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  He felt her hand slip into his. “Noah, forget I asked.” She gripped his hand all the tighter. “I want you to know how good today has been. Ever since you said I was jealous of you, I’ve been short with you. It was wrong of me.”

  “Clare, you don’t need to apologize—”

  “Yes, I do.” She gave him an imploring look. “Please, Noah, let me finish.”

  He nodded silently, prompting her to continue.

  “You were right. I am jealous of you. You’ve managed to tame Tim and Leo, and you’ve been kind to Miss Worth, who isn’t the most likable woman sometimes. You have so much integrity and honor. I know it can’t be easy for you to take on my family.” She sighed. “I’ll eventually forgive my father, and get over this jealousy. I know that, but it’ll take time. Thank you for being patient.”

  Then today had been good, Noah decided, hearing a wheezy whistle in the distance. A train was approaching the depot, but he had already stood to study the mountains so he did not turn.

  Instead, he thought about what Clare said. She would eventually forgive her parents and even let go of her jealousy of him. It wouldn’t happen right away, but Clare’s loving nature would win out.

  He’d been patient with Tim and Leo, too. A gentle breeze, warm with the hints and hopes of the summer that would soon arrive, brushed his face, and he looked away from Clare to the mountains that practically glowed with sunshine. God had once said He was in the smallest of breezes. Was He here, now? Had He put Noah in Proud Bend to help Clare? He’d always assumed God wanted him out West to rescue horses, but was he also here to tame Tim and Leo?

  To tame even Clare?

  A rush of wanting swelled through him. Yes, he did want to be here for Clare. To show her how to get past her resentment and jealousy and keep her family together. She had a loving, vivacious personality, and deep down, he wanted to be the sole focus of it. To have someone in his life who cared for him. Truly cared.

  In that moment, that was the only reason he needed to marry her.

  Yes, the day was proving to be very good, even if they would soon need to end their lunch hour and return to work.

  Idly, he watched a pair of magpies swoop down and peck at the gravelly road beyond the bandstand. The bold birds wouldn’t move for anyone save a wagon, choosing instead to hop away from people, like their cousins, the crows, out East. They were determined to eat the bits of stones that winter had scattered. Soon, they would hop close in search of discarded crumbs. In a way, Clare was like a magpie determined to get what she needed.

  He smiled. Not a flattering comparison, for magpies were nuisances, but Clare could be bold and striking, refusing to give way to the despair around her and adjusting her life as the situation demanded.

  “Miss Walsh?”

  His thoughts and gaze still on the birds, Noah idly listened to a male voice address Clare. It sounded familiar. Whoever it was had come from the opposite direction, but no doubt someone who’d heard of either her upcoming nuptials or the sad news of her parents. He continued to stare at the birds. He should give her some privacy in which to answer.

  “Yes?” Clare answered as Noah shifted away.

  “I’m Mr. Townsend. I sent you a telegram saying I wish to rent your house. I know it’s only for a short time, but my daughter Elizabeth and I would prefer to be together rather than stay in a boardinghouse—”

  Cold washed through Noah as he snapped over his head and stared in horror at the couple standing in front of Clare.

  How could this be?

  Chapter Fifteen

  Noah stood slowly, cautiously. What were his ex-fiancée and her father doing here? He glanced around. Where was her mother? “Rupert? Elizabeth?”

  He could feel three shocked gazes riveted on him. Then Clare moved her attention from Elizabeth and her father to him and back again. Several times.

  “Noah!” Being a short woman with a delicate stature, Elizabeth easily slipped past her father. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon. I mean, I wasn’t sure where you...”

  Her words faded to nothing as her gaze darted between him and Clare. Her expression turning canny, she narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, but enough for Noah to guess that she knew that she and her father had interrupted something intimate.

