Belonging by Robin Lee Hatcher Read Free Book Online Page B

do.”
    “Then I can go fishing with her?”
    He shouldn’t relent. He should be stricter. But how could he say no when she looked at him the way she looked at him now? “I suppose. If she doesn’t object.”
    “She won’t! I know she won’t!” She hopped up. “I’ll go right now. She’s probably ready to leave already.”
    With a sigh, Colin pushed his chair back from the table and headed outside. He’d best make certain Charity was welcome on this fishing expedition. He was halfway between the back door of his home and the side door of the cottage when Felicia stepped into view. Her appearance caught him by surprise. She wasn’t clad in black. Instead, she wore a dress made from brown and white striped fabric. On her upswept hair sat a straw hat with a wide brim adorned with brown satin ribbons. The perfect outfit for a morning spent by the river, fishing pole in hand.
    “Miss Kristoffersen.”
    A smile curved her mouth when she looked his way. “Good morning, Mr. Murphy.”
    Was it just the light-colored dress that made her seem … what? Younger? Prettier? Utterly fetching? “Charity tells me the two of you are going fishing.”
    “Yes. It seems so.”
    “You don’t mind if she tags along? Because I could give you directions easy enough. The river isn’t hard to find.”
    “I like your daughter’s company, Mr. Murphy. But if you don’t want her sharing your favorite fishing spot, do tell her so.”
    His daughter had mentioned the log, but he hadn’t immediately considered that’s where she meant to take the teacher.
    “Perhaps I should find my own way after all,” Felicia said, breaking the momentary silence.
    His daughter might be charitable by nature, but he obviously wasn’t. At least that wasn’t his first reaction, and it shamed him. Clearing his throat, he said, “Not necessary, Miss Kristofferson. Plenty of fish to go around, and Charity would be disappointed not to go with you.”
    “Papa.” His daughter scurried into view. “Why don’t you come with us?”
    “Afraid not. I’ve got a store to run.”
    “Please, Papa. Jimmy could take care of things ‘til you get back.”
    Colin was more than a little tempted. He hadn’t gone fishing in a couple of weeks. It wouldn’t be long before the weather turned cold. Another couple of months at most. And his daughter was right. Jimmy could take care of things for a few hours. The boy had done it numerous times since he started working at the mercantile. He was a trustworthy kid and one who didn’t shirk his duties. Maybe—
    “I’m sure your father is much too busy to join us.”
    Felicia’s words were like a splash of cold water, bringing him to his senses. What was he thinking? When he went fishing, he wanted to be with his daughter, just the two of them. There was no room for anyone else. Especially not a husband-hunting schoolmarm.
    He pinned the woman in question with a hard gaze. “Charity needs to be back by noon. She has chores to do.”
    The smile that had lingered disappeared in an instant. “I’ll make certain of it, Mr. Murphy. You can depend on me.”

    Felicia and her young companion walked at a brisk pace, the trail taking them down the steep north slope of the bluff and through a long, narrow canyon. Throughout the journey, Charity peppered Felicia with questions: Did she like horses? Charity loved to ride better than almost anything. Did she ever have a dog? Charity wanted one, but her papa didn’t think she was ready for the responsibility yet. Why did Felicia want to be a teacher? It seemed to Charity that going to school forever would be awful. What wasthe train ride like? Charity had never gone anywhere on a train. What was Felicia’s favorite dessert? Charity’s was chocolate cake or maybe cherry pie; she couldn’t decide for sure. What was her favorite color? Charity didn’t have one yet, although yellow was sure pretty.
    The mouth of the gorge opened onto a surprisingly different landscape than the