Free My Heart's Desire by Jo Goodman

minutes on the sofa together before Skye bounded in and announced they were ready to leave. She bounced out again, her flame red hair like a beacon of light, to supervise the loading of the carriage.
    Jay Mac stood. "I suppose I should help Jarret with the trunks. That man's done enough for one day."
    "He certainly has."
    Studying his daughter, Jay Mac ran his fingers through his thick, dark blond hair. "Don't blame him overmuch, Rennie. I offered him what must have seemed like a king's ransom to do what he did." A fee, he reminded himself, that he still owed the deputy.
    "I have no respect for a man seduced by money," she said. "He didn't have to do what he did."
    Jay Mac hesitated, his mouth set seriously in his broad face. "I hope you heard what you just said." Then mimicking Moira's lilting brogue, he added. "Sure, and I hope you did."
    * * *
    Rennie allowed Jarret to draw her back inside the house as the carriage carrying her family turned the corner on Broadway. "Will they be all right?" she asked.
    Jarret's hand idly smoothed his trouser pocket. He felt the outline of Jay Mac's personal draft for ten thousand dollars accompanied by a twinge of regret. "They'll be fine. Your father seems confident of the men he's hired. That satisfies me."
    "And Mary Francis?"
    "Houston isn't stupid. Even if he knows about Mary Francis, I seriously doubt he'd attempt anything at the convent. He'd have to be desperate and frustrated to do that."
    "Michael?"
    "Do you want reassurance or the truth?"
    She stared at him unblinkingly. "The truth."
    "Ethan Stone will give up his life protecting your sister."
    Rennie nodded, realizing she had to be satisfied with that. Jarret could offer no certainties. "I'm going to bed now," she said. "Will you see to the lamps, or shall I?"
    "I'll do it." He stepped aside and let her pass. Watching her climb the staircase, her head bowed wearily, Jarret realized that once again she hadn't asked anything about herself.
    * * *
    Jarret turned in his sleep. The bed creaked. He lay very still, alert now, listening. Was it his movement he'd heard or perhaps something else? The sound came again: a faint shuffle, the brush of the sole of a shoe against the carpet. Rennie apparently didn't understand that picking up her feet would have been quieter than sliding stealthily along the hallway runner.
    Sitting up, Jarret pulled on a pair of jeans. The bed creaked again when he stood, but it was the last sound he made as he padded barefoot to the door. Jarret allowed himself to entertain the slim possibility that it was an intruder moving along the hallway. He opened the door only a crack at first. He was in time to glimpse Rennie taking the corner to the rear staircase. Pausing long enough to get his bearings, Jarret took the main steps to the first floor, ran down the hall, and was waiting for Rennie when she reached the servants' entrance near the kitchen.
    Arms folded across his naked chest, leaning negligently against the doorjamb with a smug smile on his face, Rennie thought he looked too cocky by half. Hot candle wax dripped on her fingers as her hand shook with anger. Jarret reached out and took the candle from her. The fact that he could hold it steady simply fueled Rennie's fury. Her anger, in turn, made her speechless.
    Jarret skimmed her attire. She was wearing a navy blue gown, walking shoes, and carrying a small beaded bag around her wrist, hardly what she'd be wearing to make hot milk in the kitchen.
    Although there was no excuse she could offer, Jarret waited to hear what Rennie had to say. He was prepared for a diatribe. It was only when she said nothing that he understood how deep her hurt and anger went. His smug smile faded as he straightened and used his free hand to indicate the kitchen. "Let's get the candle wax off your fingers."
    Rennie followed him to the sink and surprised herself by allowing him to care for her hand. After he ran cold water over her fingers the burns only tingled. She withdrew