Page 27

Devlin sat back with a sigh. “I’ll have seconds if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all.”

The request pleased her more than she cared to admit.

She dished out his second bowl and just watched him eat it, that warmth in her heart growing.

Oh yes, this was much more than mere fondness.

More than desire. This was love, she was certain of it.

She had suspected she was falling in love with him, but this… this just proved it.

She quickly tamped down her feelings. She shouldn’t be having these kinds of thoughts, but she couldn’t seem to stop looking into his eyes, which remained on her. She grew warm under his intense stare until he blinked and focused on his daughter.

“Are you done, sweet pea?” he asked, such tenderness in his voice that it made her miss her own father.

Avery scraped the last of the pudding from her bowl and pushed it away. There wasn’t even a grain of rice left. She licked her spoon for good measure.

“Time for your bath and then to bed.”

“I don’t want to, Daddy. I want to help Miss Tresia with the dishes.”

He sat back in his seat, his gaze darting from Avery to her, his eyes dancing with enjoyment. “All right. Just for a few minutes.” He pushed his bowl closer to Avery as she slipped from her seat.

Tresia cleared the table and washed the dishes. Avery dried.

“Thank you, Avery. You’ve been a big help.”

“Welcome.” Avery took Devlin’s hand. “I’m ready, Daddy.”

He rose from his seat and took her upstairs for her bath. Tresia smiled, listening to them climbing the stairs, him telling her what a good job she’d done.

A short time later, Tresia dried her hands on a dish towel and spread it over the back of a chair, then went into the parlor and the built-in bookshelf with its many shelves and drawers.

She found the ivory chess set and placed it on a small table in the corner of the parlor.

She pulled two chairs closer to the table, lit several lamps, set up the pieces then went into the kitchen for the coffeepot and two mugs.

She took a seat in one of the comfortable chairs and just waited, her foot tapping with impatience.

She heard him before she saw him and looked up as he stopped on the last riser of the staircase. He smiled, gesturing to the chess board. “What is all this?”

“White or black?”

He walked over and settled himself in the chair opposite her. “White,” he said then made his first move.

She laughed. “That was Brett’s opening gambit. Every time.”

“Tell me about him. How long were you married?”

“Eight years.” She moved a pawn to meet his.

“How did you meet?” He paused with his fingers over a white piece.

“My father hired him to work at the store.” She watched him make his second move.

“I remember he walked in on his first day, dressed in his very best suit, determined to show Daddy he was a good man and worthy of the job, but he tried too hard. He knocked over several displays, spilled a whole bottle of ink on the ledger, and somehow, I’m not sure how, broke one of the cash registers.

” She laughed at the memory. “Eventually, he came into his own and I couldn’t help myself.

I fell in love with him. He was sweet and kind and funny and he made me laugh… until he didn’t.”

His gaze swept over her, sympathy in his eyes. “What happened?”

“He started not feeling well. He would do things in the store then suddenly have to sit down, exhausted. Climbing the stairs to the apartment became a hardship for him. Someone had to walk behind him to make sure he didn’t fall, which he had several times, though we were lucky he hadn’t been hurt.

I noticed how pale he was becoming and how he struggled to breathe.

” She paused, remembering what happened, her vision becoming blurry.

“One morning, he just couldn’t get out of bed.

He complained of being so tired he could barely think.

His chest hurt and his lips seemed to be a little bluish.

It wasn’t influenza. No one else was ill and he didn’t have any symptoms. And it wasn’t tuberculosis, as he never coughed, not one single time.

We knew all the things it wasn’t but we couldn’t figure out what it was. ”

She stopped moving her chess pieces and just stared at the board.

“We didn’t have a doctor in Serenity until Ben Hart graduated medical school, finished his internship, and came back here to open his practice.

We did have midwives and a few people who had more common sense than most, but if anyone truly needed a doctor, we had to go to Santa Fe.

It’s a long trip for someone who is ill, but we took it. ”

She cleared her throat to remove the sudden hoarseness.

“Doctor Walters in Santa Fe said it was his heart. It wasn’t beating like it should.

He told us that somehow, Brett’s heart was damaged and might have been damaged all his life, but he couldn’t tell us much more than that.

He said to bring Brett home and care for him until…

” The chess board became blurry as tears filled her eyes.

She swallowed over the lump in her throat.

“So that’s what I did. I took care of him.

” She let out a sigh. “He was the same age as I am now, thirty-one, when he just didn’t wake up one morning. ”

He reached across the board and took her hand. She felt the warmth of it all the way to her toes. “I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry.”

“Thank you,” she said, because that was what one was supposed to say. “I think I’d best go. We can finish this game tomorrow.”

He didn’t release her hand, just kept holding it, his gaze warm and radiating sympathy. “Why don’t you stay for a while?”

She stared at him, the temptation to stay almost overwhelming, then shook her head and pulled her hand from his.

He gave a quick nod, understanding flashing in his eyes. “I can’t let you leave like this.”

She rose to her feet, her gaze on him. She sniffed then swiped at her eyes so he’d be in focus then gave a rueful laugh. “He’s been gone three years. One would think talking about him wouldn’t make me sad after all this time.”

“There are no rules for grieving, Tresia.” He reached out and rubbed his knuckle against her cheek. She almost leaned into it. Almost. “You don’t have to come tomorrow. I’ll take Avery into the office with me. She used to like that.”

“Thank you, but I’ll be here.” She moved away from him then quickly went into the kitchen for her drawstring bag and ledger for the store.

“I’ll walk you out and make sure you get home safely.” His voice came from behind her and she looked up. “Again, Tresia, I’m sorry.”

She gave a quick nod, not trusting her voice to speak, and left the house. She could feel his gaze upon her as she went through the garden gate and turned down the street. After climbing the steps to Mrs. McMurty’s Boarding House, she turned and waved, then let herself inside.

She wished he’d never asked about Brett. She wished she could have allowed herself to stay with him. She wished…so many things as she closed the door behind her and took the stairs to her room.