And then her whole face caught fire. Lord, have mercy. “Noah Lewis, if you keep talkin’ like that for much longer, I may melt plumb into my boots.” She waved toward the desk. “So we'd both better get our minds off of kissing for now or we'll be in a heap of trouble, and I don't aim to fall into the same trouble God's got me out of already.”
“Kizzie, I'd never put you in that position.” He tugged her back against him, searching her face. “You know that, don't you? I care too much about both of us for that. I want us to do things God's way.”
Her face cooled, her breath growing shallow.
Which meant marriage? To her?
Could it be true?
She smiled up at him, not trusting her voice for more, and then he pressed a kiss to her cheek and gestured toward the desk. “Should we attempt to open it again and have another look?”
She shook her head and raised the ledger in her hands. “We have this. I think it will be enough to get us started.”
Noah kept hold of her hand as they slipped down the hall and the stairway, careful to listen for Sykes or Jones, before making it out the front door of the mill and back to his house.
Once Kizzie, Noah, and Victoria gathered around the ledger on Noah's desk and paired their findings with the documentation of the customers in town, George's actions surfaced in full detail. Though he'd charged the shopkeepers the outrageous prices per their records, in his ledgers he'd marked a lesser cost and then pocketed the difference.
And according to the ledger, what he took from the mill along with the overpriced items equaled over a thousand dollars.
At least.
“Oh, George.” Victoria sank into the nearest chair. “He's ruined us all.”
“Not if, once the truth is out, we pay back those he's wronged, Mother.” Noah paced. “If we are forthright about the information and present it to the police or reporters ourselves, laying out our plan to make amends, then perhaps we can salvage our reputation.”
“And reporters are so prone to virtue.” His mother rolled her eyes in a very unladylike way.
“Casper Jackson is.” Noah turned to her. “And he's one of the most respected newsmen in The Hollows or the area in general.”
“And how will you pay them back?” Kizzie looked up from Charlie, who sat on her lap. “I thought funds were tight.”
Noah and his mother shared a glance, and then he sighed. “I need to investigate some of the other banks to see if George attempted to take out any more loans and—”
“And if we must, we'll sell the house.”
What?Kizzie glanced at Noah before turning to Victoria, but the woman continued. “I've loved this house, but it's too large for me and Noah anyway, and with the profits of the sale, we could pay back the difference to those George has wronged and purchase a house more feasible for two people and a few servants.”
“Maybe it won't come to that.” Kizzie turned to Noah, as if to reassure him too.
“I'd rather sell George's house.” Noah chuckled and then paused before approaching the desk again. “Do we know which bank he used for building the new house?”
Mother shook her head. “I thought it was our regular bank, but evidently he'd already exceeded his credit there before getting very far on the house.”
“So he must have used those loans for the new carriages and horses.” Noah resumed his pacing, sliding his fingers up and down his suspenders as he walked. A trait which always piqued Kizzie's grin. “And the stables. As you recall, he built the stables and carriage house before starting on the house so that he could have a place to stay and oversee the building.”
“And the carriage house is not small, so I'm certain it cost more than he had in ready money.”
“Here's what I think we should do.” Noah approached the desk, his hands bracing each suspender at the waist. “I will investigate any other bank information with Mother as my assistant, because if George had to seek a loan from another bank, it makes me wonder if he used Mother and me as leverage in the process. I'll also talk to Casper. He's discreet and will give solid guidance on the matter. Before we make anything publicly known, we need to have all the information we can.”
Kizzie nodded, pulling Charlie close as she thought. Could George incur legal charges against him for this? The situation was certainly wrong, but illegal?
Another flutter moved through her abdomen, more pronounced with Charlie against her.
And this time, it had nothing to do with Noah's kisses.
No.
Kizzie drew in a shuddering breath and stood. “It sounds like that's a good plan, and I'll wait for your word on how I can help.” She stepped toward the door. “It's getting late, so I'd better get on back to town.”
