A Newborn’s Cry at the Boarding House (Preview)

Chapter One

The scream rang in Chloe’s ears as she opened her eyes. It took her a moment to realize that she was awake. Had she heard the scream from outside? Someone in pain and fearing for their life? Or was it inside her head, a remnant from her nightmare?

The only thing that suggested it might’ve come from her was her sore throat. Chloe wondered if she had been crying out in her sleep again. Her tenants had knocked on her door before, concerned that she was getting hurt. Some of them were wary around her afterwards, which made her wonder what else she had said during the night.

It wasn’t her fault that she kept having nightmares, and they weren’t as frequent as they used to be. Some nights she would be able to sleep without any problems, and other times …

She was surprised that nobody had called the sheriff or the doctor about it. Doctor Flett would likely commit her for it if this carried on. He understood her grief and had treated her as such when her husband died, but he had mentioned that women remained hysterical, and there was not really a cure for it.

Chloe hated how condescending that sounded. It was as if he didn’t think men could suffer from grief over losing a loved one. He was a frustrating man.

Rolling over and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Chloe looked toward the clock on the mantelpiece. It was about time for her to get up, anyway. The sun was starting to poke through the slats of her window covers, and she could hear the chickens outside clucking, waiting for their feed. She couldn’t lie in bed and try to get back to sleep again; there was too much to do.

She felt like she was walking through sludge as she got up, washed and dressed, tugging a brush through her hair. Her face looked washed out as she observed her reflection in the mirror. Thomas would say she looked ethereal, like an angel, with her honey-blonde hair that was always thick and soft, and her bright blue eyes. He even called her fairy-like, although Chloe had to point out that fairies weren’t seen in a good light – the stories told as a child were horrifying, depending on what was told – so he stopped saying that.

If only he were here now. The nightmares wouldn’t be present if her husband was with her, holding her and telling her things were going to be fine.

It had been a couple of months, and it was still strange not to have him around.

Chloe braided her hair, tying it off, and dusted herself down. Her dress was plain and straightforward, so there was nothing to make it stand out. As the owner of the boarding house, it was just what she wanted. The person running the place but always in the background. Unassuming and quiet, it made it easier for her to move around and let her guests stay without thinking they had someone telling them what to do.

And with everything going on in her life, with the turmoil of losing her husband, it was nicer not to have anyone pay much attention to her.

As she made her way downstairs, there was a knock on the front door. Chloe found herself smiling as she crossed the hallway and opened the door. Like her, others ran like clockwork. She could set her watch by the young man who delivered the letters from the general store.

“Morning, Mrs. Bennett.” Jesse Smith grinned at her, and he held out the letters. “Mr. Latham said you should have these. There are quite a few for your guests.”

“Thank you, Jesse.” Chloe took the letters and gave him a smile that strained her cheeks. “How are you this morning?”

“Couldn’t be better.” Even as he said it, Jesse yawned loudly. “Sorry, my daughter’s been keeping my wife and me up all night recently.”

“She is three months old. I’m not surprised you’re exhausted.” Chloe pushed away the pang she felt in her chest at the mention of a baby. “At least you get a few hours with the little one, even if she does drive you mad.”

“It’s the joys of parenthood, isn’t it?” Jesse shrugged. “Oh, well. Life goes on. Also, I bumped into Simeon. He said he was going around with the milk and butter he’s made later today, so he’ll be here about mid-morning.”

“That’s fine. We’ve got enough butter and milk to last the morning, so it won’t be a problem waiting a bit longer.” Chloe held up the letters. “Thank you for these.”

Jesse waved and headed off down the path, Chloe shutting the door. Simeon was a Fredericks who had come from South Carolina to settle in New Mexico. He had brought his trade with him, along with several cows they could use. He spent most of his time milking them or making butter for the town, turning into quite a popular individual. Chloe was one of the first people on his route, so she always got the freshest produce from him.

