café. Except he did. And it wasn’t danger or hunger that called to him.
It was his heart.
He’d grown exceedingly fond of the children and their aunt.
Dare he hope Delcie returned even a smidgen of his feelings?
He went to his bedroom, took his valise from the wardrobe, and pulled out a picture of a beautiful woman. Mirabelle, prior to their marriage. She was so young. They both were. She was full of life. But sometimes too stubborn. She wouldn’t listen about the damper, and it had led to her death and Myra’s.
His sweet, Merry Myra.
He hadn’t thought he could ever love another child yet found he could love two.
He’d vowed to never love another woman. Could he change that decision too?
With a smile on his face, he returned the picture to the valise and stored it again in the wardrobe. He wandered back to the workroom to stare out at the street. Lamps glowed in the windows he could see. A shadow passed the window of the NWMP outpost. The Mountie taking care of things. Ryder imagined the two outlaws chained to the floor. Could almost hear them arguing. When would the Mountie take them to Fort Macleod? It couldn’t be too soon for Ryder’s peace of mind.
Except with the man responsible for the kidnapping—Alonzo—would the children ever be safe?
Emmet and Sam had said they would meet him. That meant the man was close by.
It meant the children still weren’t safe.
Every nerve in his body twitched with worry.
He would not sleep tonight. Nor any night until that man was behind bars.
The Mountie needed to know. Ryder ran across the street, rapped on the door, and then stepped inside.
“I need to talk to you.”
“Can it wait until morning?” the corporal asked. “I’ll be needing a statement from you and Miss Morton before I go to the fort.”
“I’ll gladly give it to you, but you need to hear what I have to say.” He ignored the threats that the two chained prisoners shouted. They were no danger to him now. “Can we talk outside?”
The Mountie nodded and followed him out. Ryder explained about Alonzo. “The man will have no trouble finding men like that pair to grab the children again. Alonzo needs to be stopped.”
“I agree, but unless we find him and someone is willing to testify against him…well, it sounds like he makes sure others do his dirty work.”
“Would you be willing to let one of those two come with me to find him?”
The Mountie shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. But perhaps they’ll tell you where they were to meet. You’re welcome to try.”
Ryder returned inside with the Mountie. He sat cross-legged on the floor, facing the two of them while the Mountie sat at his nearby desk where he could listen to the conversation.
Sam continued his threats, and Emmet added his own. He waited until they ran out of steam.
“What ya want?” Sam asked.
Ryder presented his idea. It had flaws and involved risk, but with the Mountie to help, they just might catch the man responsible.
11
The children were fed and bathed. Delcie tucked them into bed and promised to stay with them until they fell asleep. It took a surprisingly short time.
She returned to the kitchen and sat heavily on a chair. Laura brought cups of tea and joined her at the table.
“I noticed your limp seems worse. Did you hurt your ankle again?”
Delcie shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”
Ignoring her protests, Laura drew a stool close and insisted Delcie put her foot up. “That feels better. Thanks.”
“Do you feel up to telling me what happened?” Laura asked.
“It was so scary. I thought I’d lost the children.” She relayed every detail.
“It sounds like Mr. Remington—Ryder—was exactly what you needed. Maybe he’s a man you can trust.”
She grinned. “Maybe.” Her smile flattened. “He was in a big hurry to leave us though.”
“He knew you needed some privacy.”
“But where is he now?” Not that they needed him. The preacher had confessed he got a headache if he sat up for any length of time and had gone to bed while she was bathing the children. He no longer required help.
Still, she thought Ryder might stop by to make sure the preacher was all right on his own.
And it wouldn’t have hurt for him to check on the children. After all, they’d been traumatized by the events and would likely be fearful for a time.
Delcie didn’t expect him to inquire after her, though she couldn’t help but admit it would have been