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hot.” She reached the bottom of thestairs. “Can I offer you a cup of coffee? It’s not much after all you’ve done for us but—”
    “No! No, thank you. I’ve got appointments,” he said, thrusting the bag in her arms. “It was nothing, actually. I hope Sara gets better soon.”
    And he ran out of the house.
    Molly stood there, the bag in her arms, staring at the door through which Quinn had fled.
    What was wrong with him? She’d offered a cup of coffee. That was all. You’d think she’d tried to seduce him.
     
    L YDIA P ERRY RUSHED OUT of the cold into the warmth of Worthington House early the next morning, knowing she’d already find her friends hard at work on another quilt. They’d finished the Bachelor’s Puzzle for Molly Blake yesterday afternoon.
    “Have you heard?” she said as soon as she entered the room.
    “Heard what?” Martha asked, barely looking up from her stitching.
    “About poor little Sara Blake.”
    Those words got everyone’s attention.
    “What wrong with Sara?” Merry asked anxiously. The child was a favorite with all the ladies, but Merry especially delighted in her visits.
    “She’s got the flu.”
    “Oh, the poor baby,” Tillie crooned.
    “She had a very high fever. If it hadn’t been for Quinn, I don’t know what would’ve happened.”
    Emma looked up sharply. “Quinn? What does he have to do with Sara being sick?”
    All the stitching stopped as the ladies stared at Lydia.
    “He called Brady and then took Sara and Molly to the hospital. Sara was dehydrated. He gave her an IV and fixed her up. This nurse I know told me how concerned Quinn was. He stayed with Molly the entire time Sara was with the doctor, holding her hand.”
    Martha and Tillie stared at Lydia, then at each other, a light dawning in their eyes.
    “Do you think—” Tilly began.
    “It’s possible,” Martha agreed, nodding vigorously.
    “I can’t believe it,” Emma protested. “Why, he steers clear of women like Molly. You know that.”
    “Molly’s so pretty,” Bea said timidly.
    “Did I miss something?” Lydia asked, puzzled by the conversation flowing around her.
    “Not really,” Martha said, taking up her needle again.
    “Now wait just a minute. I brought you the news. You should tell me what you’re talking about.”
    “She’s right,” Tillie agreed. “It’s just that—Well, there’s not really anything to tell. More like a hope, don’t you know.”
    “A hope for what?” Lydia asked in frustration.
    Martha took up the explanation. “Quinn is a lovely man. Most people think he’s a flirt, a playboy, but he’s just afraid of being abandoned. That mother of his left him and his brothers afraid of commitment.”
    “You sound like one of those ladies’ magazines, like—like Cosmo. ”
    “I know what I’m talking about,” Martha said sturdily, determination in her voice. “We want him to be happy.”
    “He seems happy to me,” Lydia said.
    “But he’s not. The boy hurts. He hides it, but I know,” Martha assured her.
    “But how does that have anything to do with little Sara?”
    “Woman, think with your heart, eh?” Emma suggested.
    “You mean you think he and Molly— But if he avoids women like her, I don’t see—”
    “He didn’t avoid her yesterday, according to you,” Merry reminded her. “He has such a soft heart.”
    “He was kind, but that doesn’t mean he’ll see her again,” Lydia pointed out.
    “And so? Whose side are you on?” Martha demanded.
    Lydia stared at her friend. “Why, yours, of course. And Molly’s. I want Molly to be happy. Those Spencer boys, I don’t care what you say, they’re heartbreakers. Like their pa.”
    “What do you know about Elias Spencer?” Emma demanded.
    Lydia’s cheeks turned bright red. “Nothing! I’ve seen him a few times. About town.” Her fingers twitched, telling her friends she wasn’t being totally honest.
    “Elias suffers from the same problem as the boys. He’s never forgiven that