Page 54 of Daredevil Lady and the Mysterious Millionaire (The Hidden Hearts Collection #3)

He made it sound as casual as he could, despite the fact it had been nearly two years since he had crossed her threshold.

Caddie’s clear brown eyes gave him a penetrating look that made him squirm, one of those uncanny soul-seeing glances that also reminded him too much of Sadie.

But all she said was, “I’m so glad you came. ”

Placing his hat on the hall table, she led him into her parlor, a cozy nook of overstuffed furniture and the vases of flowers that had always been Caroline’s passion. Still clinging to Zeke’s arm, she called out to a man ensconced in a wing-backed chair, reading before the fire.

“Arthur, look who’s here. My brother, John.”

Zeke awkwardly thrust out his hand as his brother-in-law ambled forward to greet him. Arthur Dawes was an amiable man who forever seemed to have paint flecks on his clothes and a faraway expression as though his mind were off elsewhere, putting the finishing strokes on some canvas.

It never ceased to amaze Zeke that someone could make a decent living for his family out of anything as improbable as painting pictures. But he had to admit the fellow had done well by Caddie. He was almost worthy of her.

Arthur greeted Zeke in a friendly fashion, as though it had been only yesterday that he had seen him. Which, considering the absentminded way Arthur kept track of time, he probably believed it had been.

Zeke found it far more difficult to face Caddie’s children, especially without any presents in his hands. They regarded him shyly at first, two curly-headed boys with missing teeth, hanging on the skirts of their sister, Lucy, who had almost grown as tall as her mother.

But it was not long before Zeke found himself surrounded, barraged on all sides with earnest chatter.

“Thank you for the cloak you sent for my birthday, Uncle John,” Lucy said with a pretty blush and coy glance. “You’re the only one who seems to realize I am quite grown up.”

“Hey, Uncle John.” One of the boys tugged at his sleeve. “Remember you said once if you ever came to visit, you would teach me how to fight.”

“Me too.” The littlest one was already doubling up his fists.

Zeke didn’t exactly recall having made such a promise, but he feared he might have.

“I think I only promised to do so if your mother approved.” He cast a guilty glance at Caddie, who only beamed and shook her head at him.

“You may as well. They are always at the fisticuffs anyway. Just like someone else I remember.”

Their eyes met over the children’s heads, hers half-scolding, but alight with tender amusement. Zeke grinned back, feeling glad that he had come, until a shadow fell across the parlor.

He heard the rustle of stiff silk skirts and looked around, his smile fading as he met the one face that held no warmth of welcome for him. The severity of her black gown was only matched by Tessa’s expression, her features pinched white with disapproval, her eyes as ever dark with accusation.

The bright laughter of the children stilled, as even they seemed to sense the change in the atmosphere. Only Caddie managed to retain a determined smile.

“Tessa, my dear. Isn’t it the most fortunate thing? John has just dropped by in time for supper. We must persuade him to dine with us.”

“If he stays, I go,” Tessa said.

“Theresa—” Caddie began.

But Zeke was already preparing to leave. “That’s all right, Caddie,” he said quietly. “I didn’t come here to cause any more discord.” He stepped into the hall, reaching for his hat with a weary gesture. He should have known what a mistake this would be.

But Tessa came hard after him. “You needn’t make any noble gestures on my behalf,” she spat out. “I know how long Caddie has been waiting to kill the fatted calf for you.” She snatched her own shawl off the hall peg.

Behind him, Zeke was aware of Caddie shooing her husband and children toward the kitchen. Zeke felt angry with himself, and Tessa as well, for disrupting the harmony of their evening.

“Stay where you are, Tessa,” he snapped. “I said I’d go.”

Tessa glared at him as she draped her shawl over her head. “I wouldn’t dream of?—”

“Just stop it. Both of you.”

The harsh command from Caddie startled them. She approached them, blocking the doorway, her hands on her hips, her gentle face flushed. “After two years, I have endured quite enough of this nonsense.”

Tessa stiffened. “But Caroline, he?—”

“Be quiet, Tessa! Now I want both of you to turn right around and march back into the parlor.”

When neither of them moved, Caddie actually took a menacing step forward.

Zeke’s flash of anger dissolved as his sister’s stern expression put him in mind of Sadie those times she had been induced to lose her temper.

The incidents had been so rare that even he, ever the defiant one, had scuttled to obey.

