A knock sounded at the door. Ella’s glance darted in that direction before finding Cody’s. Pure panic filled her face.
Cody stood, balancing Addie in one arm and placing his other hand on Ella’s back. “It’s all right. If it’s him, I’ll send him packing.”
Her expression eased. Cody leaned down, handing the baby to his wife. “I’ll be right back.” He looked at the kids. “The three of you stay with Aunt Ella.”
“Mama,” Jonah insisted, snuggling against her side and clinging to her arm.
At least that should put a smile on her face. Cody walked for the door. He put a hand on the sidearm he wore before opening it. Relief made his body sag. “Travis. Good to see you.”
His friend eyed the gun strapped to his hip. “There a reason you’re wearing that in the house?”
“I’ll give you one guess.”
Travis nodded his approval. “You’re taking care of that wife of yours. Good. She’s fortunate to have you at her side.”
Cody’s blood heated anew at the memory of how roughly Ella’s father had handled her. “I can’t believe such an awful man produced a daughter as sweet and kind as Ella.”
“That’s part of the reason she’s so skittish.”
“Makes sense.” Cody stepped to the side, waving Travis in. “Where’s the man staying?”
“He left town this morning.”
Cody’s head snapped up. “He what?”
“That’s why I came. I wanted to let you know.”
“Ella’ll want to hear that.”
He led the way to the parlor. Ella looked up. The same relief Cody felt reflected on her face. “Hello, Travis.”
“Good to see you, Ella. I came by to let you know your father left town on the morning train.”
“Really?” She frowned, hugging Addie closer. “That’s odd. He never gives up that easily. I expected him to remain in town and try convincing me to leave…or threatening me somehow.”
Travis scratched his beard. “It does seem out of character. Maybe he saw the futility of it, seeing as how you’re hitched to this guy.” He jerked a thumb at Cody.
“Hey! ‘This guy’ has a name, thanks.” Cody nudged his friend.
Travis nudged him right back. Cody appreciated the levity Travis brought to the moment. Ella, however, looked worried. She chewed on her lower lip, a sign Cody had come to realize showed her concern. Her mouth opened, then she looked down at the children.
Cody read her thoughts as if they were displayed on paper. She didn’t want to frighten the kids. He stepped toward them. “Isaiah, Jonah, why don’t you play with blocks once you finish eating? Aunt Ella and I are going to talk to Sheriff Travis for a bit.”
“Okay.” Isaiah reached for his plate.
Cody helped Ella to her feet, noting the way she held Addie carefully against her. Jonah joined Isaiah, leaving the adults free to talk. They moved into the hall, away from the little ears.
Travis leaned against the wall, his eyes on Ella. “Are you worried your father might try again?”
“Maybe. I just can’t figure out why he left. And there’s something else, something Cody and I talked about last night.”
Cody slipped his arm around her shoulder. She gave him a little smile, then focused on Travis again. “My father refused to let me break my engagement to Howard. He was unreasonable about the whole thing, which makes no sense. There are any number of men I could have married if it was simply about the money. Why insist on it being Howard?”
Travis tapped a finger against his leg. “Pride, maybe? Your engagement was well-known, and the connection was highly enviable. To break it off would have raised more questions than your father wanted.”
“Perhaps.” Ella rested her head against Addie’s. A silent sigh lifted and lowered her shoulders. She wasn’t convinced.
He let his hand move from her shoulder to her lower back. “You don’t think that’s it?”
