She let her hand stay in his, though her eyes widened. Maybe she thought he was just offering comfort. And that’s what the gesture was, of course. He didn’t mean anything else by it. He encapsulated her hand in both of his. “If you’re not afraid of Reece, why can’t you sleep?”
“How many foster parents are there in the county?”
“What a question. Lots. I have no idea.”
“Can you find out?”
“Sure. But why?”
“You know the picture I showed you of the child?” She waited until he nodded. “The quilt the little girl is sitting on is one that was stolen the night of the murders.”
He found his voice. “Interesting, but lots of people bought quilts from your mother, didn’t they?”
“Yes, but she’d just finished this one. I recognize the fabric. It was in the cabinet the day she died.”
“So you’re telling me you think these foster parents had something to do with your family’s murder?” He tried to remember where Caitlin’s quilt had come from. The information would be crucial. It had been a baby gift, and Analise had kept track of that kind of stuff. Could it be in Caitlin’s baby book? But where on earth had he put that?
“It’s possible they at least know the murderer. How else could they get that quilt?”
“Maybe he sold them over eBay. Or sold them to any store. There doesn’t have to be a connection.” What a lame explanation. He was going to have to go home and look for that baby book.
“Maybe.” She chewed on her bottom lip.
“I’ll try to get a list of foster parents and check them out. It might take weeks, though.”
“You’d do that for me?”
He was beginning to think he’d do most anything for her—except turn over his daughter. No wonder Reece was nuts about her. Hannah had a childlike quality mixed in with her beauty. It made a man want to be a hero for her sake. He let go of her hand. If he wasn’t careful, he would be as mixed up as Reece.
He rose. “It’s nearly two. You should get some rest.”
“Of course.” The warmth in her voice faded. The chair scraped on the linoleum as she pushed back from the table and rose.
He hadn’t meant to hurt her. She turned to go, but he reached out and took her arm. “I—I’ll do all I can for you, Hannah.” He was closer than he realized. It would only take one small movement for her to be in his arms. Even though he knew it wasn’t smart, he tugged on her arm. The next moment her head was against his chest, and he was inhaling the sweet scent of her. He’d been right. The citrus fragrance was in her hair.
Her small, soft form fit in his arms. It had been years since he’d held a woman. Not since Analise. His wife had always been a little tense, looking around like she was about to move on to the next item in her list. There was a stillness about Hannah that soothed him. He ran a hand over her long hair and the heavy locks caught his fingers.
“What’s going on here?” Luca stood in the stairwell door. His hair was disheveled, and his shirt was only partially tucked into the waistband of his pants.
Hannah jerked away and smoothed her hands over her nightgown. “I just came down for some milk.”
“I thought she was an intruder and tackled her,” Matt said. He knew he sounded lame when Luca’s glower darkened.
“It didn’t look much like a tackle,” Luca said, his tone dry. “I think you’d better get to bed, Hannah.”
“Of course.” Hannah slipped past her cousin, her bare feet pounding up the wooden steps as though she were rushing to escape the devil himself.
Luca said nothing until the bedroom door upstairs shut. “Hannah is vulnerable. Please leave her alone.”
“I’m just here to protect her. And find out who’s targeting all of you and put him behind bars.”
“God exacts justice. It’s not our place.”
“You don’t want him caught?”
“Of course I want Hannah safe. But God will protect her.”
“Sometimes evil prevails, Luca.”
“That, too, is God’s will.”
Such a defeatist attitude annoyed Matt. “Then you think we should never work for justice here on earth?”
“We’re told to forgive.”
“No matter the offense?”
“Yes. That was Hannah’s biggest fault. She wanted justice. Even as a child she struggled with this.”
“Don’t we all?” It was Matt’s own desire for justice that had led him to law enforcement. “I’m sworn to uphold the law, to put lawbreakers behind bars. I’m not a philosopher.”
“Our beliefs are not about philosophy but about obeying God’s command to forgive. Seventy times seven. No matter what the offense. We forgive those who are too weak to stand against the devil and his wiles. There but for the grace of God go we all.”
Luca had a point there. Matt knew his own weaknesses. “Aren’t you afraid of who is targeting your family?”
“God’s will be done. If it is my time, I’ll go.”
“But your wife, your children.”
Luca grimaced. “It would be hard, but I know God is sovereign. And I accept that. Even pain can be for the glory of God.”
“He’s not going to get to any of you. Especially Hannah.”
“You’re Englisch. You know nothing about the things that matter most to her.”
The jab hurt. “And you do? You’re not acting like it.”
Luca’s color mounted. “I do only what’s best for Hannah’s soul.”
Matt believed him. He could see the man’s earnest love for his cousin. And who was he to say Luca was wrong? Matt now recognized he was beginning to want her for himself. Hannah had an unrest in her, a sadness that might be cured only by returning to the bosom of her family and friends.
Would meeting his mother tomorrow bring rest to Matt’s soul?
WEDNESDAY MORNING. SHE’D been here a week. It seemed longer. From where she sat in the sitting room, Hannah could see her cousins at the kitchen table with Sarah. Their blond heads bent for silent prayer with their small hands clasped together. How often had she done the same around the table with her parents? It was one of the things she missed the most.
The children took their breakfast dishes to the sink and climbed the stools to wash them. Hannah forced herself to stay in the sitting room. Luca had already gone to the greenhouse, and Hannah hoped for a chance to talk to Sarah. Angie was upstairs working on a press release, and this morning would be the perfect time once Naomi and Sharon went outside. She didn’t see Matt anywhere, and after last night’s embarrassment, maybe that was best.
Hours later, she still longed to experience the strength of his arms around her. But look where that had gotten her last time. She needed to keep her distance. Besides, she was still married, at least legally. She’d hoped Reece would initiate divorce proceedings when she disappeared, but she should have known better.
The girls finished the dishes, and Hannah heard Sarah tell them to go gather the eggs. Before Sarah could start another chore, Hannah hurried into the kitchen. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Sarah’s glance held a trace of wariness. “Ja, I suppose. I have laundry to do. I am two days late with it, and Luca has no more clothes.”
“Oh, we can talk over laundry. It was always our favorite chore to do together. Remember how we used to throw suds at each other? Mamm was so mad the day we had more suds on us than on the clothes. What were we—thirteen or fourteen?” Hannah had to smile at the memory.
Sarah’s lips twitched, but the smile never reached breaking point. “I cannot accept a favor from you.”
Hannah’s smile vanished. “It’s a favor to me that you would allow me to do my laundry too. I didn’t bring many clothes with me, and most of them are dirty.”
Sarah still looked uncertain, but finally she nodded. “Get your clothes.”
Hannah flew up the steps to gather the laundry. She yearned to see Sarah smile, to resurrect some tiny part of their friendship again. She took Angie’s clothes with hers in a basket she found in the hall closet upstairs. By the time she got to the laundry room, an enclosed back porch, Sarah had already fired up the gas-powered wringer washer.