Hannah Grace (47 page)

"You needn't worry that I, or anyone in the town, for that matter, blames you for anything that happened that day. Mercy, you organized a posse and stationed them at key locations. Between you and the South Bend force, I don't know what more you could have done to prepare yourselves for what happened. You're not mind readers. The whole town's just thankful you showed up when you did. I shudder to think what could've happened if you hadn't.

"Maggie and Abbie both say the word about town is that you put an end to the matter very quickly when you jumped on Roy's back and wrangled that gun out of his hand, then pulled him back to his feet like he weighed little more than a turkey feather."

Gabe chuckled and seemed to mull over her words in his mind. Then, he jabbed her gently on her arm with his shoulder, leaning dangerously close. "Well, you might say Helena's a mighty fine motivator."

ow did my grandmother play into the picture?" Hannah asked.

"She told me you'd been shot, and suddenly I had a singular mind: dealing with the McCurdys so I could get to you! 'Course, when I discovered Jesse with a gun in hand trying to defend Billy B against those hoodlums, saw Van knocked out cold, and saw Jesse's poor pooch struggling to stand, a good-sized cut on his head, why, that just got my blood to boiling all the harder."

"Jesse had a gun?" Hannah covered her face with both hands and peered at Gabe through the spaces. Where'd he get a gun? How did he...

"I'm afraid that in her haste to snag a weapon for herself, Helena left the cabinet door unlocked, so Jesse helped himself to the biggest rifle he could find when he sneaked down the stairs against Helena's orders. I guess he figured it was his mission to protect Billy B and the women of the house."

"Oh, gracious, that's sweet but-irrational. Imagine a little boy thinking he could take on those criminals. Things could have turned so ugly, Gabriel. Think of it-I am the only one who suffered any real harm, and I am healing fine. Praise the Lord for His bountiful blessings. I have been thanking the Lord every day, in fact. Jesse, Billy B, Van, and even good of Dusty have suffered no long-lasting effects, and, best of all, those awful men can't hurt anyone else, especially the worst of the bunch, Rufus, whose body is cooling nicely in one of South Bend's cemeteries."

"Might be his body's cooling, but I'd guess his soul's not."

Hannah brushed off his remark, her hazel eyes brightening. "And since I mentioned Jesse-look how far he's come from that traumatized little urchin we first met. Why, you'd never guess he came to us a mute, given the way he talks a steady stream now. I'm so happy to hear he's doing well in school."

A grin tugged at his mouth. "Mr. Middleton says he sometimes talks too much in class,"

Her jaw dropped. "No! That hardly seems possible."

The more they talked, the more the tension lifted. He pressed a hand over hers, giving her long, narrow fingers a gentle squeeze. It pleased him mightily that she didn't pull away. "You've had a lot to do with that boy's recovery, you know, taking care of him during the day like you have. He sure thinks the world of you." And loves you almost as much as I do. The fire sizzled and popped, mesmerizing both of them.

She flicked her free hand. "It was more you that made the difference than I. You came into his life at a most critical time. It scares me to think what might've happened if he hadn't jumped onto the back of your wagon that night."

He rolled his head to look at her. "I wasn't sure what to do with him when I found him. The little rapscallion gave me a run for my money in those first weeks." He put his face close to her delicate ear and took in her lavish, feminine scent. Turning just so, he lifted a hand to finger a coil of her hair. "'Course, so did you, if I remember right."

"Me?" A pink blotch, detected only by the fire's dim glow and the lone lamp, traversed up her cheek. "You weren't the most pleasant character yourself-calling me bristly and bullheaded." Eyes centered on the fire, she stuck out her pert chin. He gave her curl a playful tug, and her mouth twitched.

Were they flirting with each other?

"Did I really do that?" he asked in a gravelly whisper.

"Absolutely. And worse, you failed to identify yourself as the new sheriff when we first met and had me believing you were a neglectful father." A miniature smile now danced on her lips. "That was quite deceptive, if I do say so, leading me on like that."

He recalled that initial meeting in Kane's Whatnot and chortled. `And you were all set to report me to the authorities-only, I was..."

"You were..."

"...the authority!" Their simultaneous statements had them laughing at once.

"Oh, my!" she said, holding herself.

"If only you'd seen the look on your face when you discovered who I was," he said between laughing spurts. "You were madder than a wet cat,"

"That was a nasty trick!"

"Sorry, but you made it hard for me to resist."

She jabbed him lightly in the arm, and their playful banter continued. When it finally settled and their breaths leveled off, Gabe released her hand and put his arm on the sofa back, slowly dropping it to her shoulder. Her quick intake of breath didn't deter him from tugging her up close to his side. "Hannah Grace, you are the berries."

A nervous giggle spilled forth. "I suppose I am, whatever you mean by that."

This produced another spurt of laughter, after which he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I mean the sweet kind, of course, not the tart."

"Oh."

After her cheek, he traversed upward, touching his lips to her temple. "I'm glad Ralston saw fit to end your relationship."

