Tommy hailed a cab and soon they were driving back to the sanctuary. On arrival, Richard came out to meet them, followed closely by Charlie and Carl. Kathleen was surprised to see her brother-in-law, as she thought he would be back at Lily’s looking after Bridget.
“Where is Bridget?” Kathleen asked him.
“She stayed behind with Lily,” Carl explained. “She said she was taking a nap, but I think Laurie and Teddy may have had other ideas. How did it go?”
“Good now we are home. Come inside. I have to make a guest comfortable, but I will be down soon.”
Carl and Charlie turned back to go inside, but Richard stood waiting, an uncomfortable expression on his face. She walked over to him.
“Richard, I—”
“Kathleen, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have presumed like that yesterday. I just wanted to keep you safe.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, too. I guess I can be a bit stubborn at times.”
“More than a bit, sis!” Shane said, as he walked by holding Angel’s hand.
“Who is that?” Richard asked.
“That’s Angel. She has some nasty bruises on her arms, and I suspect elsewhere.”
“Does she need a doctor?”
Kathleen looked at the man she loved. He really did care about people. “I don’t think so, but I’ll ask her. She is a pretty tough cookie.”
“Is she going to stay here now?”
“Yes, for Christmas, but I am not sure after that. One brother beat her, and the other just told us to leave while he dealt with him. I guess you could say their family is rather complicated right now.”
“I am just glad you are safe. Young Kenny was very worried about you. He’s waiting for you inside.”
Richard offered her his arm to escort her into the sanctuary. Cook had already made tea and gingerbread cookies. Kathleen asked Angel to come with her to find Kenny who was sitting in his bedroom with Jack.
“I brought a friend back to see Jack and you,” Kathleen said.
Kenny looked up, his sad little face lighting up when he saw Angel.
“You came. They said you would, but I wasn’t sure. Thank you.”
Jack nearly tripped Angel up, as he ran around her legs. Laughing, she sat on Kenny’s bed and let the dog sit on her knee, while she put her arm around Kenny. Kathleen saw that the action hurt her by the way the girl winced, but Angel didn’t let on to Kenny.
“You look good, Mouse, better than you did when you came to my house.”
“I got new clothes, and Cook feeds me. A lot! You should taste her pancakes. Who are you?” he demanded, when Shane walked in the door.
“Shane is my friend and Kathleen’s brother,” Angel explained.
“Oh. Well, don’t get any funny ideas. I’m marrying Angel when I grow up. She’s my friend.” Kenny’s tone told the others he was serious.
Kathleen hid a smile, as Shane and Angel exchanged a loving look.
“Sure thing, Kenny. But you have to grow into a good man,” Shane said. “She deserves a husband who treats her right.”
“I know that.” Kenny looked down his nose at Shane, making Kathleen choke on a giggle.
She withdrew from the room leaving the three of them to chat freely. Inspector Griffin had sent a note to say he would come by in the morning to speak to Angel. Kathleen wondered if the girl knew how much danger she was in.
Shane followed her out.
“Kathleen, I’m sorry about the way I spoke to you. You didn’t deserve that.”
“Angel has to leave New York. Are you really prepared to go with her? I thought you wanted to stay here.”
“I came back for her. I met her years ago, but at first we were just friends. Being sent away made me realize I loved her.”
“But you were…”
“Don’t tell me we were kids. We stopped being children the day Mam died. I know how I feel, and Angel feels the same.”
Kathleen laughed, making Shane scowl. “Don’t look at me like that Shane. You can’t tell me you are not a child one minute and sulk like one the next. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to belittle your feelings for Angel. Forgive me?”
He nodded, but, as she continued to stare at him, he smiled.
“Do you want to go back to Riverside Springs?” she asked.
“Yes, I liked it there. I came back to New York for Angel and for something else.”
Dying to know what else he was involved with, she waited for him to expand, but he stayed silent.
“You seem to know what you are doing. Don’t look at me like that. You are my brother, and I care about you. I don’t like you being on the wrong side of Monk Eastman or anyone else.”
“You leave Monk to me and the boys. Just promise me you will look after Angel,” Shane said. “She needs a friend.”
“If you are going to marry her, she will get more than she bargained for. Have you told her what sisters are like?” Kathleen joked, giving her brother a quick hug. He hugged her back before dropping his hands, his face red with embarrassment.
“I best get back, before Kenny grows up and marries my girl.”
Laughing, Kathleen walked down the stairs to find Richard, but he had already left.