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angel who looked more like the fallen sort out of hell. He was enormous in stature, forcing her to crane her neck. “Uh…yes. I…thank you, sir,” she managed.
    Ice blue eyes held her gaze from where he towered. A thick, jagged scar marred the entire left side of his shaven face. “Next time, ask others for assistance before taking on a group of men. What under heaven were you thinking? You’re the size of an elf. You could have been hurt.” He gave her a pointed stare, then with the shake of his head, turned and stalked away.
    She blinked, holding the softness of the bear tighter against herself and watched that massive, muscled body make its way through the crowd like a lion prowling its way through a herd of gazelles. There was an unspoken air of isolation surrounding him as people scrambled to get out of his way.
    Usually when a man paid a woman’s debt in these parts, he expected something. A kiss, at the very least. Not that she would ever entertain a man who looked like he could snap chimneys under one arm. “Sir?”
    He jerked to a halt and glanced back at her, his hair falling back into his eyes. “What is it? Are they not moving fast enough?”
    In unison, the creditors scrambled to unload the cart, stumbling to carry everything back to the tenement with the scuff of boots.
    She burst into laughter. The man had earned her respect for life. “They are moving much faster now, thank you.” Turning to her son, who lingered on the steps, she called out brightly, “Go inside to Mrs. Henderson, dear. I’ll be right there!”
    “What about Jesus?” he called back, holding out both hands and rattling them. “I want Jesus!”
    “It’s Moses now, remember? Moses. Now give me a moment!” Gad. Half the street heard that. She turned to the gentleman who still silently waited and cringed. “He is going through a religious awakening. Very normal for children his age. I’m hoping he’ll outgrow it.”
    His blue eyes continued to hold her gaze as if expecting her to say something worthy of his time. “Am I to understand you don’t support your child’s view of religion?”
    Apparently, he was the religious sort. Most people were. Not that she was most people. Much like her aunt who had raised her after the death of her father, she was more of a freethinker. Neither a believer or a disbeliever.
    When she was younger, her aunt had wisely taught her to hide their radical views which included being independent from not only the church but men. As for hiding her views now that she was older? Why bother? Everyone hated her anyway.
    “It isn’t that I don’t support his view, sir, I simply want him to be well-informed before he makes a decision that will impact the delicate core of who he is. You cannot turn a boy into a leader if you insist he only follow. One would hope every mother would be as infinitely thoughtful as I.”
    He stared.
    She said too much. “Uh…can you please wait whilst I take the bear to him? I shall only be a moment.”
    He shifted his scarred jaw. “Why do you want me to wait?”
    My, was he ever serious. “I wish to speak to you.”
    “About what?” he rumbled out.
    Oh for the love of butterflies. “About your generosity. What else? Now might you wait?”
    He skimmed her appearance, lingering for a moment on her stained apron, and then widened his stance. “All right. Go. I’ll wait.”
    Leona awkwardly adjusted the apron around her waist with one hand, wishing she had taken it off before leaving the kitchen. She probably had flour in her hair, too, after her morning of making scones had been interrupted by the creditors banging on the door. She swiped at the sides of her hair. “I was busy in the kitchen all morning.”
    He held her gaze. “I can see that.”
    His level of intensity made it impossible for a girl to breathe. She edged away. “Excuse me.”
    Turning, she bustled back to her son who still waited on the stairs. She wagged the bear at him, leaned down and kissed