Outlaw Hearts(222)

Lloyd looked down at the letter again. “I wonder how she even knew where to write me.” He looked back at his father. “Do you think I should go?”

Jake rose, keeping little Jake in his arms. “I think that when a chance for love and happiness presents itself to a man, he ought to grab onto it. And if it’s nothing more than having a good talk to straighten things out, that’s important too. You say you’ve gotten over Beth, but you won’t really be able to get over her until you do have a good talk. It might do both of you a lot of good. There’s something unfinished there, Lloyd. You and I both know it isn’t good to leave things unfinished.”

Lloyd shoved the letter into his pocket. “I guess you’re right, but it scares the hell out of me.”

Jake glanced at Miranda. “Yeah. A woman can do that to you sometimes. She can make you do things that are contrary to your whole nature and your better judgment.” He grinned. “But it’s usually worth it.”

Lloyd shrugged, turning back to the door. “I’ll go see if I can get some time off.” He looked back at Jake. “What about you? You might have to go out alone on your next assignment. You’ll be hunting that guy that killed that Cherokee up north of here. I should be with you.”

Jake watched him lovingly. “Lloyd, I’ve been up against a hell of a lot worse things than that. Don’t worry. This old man can still take on the best of them.”

The boy had seen his father in action since riding with him, and he knew it was foolish to worry, especially after the way he had handled Jube Latimer and his bunch. His reputation as a lawman was already spreading, and some men had actually given themselves up rather than having Jake on their trail. “Yeah, I guess you can at that.” Lloyd left, and Jake turned to Miranda and Evie. “I hope to hell she doesn’t hurt him all over again.”

Miranda walked up to him and put her hands on his shoulders, leaning up to kiss him lightly on the lips. “He’ll be all right. He has his family now.”

“I’d better go check the next batch of cookies,” Evie said, leaving them alone.

Jake kept his grandson in one arm and moved the other around Miranda, pulling her closer and planting a deep, lingering kiss on her mouth. “Have I told you yet today that I love you?” he asked, kissing at her eyes then.

“No, but you told me enough times last night. Now quit teasing me, Jake. Evie is here, and I have cookies to bake.”

“See you later,” he told her. “I’m going to take Jake for a walk.”

“Good! Go!” She hurried away from him before Jake could grab her back, and he watched the movement of her hips beneath the dress. Still just a slip of a thing, she was. And she was wearing yellow today. He sure liked that color on her. She always wore it when she knew he was coming home.

He turned and plopped little Jake into his chair so he could put on his own jacket and hat. He put a little woolen jacket and a hat on baby Jake then, and he picked the boy up again, carrying him outside, where the weather was cool today, but not cold. He decided he’d walk to the courthouse and see what kind of luck Lloyd was having getting some time off. He hoisted little Jake to his shoulders and walked across the street.

Miranda had come back into the room, and she went to the window to watch Jake. Her heart swelled with love at the sight. She remembered another little boy he used to carry that way, and she knew that in an abstract way he would always carry the weight of his son on his shoulders.

***

Beth waited in the study, smoothing her deep-blue taffeta dress, glancing in a mirror over the fireplace once more to be sure every hair was in place. Would Lloyd think she had changed much? She was twenty-one years old now. Lloyd would be twenty-three. How different would he look, and more important, how would he feel? She supposed he must hate her, but then if he did, he surely would not have agreed to come all the way to Chicago to see her.

She had no idea if she was doing the right thing, if any of this was fair to Lloyd. For all she knew he was in love with someone else by now, maybe even married, but that didn’t matter. He had to know about his son. It had not been easy finding him. She had made a call to authorities in St. Louis after reading about Jake’s release from prison and his assignment as a deputy marshal. She was happy for him, and for Miranda and Evie. She had found out through St. Louis where she could write the family, but she had not been sure Lloyd would even be with them anymore. She had completely lost track of him.

She had received the wire two days ago that he would be arriving today, and already she had been sitting here in the study for an hour, a thousand thoughts going through her mind. She had practiced a hundred ways of greeting him, had put on six different dresses before deciding on this one.