Maggie brightened. “Me, Miss Caroline. You’ve got to choose me. My pa said I’m supposed to help you whenever I can.”
“Wonderful! I knew I could count on you. Right now, I could use an assistant to help me get the triplets safely down to breakfast. Do you think you can carry one of them while I carry the other two?”
“I can do it.”
“Thank you, Maggie. Here. You take Eli.” Caroline transferred the baby to Maggie, making sure she had him safely in her grasp. “Go right on down the stairs, and I’ll meet you at the table.”
She watched to make sure Maggie made it all right, then turned to hunt down the two others. Soon enough all three boys were sitting in their high chairs at the table, which felt like an accomplishment in and of itself. Ida greeted Caroline with a warm hug and words of welcome, then set her to work cutting the triplets’ food into manageable pieces for them.
David entered through the back door with a pail of milk. He smiled at the sight of Maggie entertaining the triplets by making silly faces. David placed another chair at the table. “Caroline, the boys are pretty independent when it comes to mealtimes. At least, they try to be. Usually Ma and I split up the triplets during the meal. I watch over two while Ma takes care of one.”
“I’d be happy to take one of the triplets off your hands.”
“Sounds good.” He nodded and placed one of the high chairs between them.
Finally, they were all seated, but not quite settled. Caroline shifted to find room under the table and accidentally bumped David’s knees with her own. “Sorry!”
“It’s all right. This table is getting a little too small for all of us. Ma, do you know where you stored the leaf? I can put it in before lunch.”
“Yes, I’ll—” Ida hesitated, her gaze flickering from David to Caroline. “I’ll have to look for it.”
Maggie wiggled in her seat as she impatiently eyed the gooey cinnamon rolls at the center of the table. “Is it time for grace, Pa?”
“Go ahead, Maggie.”
She reached for David’s and Ida’s hands. Ida took Caroline’s. Caroline glanced at David. He showed none of the hesitance she felt in joining hands. In fact, he was already closing his eyes by the time her hand found his. A little surge of heat went through her fingers as they slid across his palm, but he didn’t seem to notice, so she determined that she wouldn’t, either.
There was no ignoring that this was the hand of a rancher used to hard work and long hours in the saddle. It had a strength and a roughness to it that made for a much different experience than those few times she’d held Nico’s hand. He’d had soft hands with long fingers, perfect for the piano—and for stealing from unsuspecting women, apparently. Why she persisted in comparing the two men was beyond her and beyond annoying. Especially since it only made Nico look worse, which in turn made her feel more foolish. It also had the inconvenient result of making David look even better in comparison. It needed to stop.
Thankfully, Maggie’s prayer provided a timely distraction from her thoughts. “Lord, thank You for this food and for Miss Caroline coming to stay with us. Help us all have a good day. Amen.”
All the grown-ups echoed, “Amen.”
Caroline grinned at Maggie. “Thank you for including me in your prayer, Maggie. That was very sweet.”
“You’re welcome, Miss Caroline.” Maggie sent her a bashful smile.
Ida gave Caroline’s hand an affectionate little squeeze before releasing it. “It was well deserved. You’re going to be a blessing to us. I can feel it.”
“I hope so.” Caroline glanced at David to see if he had anything to add. She found his thoughtful gaze trained down at the table. No. Not the table. He was looking at their joined hands. Oh, dear. Were they the only ones still holding hands? A quick glance around the table said they were.
Offering him a small smile to cover the awkwardness of it all, she pulled her hand free with a gentle tug. Something was troubling him. She could see that and sense it, too. His expression shuttered and he glanced back to his plate. Oddly enough, she felt cheated. After all, she’d poured her heart and her tears onto his shoulder a couple of days ago. It seemed only fair that he would be just as vulnerable with her.
Of course, they were technically little more than strangers, and the best place for sharing confidences probably wasn’t at the breakfast table. But still. The principle of it bothered her. And it annoyed her to be bothered by it.
“Caroline, dear, the boys like to try to feed themselves, though they don’t quite have the knack of it yet.”
Caroline blinked away her reverie and focused on copying Ida’s technique in making sure the baby, whom she was relatively certain must be Theo, was well fed. It took far more energy and creativity than she’d imagined to keep him interested in the food. Maggie filled the lagging conversation. “Are you riding with the ranch hands today, Pa?”
“Yes, I need to check on the herd.”
“May I go with you?”
David paused to look at Maggie, then at Caroline before returning to Maggie. “I thought you were excited about helping Miss Caroline today.”
“I am, but I also like helping you. I can do both.”
David chuckled. “You stay here with your grandma and Miss Caroline today. I’ll take you riding another time.”
Caroline lifted a brow at David slightly, wishing she could say, “See? I was right. You’re the most important person to her.” Instead Caroline smiled at Maggie. “We’ll have fun today, Maggie. I promise.”
Ida took a break from feeding the baby to nudge the bowl of biscuits toward David. “David, will you be back in time for lunch?”
“Probably not, but I’ll be here for dinner.” He finished his plate and set it in the sink before grabbing a biscuit on the way out. “Y’all have a good day now.”
“Bye, Pa.” Maggie returned her father’s parting wave and watched until the door closed after him. Her eyes filled with tears. Her lower lip trembled.
Caroline tensed in alarm. She was about to try to comfort the girl when Ida caught her eye. The woman shook her head in warning. Pressing her lips together to keep them silent, Caroline did her best to listen as Ida went over the triplets’ daily schedule with her. Even so, Caroline couldn’t help glancing at Maggie now and then. The girl’s eyes eventually cleared of tears. Finally, Maggie reengaged in the conversation as though nothing had happened.
Did that happen every morning? It must if Ida was so used to it. Caroline’s heart went out to the girl. At Maggie’s age, she used to do the exact same thing when her parents left for the theater. She’d known she wouldn’t be able to see them again until the next morning, and the small amount of attention they’d paid to her at breakfast was never enough to fill her aching heart. Matthew had always done his best to distract her until she was able to forget about her parents and enjoy the rest of the day. It had bothered her less and less as she grew older. Eventually she’d learned to accept the fact that her parents cared more about their work than they did about their children.
Could the same thing be happening here? If so, Caroline was a living, breathing example of why that was a disaster waiting to happen. She’d fallen for the first man to show her any attention and ignored every sign of his dishonorable intentions. Caroline couldn’t let the same thing happen to sweet little Maggie. Something had to be done. And she was just the woman to do it.
* * *
David tugged his hat lower to block out the midafternoon sun. Even its scorching heat couldn’t quite rival