Delia smiled. “Of course I will. Would you like one braid or two?”
“One,” Anna replied as she followed Delia to the settee.
Max watched the two of them, marveling at how easily Anna spoke with Delia. They talked about Anna’s upcoming return to school, how difficult it was to brush thick hair, and how Anna thought her new pink dress was her favorite. He wished he could converse as effortlessly with Anna, but every time he tried, she answered him quickly and never spoke to him without prompting. It was more than he had gotten before Delia arrived, though, so he was at least grateful for that. And he’d never forget the way she’d hugged him when he’d found them outside the schoolhouse.
Be patient with her, Delia had told him more than once when he lamented that he didn’t think Anna would ever like him.
Delia was right, and he tried to focus on the obstacles they’d overcome since he and Anna had arrived in Crest Stone.
When Delia finished with Anna’s hair, he took the opportunity to compliment her. “You look beautiful,” he said.
Anna twisted the end of the braid as she looked at him. “Thank you.” She hesitated a moment, and he waited, hoping she’d say more. “You’ve got the handkerchief.” She pointedat his chest, and he realized that he did, indeed, have a new handkerchief tucked into his pocket. One that Delia had informed him Anna selected at the general store.
“I do. I like it very much.”
She eyed him a moment, as if she didn’t believe him. But then the ghost of a smile crossed her face before she turned and made her way toward her bed in the corner.
Delia grinned at him, and he couldn’t keep the joy from his face. Maybe Anna was finally warming up to him.
“It’s a little crooked,” Delia said as she approached him. She reached out and adjusted the handkerchief. Never mind that it was getting late, and he wasn’t going anywhere except upstairs to sleep. “That’s better.” She tapped his pocket, and he took her hand as she lowered it. She still had ink stains on her fingers, and that reminded him of something he’d forgotten.
“I have something for you.” He dropped her hand and went to retrieve the valise Liam had gifted him with for his new position.
“Oh?” Delia watched with a curious look as he extracted two newspapers.
He held them out to her, and her face lit up.
“Are these from Cañon City?” she asked as she took them. But as she examined them, her smile flickered.
“New York,” he said. “Liam had them and passed them on to me when I mentioned you enjoy writing. I thought you might like to read news from home, even if they are a month old.”
“Yes. Of course I’ll enjoy them.” She smiled again and held the papers to her chest.
Max had the feeling she was disappointed but didn’t want him to know. Perhaps she especially wanted to see a local newspaper. He decided he’d do the best he could to get a copy of the Cañon City newspaper for her.
“Thank you.” She stepped forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek, which cleared up any doubts he had.
He’d find Delia a hundred newspapers to read if it made her happy.
Chapter Thirteen
IN THE QUIET OF THEhouse the next day, while Max was working and Anna was outside with her friends, Delia opened one of the newspapers at the kitchen table. For a moment, she let herself wallow in the familiar. She turned the pages with a smile, enjoying the scent of newsprint and picturing the men at the newspaper office hard at work.
When she got to the page where her article usually appeared, she drew in a nervous breath.
