Delia nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll—”
A knock at the door interrupted her words. Max rose to answer it, Delia trailing behind him.
He opened the door to find Anna—and the town marshal.
Chapter Five
DELIA STOOD BEHINDMax, her eyes widening as she realized the man at the door was some kind of lawman. He wore a tin star pinned to his vest, and his hand rested on Anna’s shoulder. The girl didn’t meet anyone’s eyes. Instead, she stared at the ground.
“Marshal Wright,” Max greeted the man, a note of hesitation in his voice as he reached out to shake the lawman’s hand.
“Good afternoon. Ma’am.” The marshal touched his hat in greeting to Delia before turning his attention back to Max. “Mr. Sands at the bakery sent his assistant over to get me. It seems Anna was helping herself to some of his day-old rolls. You know the ones set up near the door?”
“I do. I apologize, Marshal. There’s no reason for it. She has plenty to eat here.” Max looked at Anna as he spoke, as if he was trying to figure out why she’d want to steal day-old rolls.
Marshal Wright dropped his hand from Anna’s shoulder. Reluctantly, she stepped inside, arms wrapped around herself.
“This can’t keep happening, Foster,” he said. “I’ve got enough to handle without chasing down ill-behaved children.”
“I know. I’m sorry. This is Mrs. Foster,” Max said quickly, gesturing toward Delia. “We married this morning.”
Delia suspected Max intended her presence to reassure the marshal that Anna’s thieving would come to an end. She didn’t mind helping him, but it felt like a tall order to assume she andshe alone could set Anna on the right path. “It’s good to meet you, Marshal,” she said warmly.
“Pleasure, ma’am. Welcome to Crest Stone.” With one last look at Anna, the marshal bid his farewell, and Max shut the door behind him.
“He’s Tilly Hannan’s brother. You met her at the wedding,” he said.
Delia nodded, appreciating the connection he made for her before turning her attention to Anna. “Are you hungry? I’m happy to make you something to eat.”
Anna didn’t look up, but she nodded.
“All right. Why don’t you come with me and tell me what you like?”
Without a glance at her father, Anna started toward the kitchen. When Max began to follow, Delia held up a hand and whispered. “Could I have a moment with her?”
He nodded, and Delia thought it looked like he was relieved at her words. “I’ll be out here.”
She smiled at him before following Anna to the kitchen. The girl stood hesitantly by the table, as if she didn’t know what to do at all in a kitchen. Perhaps that was the problem, Delia thought. Maybe if she knew how to cook, she wouldn’t feel as if she needed to run off and take food.
“Let’s see what we have here.” Delia opened the door to what she assumed was the pantry. She was rewarded with several shelves filled with all sorts of food. She bit her lip in amusement. All she could imagine was that Max had gone to the general store, the butcher’s shop, and the bakery and asked for everything in sight. That list he’d asked her for would be very short.
“How do you feel about fried ham?” she asked over her shoulder.
Anna shrugged, but her eyes told a different story.