  Noah shut his mouth. Why did she say she didn’t expect to see him so soon? Their visit here was no coincidence, then. Two years ago, he’d walked out on his family and their demands. He’d told his parents that he had accepted the position of Assistant Recording Officer here in Proud Bend, so probably his father had told Rupert Townsend where to find him. Still, he hadn’t expected to see anyone from his hometown again.

  Had Elizabeth spread that lie about who ended their engagement? If she had, there would be no reason why his parents would tell her or her family where he’d gone, for they knew the truth, that he’d ended the relationship. He’d told them, and only them, knowing that pride would keep his father’s mouth tightly shut.

  Noah’s father had groomed him from an early age to carry on the family business, but for Noah, as the teen years rolled into his twenties, he’d realized that it wasn’t what he’d wanted. Each time he’d broached the subject, his father had brushed him off.

  Then, suddenly, two years and four months ago, Noah’s father told him that he’d arranged a marriage to Elizabeth, thus implementing a business merger. There was never any option, never a choice of dates, even, nor a warning. A few months later, a mere week before the nuptials, it all fell apart and Noah walked out, saying only that he was going to Proud Bend to work at the Recording Office and save enough to start a ranch.

  Now on the bandstand, Rupert Townsend stepped closer, his expression far more serious. “Noah, I hadn’t planned to see you yet. We were looking for Miss Walsh, and one of the men at the train depot pointed her out.”

  Noah glanced behind him. The town center was small enough that one could see the bandstand from the depot. With the telegraph office within the depot, and Clare having lived here all her life and having received her sad news just days ago, she would be easy to point out. Hadn’t they just had a picnic lunch right here, where everyone could see?

  Oblivious of his thoughts, Clare shoved out her hand. “Welcome to Proud Bend, Mr. Townsend. How was your trip?”

  “Very well, thank you.” Rupert shook her hand. “This is my daughter, Elizabeth. We telegraphed you about renting your home.”

  “Yes, I received it.” She shook Elizabeth’s hand, pumping it far more vigorously than Elizabeth would have preferred, Noah noted briefly. “I wasn’t expecting you two until the weekend.”

  “I apologize for that, but we couldn’t wait.” He looked over Clare’s shoulder to Noah.

  Clare frowned, unsure what he meant by that comment. “This is Noah Livingstone, but I guess you already know him.” She shot Noah a confused look.

  “We do,” Elizabeth answered. “He’s my ex-fiancé.”

  The words, weighted like a large stone, fell between them. From his position, Noah could not see Clare’s expression, but she’d gone still. Dead still.

  * * *

  “What a coincidence.” Clare found the voice she’d briefly lost. “Noah is my...current fiancé.”

  She cringed inwardly. Her words made her sound as though she’d had a bevy of fiancés. She instantly regretted her forced answer, but frankly, what else could she say after this young woman’s shocking revelation? She’d had no idea that Noah had once been engaged.

  Why had it ended? Why was the woman here?

  She straightened. Noah was her fiancé. Didn’t she deserve to know about his past?

  No, a voice inside admonished her. Their engagement was a merely a convenient arrangement made by a compassionate man who didn’t want to see her family separated. Clare looked again at Elizabeth, finally noticing h
ow petite the woman was. What a twist of events to have this very woman be the one who was renting her house. Clare had been so grateful to find a respectable family willing to move in that she hadn’t even asked why they were coming to Proud Bend.

  Judging from the furtive, cautious looks Elizabeth was firing at Noah, Clare might dare say it was to mend a relationship.

  No, it can’t be.

  That thought, and its immediate denial, squeezed her throat closed and stilled her body. She couldn’t find the strength within her to steal a look up at Noah to attempt to guess his reaction. He’d stiffened all right; that was all she could tell, but was that just from shock? She didn’t know.

  She was too scared to check.

  She shut her eyes. When did she become such a coward?

  Her stomach tightened and with nothing left to do, Clare forced out a smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  “Thank you,” Mr. Townsend murmured.

  “So, how long have you been engaged?” Elizabeth asked with a crisp edge to her words.

