was such a curious mix he wondered if he’d really seen all that in one quick glance. Still, the impression had remained with him. Of course, her cheery smile, and the dimple that kept appearing near the left corner of her lip, had contributed to the unexpected air that seemed to surround her. It bestowed on her a kind of unconventional attractiveness, even when she was sitting in the dust with a chagrinned look on her face. He hadn’t been so taken by a woman in quite some time. For just a heartbeat he’d been tempted to linger, to get to know her better.
And that had brought him up short. Because he couldn’t afford to let himself be diverted by such fetching distractions now, no matter how intriguing. Especially when there was no chance it could go anywhere. In another few days he and the kids would be moving on again.
“Uncle Riley?”
Noah’s words brought his thoughts back to the present. “Yes?”
“That Miss Vickers lady seems nice, don’t you think?”
It appeared he and Noah were thinking along similar lines. “I suppose.” Actually, “nice” seemed inadequate. Not everyone would have gone to such lengths to come to the aid of a stranger and then brushed off his thanks so modestly.
“And there are probably lots of other nice folks in this town, too, don’t you think?” Noah’s tone had taken on a cajoling quality.
“Could be.” Riley had an idea where this was headed and tried to cut it off. “But there are nice people everywhere.” He gave his nephew a little nudge. “Besides, who wouldn’t be nice to a great kid like you?”
Noah grinned up at him, then pressed on. “Anyway, since there are such nice folks here, don’t you think it would be okay for us to stay longer than a few days?”
There it was. “We’ve talked about this before. We don’t stay very long in small towns. Big towns are better for long stays.” Places where it was easier to disappear and not stand out so starkly. The only reason he’d stopped here in the first place was because the kids, especially Pru, had seemed unusually restless. It would do them good to get out and move around and get some fresh air and sunshine. “Besides, I have to be in Tyler for a meeting by Wednesday morning.”
Riley could tell Noah wasn’t satisfied with his answer. “I promise I’ll find us a nice big town to spend some time in real soon. Maybe you two could even go to school for a while.” He gave his niece’s shoulder a nudge. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Pru?”
The girl nodded. “I miss going to school.”
“That’s settled then. By the time school starts next month, we’ll be someplace where we can stay put for a while.” Assuming they could keep their relentless pursuer off their trail.
To Riley’s relief, they’d reached the hotel by this time and it ended the need for further conversation.
This whole business of moving from town to town, never staying in one place for long, was taking its toll on all of them. If only there was some other way. But he couldn’t afford the luxury of letting them set down permanent roots anywhere.
The well-being of the children depended on his keeping them several steps ahead of Guy.
His stepbrother.
The kids’ father.
Cassie Lynn pushed open the door to Mrs. Flanagan’s home, her mood considerably different from the cheery one she’d had when she’d left here just one short hour ago. So much had happened in such a short period of time.
Dapple sat just inside the door, tail swishing impatiently. Seeming to sense her mood, the normally imperious tortoiseshell cat stropped against Cassie Lynn’s legs with a sympathetic purr.
She bent down and stroked the animal’s back. “Thanks, Dapple. You can be really sweet sometimes.”
That was apparently too much for the feline. He gave Cassie Lynn a baleful look, then turned and stalked down the hall, the very picture of affronted dignity.
With a smile, Cassie Lynn headed for the kitchen. “I’m back,” she called out as she set her shopping basket on the kitchen table. “Sorry I took so long.”
Mrs. Flanagan wheeled her chair into the kitchen. “Rather than apologizing,” the widow said acerbically, “tell me what that father of yours wanted.”
Cassie Lynn should have realized her employer had known he was there. How much should she say? “He wanted to give me some news about Verne and Dinah.”
Mrs. Flanagan raised a brow. “They’re expecting a new young’un, are they?”
“No, at least not that I know of.” She started putting away the items she’d purchased at the mercantile. “But they are moving out and planning to set up their own place.”
There was a moment of silence, but even with her back turned, Cassie Lynn could feel the keen stare the widow had focused on her.
“I’ve known Alvin Vickers most of his life,” Mrs. Flanagan finally said, “so I know he didn’t come all the way into town just to deliver news like that. He wants you to move back to his place and take care of him, doesn’t he?”
Cassie Lynn reluctantly glanced back over her shoulder and nodded.
“You didn’t agree to go, did you?”
“Not exactly.”
The widow’s eyes narrowed. “What does not exactly mean?”
Rather than give a direct answer, she hedged. “He was very insistent.”
“You mean he tried to roll right over your objections!”
Cassie Lynn gave her a tight smile that was part grimace. “I appreciate you’re concerned about me, but—”
“Ha! Who said I was concerned about you?”
When she’d first come to work here, Cassie Lynn had been taken aback by Mrs. Flanagan’s vinegary tongue, but it hadn’t taken her long to see behind the woman’s facade to the soft heart beneath. So she didn’t take offense at the words.
The woman settled back in her chair with a determined frown. “I’ve got a stake in that bakery business you’re trying to start, remember? And you can’t run it from that back-of-beyond farm.”
Cassie Lynn felt compelled to defend her father. “He’s my pa. I owe him—”
Mrs. Flanagan actually wagged a finger at her. “Cassie Lynn Vickers, you’re twenty-two years old, a grown woman by anyone’s reckoning. You need to grow some backbone and make that father of yours listen to you.”
Cassie Lynn grimaced, then turned away. Mrs. Flanagan might not say that if she knew the whole story. “At any rate, I told him I wasn’t leaving here as long as you needed my help.”
“Well, that’s something.” The widow gave
