“Ifeltthat.”
Edwina flashed a grin. “How extraordinary, though, that we may have found the culprit behind the thefts, which will clear your name once and for all, as well as Mrs. Davenport’s.”
“We don’t know this woman is the thief, Edwina. She might simply be fleeing because she thinks you and I are madwomen for chasing after her.”
“I saw her climb over the railing on the veranda.”
“Suspicious behavior to be certain, but it’s not proof she’s a criminal.”
“Why would she hit me then?”
“I might be going out on a limb with this one, but if she isn’t a criminal, she might have hit you because you tackled her.”
Edwina rolled her eyes. “You might have a point, but I’ve always wondered if that tackling business Harrison taught me years ago would work in a tricky situation, and ... it did.”
“Harrison taught you how to tackle?”
“He wanted to ensure his sisters could at least have a chance if we were ever attacked.” She smiled. “I can’t tell you how many times he’s ended up with black eyes when he gave us lessons, but he believed it wouldn’t benefit us if we didn’t fight as hard as we could, even if he was the one who bore the brunt of our efforts.”
Gertrude returned the smile. “He’s a very protective sort, isn’t he?”
“He is, and he’s one of those men who doesn’t draw attention to his protective attitude. It’s just who he is.”
“He’s like one of those heroes in a novel come to life,” Gertrude said, earning an arch of a brow from Edwina she didn’t understand. However, before she could ask, fresh yells erupted in the distance.
Without needing to say a single word, Gertrude and Edwina increased their pace, Gertrude’s pace coming to a rather abrupt halt when a large, very male form stepped directly into her path. Looking up, she found Harrison standing in front of her.
“Didn’t I suggest you stay put?” he asked.
Gertrude wrinkled her nose. “Where’s the fun in that?”
For a second, Harrison simply considered her, and then he grinned. “Where indeed?”
The very sight of that grin caused her soul to sing.
He was such an easy gentleman to be around, even with his being so devastatingly handsome. But more importantly, he seemed to understand her in a way no one had ever understood before, and ... she felt safe with him. When he reached out and took hold of her hand, not to kiss but to simply hold, she felt not only safe but cherished.
She’d never expected to find a gentleman who’d cherish her, protect her, and allow her to embrace an extraordinary life instead of a merely ordinary one.
While she wasn’t certain just yet he returned the very great esteem she held for him, she was beginning to embrace the idea that maybe, just maybe, Reverend Perry had the right of matters and that God was far more present in a person’s life than was known. Maybe He’d been responsible for bringing Harrison into her life, having known she needed a gentleman of the most chivalrous sort.
With that thought taking a firm hold, Gertrude felt a glimmer of hope run through her that perhaps her life was—
“Is something wrong, Gertie?” Harrison asked, his question bringing her directly back to the situation at hand, although his use of the nameGertiewas making her heart race just a touch.
“I’m fine. Simply trying to recover my breath. Those pesky stitches do have a way of making themselves known whenever I seem to travel at a pace faster than a plod.”
“Shall I carry you to make certain you don’t suffer additional stitches?”
While the mere thought of being swept up into his arms again was enough to make her sigh, although silently, Gertrude forced herself to shake her head. “Thank you, but no. Since I don’t believe I’ll be expected to dash off after another...” Her eyes widened. “Goodness, I’ve forgotten about the woman I was chasing. Did she get away?”
Harrison tucked her hand into the crook of his arm, a gesture she was beginning to expect of him, and pulled her forward, not in the direction of the Manhattan Beach Hotel, but in the direction the suspicious woman had fled.
It didn’t take them long to run across that woman, who was now sitting in the sand, her hands secured behind her back while Agent McParland stood in front of her, his notebook at the ready, and Edwina gesturing wildly with her hands as she apparently explained what had happened.
“...snuck down off the railing, then took off like a flash when she realized I was on to her, aiding my suspicions that I might have uncovered the culprit behind the Manhattan Beach Hotel thefts.”
Agent McParland sent Harrison the smallest of smiles before he returned his attention to his notes, mumbling something about “who would have thought this would happen” under his breath as the woman sitting on the ground scowled.