  Clare swallowed. “Only a few days.”

  “It’s just happened?” The news seemed to brighten the woman up. “How long have you been courting?”

  Although it wasn’t a rude question, the tone was accusatory. Clare wasn’t sure how to answer, but she knew one thing. She couldn’t lie. “We haven’t done any courting until just a few minutes ago.”

  Brows raised, both father and daughter gaped at her and Noah. Clare felt her heart plummet. What on earth did they think of her? Did they assume she was in the family way and needed a husband? Did they assume Noah was the father of the fictitious babe?

  For all her cutting tone, did this Elizabeth even deserve an answer? From her expectant look, she believed she did, and Clare couldn’t allow the woman to believe the worst of her.

  She threw back her shoulders. “It’s a financial arrangement designed to assist me. My parents were recently lost at sea and I have two small brothers.”

  Then silence, a still, dreadful, awkward silence. One that wasn’t even punctuated by polite condolences, Clare thought testily.

  No longer able to stand the quiet another second, she blurted out, “The house is not quite ready. As I mentioned, I wasn’t expecting you until the weekend.”

  “Yes. Sorry about that.” Mr. Townsend didn’t sound sorry. “We should have telegraphed you with our change of plans.” He cleared his throat. “I suppose we could stay at a boardinghouse for a few days.” He glanced around. “There doesn’t appear to be an inn here.”

  “There’s nothing you’d find suitable.” Clare flicked her gaze up and down his frame. Townsend was a well-dressed man, his suit a fine cut and his boots highly polished.

  They were obviously wealthy and could afford to rent a large home. But where would they stay until hers was ready?

  For all of the woman’s rudeness, she couldn’t send them away, but she had to be honest with them.

  Clare shut her eyes, half-expecting Noah to offer his home. They knew him. They had nearly become family.

  But he said nothing. Finally, she dared to look at him. He seemed to be in shock.

  Catching his eye, she flicked her brows up slightly, pointedly staring at him.

  Noah continued to stare back blankly, forcing her to frown even more intently at him. Why on earth was he so quiet? Clare turned to the Townsends, offering a smile she didn’t really feel. “Would you excuse us for a moment, please?”

  Right then, she grabbed Noah by the forearm and steered him down the bandstand steps between the father and daughter and out around the huge sagebrush that grew wild nearby.

  At the far side of it, hidden from view and hopefully from sound, she stopped and captured Noah’s attention. “You need to offer your home to them!”

  He stiffened. “No, I don’t.”

  Clare gaped at him. Words formed in her mouth. Indeed, she opened it to speak, but she felt as though she’d been struck dumb. Where was that man who’d offered her his name and security mere days ago?

  “Why not?” she finally blurted out.

  Noah folded his arms. “My reason doesn’t concern you, Clare.”

  She pointed into the center of the sagebrush in the direction of the bandstand. “We’re getting married and your previous fiancée has arrived for an extended visit. It does concern me. Especially considering I didn’t even know she existed fifteen minutes ago!”

  When Noah refused to answer, Clare pushed on further. “The only place in town available is Mrs. Shrankhof’s boarding house, but her only tenants are men. That’s hardly suitable for Miss Townsend.”

  “She’ll be with her father.”

  “Will she be sharing a room with him or have a separate one? Neither of those options is acceptable. She’s a young, single woman. She won’t want to sully everyone’s first impression of her.”

  As he looked away, Noah made a noise that Clare didn’t want to interpret. It didn’t sound flattering. With few options, she touched his folded arm lightly to draw his attention back to her. “Why are you so adamant not to help them? Did she hurt you? Did she break off your engagement?”

  “You should stay out of this, Clare. It’s for the best.” His jaw hardened. “Don’t get involved. Least of all with them.”

  Clare stepped back at his harsh tone. “Are you saying I shouldn’t rent to them? I have to. Noah, I need to rent my house. Besides, if I refuse, where will they go?”

