Free Caught in the Middle by Regina Jennings Page A

Pucketts are deviants?”
    “You don’t know. Your pa, your ma, they’d never hurt you. You don’t know how people are.”
    Her impenetrable mask was slipping again. Her tough act cracking. He reached to smooth Sammy’s tousled blond hair, and she shied away from him. Did Jay Tillerton still haunt her? Nick knew she had a past darker than his shoe blacking, and while he was sympathetic, he couldn’t lose this chance to leave her in competent hands. It was the best he could do for her.
    “You’re right, Mrs. Tillerton. My experience with evil is limited. I don’t know people like that, but I know these people. You and Sammy will be safe with them. You came to me for help, and this is the best help I can offer. Please give them a chance.”
    The slant in her eyes made him want to smile, even now. “I can’t go back. What will they think?”
    “They’ll understand.”
    “What if they’ve already changed their mind?”
    “We won’t know unless we ask.”
    Absently she bounced Sammy on her hip as she considered—her rough-worn duster out of place in the tidy neighborhood. And to think she was afraid of them.
    “I’ll leave if they act suspicious. And if they hurt him . . . so help me . . .”
    “For being unprepared to care for the boy, you sound like a regular Momma bear.” Nicholas smiled. “Now, let’s get you and the cub settled in your den.”

 7 
    The next day Anne heaved a sigh of relief as she left to find employment. Although she questioned if leaving the baby with Mrs. Puckett was wise, she couldn’t deny the relief of being alone. The baby had snuffled and whined all night, although it was still the best night’s sleep she’d had since coming to town. He probably missed his momma. Nothing she could do to help him there.
    On the street, Anne stepped aside to defer to a stylishly dressed lady and thought of the flimsy dress the saloon owner had offered. Not again. Anne was done with dressing to please men. She had donned dresses for only a few years at the encouragement of her schoolteacher, Mr. Tillerton. He challenged her to better herself and not hide her talents. Too late she realized which talents interested him the most, and by that time her father had an opportunity to rid himself of his daughter. Jay Tillerton had been forced to marry her and leave the state, carting her to live among total strangers—where no one felt obligated to speak up for her.
    Anne scanned the various shops and businesses up anddown the street. Finding work for the day would solve two of her problems—she could recompense the Pucketts for her board, and she’d escape from Sammy. But who would hire her?
    She slowed as she passed the bank. While she could figure and write in a clear hand, she’d never seen a woman dressed like herself working in an office. Maybe a tanner or a farrier would need an extra hand.
    The livery stable bustled with carriages lined up and men waiting for their mounts. Anne stuck her head inside the office, not surprised to find it empty. She cut through the crowd and found the boss.
    “You look busy. I could lend a hand for a few hours.”
    “Do you know how to unhitch a horse from a carriage?” He didn’t even look her way as he buckled a bridle.
    “Sure do.”
    “Then get out there and move those carriages.”
    Anne marched toward a fine buggy. The man holding the reins didn’t act accustomed to waiting, but he lit up when he saw her. “Well, now. What do we have here? Mackie is hiring fancy women to work the stables?”
    Anne raised her eyes warily. His hat hid the silver streaks in his hair, but he was definitely the same man she’d seen in the upstairs of the saloon. She took the reins from him. “I’ve got it. You can go.”
    “It’s not your place to dismiss me, young lady. I know everything that happens in this town, so why haven’t I heard of you?”
    “Maybe because I don’t plan to be in this town much longer. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to