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pose. “Don’t plan to be here more than a few days.” Maybe shorter if the sheriff took too keen an interest in them.
    â€œAnd where are your niece and nephew right now?”
    Keep it casual. “They’re resting at your town’s fine hotel.”
    â€œHi there, Sheriff.” Mr. Humphries’s hail turned both men’s heads toward the side office. “You looking to rent a buggy?”
    Riley tried not to let his relief at the interruption show.
    The sheriff straightened. “Hello, Fred. No, I’m just getting acquainted with Mr. Walker here.”
    Fred Humphries gave Riley a smile. “Well, he’s a good worker, at least so far. And he seems to know his way around horses, too.”
    Uncomfortable with standing there while he was being talked about, Riley cleared his throat. “I think that’s my cue to get back to work.” He nodded to both men and headed toward the hay stall once more.
    Riley jabbed the pitchfork into the hay with a little more force than was necessary. Did every newcomer to town come under such scrutiny or was there something about him and the kids that had brought them to Sheriff Gleason’s notice?
    Now that he had come to the sheriff’s notice, though, he’d need to be more careful than ever. Not that he’d done anything illegal, but getting certain matters untangled if they came to light could prove tricky.
    It seemed the sooner he and the kids left Turnabout, the better.
    * * *
    Later that afternoon, Riley exited the hotel with Noah and Pru, feeling unsettled. For one thing, he hadn’t had the chance to saddle up River and go for a ride as he’d hoped. Mr. Humphries had asked for his help repairing one of the stall gates and he’d felt obliged to agree. By the time that was done he’d had to get back to the hotel and check on the kids. Riley didn’t like to leave them alone for more than a couple hours at a time. But they’d be boarding the train again in a few days, and he had hoped to get a lot of riding in while they were here.
    The other reason for his unsettled mood was that he found himself wondering for the hundredth time why he was going through with this. He’d let down his guard when Miss Vickers looked at him with such entreaty in her gaze, thinking that one meal with her and her employer couldn’t hurt anything.
    But it was better to remember that he couldn’t afford to have someone look too deeply into their situation, than to keep pondering over the way he felt when he was with her.
    It was probably just as well that this was only a temporary stop along their unending journey.
    Noah all but skipped along the sidewalk, seeming hardly able to contain his excitement. “I like Miss Vickers. She’s really nice.”
    Pru cut her uncle a quizzical look. “Uncle Riley must think so, too, if he’s letting us go to her house.”
    Riley mentally winced that his distrust of everyone they met was rubbing off on the kids. “It’s only for supper,” he said, feeling strangely defensive. “Besides, she helped Noah at the livery yesterday, so it would have been impolite to turn down her invitation.”
    â€œIt doesn’t matter why we’re going, Pru,” Noah said. “This is gonna be a whole lot better than eating in our room or in the hotel restaurant.”
    â€œJust don’t get used to it,” Riley warned. “Like I said, this is a one-time thing.” He felt a small pang of regret as he said that. Which was odd. How had the woman, after only two brief encounters, gotten under his skin this way?
    As they approached the house Miss Vickers had directed him to, Riley studied it with an objective eye. It was a modest white, one-story structure with a high roof, a porch in front that stretched the entire width, and a large swing hanging on one end. Turning onto the front walk, he realized this would be the first time he and the kids