worry ate at her. Where was she going to find another place to live? She had money tucked away, but there wasn’t enough there to purchase a small house. Maybe in another year she’d have enough, but not today. Perhaps the bank held a small farm house that she could rent.
As she stepped off the bottom stair, Mrs. Potter and the man turned to face her. Laura paused. Wasn’t this the gentleman who’d arrived at the sheriff’s office just as she’d been leaving?
“Oh, good. I won’t have to send for you, Mrs. Lee. This gentleman has asked to see you.” Mrs. Potter glanced from her to the man waiting.
“Thank you, Mrs. Potter.” She turned to look at him. Did he know something about Hope? Who she belonged to? Had he come to claim Hope as part of his family?
A little girl stood beside him, holding his pinky finger in her small hand. Big brown eyes looked from her to Hope. She tugged at his hand and chattered something, but the language was baby gibberish.
He smiled at the child. “I don’t know, Grace. You’ll have to ask Mrs. Lee.” Dark brown eyes rose and met hers.
He’d understood what the little girl had said?
Hope began pushing away from Laura, trying to get down to Grace. Laura hung on to her tighter. She jiggled the child against her hip to get her attention and then looking her in the eyes, said, “Hope, be still.” Her tone was that of a schoolteacher.
The child immediately stopped and laid her head on Laura’s shoulder. Laura rubbed her small back. Hope seemed to be a well-behaved child.
The handsome man nodded. “That’s a nice trick, Mrs. Lee. Maybe you could teach it to me someday.”
Laura frowned. “You seem to know me, sir, but I don’t know you.” She’d seen him around town before today, but they had never spoken. Had someone pointed her out to him?
Mrs. Potter’s head swung from one to the other. Laura wanted to ask her to leave but at the same time was happy that she’d stayed. This man was a stranger to her and yet knew her name.
He stepped forward with his free hand extended. “I’m sorry. I’m Clint Shepard. I’m looking for a nanny for Grace here, and the sheriff suggested you.”
Laura shook his hand, just as she would one of her students’ fathers. She tilted her head and gazed at Mr. Shepard. Was he the answer to her prayers? The sheriff wouldn’t have sent a dangerous man to look for her, if he didn’t think Mr. Shepard could help her with her current situation.
“If you are interested, it would mean moving out to my ranch.” He shifted his booted feet as if wanting to leave and yet knowing he needed to stay.
She indicated the bench that rested against the wall beside the stairs. “Perhaps you’d like to explain what you are offering, Mr. Shepard.” Laura sat Hope down.
Hope waited until Mr. Shepard had sat down and then toddled over to the other little girl who stood in front of her father.
He took a deep breath and then blurted, “I have a housekeeper and cook, but she refuses to take on the care of my daughter, Grace, too. So, if you will take the job, you’ll need to move out to the ranch. You and your little girl will be given a room next to Grace’s, and I will make sure that you make more than what you do now as a teacher.”
Did he know that she made forty dollars a month as a schoolteacher? “Do you have any idea what this town pays a schoolteacher, Mr. Shepard?”
He grinned and nodded. Grace jabbered something to him, while tugging at his leg. Clint reached down and touched the top of her head. “We’ll go in a moment, Grace.”
Laura needed the money. If she could work until planting season was over and school started back, maybe she’d make enough money to buy a house in town or at least rent something. “How much more are we talking?”
His head came up and a look of hope entered his eyes. “I’ll double what they are paying
