Matthew finally noticed that there was something or someone behind the man. “Who is with you?” he asked and sighed when an all-too-familiar small face peered around Reid. “Noah.”
“Hello, Lieutenant. I came with Abbie’s brother.”
“I can see that.” He looked at Reid who was smiling a little. “What I cannae understand is how is it he let ye tag along?”
“He would not turn back,” said Reid, not hiding his exasperation. “Only thing I did not try was shooting him. Stuck like a burr. Claims my sister forgot him.”
Looking at the boy who was staring at one of Iain’s paintings and trying to appear innocent, Matthew attempted to look stern. “Ye told him that Abbie forgot ye? Ye ken that isnae true.”
Noah glanced at him and stuck his bottom lip out. “She didn’t give me time to talk to her.”
Crouching down, Matthew said, “Laddie, she didnae want to leave, but she has no house to live in, no husband to help her raise ye. It is verra difficult for a lone woman to raise a child and she already has one because of a promise she made to a dying woman.”
The child’s mouth quivered and his eyes filled with tears. Matthew felt like the meanest man alive and that annoyed him. It also roused some guilt for it was his fault, his own cowardice, that kept Abbie from having a solution to her problem. It made Abigail think she had no future that would allow her to keep Noah. He was going to have to get some backbone when he next had the woman alone.
“I don’t care. I just want Abbie. I brought my puppy and a bag with my things.” He held up the bag, then held the dog out and Matthew scratched the little animal’s ears. “I just want Abbie.”
Matthew stood up and ran his hand through his hair. “I ken it. Weel, she will be back soon and ye can talk to her then.”
“Okay. Where is Jeremiah?”
“With her. She went to get him a few clothes.”
Noah nodded. “Women like to buy clothes for itty bitty babies. Or make some.”
Shaking his head, Matthew led Noah and Reid into the kitchen. Mrs. O’Neal was busy setting food on the table and a glance at Noah showed him the boy was stunned by what he saw. The boy looked at him and Matthew nudged him over to one of the benches.
“Sit down, lad,” Matthew said as he took his own seat.
“And who is this?” asked Mrs. O’Neal.
“I am Noah. Abbie forgot me so I came here with her brother.” She placed a plate in front of each of them and set the rest around the table for the others who would soon arrive.
“And how old are you, Noah?” asked Mrs. O’Neal.
“Five. I had my birthday four days ago.” He sighed. “I got no cake or sweet.”
“Hey!” Reid carried over a large tureen filled with stew. “I gave you some of my beef jerky.”
“Yes, you did. It was very kind of you.” Noah turned his head and made a face that clearly showed what he truly thought of that kindness. Then he looked sweetly innocent again and Matthew coughed as he choked on a laugh. Mrs. O’Neal hid a smile behind her hand as his brothers and her children came in.
“Ah, I believe I hear the ladies returning,” Mrs. O’Neal said, wiped her hands, and left the kitchen to meet them.
*
Abbie smiled at Mrs. O’Neal as she took Jeremiah from her arms after the woman had held him while she had shed her coat. “Are we late for lunch?”
“No.” Mrs. O’Neal said hello to Ned as the boy hurried into the kitchen. She turned to put her arm around Iain’s daughter and smiled at Emily. “Food is on the table.”
“Then we best hurry,” said Emily.
They followed Mrs. O’Neal into the kitchen. Abbie smiled at everyone and then froze in midstep toward her seat. She stared hard at the man seated on Matthew’s left.
“Hello, Ab,” Reid said quietly and smiled at her.
Abbie burst into tears and ran over to him. He caught her easily and she slumped against him, pressing her face into his shirt. She heard herself rambling on and on, but even she was not sure of what she was saying.
“Ab, if you want answers to those questions, you have to calm down.”
She sat up and wiped her face with the handkerchief he handed her. “What questions?” She scowled at Matthew who laughed, but quickly returned her full attention to Reid. “You get wounded anywhere else?” she asked as she lightly stroked his scarred cheek.
“No. Now, I will answer those other questions as soon as someone stops punching me.” He turned his head and glared down at the boy by his side.
“You made her cry!” Noah punched his arm again.
“Noah? Noah!” Abbie sat up and stared at the child. “What are you doing here?”
“I came with him. You forgot me.”
“I did not forget you. I explained why I couldn’t take you. I thought you understood.”
Noah shook his head. “I needed to think of how to say why you were wrong but when I was ready, you were already gone.”
“And just how were you going to explain that I was wrong?”
“Well, how could you pick out the right house without me to help you?”
“I could pick out one. It just needs enough rooms and to be weather tight.”
Noah shook his head and sat down next to Reid. “And you were going to put two boys in it. I’m a boy and you needed one to tell you all the other things you needed to look for.”
“Such as what?” Abbie asked as she went and sat down across from Reid.
“A yard. Windows you can latch tight so bad boys don’t climb out and run around the yard at night.” His eyes widened and Abbie knew they were about to take a journey into Noah’s far too vivid imagination. “And secret passages.”
Abbie stared at the smiling boy for a brief moment then crossed her arms on the table, lowered her head to them, and laughed. She tried to muffle the sound but the laughter of others at the table was too much to ignore. There was no solution to her problem yet, but she already knew that she would not be sending the boy back to Mrs. Beaton.
“I think she is laughing at what you said, boy,” said Reid and gave a chuckling Mrs. O’Neal a big smile when she filled his bowl with stew and set it in front of him.
“She does that a lot when I try to have a talk with her. When she is done, then I can tell her more.” Noah stared wide-eyed at the full bowl Mrs. O’Neal set in front of him and picked up his spoon, then barely mumbled out a thank you before he dug in.
The idea that Noah had even more to lecture her about only made Abbie laugh harder. Forcing herself to calm down, she wiped her eyes and sat up just as Mrs. O’Neal bent close to set her bowl in front of her.
“The lad will settle in very nicely, miss,” she said softly. “He could go sit with the others if he isn’t scared.”
Abigail glanced at another table set near the window where Mrs. O’Neal’s older children and young Ned sat. There was an empty seat next to Ned so she slowly coaxed Noah over there. She returned to her seat but kept an eye on him until she was certain he was again relaxed and settling in well. As she began eating again she glanced at her brother, still a bit stunned that he was there.