In a Stranger's Arms by Deborah Hale

treat.”
    As Manning’s gaze lingered on the boy, a smile flickered across Tem’s face and he seemed to hold his slender frame a little straighter.
    “I figgered Mama wouldn’t ’llow me to go fishing after I sassed that old lady.” Varina sounded a little suspicious of her good fortune. “But I didn’t care. She had it coming.”
    Manning ran a hand through his hair, puzzling why Caddie would reward the child for impertinence. Though she lavished plenty of affection on Tem and Varina, their mother was a stickler for good behavior—manners especially.”
    “You know, a proper young lady respects her elders, Varina.” To his surprise, Manning heard himself parroting Caddie. “I hope you apologized.”
    Varina shook her head so hard her rusty braids swung wildly. “Nope. Won’t neither till she ’pologizes for running you down.”
    The back of Manning’s throat tightened and his eyes felt like they’d been bitten by a swarm of blackflies. What had he ever done to merit such a stalwart little champion?
    He gave the child’s dimpled hand a squeeze. “You needn’t have got yourself in trouble sticking up for an old Yankee.” Hoarse with emotion, his voice sounded gruff.
    Cheerfully indifferent to his tone. Varina skipped along at Manning’s side as they neared the house. “Mama stuck up for you, too. She told Mrs. Pratt you’re kind, and dustworthy.”
    A high, wet squeal drew Manning’s gaze to the hand pump, where Caddie was filling a bucket with water. Their eyes met, then instantly averted. In that briefest exchange of glances, he could tell she’d overheard her daughter.
    Manning knew he shouldn’t ask—shouldn’t care about the answer. But he couldn’t help himself on either count. “You said that?”
    Letting go of Varina’s hand, he hefted the water bucket. The rope handle bit into his palm. He risked another quick glance at Caddie.
    If he’d caught her committing a crime, he doubted she could have looked more thoroughly unsettled. Her hands fluttered like a pair of small, pale birds. One rose to her face, pushing back a strand of rich, mahogany hair.
    Her lips parted, then clamped together again, as if waging a struggle over what words they would permit to escape. After a couple of false starts, her answer forced its way out.
    “Of course I did. How can we expect folks to do business with our mill if I’m not willing to tell them the proprietor is honest and trustworthy?”
    Trustworthy? Though he knew he should feel flattered, the word rang in Manning’s ears like an indictment. Would Caddie consider him trustworthy if she knew the secrets he’d been keeping or his true motive for coming to Sabbath Hollow?
    “My dear brother-in-law is behind all this.” Caddie’s brisk words splashed over Manning like icy well water from the bucket he carried.
    “How do you mean?” He welcomed the diversion.
    Caddie turned to the children. “You two run along and play until suppertime.”
    “Can we go dig up some worms for fishing tomorrow?” Varina looked from Caddie to Manning as if weighing which of them would most likely give consent, and who would have the final say.
    Manning held his peace.
    After a moment’s consideration, Caddie nodded. “Try not to get too dirty.”
    When Varina ran off without answering, Templeton called back, “I’ll do all the digging, Mama. Rina’ll just hold the can I put the worms into.”
    Shaking her head as if to say she’d believe that when she saw it, Caddie held open the kitchen door for Manning to tote in the bucket of water.
    “I didn’t want to say what I think of Lon in front of the children,” she muttered. “The scoundrel is their kin, even if he hasn’t acted much like it lately.”
    “Has he done something to hurt Tem or Varina?” Manning dropped his bucket, not caring that a good deal of the water sloshed out onto the kitchen floor.
    Rage thundered through him like a cavalry charge. This overwhelming urge to protect the Marsh children