to scour her purse to know she didn’t have more than five.
“We actually don’t have it here,” she admitted, “but I’d be delighted to get it to you straightaway.” She would gladly take it out of the money she had saved at home.
“That’s what I figured.” Mr. Gantry huffed, concluding the negotiation—or maybe it had all been a test from the start. “Get off my property. And don’t neither of you come back, or I’ll sic the sheriff on ya.” With that, he released the screen door. Before it could slam, Ellis grabbed on.
“Now, just wait—”
Mr. Gantry skewered him with a glare. He fed out his words through gritted teeth. “You get your paws off, or things are gonna go bad real quick.”
Ellis surrendered his grip, letting the mesh return as a flimsy barrier, yet his tone gained an edge. “There’s a little boy we need to think about here.”
“Ada!” Mr. Gantry yelled without turning around. “Get me my shotgun.”
Lily grabbed on to Ellis’s arm and drew him back. “No need for that, sir. We’re leaving. We’re going right this minute.”
Ellis resisted for an unnerving moment before thankfully giving in. “Sure,” he said. “We’ll go.”
And they did.
Still, the farmer’s gaze followed and didn’t let up until the start of the engine. When the front door of the house closed, they stayed true to their word and drove away.
Though not as far, perhaps, as Mr. Gantry would have liked.
Chapter 39
“Can this really be right?” Lily’s question seeped through Ellis’s thoughts and the thrumming of the rain. They were parked near the base of the Gantrys’ drive to regroup and rethink. She was reviewing Calvin’s papers, partially covering the flashlight to keep the car dim. “On the back here, it says adoptions take a year to finalize. That means it’s not official yet. This should make it easier for Geraldine, shouldn’t it?”
Distracted, Ellis was slow to reply. “I would hope so.”
“Well…either way, we need to figure out a plan.”
The truth was, a plan was taking shape that didn’t include we.
“Could you hand me the map?” he asked. It was on the floorboard by her feet.
“The map? Why?”
Sensing she was going to object, he answered without fully looking at her. “I have to find a bus or train depot close by.”
“Why’s that?”
Their combined funds would be enough for a single ticket. Of course, he would stay with her until morning when the next ride departed. “I’m sending you home.”
She stared at him. “What are you talking about?”
“You need to get back early. You’re due at the paper tomorrow.”
“And you’re not?”
“Lily, please. I promise I’ll keep you updated.” He held out his upturned hand. “Now, could you pass it over?” At her defiant stare, he reached down and snagged the map himself. He’d just spread it over the steering wheel when she snapped the light off.
Lord help him…
“You’re going to do something foolish, aren’t you?”
He dragged his gaze to meet hers.
“You heard Mr. Gantry up there. He’d jump at the chance to call the sheriff. If he doesn’t grab his shotgun first.”
“There’s no need to worry. I’m not going to sneak into the house or break any other law.” He saw no point in reminding her that busting into the orphanage had been her idea.
“Fine. Then, what are you planning to do?”
They were getting nowhere. To placate her, he’d reveal his thoughts. Just without mention of the dangers. “Since Mr. Gantry’ll be working early in the fields—with Calvin, too, I figure—I could catch his wife on her own. She might be willing to help if given the chance. Maybe behind closed doors, she actually has some sway over her husband. Anyway, there’s no harm in trying.”
Unless…Mr. Gantry happened to come home early. Or if Ellis, as he’d done with the Millstones, was pegging Mrs. Gantry all wrong.
Lily pondered the proposal, and she nodded. A minor miracle.
Ellis turned back to the map, still needing the flashlight.
“In that case,” she stated, “it makes perfect sense for me to stay.”
Ellis’s relief dissipated as fast as it had formed.
“I guarantee she’ll be more open to speaking with a woman than a man. I know I would with a husband like that.”
It was impossible to counter her arguments, but he also knew the stakes. “Lily, listen.”
“Where should we wait in the meantime?”
“Lily—”
“I am not going anywhere. Force me out of the car if you want, but I’m not leaving without that child.”
She was prideful and determined and stubborn, as usual. They were traits that made him want to kiss