Twice Blessed by Jo Ann Ferguson Page B

up the porch roof. He had been damned lucky to find this place. It was close enough to a village to make it easy to get what they needed, and it was far enough away to give him privacy. Off the main road that followed the creek, the farm looked no different from dozens of others amid the lazily rolling hills.
    This place was perfect. Especially now that inside the house was a lovely lass who … Dammit! He had spent all day today trying to concentrate on work. Instead of figuring out which tree would give him the right boards, he had let Emma Delancy’s face trespass into his mind, so easily he could recreate it and spend hours admiring each quirk of her lips and the bright fire in her eyes.
    Now she was inside, and even Gladys, who preached propriety to him, seemed to think he would be a fool not to take advantage of the situation.
    He smiled wryly. He was no lad suffering puppy love for the girl next door. He had Belinda and this farm to think about. Maybe some other time. Maybe when things settled down and he could feel really comfortable here, he might enjoy asking Emma again about taking that tour of the farm alone. His laugh was sad. By that time, she probably would be wooed and wed and have a child of her own. Her husband would not appreciate her answering the door in the middle of the night to a strange man, a child, and a wounded pup.
    His smile became a frown as he stared up at the clouds again. It was odd, now that he had a chance to think about it. Emma had not asked him how the dog had gotten home or who had spoken to him about her. That lack of curiosity disturbed him for some reason he could not name.
    Maybe because he was trying to learn to act the same way, not asking unnecessary questions that might start a dangerous conversation. Could it be she had something to hide, too?
    As he reached for the door, he murmured, “Everyone has something to hide.”
    He held out his hands to Belinda, who ran along the narrow hall toward him. Some people had things that were important enough to give up everything for. He swung her up in his arms, hugging her, but his gaze was caught by Emma’s as she came out of the parlor, smiling.
    He looked hastily away, burying his face in Belinda’s soft hair. Yes, some people had things that were important enough to give up everything for. That had always seemed so easy to remember, but now he could not keep from meeting Emma’s eyes, which glowed almost as brightly as Belinda’s. As every muscle responded to that sweet fire, he tried to remind himself of the reason he was here, the reason he had given up everything to protect the child in his arms, the reason he should not think of holding Emma instead.
    It had always been so easy to remember … until now.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Emma thanked Gladys for passing her the plate with the roast chicken on it. Taking a piece, she handed the plate to Belinda. When the little girl had trouble balancing it, Emma held one side while Belinda selected what she wanted.
    â€œThank you,” Noah said as he took the plate.
    Emma mumbled something. Looking around the table in the elegant dining room, she tried to hide her amazement. The room had recently had new wallpaper hung. The cabbage roses were the same color as the fancy china on the stylishly modern oak table. She had seen these dishes and the table in a catalog she had received at the store. Not Mr. Montgomery Ward’s catalog, which most of her customers used for the things she could not otherwise get for them. This furniture and even the rug on the wide-board floor had all been in that fancy catalog from some company in Chicago. She remembered the picture clearly, because she had admired the claw-footed table and wished she could have something like it for her house.
    The furnishings in the parlor were just as new and expensive, and the runner going up the stairs did not appear to have been walked upon for more than a few weeks. She guessed she could find