Angel in My Arms

Angel in My Arms by Colleen Faulkner Page A

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Authors: Colleen Faulkner
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over my plan with you."
     
    Six days after she left Carrington, Celeste returned on the 9:30
a.m. train. It had been a tiring trip with the train passing through
little towns, sometimes stopping to pick up passengers, other times
sitting for hours while coal or supplies were loaded into cars. Still,
Celeste returned calm. Everything was all right in Denver. She'd taken
care of the problem, which turned out to be minor.
    As Celeste walked up Plum Street, she wondered what she would find
when she reached home. Would Fox still be there? All week she had tried
to think of nothing but the problem at hand. She'd tried not to
remember the way his hair fell boyishly over his forehead, or the way
he laughed in his rich baritone voice. Mostly she tried hard not to
think about the one kiss they had shared.
    But once she had solved the issue in Denver, all she'd been able to
think about was Fox and returning to Carrington to see him. Logic told
her it would be better if he'd returned to San Francisco never to be
heard from again, but she hoped he'd still be here. Even knowing
nothing could exist between them, she liked having him around.
    Celeste came into sight of John's house and spotted Fox sitting on
the porch, swinging, the dog beside him. She felt a heat flush her
cheeks at the sight of him. Fox was dressed in his father's denims and
a leather miner's cap. The sturdiness of his attire v/as complimentary
to his own rugged good looks, the clothes as becoming as the
pinstriped suit had been.
    "I see you didn't harm each other while I was gone," she called, hoping he couldn't tell how glad she was to see him.
    Fox looked up, his face breaking into the most engaging smile she'd
ever seen on a man. His dark eyes crinkled with laughter and her heart
gave a little patter beneath her breast. She didn't understand what was
happening between them, but he seemed to be as happy to see her as she
was to see him.
    Silver bounded off the swing and ran down the walk toward her, barking and leaping. Fox rose to take her bag.
    "We were beginning to worry about you."
    "We?" She untied the wide azure ribbon of her bonnet as she climbed up the porch steps.
    Fox looked sheepish. "Silver and I."
    "Don't tell me you changed masters again?" She halted on the porch
to pet the dog that bounced up and down around her and nipped at the
hem of her azure taffeta gown.
    Silver dropped to his haunches and huffed and chuffed with pleasure as she scratched his back with her blunt fingernails.
    "You were gone so long." He swung the carpetbag in his hand, trying
to seem causal. "I was… afraid something might be wrong. You didn't say
why you'd gone."
    She gazed up at Fox, not certain if she was flattered by his concern
or disturbed by it. Something had changed between them in her absence.
It was almost as if they had both forgotten who the other was, and they
were on the porch swing for the first time again. Of course Celeste
knew they couldn't go back, not ever. "I didn't tell you where I was
going because I didn't want you to know."
    He sighed and pushed back his hair. "I know. I'm sorry. I didn't
mean to pry. I'm just… we're…"—he indicated the dog—"glad to see that
you're all right. With a killer on the loose, you never know," he
finished lamely.
    He walked around her and backed toward the door with her leather
satchel still in his hand. "Hungry? I made flapjacks. They're not as
good as yours, but decent. Or tea." He glanced up, as eager to please
as the dog was, "I could make you tea."
    She stood and pulled off her bonnet. "I'm not hungry. Just tired."
    Fox gestured. "You want to sit on the swing. Rest? It's a beautiful day. Has been all week."
    Celeste took a seat on one side of the swing, flattered by his attention, charmed by his awkwardness.
    She gave the swing a push with one toe of her black button shoe. "So what did you two do to keep busy all week?"
    He set the satchel by the door and joined her on the swing. The dog immediately jumped up and sat

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