Mr. Coulter eyed her once more, then his gaze dipped down to Ruby. “Someone gave you their child? Forever?”
His tone made a smile tug at her cheeks, though the situation held no humor. “I…well, yes. I think so.”
His focus returned to her face, his brows lifting. “Youthinkso?”
Heat flared through her, and she fought to keep from stammering. “Yes. I mean…yes.” Now she couldn’t keep her flush down. She huffed out a breath. “She was left on my doorstep. I came outside one afternoon and there lay this basket, with Ruby inside, and a box of blankets and diapers. Even this bottle and the goat.”
She sent Mr. Coulter a glare. “So yes, I’m assuming they meant for me to raise her as my own. No one’s been back for her, so she and I are carrying on like this will be forever.”
She glanced down at the cherubic face that had immediately latched hold of her heart. After two weeks and everything they’d been through together, she couldn’t imagine having to turn the babe back over to someone else. And if thesomeonewas who she thought it was, she didn’t anticipate being asked to give Ruby back.
Mr. Coulter still stared at her, and now his jaw had dropped open a little, just enough to reveal the shadows of his lower teeth.
She fought a giggle. This big strapping man had been thoroughly stunned speechless. Well, that made two of them.
At last, he found his voice. "Some stranger just abandoned their child with you? And you never found out who?"
She shrugged, looking down at Ruby's peaceful face. "I have my suspicions. But I never saw him again."
"Did you not try to find them? Make them take responsibility?" His voice rose with indignation.
"I understood why they did it." Grace kept her tone soft, though her heart clenched. "They needed help. And I'm glad to give it. Ruby will have the best care I can provide." And all the love she could ever want.
He shook his head, turning back to the road. "Ain't right, leaving a babe like that. Anything could've happened to her."
Grace lifted her chin. "But it didn't. And she has me now."
Mr. Coulter turned quiet again, but not very long this time. “So that’s why you’re looking for your father.”
Something in his tone made her bristle. “I need to move closer to town where I can have…access to things. I only wanted to let him know I’d be leaving.” That wasn’t quite true. She needed money, something she and Mama had never had to worry over. But they’d also never needed to leave the little house in the valley.
He snorted, a sound that unsettled something in her middle.
She waited for him to explain, but he remained silent. Should she ask what that meant? Maybe she didn’t want to know.
And really, did she need his opinion? He knew nothing of her and her life, nor did he need to.
She settled back on the bench and tipped the bottle higher so Ruby could get the last of the milk. All she had to do now was care for her sweet daughter and count the hours until she reached the next step in their new life.
CHAPTER3
Sampson guided the wagon off the main road as dusk fell around them. Finally. His weary bones craved a stop for the night. The path through the trees was short, and he reined the team to a stop beside the old trapper's shack.
Once he'd set the brake and climbed down, he moved around to assist Miss Hampton. She gathered the baby close before placing her hand in his, allowing him to help her navigate the steep step. Once she stood steady on the ground, he reached for the woven basket that served as the babe's bed. "I'll bring this in, then fetch the rest of what we need for the night."
Miss Hampton’s eyes darted over the dilapidated cabin. She looked uncertain, but they had little choice. They needed shelter for the night.
He pushed open the door and glanced in to make sure the place was vacant. The interior was dim, but enough light came in through the doorway and the cracks in the walls he could see the space. A stone fireplace stood on the far wall with a stack of wood beside it. Otherwise, the single room stood empty.
He stepped aside for Miss Hampton to enter, then followed her in and placed the basket on the floor where they’d lay out the bedrolls. “I’ll be back to start the fire soon.” That would give them light. The woman didn’t seem bothered by the dim interior, just crouched in front of the babe as he left.
It didn’t take long to gather blankets, his food bag, and the satchel she’d asked him to bring inside. When he stepped back into the cabin, Miss Hampton had laid the babe on a blanket spread on the floor. She was doing something with the child’s clothes, cooing and murmuring as she worked.
He set about starting a fire in the hearth to chase away the bitter chill seeping through the log walls. He had half a ham and a few biscuits from the cafe in Missoula Mills, which they could eat cold. It’d be nice to have a warm meal though, something to heat their insides. Good thing he’d brought along a frying pan.
Within a few minutes, the flames crackled nicely. He sat back on his heels to watch the blaze. Something about a fire in the hearth always made a room cozier, even a shack like this one.
“I can cook a meal for us.” Miss Hampton’s voice sounded behind him.
