Endless Chain. Emilie Richards

I need insurance?”

      “I called my agent. We discussed it. I’ll call her tomorrow and tell her to be sure everything’s in place. You probably shouldn’t go far tonight, just in case.”

      “You’re very kind.” She couldn’t help the next words. “And trusting. I’m really just a stranger to you.”

      “I’m a good judge of character.”

      She didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t as good as he thought.

      “Is there a place at your house for another car?” he asked.

      “On the side, yes. Diego always parks there. But I won’t be living with Adoncia much longer. Diego wants to move in, and he can’t as long as I’m there. So I’m looking for something else.” She held up the keys. “Now I can look a little farther away.”

      “How soon do you want to move?”

      “Yesterday?”

      “Helen Henry needs somebody to stay with her. She’s had a young couple with a baby living in her house, but they’re moving to Phoenix for several months. Zeke is going to school, and Cissy and Reese are going, too.”

      Elisa had only needed minutes to see that Helen Henry was not a woman to be railroaded. “Helen wants somebody to move in?”

      “Well, so far she’s said no to every plan, but Tessa and her mother are convinced somebody needs to be there in case of emergency. So there’s a stalemate. I’ll warn you. Helen might say no to you, as well, but it’s worth a try. I’m sure your room would be rent free.”

      Elisa had not been able to save more than a few hundred dollars. Now she saw the possibilities. Two jobs, a car and a house she didn’t have to pay for. She would have money to make discreet inquiries by telephone, to follow new leads if any came her way.

      “You’re interested?” Sam asked.

      “Yes, if she wants me. Adoncia needs the bedroom for her children.”

      “Then I’ll check. We can go out there tomorrow afternoon if you have the time? It’s my day off, and I can pick you up.”

      “Right now I have nothing but time, Sam.”

      “I sense that.”

      The conversation had gone from impersonal to personal in the space of seconds. They weren’t touching. Indeed she thought that if one of them had brushed the other accidentally, they would have jumped apart. But Sam’s gaze was concerned, and very intimate.

      “You’ve only told me the barest bones about your life,” he said. “And I suspect you didn’t want to say that much. I’m not going to press you, Elisa. But if you ever need to talk, I’ll be here waiting.”

      She couldn’t tell him that talk might bring her world crashing around her ears, or that talk might leave him with a moral dilemma even a man of God would find troubling.

      “You’re very kind,” she murmured. “But you’ve already done too much for me.”

      They could not seem to look away from each other. Seconds passed. She was the one who managed it first. She gazed down at the key in her hand. “Thank you.”

      “Drive safely.” He was gone before she unlocked the car door.

      Chapter Six

      AT FIRST GLANCE Helen Henry’s farmhouse seemed to bask contentedly in the sleepy late summer sun. But that peaceful snapshot was only a ruse.

      “She don’t normally take to strangers,” Cissy Claiborne told Elisa after Elisa scooped Cissy’s baby daughter into her arms and settled her on one hip.

      Chubby Teresa Nancy Helen Claiborne was just one year old, with a full head of pale cotton-candy hair. In the space of moments, Elisa had already learned this rosy-cheeked cherub went by two nicknames, Reese on good days, Hellion on not-so-good. With the encroaching move and changes to her schedule, these days she was answering to Hellion.

      The baby had toddled down Helen Henry’s walkway directly to Elisa and lifted her arms, the way Fernando always did. She smelled like baby shampoo and powder, and immediately nestled in Elisa’s arms as if being there was part of her daily routine. Elisa felt a surge of maternal affection.

      She saw from Cissy’s expression that there was no rivalry here, that, in fact, Cissy was grateful someone else was holding the little girl for a change. “I’m not sure why, but I seem to attract babies.”

      “Babies know who to trust,” Sam said.

      “Maybe they just know how much I like them.”

      “She fussed all day from the minute she got up. This is the first time she’s taken a break.” Cissy held out her hand. “Cissy Claiborne, Reese’s mama.”

      “Elisa Martinez, Reese’s nanny—as long as she’ll let me hold her.”

      “You ever try to pack up just about everything you own with a baby in your arms?” Cissy was young, younger than Elisa had been prepared for, but she said the words with good humor. She had a pretty face, pale golden hair and peach-toned skin, topped off with a friendly smile.

      “I can only imagine,” Elisa said. “I’m sure she knows something is changing.”

      “She’ll like it in Phoenix. Zeke says our apartment has a baby playground just down the street. And just as soon as it cools off a little there, we can go for walks.”

      Elisa had met Sam in the church parking lot so they could drive together. On the trip over, she had learned that Zeke was studying the construction and repair of guitars and other stringed instruments, with the ultimate goal of opening his own shop one day. She could hear all the questions in the young mother’s voice. Surely a move this far away was going to be stressful for everybody, not just the baby.

      “You’re worried about Helen, aren’t you?” Sam asked.

      Cissy lowered her voice. “Well, you know, Ms. Henry shouldn’t really be alone. She thinks she’s taking care of us and all, but truth is, Reverend Sam, she needs some looking after. I do the cooking most of the time and keep up with the housework, but most of all I keep her company. She just plain gets lonely.”

      “I’m going to try to talk her into letting Elisa stay here while you’re away. Nancy and Tessa are all for it. Elisa’s working at the church now.” He turned to Elisa. “Nancy is Helen’s daughter, Tessa’s mother.”

      “That’s great,” Cissy told Elisa. “Reverend Sam’s the kind of boss everybody wants.”

      “Don’t tell her that. I won’t get a lick of work out of her,” Sam said.

      Cissy sobered quickly. “I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I don’t think Ms. Henry’s going to agree. Doesn’t matter how nice you are, she’s just a stubborn woman. Nancy’s brought half a dozen ladies by in the last two months, and Ms. Henry’s sent every one of them back out the door faster than a jackrabbit.”

      “Well, we’ll give it a try.” Sam put his hand on Elisa’s back to urge her toward the front door. For a moment she was all too aware how long it had been since a man had touched her. She and Sam had not said one personal word to each other since he’d ushered her into his car fifteen minutes ago, but she had been only too aware of him.

      Cissy led them inside. No one was downstairs, but judging from the sound of voices, the second floor was occupied.

      “She’ll cry when I leave to get Ms. Henry,” Cissy warned.

      “I’ll come and find you if it gets too bad,” Elisa promised.

      Cissy took off as if she couldn’t get away fast enough.

      “She’s a good mother,” Sam said in a low voice. “Conscientious, thoughtful, patient. But this is a lot