Page 48 of The Formation of Us

Adam was enthralled with the sword swallower, and forgot himself so completely, he blurted out that he’d sneaked into the circus in Syracuse right before they moved. “But they didn’t have a sword swallower,” he said, not realizing his mistake.

Faith’s stomach clenched. “You mean the circus in Saratoga,” she said, praying Duke was as interested in the sword swallower as he appeared. “I’d better not hear of you doing anything like that again, Adam.”

He threw a desperate glance at her, and she was sorry to see his joy melt away.

She tried to smile at Duke, but her lips were too stiff to be convincing. “This is my favorite show so far.”

“Mine too,” he said casually. Too casually. She looked away so he wouldn’t ask questions she couldn’t answer.

When the act finished, they circled the grounds. Duke bought them pork sandwiches for a late lunch, then treated them to ice cream.

“Thank you,” Adam said, but he kept his head down while he ate. Cora licked her spoon and savored her ice cream with such pleasure, Faith admitted to Duke that they’d never had the frozen treat before. “My mother couldn’t afford admission to events like the circus.” At least that’s what her mother had led them to believe. But when Faith found her mother’s guest book, she’d also found a surprising amount of money. Between her mother’s stash, her own savings, and her aunts’ combined money, they had been able to escape Syracuse. What Faith couldn’t understand was, why her mother had stayed. Why, when she had some savings, hadn’t she escaped like Faith and her aunts had after her death?

Cora stopped eating. “Grandma said we’re going to have a real home someday with a big porch and lots of roses around it.”

Faith had heard that litany all her life, but it had been an empty promise. She had accepted that years ago, but it hurt that Cora was innocent enough to believe it. And it hurt that they had gone without so much when her mother had money hidden away.

Duke pulled a white, folded handkerchief from his pocket and swiped a drip of ice cream off Cora’s chin.

“I’m going to have a pony at our house,” the little girl added.

That simple declaration made Faith want marriage more than anything. She wanted a man who could make some of their dreams come true because, God help her, she couldn’t do it on her own.

Cora stuck her tongue out to lick the ice cream bowl, but Faith took it from her. Cora’s expression fell. “I couldn’t get the rest with my spoon,” she complained.

Faith looked at the bowl, but it was empty. She tilted it so Cora could see inside. “Honey, it’s gone.”

“Here,” Adam said, offering his last bite to Cora, who snapped it up like a turtle.

“Have either of you had peanut brittle?” Duke asked.

“Yes, sir.” Adam ducked his head again, and Faith squinted at him. Why was he acting so nervous?

“Let’s go get a sack of it for you to take home.”

“Can we get some for Aunt Iris and Aunt Tansy and Aunt Aster and Aunt Dahlia too?” Cora asked.

Duke’s laugh washed over Faith. She could get used to that deep, warm sound. He slapped his thighs and got to his feet. “Come on, princess, I’ll buy some for everyone.”

Faith returned their bowls to the ice cream vendor, then hooked her arm around Adam’s shoulder, lingering behind Duke and Cora. “What’s wrong with you today?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

Which meant it was serious. “Are you feeling all right?”

“I’m fine.”

Which meant he wasn’t. “I’m getting the feeling that you don’t like Sheriff Grayson.”

“He doesn’t like me.”

She tugged him to a stop. “He’s been kind to you from the moment you met him.”

“He thinks I’m a criminal.”

She laughed. “Adam, the sheriff knows the difference between a boy who takes a hair brush without paying for it, and a man who robs a bank or kills someone.”

“He told me stealing is theft, and that theft is a crime punishable by law. That means he thinks I’m a criminal.”