LITMIR.BIZ

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getting the best deal we could be, so he wanted me to look into it. I thought I’d come here for some lunch and to say hello to Milly.”

      She hadn’t remembered Silas to be much of a man of business. In truth, she hadn’t known all that much about him, other than he helped run his father’s farm. The more Rose examined her heart and her romantic follies, she realized how she’d always rushed headlong into what she’d thought was the perfect relationship, without giving the situation much thought at all.

      That was the most acute pain she felt when he gave her those beguiling smiles. How great a fool she’d been.

      “I didn’t realize you were such a businessman,” Rose said, giving him a smile to cover up the tumultuous thoughts in her head.

      “My mother used to say that if it hadn’t been for my negotiating skills, Pa probably would have lost the farm a lot sooner.” He gave a wry grin. “Guess it didn’t matter so much in the end.”

      “I’m sure it gave him great comfort to have still had some claim to the farm until his death.”

      Silas nodded slowly. “That’s what Ma said. I shouldn’t be too hard on myself for how things turned out.”

      Rose’s heart softened as she remembered Mrs. Jones. “How is she? I can’t believe I haven’t asked after her until now.”

      “She’s well. Moved in with her sister, Bertha, after Pa died. I know she’d help me if she could, but they’re barely getting by as it is. I wouldn’t want to make things harder on them than they already are.”

      A frown furrowed his brow, then disappeared. “I’ve sent them some money to cover what I borrowed to get here, but I hope to send more to help them out once I get things settled with the Garretts. The lawyer Frank recommended is good, but he doesn’t come cheap.”

      It was on the tip of Rose’s tongue to offer to help, but she knew it would only offend Silas’s pride. He was already upset with her because she’d bought a few new dresses for Milly. She’d been unable to resist when she’d seen them displayed at the dressmaker’s. Clothes for baby boys simply weren’t as adorable as they were for little girls. It had been a pleasure shopping for Milly. Not so much when she’d had to face Silas’s anger as a result.

      Instead, Rose brought the conversation to the case. “Any progress with the Garretts?”

      Silas shook his head. “We haven’t approached them yet. My lawyer is waiting to put a few things together first. He’d like to have everything in order so they have no ground to stand on.”

      “But surely they don’t? You’re Milly’s father. You have a good job, a good place to live...”

      “I’d like to think so. But with the money and influence the Garretts have back in Ohio, we want to be sure.”

      A commotion downstairs drew Rose’s attention. “Would you mind coming down with me to see what’s happening? There usually isn’t any trouble, but with Uncle Frank off visiting parishioners and everyone else off at work, I don’t want Maddie to have to handle things on her own.”

      “Of course.” Silas had already turned toward the stairs before the words finished leaving his mouth.

      In the entryway stood an older couple whose faces Rose immediately recognized. The Garretts. She paused, her feet stuck to the last stair like it was coated in thick, deep mud.

      Maddie, who had let them in, gave Rose a nod, then glanced in the direction of the back door. The family’s signal that she was going for help. And with the way the Garretts were lit up, they were going to need all the help they could get.

      “I demand to see my granddaughter,” Mrs. Garrett said, her nasal voice echoing in the foyer.

      “She’s sleeping,” Silas said, looking back in Rose’s direction.

      Rose nodded and stepped forward as Maddie slipped out the back. “Yes. I’ve just laid her down. She won’t be awake for at least an hour.”

      “What does that doxy have to do with my granddaughter?” Mrs. Garrett’s icy expression told Rose that she knew of Rose’s circumstance. Usually, it didn’t bother her when people looked down on her for her sin. She knew what she’d done, knew it was wrong and knew that God had forgiven her.

      But Mrs. Garrett’s censure brought her back to the shameful place where she once could barely hold her head up in church.

      “Rose is my nanny,” Silas said, his tone equally cool. “And she’s doing an excellent job.”

      “Is that so?” Mrs. Garrett’s hard glare shot Rose straight through the heart. “A woman of her morals—”

      “Will be an excellent influence on my daughter. Rose spends a good deal of time volunteering for the church’s many charitable endeavors, and it warms my heart to see her teaching the children from an early age to care for others who are less fortunate.”

      Silas’s defense of her made Rose’s heart do a funny flip-flop. Not in the way his smiles used to, but something deeper. Something that said he saw her for who she was. While her charitable works were no secret, she also didn’t shout them from the rooftops. As much as she had grown and changed as a result of her pregnancy and having Matthew, Rose had never felt compelled to announce those changes to the world. Rather, she’d hoped people would see how differently she lived her life.

      “That may be the excuse you give everyone else, but we know differently. That Jezebel was chasing after you in Ohio, trying to steal you away from our Annie when you’d already been promised to her. Had we not switched churches, I’m sure she’d have tempted you to forsake your marriage vows. And now, here she is, living in a den of sin, and you’re right in the middle of it. If you think we’re going to let our beloved granddaughter be raised in such a place...”

      As Mrs. Garrett paused to take a breath, Uncle Frank came in through the back.

      Breathing hard, Uncle Frank held out a hand. “Welcome to the parsonage, Mr. and Mrs. Garrett. I wish you’d have let us know you were coming. We would have had someone meet you at the station.” Uncle Frank gave a bright smile, but his eyes were dark, angry. “At the very least, we would have had tea ready for you. Fortunately, Silas and Rose kept you entertained so that Maddie could fetch me, and now she’s preparing a tray for us all. Please, won’t you join us in the parlor?”

      He gestured toward the parlor, and Mr. and Mrs. Garrett exchanged glances.

      “This is the parsonage?” Mr. Garrett looked around.

      “Why yes,” Uncle Frank said, smiling as he saw the confusion written all over their faces. The Lassiter house was much larger than the average home in Leadville, and though it was nothing grand in comparison to Ohio standards, many people questioned how a preacher could live in such a fine place. “I suppose it’s a misnomer since the church doesn’t pay for it. My father left me a goodly inheritance, and I’ve never drawn a salary or asked the church to pay for anything. More money for the church, you know.”

      He gave an indulgent smile as he sat in his favorite chair. “Do sit down and tell us about your trip. I imagine you must be eager to see Milly, but we wouldn’t want to disturb her nap.”

      The Garretts looked as baffled as Rose felt. Silas said he was waiting to contact them, yet here they were. Though Uncle Frank gave a few subtle signs of not being pleased they were here, he acted like this was a social call instead of an attempt to take Milly from her father.

      “We heard Rose had run away to a den of sin,” Mr. Garrett said, looking around.

      Rose’s stomach churned. She should have known that word of her troubles had gone back to Ohio, but why would they think she was still mired in that lifestyle? Why hadn’t word of her repentance also gotten back?

      She sighed. Most folks just wanted to see the wrong in a situation, not the good. Not the redemption.

      “Rose is a vital part

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