After she had them both securely inside, Caddie announced, “Now neither one of you is coming out again until you have put an end to this silly quarrel.”

Before either could guess her intent, she closed the parlor door and locked it. Zeke registered one mild protest, but Tessa rattled the knob, bellowing her sister’s name.

“You might as well have done, Tess,” Zeke said. “I think Caddie means it.”

Tessa shot him a seething look, but she abandoned her efforts with the door. She stomped over to the sofa and plopped down, lapsing into a stony silence. After a brief hesitation Zeke perched himself on the opposite end of the divan.

The situation certainly was not funny, but he couldn’t prevent a chuckle from escaping him.

He said, “This reminds me of those times when we were kids and Sadie would make us sit out on the stoop until we had patched up our spat. You were so stubborn, I was always afraid we were going to starve to death.”

“Me!” Tessa cried. “It was always you—” She choked off and then averted her face from him.

Zeke inched closer. He managed to get possession of her hand. “Tessa, look at me.”

When she wouldn’t, he caught her chin, gently turning her head around. Bitter tears sparkled in her eyes, but he forced himself to stare directly into them.

“I’m sorry.”

Her lips trembled.

“I know now I shouldn’t have done what I did, interfered with your marriage plans in that high-handed way. At least, I should have made you understand why I did it.”

She squirmed to get away from him. “You did it to be mean. To get back at me for all the nasty things I said to you about being adopted”

“You know that isn’t so.” He hesitated, groping for the right thing to say, to make her understand. “I know you never wanted me, but I was trying to be your brother anyway, the best that I knew how.

“I broke up your engagement because—” He swallowed, the words forming a hard lump in his throat. He didn’t think he’d be able to get them out, but somehow he managed. “Because I cared too much about you to see you wed some fellow who wasn’t fit to lick the soles of your shoes.”

Her eyes widened as though stunned by the emotion in his voice.

It was as unexpected to him as it was to her.

He thought perhaps he had said too much, because she stiffened.

But suddenly she dissolved into tears. He watched her in awkward silence for a moment, and then draped one arm about her.

She tried to twist away from him, but he persisted, drawing her against the lee of his shoulder.

With a great sob, she gave way at last, collapsing in his arms, crying down the front of his waistcoat.

“B-but Johnnie,” she wept. “It was so awful. You can’t know. When you paid Marco to go away, we were supposed to run off the next day. He left me waiting at the door of the church.”

“The bastard,” Zeke said, stroking her hair. “If I had him here now, I would break his head.”

“If he were here, I would let you.”

He rocked her gently until the worst of her grief was spent. She surfaced at last from his shoulder and drew back, sniffing. “I guess I always knew what a bounder Marco was, but he was all I had. He was the only man who would ever have wanted to marry me.”

“Idiot!” Zeke used his handkerchief to help her wipe her eyes. “Lots of fellows would have been proud to have you. You were always a clever girl, Tessa. The cleverest one of us.”

“Clever isn’t pretty.”

“You were pretty, too. You still are—except when you’ve been crying. Then you look like hell.”

She hiccuped, the sound halfway between a laugh and a sob.

“Toad!” she said.

“Shrew!” he shot back.

“Brat!”

They were just completing this tender exchange when the parlor door inched open and Caddie peered cautiously inside. She heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank God. It had gone so quiet in here, I thought you two surely must have killed each other this time.”

Zeke stood up quickly, shielding Tessa and giving her time to compose herself. “We are half-dead but only from from hunger.”

Caddie smiled until she dimpled. “The old starvation method. Mama was right. It works every time. Supper is ready if you are.” Her gaze tracked uncertainly from Zeke to Tessa.

Tessa heaved herself to her feet, smoothing out her skirts with an air of wounded dignity. “Then what are we waiting for? I can’t recall either one of you ever asking my permission to go and eat.”

Zeke grinned and made her a mock bow. “Ladies, permit me to escort you to the dining room.” Caddie was quick to take his arm, and after a brief hesitation, Tessa did so as well.

It was a strange feeling for Zeke to be seated back in the midst of a family gathering round a supper table. Caddie was doing her best to set him at his ease, pretend that nothing extraordinary was happening.

But she couldn’t quite dim the glow in her eyes nor suppress the tiny catch in her voice as she led them in the prayer. “Bless us, O Lord, for these thy gifts.” She glanced straight at Zeke, and he was obliged to look away, his own heart suddenly too full.