His buddy’s injuries had taken more than a physical toll. He needed a nudge in the right direction, as Daniel had. Either way, there was no going back now. The letter had been posted. When Constance Miller arrived, Will and Daniel would explain the situation. They’d smooth over any awkwardness.
“I’ll forgive you because I adore Daniel with every fiber of my being.” Leah touched her cheek. “I wasted so much time when the perfect man was right there waiting for me all along.”
Her head bent, and Will admired the pale gold hair caught in a neat bun at the nape of her neck. “We were all young and foolish.”
“Perhaps children are supposed to be foolish,” she remarked lightly. “We’ve all changed.”
Growing up in their hometown in Pennsylvania, he and Daniel and Leah had been inseparable. When Will and Leah had gotten engaged, they’d been little more than children making the awkward transition from playing with slingshots and splashing through streams into adulthood. The war had changed everything.
The war had changed everyone.
He and Leah had gradually drifted apart during the years of his enlistment. The fragile threads of their romantic connection had not survived the physical distance between them. Deep down, both had known they were best suited as friends and nothing more.
During their years serving together in the army, Will had realized Daniel’s feelings for Leah had been far deeper than his own had ever been. With death constantly looming near, Daniel had never given voice to his yearnings, and Leah had eventually married another man.
Will had not expected to see Leah ever again, so her arrival in town had been a shock. With the original collection of dilapidated shanties growing into a thriving community, the three friends soon realized Cowboy Creek needed women to flourish. Only four women had arrived on that first train and, much to Will’s amazement, Leah had been one of the prospective brides. Her ill-fated marriage had abruptly ended when her husband had been shot by a jealous spouse. Pregnant with her late husband’s child, she’d needed to remarry quickly.
Will’s lips quirked. He recalled how he, along with Noah, had urged Daniel and Leah to wed. Their intervention had been inspired. After a rocky start, Leah and Daniel had admitted their feelings, both past and present, and were now more in love than ever. Their success gave him hope that Noah would find the same.
Leah cooed at the baby propped on her rounded belly. “This sweet little thing can’t be more than a few days old. She appears healthy enough. Her mother must have nursed her.”
“What now?” Will spread his hands. “How do we feed her? What do we feed her?”
“I have some glass bottles. As you well know, I’d planned on serving as the local midwife, and I brought along a few supplies when I came to town.” She patted her stomach. “Of course, any work will have to wait until after this baby is born.”
Normally a whirling dervish of activity, Leah instead called for the maid and dispatched her instructions. The telling gesture left Will uneasy. Though married to her first husband for several years, Leah had been unable to carry a child successfully to term. In deference to her health, Daniel treated her with kid gloves. He’d hired the undertaker’s spinster sister to help out, and his friend kept a close and loving eye on Leah. He’d probably pitch a fit if he knew Will was here pestering her about the abandoned baby instead of letting her rest.
Narrowing his gaze on the infant, Will considered his options. “The hotel restaurant has fresh milk delivered each day.”
“That’s probably best. With the general lack of women in this town, I don’t suppose Booker & Son carries pap. Might be something you should look into before long.”
“I haven’t checked, but you’re probably right. We haven’t had much call for infant supplies.”
When he and the other two men had invested in the town, they’d anticipated most everything. They’d built a church and a school. They’d even hired a doctor trained in one of the finest schools back east. Too late, they’d discovered the doctor hadn’t been as interested in delivering babies as he was in other forms of medicine. Leah’s arrival was fortuitous in more ways than one.
They’d thought of a lot of things but, being men, they hadn’t thought of everything.
Leah lifted the baby and grimaced at the damp spot on her skirt. “You’ll need more nappies, as well.”
She rested the infant on the dining room table and peeled back the layer of blanket.
The basket had been stuffed with a supply of miniature outfits. Tiny dressing gowns of yellow calico had been carefully pressed and folded then nestled beside crocheted booties and knit caps. The loving craftsmanship of the work and the expense of the materials were obvious.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “Someone planned for this baby. Someone sewed that clothing. Someone carried this child for nine months. Why abandon her on my doorstep?”
“Because you’re wealthy.” Leah shrugged one shoulder. “Because you’re one of the town founders. Because you’re known for your compassion. You’d seem a logical choice to me.”
“I’m not compassionate,” he grumbled. “And none of that explains why a mother would abandon her baby.”
Leah tucked a stray lock of blond hair behind her ear. “There are all sorts of reasons. You know that full well. Maybe the woman’s husband passed away. Maybe she didn’t have a husband. Maybe she fell on hard times.”
Will stared in rapt fascination as Leah rapidly divested the squirming infant of her wet nappy and deftly exchanged it for another. The maid returned with the washed and filled bottle.
“It’s Miss Ewing’s day off.” Leah motioned toward a rocking chair set at an angle in the corner of the dining room. “You’ll have to feed the child while I check on supper.”
Will limped back a pace. “I should be going...”
“Oh, no, you don’t.”
She moved around him, crowding him toward the chair until he had no other choice but to sit.
Reluctantly accepting the wiggling bundle, he appealed to Leah’s better nature. “Can you watch her for a few days? Just until I decide what to do?”
“I’d help you, Will. You know I’d do anything for you.” She protectively cupped her growing stomach. “But I can’t right now.”
Tears pooled in her eyes, sending a kick of guilt straight to his gut.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
He knew full well how much she wanted her baby born healthy. How frightened she was that something might happen.
“I’m a watering pot these days.” Leah wiped at the moisture on her cheeks. “I don’t mind the asking as long as you respect my answer. You have more money than you know what to do with and enough space in your suite of rooms to house an orphanage. Hire someone. Then wait. There’s a good chance the mother will come back for her child. Sometimes...sometimes people make decisions they regret.”
Her words were an obvious reference to her past. As she handed him the bottle, he touched her hand. “We’re all praying for you, Leah.”
“I know. This time is different. Everything feels different. Everything feels...right.”
She did look beautiful. Joyful. Yet despite their past connection, the only thing he felt for her was a deep, abiding friendship. “You and Daniel will have a whole passel of children before you know it.”
“That’s what we’re hoping for.” Her expression turned sympathetic. “I’m sorry about what happened with Dora.”
“You did me a favor. There’s no need for an apology.”
Until