It made up for the fact that she had to deal with the smell coming from the farm. One of the things she had to put up with, unfortunately, but as long as she got fresh milk, Chloe didn’t mind.

Placing the letters onto the dresser to sort through later, she headed into the kitchen. There were only three guests – it was surprisingly quiet for that time of year – so there wasn’t much to do. She just needed to collect the eggs from the chickens outside, and then she would be making eggs for breakfast. Miss Talbot certainly enjoyed scrambled eggs and bread. Chloe couldn’t argue with that; it was simple and tasted nice.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she needed to eat as well. Cutting herself a thick slice of bread – she reminded herself to make some more later – Chloe lathered butter onto it and chewed the slice as she got everything ready to make breakfast. Then she picked up the basket she used for the eggs. The chickens would need feeding, and then she would collect the eggs while they were distracted; the chickens were annoyingly territorial about what they had laid. Chloe’s hands throbbed after being pecked so much.

Heading outside, she crossed the back yard toward the hen house. The chickens were all outside, clucking away as they tried to find something to eat, pecking at the ground. Putting the basket down, Chloe went into the nearby shed and found the bird feed. A bit of that scattered on the ground would have the desired effect.

And she was right. The chickens descended immediately on the feed, some of it bouncing off their heads as Chloe tossed it onto the ground. They were almost fighting over getting it, their clucking somewhat muted as they ate. Chloe had to smile as she stepped over the mesh fencing and opened the top of the hen house. There were several eggs inside, ideal for several meals throughout the day. She already had in mind what she was going to make with them.

One thing went right in her life, and it was that her chickens laid a lot of eggs.

Getting them out and placing them carefully in the basket, Chloe put the roof back and stepped out of the chicken coop before they realized what had happened. It did make her feel a little bad for taking their eggs. Maybe she should leave a couple next time so they could get some chicks.

Why did she have to think about babies again? It was like a brief mention of them, and Chloe started thinking about them all the time. It distracted her from what she was doing, and she hated it. Why did she need that haunting her while she was trying to carry on as normal?

Or as normal as she could get. It was still difficult moving on after losing Thomas, especially as suddenly as she did. Chloe didn’t want to go through it again. It was just going to make her feel worse than she already was.

But she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like if she had a child. If anything, it would mean she still had a part of Thomas, and she wouldn’t feel bereft and alone. But even a baby wasn’t going to soothe her broken heart.

She was on her way back to the house when she heard someone crying. Slowing, she cocked her head and listened. It was coming from nearby, but when she looked around, nobody was there. Was it a wounded animal? It didn’t sound like it, but it was possible.

Then Chloe realized where it was coming from. There was a gap underneath the porch by the kitchen door, and she could hear the noise wafting up from the dark. Putting the basket on the porch, Chloe crouched and peered underneath, her eyes adjusting to the dimness. For a moment, she couldn’t see anything.

Then a shape formed, and it took her a moment to figure out what it was. A wicker basket, small and floppy, half-folded in on itself. The noise was coming from inside.

Chloe reached in and carefully pulled it toward her. The crying got a little louder, and then it was as if the basket was wriggling. She almost let go of it but waited a moment until the wriggling stopped.

When she got it out in the sun and looked inside, she couldn’t believe what she saw.

It was a baby, tiny and red-faced as it cried, wrapped loosely in a worn-looking blanket. Its eyes were screwed up tightly, its mouth open, with the wails hitting Chloe’s ears. She didn’t know how old the baby was, but it was certainly very young. It probably had not been born long ago.

And there was no note at all. Someone had just left a baby under her porch and then abandoned it.

#

Chloe couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Why on earth would someone leave a baby here? And how had she not noticed anything? Was it during the night when everyone was asleep?

All she knew was it was too warm to leave the baby outside. Picking the basket up and snatching at the egg basket, she carried both inside. Trying not to toss the basket aside, Chloe placed the baby’s basket onto the kitchen table. Then she stared at it. She had never looked after a baby before. The only memories she had of how to take care of one were from when she was growing up in the orphanage, where she watched the nuns taking care of the other babies, including her. But she didn’t know how to start tending it herself.

