Love at Any Cost by Julie Lessman Page B

toward the sea and the seedy section of town, heart aching for the poor and misguided souls who called the Barbary Coast home. Before Liam died he was a key member on the Vigilance Committee to help eradicate blocks of opium dives, slave dens, brothels, parlourhouses, dance halls, barrooms, and concert saloons that tainted the city, an effort attempted twice before in the 1800s by the Vigilantes. Some called it Sodom andGomorrah, and although Caitlyn seldom stepped foot in the Coast, she knew it to be true from the stories Liam had told her. A lawyer like his brother Logan, Liam had been a driving force in the ongoing efforts to dismantle the Nymphia, a three-story brothel that fostered nudity, peep shows, and prostitution. Liam had been instrumental in the first police raid a year after it opened, spearheading legal battles to close the 150-cubicle bordello that had become a festering sore in an already downtrodden city.
    Caitlyn swiped at her cheek, now slick with tears over the plight of so many. Tragic men, hopeless women, and innocent children who would not remain that way for long on the streets of the Coast. Children like Jamie MacKenna, one of the few who’d scratched and struggled to rise above the degradation with a dream for something better. Her heart warmed at the thought of her son’s best friend, who had no idea that Blake’s parents knew from whence he hailed. But the moment Logan had met him at the Olympic Club and introduced him to Liam, Jamie MacKenna had become a beacon of hope to both Liam and her, a shining example of what prayer and action could do to set people free from the death hold of the Barbary Coast.
    â€œOh, Liam, Jamie would make you so proud,” Caitlyn whispered, the sea breeze cooling the tears on her face. “And God willing, I will too.” Her thoughts returned to the decision she’d made after months of prayer, the words of her good friend, Walter Henry, echoing in her brain.
    â€œCaitlyn, we need you on the committee, pure and simple,” he’d insisted, one silver brow arched high. “We need your dignity, your grace, your passion for Liam’s work. Please—don’t let Liam’s dream die. Pick up the baton, Cait, and run! With your husband’s memory, his influence, and your faith, we can win and offer hope to thousands of poor souls who have no hope at all.”
    â€œOh, Walter, I know nothing of politics and legalities—what can I possibly offer?”
    He bent to kiss her hand, his fervor stirring the fervor in her soul. “Cait, we have all the knowledge and expertise we need ad nauseam. The one thing we lack is heart, and I know of none purer than yours, my dear. Mark my words—with you on this board, nothing can stop us.”
    Caitlyn stared into the summer night, her heart fluttering in her chest like the wind through her hair. No . . . nothing except Logan McClare.
    Her eyes drifted closed at the thought of the one man who scared her more than any other. Liam’s lawyer brother had battled the committee on every front, thwarting their efforts to clean up the Coast, and Cait had no desire to contend with him as well. Till now, Logan had always been courteous and respectful since her marriage to Liam, keeping his distance, and for that she was grateful. He’d been a godsend during Liam’s funeral, despite being as catatonic as she, revealing a mourning for his brother she hadn’t expected. Although he was known as a deadly opponent in the courtroom and on the political scene, Logan’s one weak spot was clearly his family, and even when Liam was alive, her brother-in-law was a frequent visitor to their home, forging close relationships with each of her children.
    Caitlyn relinquished a weighty sigh. And, apparently, hoping for that with their mother as well. Oh, he laid low for a while following Liam’s death, certainly, providing friendship and counsel, but lately, something had