Orphan Train Sweetheart. Mollie Campbell
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on the buggy seat, she nodded. “Yes, I do. I’ve never been to his farm, but one of my students lives nearby.”
Simon went to the other side of the vehicle and climbed in. As they started out of town, he focused his eyes on the rutted path in front of them. “Did I mention I taught school back home for a time?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. How long did you teach?”
“Two years. I enjoyed aspects of it, but I got restless too much of the time. I do much better when I can get out in the open now and then.”
Cecilia’s expression turned shuttered and her voice got quiet. “I can understand that. I’m not sure teaching is what I would have imagined doing when I was a girl. I love children, but being in the classroom all day, going over the same material every term, I feel...well, restless is a good word for it.”
Simon let his eyes rest on his lovely companion for a long moment. It was strange to think that a dislike for their teaching careers was what might connect them, but at that moment he felt a bond forming with her. Pulling his gaze away, Simon reminded himself that a feeling of connection was one thing. But letting his heart get involved in any way beyond that was not acceptable.
Clearing his throat, he pointed across the prairie. “Have you been any further west than Spring Hill? I’ve been watching with interest to see where the railroads expand. It would be exciting for the orphan trains to reach all the way to California one day.”
Simon almost missed the way her face tightened. Had he somehow offended her again? Her reply was curt. “No, I haven’t been anywhere since my family came here when I was very young.”
Before he could stop it, the question that popped into his mind slipped out of his lips. “Would you like to travel, if you had the chance?”
His heart chilled when she turned away. That question had been a mistake. He had no right to pry into her hopes and dreams. If she hadn’t wanted him to walk her home, she certainly wouldn’t want him nosing around in her personal business. She spoke right before the moment turned awkward.
“I suppose not. I wouldn’t have much reason to go far from home. Not to mention, as a single woman, traveling alone wouldn’t be advisable.”
Hoping to ease the tension that had risen with his thoughtless question, he tried to answer in a light tone. “Well, I can tell you, after all the time I’ve spent traveling on trains and stagecoaches with the children, the sights are hardly worth the difficulty of getting there.”
Her lips pulled tight, drawing his attention to the pretty pink shade of them. What was the matter with him these days? He never had so much trouble keeping focused on his tasks. Maybe he had been away from home and familiar surroundings for too long. It would feel good to finish up in Spring Hill and head back to the east in a few weeks.
Silence settled over them as the horsed pulled the buggy up a small hill. At the top, Cecilia pointed to the left. “That’s Mr. Hartley’s farm. Looks like his house isn’t too far from the road.”
“House” was putting it nicely. Even from a distance, Simon could see that the dwelling was more of a haphazard shack than a house. His heart echoed with a prayer for Patrick, an innocent child who had been dragged into what seemed like a mess. If anything bad happened to the boy, it would be Simon’s fault for letting him go with Mr. Hartley. And he knew from experience how that guilt would feel.
Before that fear got the better of him, Simon turned the buggy toward the shack and in a few minutes they pulled to a stop in the dirt nearby. There was no movement in the yard or around the dwelling. The place almost looked deserted and uneasiness settled like a rock in Simon’s chest, making it hard to breathe. Something was wrong.
But by the time Cecilia’s feet hit the dirt as he helped her down from the buggy, the door had creaked open on uneven hinges and Mr. Hartley stood in the entrance, scowling at them. “What do you want?”
His barking voice didn’t do anything to calm Simon’s fears. “I’m Simon McKay, the orphan train placing agent. I’m making visits to the children’s new homes on the authority of the Children’s Aid Society of New York City. I only need to speak to you and Patrick for a few minutes.”
The annoyed scowl turned into a full-blown angry glare. “Now, I don’t care who gave you authority, you’ve got no reason to go poking around in my business. I think it’s about time you got off my property.”
Before Simon could formulate a response that wouldn’t make things worse, he heard a young voice shout from behind the shack. “Mr. McKay!” Patrick ran around the building at full-tilt, throwing himself into Simon’s arms and nearly knocking them both off balance.
“Patrick, I’m glad to see you. But you don’t have to hold on quite so tight.” He loosened the boy’s skinny arms from his waist, but rested one hand on his shoulder, feeling a need to keep the orphan close by his side while he was there. “How are you and Mr. Hartley getting along?”
Simon thought it was possible that his heart would explode with emotion when he saw tears welling in the boy’s eyes. “Fine, sir.” The words were mumbled and Simon wasn’t sure if he could believe the statement or not. He had to talk to Patrick away from Hartley’s earshot.
“Mr. Hartley, we can get off your property faster if you’ll show Miss Holbrook around your farm a bit while Patrick shows me the house. That’s all we need to do today.” Simon tried to sound as harmless as possible while praying desperately that the man would agree and not run them off his land.
Cecilia didn’t mind that Simon volunteered her to tour the property with Mr. Hartley. After all, she had agreed to help in whatever way she was needed and she got the impression that Simon wanted a few minutes alone with Patrick. But she wasn’t at all happy that she had to handle the old farmer all by herself. The way that man looked at her made her skin crawl.
As soon as Mr. Hartley had offered a curt nod of agreement, Simon whisked Patrick into the ramshackle dwelling before she could blink. The old farmer cleared his throat before acknowledging her for the first time, his eyes raking her up and down. “Well, there’s not so much to see, but come this way.”
She followed him, stepping around muddy puddles that remained from the rain showers several days ago. She was watching her steps with such care that she didn’t see Mr. Hartley stop and ran straight into his back. A smirk twisted his face. “You better watch where you’re goin’. Hate to see you fall and ruin that nice dress.”
The way his gaze lingered on her dress turned her stomach. Wrapping one arm around herself, she tried to take a discreet step back while forcing a tight smile. “Yes, thank you, Mr. Hartley.”
The farmer motioned for her to go into the shed first. Cecilia’s mind screamed that it was a bad idea. She didn’t need to see inside the outbuildings. But she wasn’t sure how else to occupy the man until Simon had a chance to talk with Patrick. There wasn’t that much to see on the run-down property.
Stepping into the damp, dark interior of the shed, Cecilia stifled a shiver, almost tripping on the uneven dirt floor. She paused to let her eyes adjust to the dimness when she felt Mr. Hartley standing far too close behind her. Close enough that his dirty shirt brushed her back and the unwashed smell of him wafted around her. She wanted to retch.
Before she could step away, he grabbed her arm and pulled her around to face him. Again, he was too close, making her want to cough when his breath hit her face. “Seems we’ve got ourselves a minute alone, my dear. Why don’t we have a little chat?”
Trying not to panic, Cecilia tugged her arm but couldn’t pull away from him. “Actually, I’d like to get some fresh air. Please let me go.”
He raised his free hand to run dirt-stained fingers down her cheek, making her flinch. A rumbling chuckle erupted from his throat.