“Mrs. Bennett?”

Chloe jumped. Miss Talbot was in the doorway, the petite middle-aged woman looking confused at the sight before her. Then she approached the table and gasped upon seeing the baby.

“Oh, my goodness! Where on earth did this little one come from?”

“I found it outside. Someone must’ve left it there during the night.” Chloe could feel the panic rising. “I genuinely don’t know what to do. I’m scared of hurting it.”

“Then you’d better pay attention while I deal with this,” Miss Talbot said briskly, reaching in and lifting the baby into her arms. “You get some milk, if we have any left, and pour it into a bowl. Then find me a spoon.”

Still in a daze, Chloe did as she was told. At least she found some comfort in Miss Talbot’s help. The older woman was a retired schoolteacher, and she knew how to handle children, even the youngest ones, like the baby in her arms. Already, it seemed Miss Talbot was managing to somewhat console the baby, who was calming a little bit in her embrace.

Chloe didn’t know if she would be able to do that.

Realizing that she needed to do something, she found the milk and a bowl, pouring a little into it and trying not to slosh it everywhere. Handing Miss Talbot a spoon, Chloe tried to figure out how to busy herself instead of hovering over the other woman. So she began needlessly tidying up the kitchen. Something about having a baby thrust on her just left Chloe in a bit of a blind panic, and she felt upset about that. Why did she have to react this way when someone was in need?

She might have her uses, but rescuing a baby wasn’t one of them.

“There we go,” Miss Talbot said after a while, carefully placing the spoon soaked in milk near the baby’s mouth. It began to suck on the spoon, its tongue flicking out. “That should calm him for a little while until we get a nursemaid.”

“Him?” Chloe frowned. “How do you know …?”

“Because I checked. You need to know if it’s a boy or a girl somehow.” Miss Talbot shook her head. “I know you must’ve had some lessons when you were growing up, Chloe.”

“We didn’t learn about babies,” Chloe admitted. “Our lessons were pretty basic. But why would he need a nursemaid?”

“She would have the milk that he would need. And it would be more substantial until he can feed as I’m trying to do.” Miss Talbot adjusted her hold on the child. “He’s only a couple of weeks old, I’m sure of it. Milk from a mother, or the equivalent, would be what he needs, and we would be able to figure out how to look after him. I mean, it’s been years since I’ve looked after a baby, so it’s hard for me to know what to do beyond this.”

Chloe knew she was right, but the idea of getting anyone else involved made her nervous. She knew what would happen here: the nursemaid would feed the baby and then take it away. There was an orphanage in the next town, where the baby would be taken. Into a place she vowed never to have anything to do with. It had been torture for her growing up, and she didn’t want the little boy to experience it as well.

“Do you want to hold him?” Miss Talbot asked, raising her eyebrows at Chloe.

“I’m sorry?”

“You’ve been staring at him this whole time. Do you want to hold him for a moment?”

Chloe was about to refuse, but then she found herself sitting down at the table, and Miss Talbot was placing the baby into her arms. She looked down at the baby and saw his eyes for the first time. They were blue, much like hers, wide-eyed and blinking up at her, his mouth open as if in question. He was wrinkled like a newborn, yet still beautiful.

Who would abandon someone like him? How could anyone do that?

“We’re going to have to tell the sheriff about this, Chloe,” Miss Talbot said quietly.

Chloe’s head snapped up.

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Someone’s left him here, and we don’t know where the parents are. We’re going to need the sheriff to find who they are and reunite them with their child.” The schoolteacher paused. “If there was a reason for this, we’ve got to find out.”

Chloe sat, shaking her head as Miss Talbot spoke.

“No. No, we can’t do that.”

“Whyever not?”