  His brows shot up with a surprisingly callous expression as he turned back to her. “They can go back home.”

  “That could leave me open to a lawsuit. I can’t afford that! And above all that, it feels dishonest. I won’t do it.” She felt her ire rising. “I can’t believe you expect me to!”

  Noah blinked and looked away, but his mouth remained firm, a thin line of stubbornness.

  This was ridiculous. She had absolutely no idea what was going on. Did he really expect her to leave herself open to losing everything, stranding a family in the process and simply trust in him to sort it all out?

  She was already vulnerable enough, relying on him for support. She wasn’t going to make another family vulnerable.

  Clare spun. Just as quickly, Noah grabbed her arm and caught her attention. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to do the only decent thing.” She yanked back her arm. “It’s what any Christian would do.”

  “Only because you’re a Christian? A few minutes ago, you were admitting you weren’t a very good one.” He waited for her answer. When it didn’t come, he added, “Or are you just saving your home?”

  She stiffened. “Why can’t I do both?” When he said nothing more, she tugged down her jacket and stomped around the big bush. She would talk to Noah about this later. Right now, she had concerns that were more pressing.

  Clare could hardly expect this family to wait on the streets until she finished cleaning out her house. She had enough room. Miss Worth was staying in the spare bedroom, and Clare could move into her parents’ bedroom. The boys could stay at the ranch and she’d put Mr. Townsend in their room. She’d offer her own to Elizabeth.

  She approached Mr. Townsend, a smile practically hurting her face. “You must stay with me. I’m almost finished preparing the house, anyway, and Noah and I are getting married on Friday.”

  Elizabeth paled and let out a gasp. She tossed a hasty glance at her father. “You are?”

  “Yes. Just a small ceremony.” Clare stopped short of inviting them. Something about Elizabeth’s stricken look, and the narrow-eyed frown now forming on Mr. Townsend’s face, warned her against it.

  “I know this is all very awkward,” Clare stated briskly, “with you being Noah’s ex-fiancée and all, but I’m sure everyone will be civil.”

  Mr. Townsend puffed up like
a rooster. “My daughter ended the engagement. Immediately after that, Noah stormed out here to Colorado. Nothing has been civil, but I’m here to change that.”

  Clare tried her best not to recoil at the harsh words. She glanced at Elizabeth to find the woman looking away and oddly dropping her gaze. Those tiny hairs at her nape rose inexplicably. She heard a noise behind her and turned. By now, Noah had stepped out from the bushes where she’d dragged him in the hopes that she could talk some sense into him.

  Her heart lurched at the pained look on his face. Did he catch Mr. Townsend’s sharp retort? Was that why he wanted nothing to do with this pair? Had Elizabeth broken his heart?

  Clare caught another glimpse of the young woman as she swallowed. What on earth was going on? Her heart lurched. Did she dare ask?

  No, but she wasn’t a coward. She would get the truth from Noah. Something unspoken told her that he was the one she should trust, and not these two.

  “It’s all right, Clare,” Noah ground out as he approached. “They can stay with me.”

  Really? Clare held back a snort. The concession sounded more like Noah was offering to clean a pigsty when no one else volunteered.

  She might not know what was going on, and right now, Clare decided she didn’t want to know. Her only concern had to be for her brothers and the home she was at risk of losing.

  No, she would rent her house to the Townsends, and if they wanted to continue the relationship with Noah, it would have to be after her wedding to him. In fact, keeping them close was probably for the best. She could keep an eye on the pair.

  A thought lurched around inside of her. Was she suddenly protective of Noah? Or was she doing this in defiance of him?

  Clare swallowed. She wasn’t sure.

  Regardless, she held up her hand. “No! I’ve already offered my home, and they are going to take possession of it at the end of the week anyway, so there’s no point for them to go to your ranch, Noah. My mind is made up.”

  He stepped up and turned his body slightly away from the Townsends. “You wanted me to offer my home,” he whispered to her. “Why the sudden change of heart?”