“Are you certain this is advisable, Miss Wallin?”
Beth smiled encouragement to the woman sitting beside her in the Pastry Emporium. Honoria Jenkins was a gentle lady who had been hired to teach at the newly opened North School, starting after Easter. Her light brown hair, cornflower-blue eyes and rosy cheeks made her resemble one of the glass-eyed dolls on display at Kelloggs’.
“We are in a public place,” Beth assured her, waving at the neat little wrought-iron tables and glass display case the bakery boasted. “And I’m here as a chaperone.”
Miss Jenkins adjusted the brown velvet hat on her sleek hair. “But won’t Deputy McCormick suspect this is more than a casual meeting?”
Beth certainly hoped so. “As I mentioned, Mr. McCormick is seeking a wife. I’m merely facilitating introductions as his good friend.”
The schoolteacher eyed the door as if expecting Father Christmas to arrive with a bag of presents. “He sounds like quite a catch.”
“Oh, he is.” Beth picked up the cup of chamomile she had ordered. “Upstanding, loyal, a hard worker. He’s the law in this area.”
Miss Jenkins sighed. “How heroic.” She turned her blue gaze back to Beth. “Why aren’t you pursuing him yourself?”
Beth’s face heated. She set down her cup and selected one of the lemon drop cookies, her personal favorite, then took a bite and swallowed before answering.
“He’s like a brother to me.”
The lemon drop was like dust in Beth’s mouth. Maddie Haggerty, longtime friend and owner of the Pastry Emporium, must have had an off day. Beth took another sip of the tea to wash things down. It didn’t help.
Suddenly the couple sitting closest to the window gasped, and others began rising. Beth caught a glimpse of a dark-coated rider and a black horse pelting past, heard the shouts accompanying them. Her heart started beating faster.
Miss Jenkins pressed a hand to the ruffles at her throat. “What is it?”
“Deputy McCormick, I believe,” Beth answered, rising. “Come on.”
She hurried to the window, where the other patrons had collected, voices buzzing as they vied for the best position to watch. Beth squeezed in and pulled Miss Jenkins with her. Down the block, Hart and Arno veered against a team of horses thundering along, reins flapping. As she watched, he leaned over in the saddle, caught the reins, and pulled both Arno and the team to a halt. The elderly driver trembled while his wife buried her face in his shoulder.
“Runaway team,” someone said. “Good thing McCormick was on duty.”
“As usual,” Beth said, drawing a breath.
Miss Jenkins pulled her gaze from the street to stare at Beth as the others returned to their seats. “How can you be so calm? Someone might have been killed.”
“Possibly,” Beth allowed, taking her arm to lead her back to their table. “But you see how he rescued them. Mr. McCormick is a gentleman who can be counted upon.”
Miss Jenkins looked thoughtful.
They had no sooner settled themselves than the door opened to the ring of the shop bell. Hart stepped inside, leather duster settling against his black boots. His hard gaze bypassed the display counter with its dozens of frosted and spiced treats, and narrowed in instead on the patrons gathered at the tables. Some of the other patrons applauded. He gave them a nod.
Beth rose as he approached.
He removed his hat, the sunlight from the window gilding his short-cropped black hair. “Miss Wallin.” His look moved to her companion.
As if she was guilty of some crime, Miss Jenkins paled, and she pushed the cookies away from her.
“Good afternoon, Deputy,” Beth said determinedly. “May I introduce a new acquaintance of mine, Honoria Jenkins. Miss Jenkins, this is Deputy Hart McCormick.”
Hart inclined his head. “Ma’am.”
She dropped her gaze. “Deputy. Won’t you join us?”
With a look to Beth that held any number of misgivings, he drew up a chair.
“Cookie?” Miss Jenkins asked, offering the plate. “They’re quite good.”
“No, thanks,” he said. “Never was too partial to lemon.”
She set down the plate, wrinkling her nose. “Too tart. I quite agree.”
Odd. She’d consumed four of the things before Hart had arrived and even agreed with Beth they were one of Maddie’s best.
“That was very brave of you just now,” the schoolteacher continued, folding her gloved hands demurely on the table. “Miss Wallin told me you’re quite the hero, but now I’ve seen the evidence with my own eyes.”
His gaze swung Beth’s way, and she had to stop herself from squirming. She raised her chin instead. “Everyone here saw what you did. We all know you stand between the citizens of the county and every sort of danger.”
He snorted, leaning back in his chair as if to distance himself from the very notion. “Folks in King County are pretty good about spotting danger and protecting themselves. I’m just here for when things get out of hand.”
Miss Jenkins leaned closer to him. “And do they get out of hand often?” she asked.
Hart frowned as if he could not understand her breathless interest.
“Miss Jenkins is new to our shores,” Beth explained. “I’m sure she’d appreciate your assessment of the area.”
Hart shrugged. “Things are fairly safe. Only had one cougar attack in the last month, and Sheriff Wyckoff and his dogs chased it off. Natives left on this side of the Sound are friendly for the most part. Last time anyone was murdered was a few months ago—family out Columbia way—shot in their beds. We strung up the killers.”
Miss Jenkins was turning whiter with each word.
“But everything in Seattle is fine,” Beth rushed to assure her. “Kind people, industrious...”
“Few drunken brawls on the weekend, petty theft in the mercantiles...”
“Four churches now,” Beth continued, raising her voice.
“A gang along the waterfront, beating and robbing newcomers.”
Beth gave up and glared at him. “A vicious gang, in Seattle?”
“Never underestimate man’s ability to prey on man, Miss Wallin,” he insisted, with a nod to Miss Jenkins. “Or woman.”
She rose in a flutter of brown, like a sparrow startled from its nest. “Thank you for inviting me to tea, Miss Wallin. I fear I must be going. I’ll be starting work shortly, and I won’t have time for more of these...social events. Deputy.”
Hart had risen when she did, but she scooted out the door before he could bid her farewell. With a frown, he settled himself back onto his chair. “Curious woman. Doesn’t say much.”
“Because you wouldn’t let her get a word in,” Beth accused. “What were you thinking, filling her head with dangers and drama? I’ll be surprised if she sets one foot outside her door the next two days.”
Hart reached for a cookie. “If she’s that timid, she shouldn’t have come to Seattle.”
Beth stared at him as he popped the morsel whole into his mouth. “I thought you didn’t like lemon drops.”
“They’re tolerable,” he allowed, reaching for another.
Heat