“What if the sheriff sends the baby away? What if …?” Chloe gulped. “What if they put him in one of those places? Where …”

Chloe couldn’t say anything more. She had never told anyone much about her past beyond the fact that she grew up without parents. Miss Talbot was a shrewd woman, and she would be able to figure it out. Chloe didn’t think she could put it into words.

Miss Talbot sighed.

“I know this is not ideal, but he’s lost his family. Perhaps they’re out there looking for him.”

“You think someone might’ve kidnapped him?”

“It’s possible. Although why anyone would leave him under your porch is anyone’s guess. But there’s a chance someone took him, and the parents are still searching.” The older woman sat forward. “You know this is the right thing to do. We have to notify the sheriff about this.”

Chloe wished that she wasn’t right. She felt sick at the thought of the baby going anywhere near an orphanage and disappearing from everyone else. Unless someone was looking for a child to adopt, like a philanthropist who did good causes, nobody paid the children any attention.

“What if I care for him?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. “I can learn to look after a baby, and I …”

“Chloe, you know that wouldn’t work, not if we need to notify the authorities,” Miss Talbot said gently. “Doctor Fredericks will have to look at him to make sure he’s well, the nursemaid will have to feed him, and his parents might come by. If he were kidnapped, and you kept him, you could get into trouble.”

“But …”

“I understand your concerns about orphanages and putting him there, but you can’t do this on your own. You need to take a deep breath and calm down.” Miss Talbot put her hand on Chloe’s knee. “I’ll reach out to Deputy Miles and see what we can do. We’re going to need to notify the new sheriff as soon as he gets here.”

Chloe almost asked what she meant, but then she remembered. The sheriff had vanished without warning, and no one knew where he had gone. The mayor had needed to request that someone from another town be transferred to them, so they had a lawman in charge. From what Chloe knew when she was out running errands, the deputies at the station were not happy about it. One of them was hoping to be promoted into the position themselves, but the mayor had other ideas.

She could understand. While Hot Springs was growing in size, outsiders were still viewed a little differently for a while. And if the new sheriff didn’t make any good impressions, he was going to have a rough time.

“You know we need to do this,” Miss Talbot pointed out. “Why don’t I look after the baby while you make breakfast? Then once we’ve got our bellies full and sorted, we’ll notify Deputy Miles and Doctor Fredericks about the baby. All right?”

Chloe didn’t want it. She didn’t want to send the baby away, not when he was desperate for a mother’s love. Already, the baby was nestled in her arms, his eyes drifting closed. She didn’t want to let him go.

But she had to. It wasn’t about what she wanted anymore. It never was.

Chapter Two

It was dusk by the time Jonathan arrived at Hot Springs. He couldn’t help finding it amusing that someone had called it that. There was something curious about how the towns were named.

Whoever named the place Hot Springs had to have been someone running away from something themselves. Almost as if they were guilty of a crime.

He didn’t want to come here. He wanted to be back in Clearwater Ridge; it was quiet and settled, just how he liked it. Silent and still. Hot Springs was something else, something bigger, and he knew it was going to frustrate him. He didn’t like it at all.

But he didn’t have a choice. The mayor of Clearwater Ridge had been in contact with the mayor in town, and they had decided to transfer Jonathan over. How could they do that to him? Jonathan thought he was doing a good job at his old place. Nobody had a complaint about him, as far as he knew. It felt like a punishment.

But he had to admit there was an intriguing piece of the puzzle. The previous sheriff was gone. Sheriff Marcus Goodman had been a part of Hot Springs for years and was a well-known member of the community. But then he suddenly disappeared. There was no letter left behind, no idea where he could’ve gone, nothing at all. It was like he had vanished into thin air, and he didn’t exist anymore.

His absence was a sore point for the town now, and from what Jonathan knew, people were wary about the situation. They must have been confused about why he had gone, and the deputies couldn’t seem to find anything.

