Free Shattered Moments by Irina Shapiro

and waved, glad to see her recognize him as well.  She looked just as he remembered her; big blue eyes that danced with mischief, red curls, and lovely, high breasts that swelled above the bodice of her dress.  He tore his eyes away from the breasts and concentrated on her face.  She did look a little older and noticeably more tired, probably from the long journey.  But why was she here, and how had she found them?  Sam never gave her his real name, calling himself Patrick Johnson, and she knew Finn only by his first name.  He supposed she put two and two together after the escape, Abbie’s name on everyone’s lips as the search for her and her rescuers, one of them being her husband, got under way.
    Finn gave her his hand as she descended from the bench of the wagon, her eyes smiling at him.  “Diana, what are you doing here?” he asked once she was face to face with him.  “It’s such a pleasure to see you.  Abbie and Sam will be thrilled. ”
    “Oh, I do hope so, Finn.  I was so worried that I wouldn’t get a warm welcome, but I simply had to come,” she replied, smoothing down her skirt and adjusting her hat before taking her valise from Mr. Tunstall and handing it to Finn. 
    “Were you in the area?” Finn asked carefully, in an effort to gauge the purpose of Diana’s visit.
    “Not exactly.  I made the journey specially,” she answered coyly, looking up at Finn with a playful smile that made him uneasy.  She was up to something, and for the life of him, he couldn’t imagine what that might be.
    Finn was just about to invite Diana into the house, when a child’s sleepy face appeared above the sides of the wagon, his thin arms reaching out to Diana. 
    “Here mama?” he asked, scrambling to his feet and nearly falling over the side and into Diana’s arms.
    “Yes, lovey, we’re here,” she said softly into his hair as she set him on the ground.
    It was hard to tell exactly how old the child was since he was small and thin, his narrow face devoid of baby fat.  Finn would have placed him at about one, but he walked and talked, which made him older, at least in his estimation.  However, he was still wearing a gown, which meant he wasn’t toilet trained, which likely made him less than three.  Besides, as far as he knew , Diana didn’t have a child when they knew her in New York. 
    “Finn, this is Nathaniel, my son ,” Diana announced dramatically, picking up the boy and handing him to Finn.  As he looked into the child’s face, he finally saw exactly what Diana wanted him to see.  The wide gray eyes fringed by thick dark lashes were very familiar; the Mallory eyes, as his mother called them.  Diana watched him from under her lashes, her mouth drawn into a tense line as the realization of Nathaniel’s paternity dawned on Finn, making him subconsciously suck in his breath. So, that’s why she was here. 
    “Diana, wait.  You can’t do this,” Finn pleaded, handing the child back to Diana and picking up her case.  “Sam is married and has a child, and his wife is pregnant again.  This will shock her.”  Diana turned to Finn, her face full of innocent surprise. 
    “ Do what, Finn?  I’m simply visiting dear friends.  I thought you and Abbie would be happy to see me, and Sam too.  Didn’t you just say so?”
    “I’m not blind, you know,” Finn hissed, so as not to alert Mr. Tunstall to the problem.  The last thing they needed was unwelcome speculation about the surprise visitor at the Mallory farm and the baby who looked just like the eldest son.  “He’s the spitting image of Sam, and you’ve come here to make him claim responsibility, not that he shouldn’t.  Just, please, talk to him in private.  Don’t spring it on the whole family.  Sam’s wife will be devastated.”
    Diana ran a hand through her son’s curls as she kissed his temple, and smiled up at Finn.  “You have nothing to fear, Finn.  Now, take me to the house.”

Chapter 12
     
    Finn