She pushed back and quirked her pretty brow at him, tilting her face. "I-he, oh, never mind; it's not the least bit important. Yes, it's over and done with, thank the Lord."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head, just above the shimmery comb. He'd have liked to pull the contraption loose, along with all the pins holding her bun in place, and watch her fiery curls fall helter-skelter, but common sense overruled-that, and a God-given dose of self-control.

She'd started turning the white button on his shirtfront; indeed, flirting with him. His heart thumped hard against his chest. Lord, I didn't know I could love someone this much. "Of course, you know what that means," he said.

"Hmm?" she murmured, tilting her head up until their gazes met.

"It means you're free to accept another marriage proposal."

"Oh, is that right?" She tried to look flippant, but he knew better. Quickly, her gaze went back to her button-turning task. Much more and the thing would pop right off and poke her in the eye.

"Yes, and, in fact, I have a full confession to make," She stilled, and he took the opportunity to lift her chin with his index finger. Eyes neither green nor blue stared back at him, glistening in the corners like diamonds. Her hands dropped to her lap. "Are you ready for it?"

She gave a simple nod and he ran a gentle knuckle across her quivering lips. Leaning forward, he whispered, "I've fallen madly, unreservedly, irreversibly, head over heels in love,"

"Really? With anybody I know?"

The little imp. Two could play this game. "You might. I'll give you some hints," Now his lips brushed her forehead. "She's prettier than a lily, lovelier than a sunset, sweeter than a gumdrop, and as precious as gold."

She shook her head. "Doesn't help-unless you're referring to one of my sisters,"

He repositioned himself so they faced one another, then folded her hands in his and looked directly at her. "I'm referring to the prettiest of the three, which, simply put, would be you. Not that I'd want you telling them I said so, mind you."

He watched a little red spot on her cheek blossom like a rosebud. "Hannah, I love you. What do you say to that? I want to be with you, sweetheart. I want us to be a familyyou, Jesse, and me," He lifted one of her curls and twirled it around his finger. It had become one of his favorite things to do, lately.

"I want to sit with you and Jesse in that Kane family pew. I want us to worship Christ together as a family, keeping God as the focal point of our lives and the decisions we make. I want to spend Sunday afternoons with you-when I'm not on duty, that is-and take long walks with you, and find out everything there is to know about you, learn your thoughts and feelings about things, have endless conversations with you-like that day the three of us climbed the dunes and shared a picnic lunch.

"But I don't want Jesse with us every minute," he hastened to add. "I'm just selfish enough to want you to myself, now and then,"

She smiled, so he took that moment to catch a breath and gauge his next move.

"You might say you love me back," he urged. "Better yet, tell me you'd consider marrying me and being a mother to Jesse. Will you?"

He loves me, he loves me, he loves me! Hannah's heart sang the words while a blanket of awe smothered her ability to speak. Gracious, he'd even called her the prettiest of the Kane sisters. What a blessed little secret to hold close to her heart! And hadn't Papa said she most resembled Mama in mannerisms and generosity? Why, he'd even said he thought of Mama whenever she, Hannah, entered a room. What higher compliment could anyone pay her? Suddenly, it mattered little that she was tallest, skinniest, and pastiest of them all; that she had thick, spirally hair the color of a red, setting sun; or even that her blushing cheeks often revealed emotions she'd rather keep hidden. The sheriff loved her-considered her beautiful. On top of that, God loved her even more and had a beautiful plan in store for her!

She put a flat palm to the side of Gabe's cheek and he turned into it. The beginnings of beard growth prickled like the finest grade of sandpaper, and a curious swooping tugged at her heart.

"So I wasn't dreaming that day in Ralston's office?"

A hint of confusion shone in his eyes. "Dreaming?"

"I heard you all talking that day. Jesse was there, and you and Papa..." She gave her head a quick shake and a large tuft of hair fell over her cheek.

Gabe smiled, lifted a hand, and gently tucked the thick strand behind her ear. "I don't know what you remember about that day, sweetheart, but what's important is that you know God preserved your life for a reason. I believe that reason involves Jesse and me. He knew how much we would need you. Do you know I stopped by nearly every day to see how you were doing? Every day was the same, though-you were holed up in your room, healing from your wound, and I was growing as impatient as a baby bird to see you."

She giggled lightly. "Grandmother told me you kept stopping by, but I thought you were just doing your job."

He leaned close and smiled wider. "I'm not the parson, Hannah; I'm the sheriff, and I happen to love you." He started rubbing the upper part of her hand with his thumb, his eyes piercing to her soul. "So, what do you say? Will you be my wife?"

It's simple, Papa had said. Trust and obey.

Ralston saw her faith as mere religiosity, not something personal and tangible. No wonder she hadn't determined God's will for her life earlier. Simply put, her unequally yoked relationship with Ralston had kept her from knowing it completely! Papa's words came back afresh. If you desire it deeply, daughter, and have a yielded heart, the Lord will reveal His will to you in His good time.