Jonathan had requested that one of the deputies be appointed, allowing him to remain in his current position, but had been told that this was not an option. He had to go, much to his chagrin.

Hopefully, this wouldn’t be for long. If he could last for a short while, maybe he could leave, and someone else could take over. Jonathan wanted nothing better than to depart, and he had barely entered the town.

As he made his way along the main street, eerily quiet for the time of day, he caught sight of a tall, stocky man with a bald head and unshaven jaw with a deputy’s badge pinned to his shirt, talking to a young woman standing outside a shop. He had his Stetson in his hand, and from the smile he was giving her, they were flirting. The woman was certainly blushing. Jonathan rolled his eyes at the sight. Wasn’t he meant to be on duty?

At least it was someone to whom he could ask directions to get some rest and put his belongings.

Steering his horse to the side of the street, he dismounted and approached the pair.

“Howdy, Deputy …”

The deputy glanced over and then did a double-take. Jonathan saw him look at the sheriff’s badge attached to his chest, his eyes widening. Clearing his throat, the man made his excuses to the young woman and hurried over, donning his Stetson.

“Yes, sir? Would you be the new sheriff?”

“For now. Jonathan Ryder.” He held out a hand. “And you are …?”

“Eli Miles.” The other man grasped his in a firm grip, shaking twice before letting go. “Thank you for coming. I hope the journey was uneventful.”

“As best as it can be in this weather.” Jonathan looked around. “I was wondering if you could point me toward somewhere I could put my things. I’m going to need somewhere to stay, but anywhere to put my head down for the night would be a blessing.”

“Of course. We’re currently looking after that, sorting out a place for you.” Miles jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “But there will be places at Chloe Bennett’s boarding house around the corner. It’s only for a few days, but it’s clean and the beds are comfortable.”

That was something. Jonathan would take what he could get. He just wanted to store his belongings before heading over to the station to see what was there.

“Fine. Is there anything I need to be aware of? Anything that needs attention?”

“Not that I know of.” Miles frowned. “Although Chloe’s come into a baby.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Someone left a baby at her boarding house, and she’s asking around who might’ve had a child recently. I haven’t found anything so far, but if you want to talk to her about it, you can do that while you’re sorting out your things.”

Jonathan bit back a groan. The first problem he had thrown into his lap as soon as he arrived was a lost baby. That would likely be sorted within a few hours if it hadn’t already. He wiped his sweaty forehead with his sleeve.

“Point me in that direction. And then give me the address of the station. I’ll be along later.”

Five minutes later, he was tethering his horse to the post outside the boarding house. It was a big-looking building, seeming clean and homely. Chloe Bennett certainly took good care of the place. It appeared to be where he needed to rest.

Getting up the steps and onto the front porch, he used the door knocker, the sound echoing in his head. He wouldn’t be surprised if everyone in the street could hear it. A moment later, the door opened, and a petite woman with golden hair and the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen glared up at him. Jonathan took half a step back at the sudden animosity.

“Good evening,” he stuttered, clearing his throat. “I’m looking for Chloe Bennett …”

“It’s none of your business.”

Jonathan blinked.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Yes, there is a baby here, and no, I’m not going to answer your questions about him. It’s none of your business, and I would appreciate you not coming over to stick your nose in where it’s not wanted.” She glowered at him before stepping back. “Now go away.”

The door slammed in his face. What had just happened there? Why had she just reacted that way?

He thought about the strain in her expression, the pain in her eyes, as well as the annoyance. Deputy Miles had mentioned that she had found a baby, and from her reaction, it sounded like people had been over simply to be nosey.

Sighing, he unpinned his badge and knocked again. This time, he had it ready as Chloe swung the door open again, her mouth open to chastise him.

“I’m Sheriff Jonathan Ryder, here from Clearwater Ridge.” He watched as she faltered, lowering his badge. “I’m looking for a room for a few nights until I can get myself settled. Are there rooms here that I can take?”

