Anna’s gaze didn’t meet hers. Instead, she tightened her arms against herself as a warm summer breeze lifted the messy ends of her golden braids.
“Speak with me on what subject?” Max asked, thoroughly confused.
“Well . . .” Mrs. Carlisle shifted baby Thea to her other shoulder. She waited a few more seconds, as if she expectedAnna to speak. But Anna said nothing at all. “Anna helped herself to a few apples I’d purchased as treats for the horses at the stable. I told her I’d say nothing to you if she spoke with you about it instead.”
The burn of embarrassment seared Max’s insides. This wasn’t the first time Anna had taken something that wasn’t hers, and it was always food. She’d absconded with freshly baked cookies at the general store and swiped day-old bread at the new bakery in town. And those were only the events Max knew about.
Could he be any worse of a father? All he could hope was that Miss Elliott could bring Anna into line.
“I am very sorry, Mrs. Carlisle,” he said. “Of course I’ll reimburse you for the cost.”
Mrs. Carlisle’s eyebrows listed. “You have nothing to apologize for, Mr. Foster. You didn’t steal the apples.”
“Of course. I’m sorry,” he said again before he realized he was repeating himself. “Anna?” He looked at his daughter expectantly.
Her deep brown eyes—the precise color of his—flitted between him and Mrs. Carlisle. Anna shrugged again. “Sorry,” she said without a hint of actual remorse in the word.
Mrs. Carlisle’s friendly expression flickered. “I see. Perhaps you ought to stay away from the livery for a while, Miss Foster. Have a good day, Mr. Foster.”
Max’s mouth opened and then shut quickly. Mrs. Carlisle was none too pleased with him, that much was clear.
“My name isn’t Miss Foster,” Anna mumbled.
“It is now,” he shot back, irritation lacing his words.
Anna turned her back to him, and Max ran a frustrated hand across his face. He wasn’t the sort to lose his patience easily, but Anna tried it more than anyone else he’d met in his life.She just lost her mother, he reminded himself. Then he took a deep breath and spoke more kindly.
“I can’t change the past,” he said to her back. “I would have been there if I’d known. And I know you miss your mother. But none of that is any excuse for stealing. Do you understand?”
She didn’t answer him.
Before Max could ponder what to do next, the whistle of the approaching train cut through the chatter on the platform. The crowd moved forward a little, eager to meet the train, and Max’s frustration with his daughter turned to worry about the woman he was due to meet and marry.
He clenched and unclenched his hands and then straightened his jacket and tie at least ten times as the train screeched to a stop. Steam billowed around them as people began to exit the cars.
Max stood straighter as he searched for a lady who matched Miss Elliott’s description. She’d told him she was tall in stature, with dark hair and blue eyes, and that she’d be wearing a green and white striped traveling dress.
Not less than a minute later, a lady matching that description emerged from a nearby car. Max smiled and looked down toward Anna to nudge her forward.
But Anna was gone.
A sigh escaped his throat as he looked both directions down the platform. The girl was nowhere to be seen.
More embarrassed than worried—Crest Stone was safe enough during the daylight hours and by now, most everyone in town knew Anna—Max opted to focus on meeting Miss Elliott. He could track down Anna while Miss Elliott was getting settled.
Straightening his shoulders and giving his jacket one last tug, Max stepped forward. “Miss Elliott?”
The lady turned toward him, and a smile instantly lit her face. “You must be Mr. Foster.”
Max momentarily forgot every word he knew. When she’d written that her eyes were blue, she hadn’t said they werebrilliant, and she certainly hadn’t mentioned the way her skin glowed in the sunlight or how her nose turned up just a little at the end.
Miss Elliott paused, tilting her head. “I’m sorry,areyou Mr. Foster?”
Max blinked at her. “Yes. Yes! Maxwell Foster. May I take your bag?”
Her smile returned as she handed him the carpetbag. “Thank you. I also have a trunk.”
“I’ll ask a porter about it.” He started to step away but paused. “Wait right here.”
