saw alarm cross Livy’s features, and she started up in the rocker. “Jake?”
“I’m here.” He gathered her in his arms and held her close.
“I thought—” she broke off.
“Shhh. It’s all right. I’m alive. We both are, thank the Lord.”
Livy went limp, buried her head against his chest, and cried.
“I’ll make a pot of coffee. It’ll warm you both up.” Emma retreated to the kitchen.
Jake took a deep breath and smoothed Livy’s damp hair back, thankful he could hold her, touch her, that she wasn’t at the bottom of the creek, lifeless and forever lost to him.
He caressed her face, and she leaned into his touch. Her gaze softened and warmed.
“Livy, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let you go with me tonight.”
“You didn’t have a choice.”
Jake shook his head. “Yes, I did. I put your life on the line, and you almost got killed. Twice. If you had died, I would never forgive myself.”
“No. I wanted to go.” Her eyes glowed with conviction. “You couldn’t have stopped me.”
He sighed, his eyes focused on hers. “I’ve got to go help fight the fire and see if Gibbons’s men are still around. Promise me you’ll stay here.”
“Jake, I’ll go—”
“No. It’s too dangerous. I need to help, but if you’re there, I’ll be worried about you getting hurt. Please?”
“All right. But only because Emma took my clothes.”
He leaned over and kissed her. Her mouth twitched. He eased back a fraction of an inch, an answering smile tugging at his lips. “What?”
“You’re cold.”
“You are too.” He leaned forward, his lips barely touching hers as he whispered, “That’s why I’m kissing you. I figured it would warm us both up.”
And he was right.
* * *
An orange glow lit the sky.
Victor carefully tied his tie, then jerked the knot out and let the silk hang free around his neck. A distraught businessman wouldn’t be immaculately dressed when he arrived on the scene of his business going up in flames.
He took his time saddling his horse, mounted, and rode a quarter mile before spurring the animal forward. It also wouldn’t look good to arrive at a sedate pace.
The flames shot higher, and he smiled grimly. Torching the building was a small price to pay to keep from being caught up in a scandal. He’d come out of this fresh as a newly laundered shirt; then he’d take the insurance money from the building and start over.
Losing his workers would be a little harder to absorb, but it couldn’t be helped. His deeds done in the dark of night were being pulled out into the daylight, and the citizens of Chestnut wouldn’t turn a blind eye as those in Chicago had.
But no matter. Everything would turn out fine. With the building reduced to ashes and no children to step forward, they had nothing to hang on him.
Not one blessed thing.
His family would be proud.
* * *
Jake gulped down two cups of Emma’s coffee before giving Livy a peck on the cheek. “Stay here. As soon as the fire is out, I’ll take you back to the orphanage.” He glanced at Emma. “That is, if Emma can scrounge up some dry clothes for you.”
Emma nodded. “I’m sure I can find something.”
Livy cupped his cheek. “Be careful.”
“I will.” He winked at her.
Jake let himself out and hurried toward the glove factory. How much of it had been destroyed? He’d gotten Livy to safety, and she’d promised she wouldn’t follow him. He could rest easy on that score. He’d make sure the men had the fire under control, then hoof it back to Emma’s.
And then he’d find Gibbons and get some answers.
The closer he got to the fire, the louder the yelling became. He sprinted forward, his bruised lungs burning from the effort. When he broke through the trees, he breathed a sigh.
The men shouted over the roar of the hungry flames to bring more water. The rear section of the factory was gone. The office where they’d been trapped still stood but was engulfed in flames. The men had formed a bucket brigade to the creek, breaking the ice so they could keep the fire contained. The factory’s seclusion had contributed to its being able to operate as a sweatshop without anybody knowing about it, but its aloofness turned into a blessing while it burned.
Jake cringed at the number of times he’d ridden by and viewed the half-concealed building from a distance, not bothering to check on the factory or the workers. But there hadn’t been any hint of anything illegal