seemed to make her uncomfortable. She shifted in her seat and fussed with the baby for a moment. “Actually, he was a suitor of our mother’s before she married our da. When she turned down his proposal, Mr. O’Malley left Ireland and came here. Apparently he never forgot her. He sent her the deed to the cottage and said it was for her and her heirs if she or they should ever need a place to call their own.”
Cam remembered the deed had been dated twenty-six years past. “Pined for her all that time, did he?” If the late Mrs. Murphy was anything like her three daughters he could see where such a thing would be possible.
Nora nodded. “So it seems. But we didn’t know anything about him or about the deed. We only found it by chance when we were packing up our things to leave.”
Interesting. “So you were planning to leave your home before you knew about this place?”
She cut him another of those I’ve-said-too-much looks. But this time she didn’t immediately change the subject. “The stone cottage where we’d lived all our lives did not actually belong to us, nor did the land. When our da passed, Mr. Bantry, the landlord, told us he’d decided to lease it to a relative of his instead. We had no choice but to leave.”
Cam’s brow lowered. “Are you telling me this Bantry fellow kicked you out of your home while you were still in mourning?”
“It was his right,” she said with a shrug.
But he could tell the memory still stung. His hands tightened on the reins as he thought of what fate could have befallen them if they hadn’t had Laird O’Malley’s cottage to fall back on. It was a good thing an ocean separated him from this blackguard Bantry, otherwise he’d be sorely tempted to teach the man a lesson or two about looking out for those in his care. “So this bully Bantry kicks you three out of your home, you find a twenty-six-year-old deed to a cottage an ocean away, and decided, just like that, to come to America all on your own.” He shook his head. “That took a lot of courage.”
Her lips pinched into a prim line. “It wasn’t as if we had many other choices.”
She could downplay it all she wanted, he still thought it a brave thing to do.
Then Nora’s expression softened into a smile. “Isn’t it a wondrous thing how, twenty-six years ago, the Almighty was already laying the groundwork so that me and my sisters would be taken care of in our time of need?”
Her comment caught Cam off guard. A lesser person would be grumbling to God for putting them through all that Nora and her sisters had obviously endured. Yet here she was, praising Him instead for the good that had come out the other side of that valley.
“How long have Will’s mother and Ben known each other?”
She was obviously ready to turn the subject to a less personal topic. “Quite a while I’d guess. Certainly since before I wound up in Faith Glen, back when Ben was sheriff himself instead of stepping back to be deputy.”
That expressive brow of hers rose. “Oh, I didn’t realize you weren’t raised here. Where are you from?”
Now it was his turn to shift uncomfortably. Trust his sharp-witted housekeeper to pick up on that. “I was born in Boston. I didn’t move here until I was nearly sixteen.” And that was all he was going to say on that subject. “So why the interest in Ben and Esther?”
“Oh, just something I noticed today that made me wonder if they were more than just casual friends.”
“Ben and Esther?” He grinned at the thought. “Now wouldn’t that beat all?”
She waved a hand. “Oh, I’m probably wrong. Weddings just tend to bring out the romantic in folks.”
“Speaking of Ben,” Cam added, “he and Gavin pounced on that last slice of the pie you left for me Friday. Thought I was going to have to wade in and referee when they started arguing over who got the biggest piece. They said to tell you it was the best they’d ever tasted.”
He saw her cheeks pinken and her blue eyes light up at the praise. Delight looked good on her.
“That was nice of them to say. Maybe I should stick an extra pie in the oven come baking day. Wouldn’t want Faith Glen’s fine, upstanding lawmen to be found squabbling over a bit of pastry.”
Was no-nonsense Nora making a joke? “You won’t get an argument on that score from me. Just add the ingredients to my tab at the general store when you do the marketing.”
They rounded the last bend and the cottage came into view. Just as he had every time he’d been here since the incident with the horse thief, Cam carefully studied the area around the cottage for anything that might look suspicious or out of place. But, just as before, nothing seemed amiss.
Still, he’d make his rounds before he left, same as always.
He didn’t intend to take any chances. As sheriff, it was his duty to protect Nora Murphy, whether she wanted that protection or not. The memory of another time, of another young mother he’d let down intruded, but he determinedly pushed it aside.
There was no way he’d ever allow such a thing to happen again on his watch. He didn’t think he could survive such a tragedy a second time.
Chapter Three
Nora leaned back and inhaled a breath of in-this-moment contentment. The sight of the cottage as they rounded that final bend always filled her with such joy and pride. Already this felt like home to her. How could her sisters believe she would ever want to leave it?
She glanced down at Grace and made a silent pledge. I promise you that, whatever else shall be, in this home you shall never want for love.
“You know, I was thinking,” her companion said slowly, “most of the urgent repairs are done on the place. Before you spend all your money on additional repairs, you might want to look into getting yourself a horse and wagon of your own.”
Nora’s cheeks heated in embarrassment. Had she overstepped on his kindness somehow? Since the day she’d moved into the cottage a few weeks ago, he’d insisted on bringing his wagon around to pick her up in the mornings and bring her back in the evenings. She’d protested at first, but as usual he’d ignored her. He’d said at the time that it was no trouble, but she wondered now if perhaps he’d changed his mind.
“Of course,” she said quickly. “I didn’t intend to take advantage of your kindness. You’re a busy man and it’s an easy walk into town from here—”
“Hold on,” he said, interrupting her. “That’s not what I meant. I don’t mind one bit giving you a lift into town on workdays. In fact, it gives me an opportunity to start my rounds by checking things out on this side of town.”
She wasn’t entirely convinced that he was being completely honest. “Then was there some other reason you brought this up?”
“What I was thinking was that if there’s ever any kind of emergency out here it would be handy for you to have your own transportation.”
“Emergency?”
“You know, like if one of the Coulters or Grace got hurt or took ill.”
