Free Maureen McKade by Winter Hearts Page A

impatiently, “I don’t understand.”
    He took a deep breath. “Dylan lives in a whorehouse, and his ma owns it and the girls inside.”
    Libby’s cheeks burned. “You mean, she’s a—a soiled dove?”
    “More like a dirty buzzard.”
    “B-but why does he wear rags if his mother has so much money?”
    Anger clouded Matt’s visage and his eyes blazed.“Because she’s a selfish shrew who figures Dylan’s more trouble than he’s worth.”
    Righteous fury flooded Libby. “What about his father? Doesn’t he have any say in the matter?”
    “Nobody knows who his father is. Sadie drifted into town a few years ago with Dylan and bought the house where she runs her business.”
    “Then we’ve got to take Dylan away from her. He can stay with me until we find him a proper home, a place where he won’t be mistreated.”
    “You’d do that for a boy you hardly know?”
    “No child deserves that kind of treatment, and I’d be just as bad as his mother if I did nothing.”
    Matt studied her indignant posture and resolute expression. If a child she barely knew could evoke such a passionate response, how would she respond to the man she loved?
    He gently took her hand and noted with relief she didn’t recoil from the touch. “We can’t take Dylan away without evidence. But Sadie’s used a strap on Dylan more than once. I seen the scars on his back. I told her if she does it again, I’m taking him away from her. I don’t know if I can keep him away, but I’m going to try my damnedest.”
    Libby’s eloquent eyes bespoke her concern for Dylan, and Matt’s grasp tightened.
    “If anybody can do it, you can,” she said softly, squeezing his hand in return.
    Her gaze captured Matt, suspending him in bittersweet agony. No fear showed in her trusting eyes.
    The grandfather clock’s pendulum ticked with each arc. Sounds from the kitchen faded into oblivion, and Libby’s gentle breathing became the center of Matt’s universe. Her fingers remained in his hands, but misgivings assaulted him.
    He would disappoint her, replace the trust in her eyes with disillusionment. It had happened before. Itwould happen again. She believed he could make everything right, but he was no hero. If she knew how he’d come to live in Deer Creek, disenchantment would supplant her blind faith.
    He stepped back, and for a second Matt thought he saw disappointment in her wide eyes, but he dismissed the impression. “I’ll try to make sure Sadie don’t hurt him anymore. That boy’s been through enough.”
    “Do you think you can get him to school?”
    “I’ll try, but I think he’s right. The kids are going to be mighty rough on him. They can be real mean when they don’t know otherwise.”
    “What about the teachers before me? Didn’t they try to get Dylan to come to school?”
    “They never figured he was worth the bother,” Matt replied bitterly. “You’re the first teacher I seen who cares enough to try.”
    Libby’s hands balled into fists. “That makes me so angry I could spit tacks! Dylan has no say in who his parents are, and people shouldn’t expect him to be held accountable for their mistakes.”
    “I’ll get him there tomorrow. If it don’t work, what’re you going to do?”
    “I don’t know yet, but I’ll figure something out. I won’t let Dylan miss out on an education simply because no one, including his spiteful mother, cares.”
    Matt smiled gently. “You and me care, and we’ll make sure he gets what he needs.”
    “Thank you, Sheriff.”
    “Call me Matt.”
    Libby tipped her head. “Is it acceptable for the spinster teacher to call the sheriff by his first name?”
    “Only if she lets him call her by her given name.”
    “Fair enough, Matt.” An impish grin touched Libby’s lush lips. “Besides, who cares what Mrs. Beidler and her flock of busybodies think anyway?”
    “I suppose we should get back to the kitchen before Lenore and Dylan wonder where we got off to.” He opened the door