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didn’t realize it had become so late. It’s time for a break anyway. Yes, go ahead.” Then, seemingly as an afterthought, “I promised you the loan of my horse. Come with me.”
    He led her around the hotel and to a stable which appeared in slightly better condition than the house itself. “This is Cleophas,” he said, walking up to a brown stallion tied in the corner. “He’s a good lad, but a bit spirited. I trust you know how to ride a horse.”
    Elizabeth grinned. “I do indeed, Mr. Brody.” She’d spent her happiest summers riding horses out on her cousin’s farm.
    “And can you saddle one as well?”
    She gave him a look that she was sure bordered on reproach, even though that wasn’t her intention. “If you’d like me to demonstrate, I’d be more than happy to show you.”
    He held up both hands in a sweeping gesture. “I won’t stand in your way.”
    She stepped forward, pulled the saddle blanket off the rail nearest Cleophas, and then reached for the saddle. It was heavier than most, but she hefted it onto the animal’s back without a word of complaint. She fastened the girth strap and then moved on to the other pieces of tack. Her fingers worked quickly, and she showed no hesitation between each step of the process. When she finished, she turned to him, a look of triumph on her face.
    “What do you think, Mr. Brody? Do I pass inspection?”
    Adam brought his hands together in three short claps. “Very good indeed, Miss Caldwell. Now, off you go. We have a lot to do the remainder of the day.”
    He reached out to give her a hand up, but Elizabeth ignored it. She tucked up her skirts, climbed up, and took her seat in the saddle. He looked utterly flabbergasted.
    “You did that most admirably, Miss Caldwell,” he said.
    “Thank you. I’ll be back shortly.” She galloped out of the stable and across the yard as though the horse was a part of her very being.
    “Well, I’ll be,” she heard him say behind her as he watched her go. She grinned. Sometimes, it was nice to catch someone by surprise.
    * * *
    Elizabeth snuggled Rose close for one last minute before handing her back to Agatha. “So, she’s done well today, then?”
    Agatha gave a patient smile. “She’s been a perfect lamb. Did you expect anything else?”
    “No. I was just worried, that’s all.”
    “You’ve got a mother’s heart, Elizabeth. You and your child will be just fine.”
    “I hope so.” Elizabeth took a deep breath. “Back to work I go. The kitchen is done, and now we’re on to other things. I daresay the old Garrison mansion will make a very fine new Brody Hotel.”
    “We’ll be fine, dear. Have a good afternoon, and don’t worry about us.”
    Elizabeth mounted Cleophas in the yard and rode back to the hotel, drying tears that had formed. How she wished she didn’t need to be away from her daughter. Despite his faults, her husband had kept food on the table, something she’d taken for granted. Now she realized what a tremendous blessing that was, and how difficult the basic necessities could be to come by. She feared that Rose had become too used to being fed smaller meals. She knew she wasn’t producing as much milk as she should—hopefully, eating at the hotel would help with that.
    When she arrived back at the hotel, she found Mr. Brody and Miss Hampton sitting on a blanket out front, eating sandwiches. She led Cleophas to the stable and got him properly situated, then rounded the corner of the building to receive her next assignment.
    “Join us,” Mr. Brody said, motioning toward the blanket. “Our landlady packed us this very pleasant lunch.”
    Elizabeth pressed her lips together in an effort to keep from making a fool of herself. Those sandwiches looked delicious—she hadn’t eaten anything so fancy in a long time, and she was starving. Breakfast had been nothing but a cup of coffee hours ago. She took a seat, spreading her skirts modestly, then accepted the offered food. Her first bite of