Her mouth opened and closed, and he watched a dark red blush creep across her cheeks. Then she swallowed, her gaze averted.

“I’m so sorry,” she mumbled. “I … I didn’t …”

“You’ve had a lot of people hassling you today, haven’t you?” Jonathan tilted his head to one side. “Something to do with the baby I heard about from Deputy Miles?”

She nodded, stepping aside and opening the door wider.

“You’d better come in,” she said. “Did you say you wanted a room?”

“I haven’t got a place for myself just yet.” Jonathan stepped into the large hallway and took a look around. “It’s just for a few days. And I can pay handsomely for it.”

“That would be appreciated.” Chloe absently tucked a stray hair behind her ear, still looking flustered. “I mean, of course, you should pay. That’s not …”

She was looking anywhere except at him. Jonathan was about to reassure her he understood when he caught sight of the gray-haired woman in her fifties who appeared in the doorway. She was holding a bundle, and it was shifting a little in her arms. A tiny hand sneaked out, and he heard a baby cry. Was that the baby Chloe had mentioned?

“He’s getting hungry again, Chloe,” the woman said, her expression placid as if this was nothing to her. “Do you want me to feed him?”

“No, I’ll do it.” Chloe hurried away, lifting the child out of the woman’s arms. “I think I know how to do it now.”

“But what about your guest?” The woman gestured at Jonathan. “Don’t you want to show him to a room?”

“Oh.” Chloe blinked and then realized what she was doing. “I didn’t …”

The woman patted her shoulder and steered her toward the kitchen.

“Go and sort him out. I’ll look after the newcomer.” As Chloe, still looking dubious, left the hall, the older woman approached Jonathan. “Forgive her, sir. She’s had a long day, and it’s taking its toll on her. I’m Miss Talbot, another one of the guests here.”

“Jonathan Ryder.” Jonathan realized he still had his Stetson on and removed it. “I take it the baby’s thrown things into a bit of chaos, then?”

“You could say that. The doctor’s been, and so has the nursemaid, but there’s always something happening. I’m glad I’m long past any of that.” She stepped around him and snagged a key off a hook attached to a board on the wall. “If you’ll follow me? I’ll show you to a room. Chloe will be along shortly to explain a few more things. If not, just come and find me.”

“Thank you,” Jonathan murmured, following her up the stairs.

This was a strange setup if a guest was showing him around, but he could tell that something wasn’t right with the whole thing. It was as if the baby’s arrival had changed the atmosphere.

Then again, he was a newcomer. Maybe this was normal for them, and he was the odd one out.

#

After settling into his room and paying for the week by giving Miss Talbot the money to give to Chloe, Jonathan collected his key and left the boarding house. The sheriff’s station was a few streets over, so it wouldn’t take long to get there and have a look at what was left.

Deputy Miles was there, leaning over some papers on his desk and frowning deeply. He jumped up when Jonathan walked in, standing to attention.

“Sheriff Ryder.”

“Deputy Miles.” Jonathan looked around. “I was going to have a look at your sheriff’s office. See if there’s anything I need to look at more closely.”

“Of course, sir.” Miles nodded toward a closed door at the far end of the room. “It’s through there. He had a separate area to himself, and he was often in there in the middle of the night.”

“Did he ever mention anything he might have been looking at?”

“Not often. We learned quickly there was no need to ask, and we should just wait for him to come to us.” Miles shrugged. “He was just private, sir. Sharing thoughts and ideas when he wasn’t certain was not something he was used to.”

Jonathan could understand that. Nobody wanted to be wrong on anything. It sounded like Sheriff Goodman was diligent about being certain he was right. He headed toward the office and walked in. The first thing that jumped out at him was how tidy it was. Jonathan hadn’t expected that; he thought it would be a complete and utter mess, but things seemed to be in their place.

“Has someone been in here to tidy up?” he asked Miles over his shoulder.

“Not that I know of,” Miles called back. “I’ve not been in there, that’s for sure. Why?”

