Chapter Seventeen
DELIA CROSSED THE PARLOR again, swiping dust from items that weren’t dusty and straightening furniture that was fine where it was.
The slightest noise made her heart jump and her gaze shoot to the door. How long would it take Max and the others to find Anna?
She felt so useless here, waiting and doing nothing to help.
Delia paced across the room to where Anna slept. Her bed was neatly made, a habit that had taken some convincing and practice to maintain. She smiled at it, but it hurt, because all she wanted was for Anna to be here, safe and loved where she needed to be.
She sat on the bed, resting a hand on either side of her.
Max had spoken of finding another home for them, one in which Anna would have her own bedroom.
Delia sighed and stood up. She straightened the bedcovers where she’d wrinkled them, and as she did so, her toe nudged something that rustled slightly under the bed.
She bent down and felt underneath the bed until her fingers found a folded sheet of paper. Pulling it out, she wondered what it could be. She’d never seen Anna writing anything.
Delia unfolded the sheet. It was a letter.
Dear Mr. Snyder,
Thank you for your concern for my daughter. I reassure you she is safe and well cared for here in Crest Stone with me and my wife. We intend to keep her here and raise her. She’s grown comfortable with the town and with us. I have excellent employment with a hotel, and Anna wants for nothing.
Yours,
M. Foster
Delia blinked at the page. It was a letter from Max. The one he clearly wrote to Anna’s grandfather and posted a week or so ago.
What was it doing here?
He couldn’t have forgotten to send it. He’d posted it the very next day after writing it, first thing in the morning.
Delia looked up as another possibility entered her mind.
Quickly, she scanned Anna’s little corner. There were no dresses hanging on the pegs. Her circus book, which normally sat on the little table next to her bed, was gone. Her hairbrush and favorite ribbons were missing.
A shiver ran up Delia’s spine as the letter floated from her hand to the floor. She knew now exactly what had happened.
Mr. Snyder had come for Anna. And while Delia had gone out earlier, he’d brought Anna back here to gather her things.
Delia forced the fear down and spurred herself into action. Grabbing the letter from the floor, she ran to the door, not stopping for hat or gloves or anything to protect herself from the chill night air.
She ran toward the main road as if she were being chased by a pack of wolves. Clutching the letter to her skirts, she looked both ways down the road. Where was Max? Or the marshal?
Frantic, but needing to do something, she ran toward the depot before she realized there was no way Mr. Snyder could have boarded a train. No train had left Crest Stone between the time Delia had last seen Anna and now.
She forced herself to stop, but her heart continued racing.
She looked around, wishing that Max or Marshal Wright would appear.
When they didn’t, her mind lurched toward where Mr. Snyder might have taken Anna.
She doubted he’d have ridden them on horses to Canon City.
That was much too far for a child to ride, and besides, from what Max had told her, Mr. Snyder didn’t seem the sort to opt for hours on horseback when he could afford to pay for rail travel.
That meant they still had to be in town.
Hope buoyed her heart as she looked around her. She just had to figure out where.
It took seconds for her to narrow down the options. He wouldn’t have chosen Liam’s hotel if he deduced that Max worked there. Besides, Liam would have recognized Anna with a stranger in an instant. That left the large Crest Stone Hotel up on the hill, or the only nice boardinghouse in town—Darby’s.
Delia wanted to run to both at the same time, but instead, she forced herself to visit the county sheriff’s office. With Marshal Wright out looking for Anna, she took a chance that Sheriff Hunt or one of his deputies might be in the office.
Her luck held, and after informing the deputy of what she discovered and requesting that he locate Max or the marshal, she ran for the closest of the two possibilities.
Darby’s Boardinghouse was quiet this time of the evening. It was past supper, and most of the guests had either retired to their rooms or were gathered in the parlor. Delia burst in, and after one look at her, Miss Darby’s eyebrows shot up in concern.
“My dear,” she said. “Is everything all right? Do you need a room?”
Delia shook her head and held up the letter before realizing that Miss Darby would have no idea what the letter meant.
“I’m looking for a man and a girl. Mr. Samuel Snyder.
The girl’s name is Anna Foster—or she might have said Anna Snyder—and she’s eleven years old with golden hair and brown eyes and a pink dress—” She forced herself to stop talking so that Miss Darby might be able to tell her whether she’d seen them.
“Oh,” Miss Darby said, clearly surprised at Delia’s frantic outburst. “Yes, a Mr. Snyder took two rooms earlier, one for himself and one for the young lady. Did you wish to see them?”
Delia nodded, relief flooding her from head to toe.
“Let’s see.” Miss Darby opened the ledger at the desk and moved her lamp closer to its pages. “I put the young miss upstairs with the ladies, and Mr. Snyder down here with the gentlemen.” She rattled off two room numbers.
Delia thanked her. “I expect my husband or Marshal Wright will be here shortly. If I haven’t returned from upstairs, will you tell them what you told me?”
“Of course,” Miss Darby said with wide eyes. “Is Mr. Snyder dangerous?”
Delia honestly didn’t know. She hoped not. “I don’t think so, but I’ve never met him. I just need to get Anna back home where she belongs.”
“Yes. Go on ahead.” Miss Darby gestured at the stairs. “I’ll wait here for the marshal and Mr. . . .”
She trailed off with a question in her voice.
“Foster,” Delia said. “He works at the Hannan Hotel. I’m his wife.”
“Yes,” Miss Darby said with recognition. “Of course.”
Delia didn’t wait a moment longer. She raced up the steps and down the hall until she found the room number Miss Darby had given her. She knocked on the door and called Anna’s name.
“It’s Delia,” she said. “Please let me in.”
The door opened right away, and Anna flung her arms around Delia. Her eyes were rimmed in red, as if she’d been crying. Delia held the little girl tightly.
“Are you all right? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” she asked, horrified that she’d even have to ask that question.
Anna backed up a little, swiping at her eyes. “No. But you’re here. He said you didn’t want me anymore. Neither you nor Papa.”
Delia felt as if someone had sliced her heart in two. She took hold of both Anna’s arms and looked the girl in the eyes. “That isn’t true. We love you so much, both of us. Your papa was so afraid when we couldn’t find you. He’s out looking for you with the marshal right now.”
Anna’s chin trembled, as if she was going to start crying again. Delia wrapped her arms around the girl, tugging her against her chest.
“I will always love you,” she said. “I might not be the mother you had, and I don’t want to take her place. But I love you like a mother. I promise you that I always will.”
Anna clung to her, and Delia held on to her for everything she was worth. Finally, she pulled away. “We have to find your father and let him know that you’re safe. We can collect your things later.”
Anna nodded and let Delia take her hand. Delia shut the door to the room and led Anna down the hallway.
“Sir!” Miss Darby’s voice carried up from the entryway. “You aren’t allowed on the second floor. Sir!”
Delia turned the corner to the landing, hoping Max had finally arrived and was ignoring Miss Darby’s pleas.
But instead, she ran right into a different man. A stranger, older and frowning, with silver hair and a neat suit.
“Pardon me,” she said as Anna shrunk back, trying to pull Delia with her.
“Let go of my granddaughter,” he said in a harsh voice. “Now.”
Delia swallowed and tightened her grip on Anna’s hand. Every instinct told her to run, but she planted her feet, looked him right in his steel gray eyes, and said, “No. My daughter is coming home with me and her father.”