“Just checking.” He turned to the deputy, who was watching him pensively. “I’ll be here a while. Don’t worry about me. You go on home when you’re done.”

“Yes, sir.”

Shutting the door, Jonathan noted the key was still in the lock. He contemplated locking it but decided against it. He could do that later.

Jonathan noticed, as he looked through the various drawers, that his predecessor wasn’t the tidiest of people. Despite what he saw walking through, the drawers were a complete and utter mess. It was like he just shoved something out of sight and didn’t bother to put it in order. It was surprising he managed to find anything at all that appeared to make sense.

After a bit of searching around, Jonathan found a journal with Sheriff Goodman’s name scrawled on the inside, tucked away in the bottom drawer of his desk. Normally, there were ledgers of those who had been arrested and who had been charged and taken to court, along with those who were released. If they weren’t in the office, they were likely in another part of the building. But a journal jumped out at him.

Sitting down, he opened it and saw the sheriff’s scrawl. It looked like he had started the diary at the beginning of the year, and his handwriting was illegible. Jonathan knew he was going to get a headache looking through this. And it was going to take longer than a couple of hours to read.

Chances were there wouldn’t be anything here to indicate where he might be now. Sheriff Goodman had just vanished, and he likely hadn’t left a clue. If he did, it was underneath the mess in his office.

Slumping back in the chair, Jonathan pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going to be a hard one. His job was to carry on Goodman’s work. While he hadn’t been told explicitly to find the previous sheriff, he felt like it was implied. One mystery he had to work on.

Another likely scenario would be where a baby had come from and why it was left at the boarding house. From the way Chloe had behaved when she opened the door, it seemed that a lot of people had come to the door to talk to her about it, likely offering unhelpful advice. Jonathan had come across that before; it was just a way for others to be nosey. Anything for gossip.

He had to admit he was curious about why the baby had been left with Chloe. Perhaps someone thought the baby would be safe with her. Or maybe it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, and her house was the one where they could hide the baby.

There were so many questions with that, and Jonathan knew he wouldn’t get any answers from her. Not yet, anyway.

Not ever, he reminded himself. The baby wasn’t his concern unless someone brought it to him. Deputy Miles might’ve said something about it, but until he heard it himself, Jonathan wasn’t going to get involved. He had a missing sheriff to find and a way to navigate a place he didn’t want to be.

There were far more important things going on in his life without worrying about his pretty landlady.

That gave him pause. Did he just think Chloe Bennett was pretty? She was married, wasn’t she? He shouldn’t be thinking that way about a married woman; that was asking for trouble.

Sighing, he stood up and sauntered over to the door. Deputy Miles was still there, scribbling something with his tongue sticking out. He looked up when he realized someone was watching him and straightened his back.

“Did you want something, sir?” he asked.

“Do you have the ledger recording arrests around here, Miles? I would’ve thought it would be in Goodman’s office.”

“It’s behind the front desk.” Miles stood up and headed over to the counter right by the front door, reaching behind it and lifting out a thick, heavy book. “It was in Sheriff Goodman’s office, but he was getting fed up with people coming in to fill it in, and he couldn’t keep up himself, so we left it out here so we can get it down quickly when we need to.”

“That’s something.” Jonathan took the book and weighed it in his hands. It was heavier than he anticipated. “How far back does this go?”

“Ten years.”

“Really?”

Miles shrugged.

“I guess, even with a name like ours, things don’t happen as you think. There are months when absolutely nothing happens, and other times when it’s so busy it’s a wonder we get any sleep.”

Jonathan gave him a rueful smile.

“Let’s me guess. It’s usually around Christmastime or something close to it?”

“Pretty much. Things can get ugly at Christmas.”

Jonathan couldn’t argue with that. Thanking the young man, he returned to the office, placing the book on the desk. Although he had a feeling he knew what he was going to find when he looked inside.

Gaps. A lot of them. And nothing to answer the questions he had.