Maid to Match by Deeanne Gist Page B

will cost me much at all. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do and so do you.”

    Sloop opened the door to the orphanage. Mack winced at the sight of him. The man’s nose and jaw were bruised, and his left eye still didn’t open completely. Had he done all that? It’d been two weeks since their fight.
    “What do you want?” Sloop growled.
    “I’m here to see my sister.”
    “You’re not welcome in this building or on this property.”
    “It’s visiting hours.”
    “I couldn’t care less.” Sloop started to close the door.
    Mack reached out to block it. Sloop jumped back in fear.
    A twinge of guilt pricked at Mack, but he reminded himself Sloop had hit Ora Lou – no telling how many times – and his anger swelled all over again. “Get her or I’ll come in and fetch her myself.”
    “I’ve talked with the police chief. He’s promised to throw you in jail if you so much as touch me again.”
    “In that case, I’ll make sure I do a lot more damage next time. Maybe something permanent. Now, unless you have something to hide, I suggest you go and get her.”
    Seconds ticked by as they stared at each other. Without inviting Mack in, Sloop spun and stalked through a door at the end of the corridor. But he left the front door open.
    Mack stepped inside, then made his way to the parlor, where visitors waited. Alone in the room, he paced beside a stiff couch and fragile chairs, the thick rug cushioning his boots. Pausing, he picked up a marble dove, speculating on what kind of tools the craftsman had used to sculpt it.
    Ora Lou and another girl of about the same age entered, closing the door behind them.
    “You look like Earl again,” his sister said. “It’s creepy.
    Doesn’t that bother you?”
    The bruise on her round face had faded to a sickly yellow. He wondered if there were any new ones. “Has Sloop touched you again?”
    She shook her head, thick blond braids swinging. “He hasn’t so much as looked at me. It’s as if I’m a ghost and not even here.”
    “What about his missus?”
    “She doesn’t ignore me like he does, but I’d rather she would.”
    He narrowed his eyes. “Why? Does she beat you, too? Harm you in any way?”
    “No. She’s just a grouch and a very difficult person to like.”
    Some of the tension left his shoulders. He glanced at the other girl. “Who’s this?”
    Ora Lou grasped the hand of her companion. “This is Irene, my new chum that I’ve been telling you about.”
    Had it not been for the telltale evidence of a blossoming figure, he’d have guessed the girl was about eight. She was a fraction of the size of his sister. Her petite frame and features looked as if they’d break in two at the slightest touch. Limp honey-colored hair had been twisted into thin braids.
    He nodded. “I’m Mack.”
    She cast her gaze to the floor.
    “She’s a bit shy,” Ora Lou said, her blond braids three times as thick as her friend’s. “Where have you been? You haven’t been at church or to see me in two weeks.”
    “I got a job up at Biltmore.”
    Eyes widening with surprise, she clapped her hand over her mouth to suppress a giggle. “You? You wear that stuff Earl does?”
    He scowled. “Of course not. I’m a useful man. Not a footman.”
    She squelched her smile. “I see. Do you make lots of money, then?”
    “I do.”
    All teasing dissipated. She released her friend’s hand and took a step forward, eyes alighting with hope. “Have you come to take me with you?”
    “Not yet. I don’t make that much money. But if I’m careful and if I don’t lose my job, then in a couple of months I should have enough put aside to pay for your room and board somewhere.”
    She shook her head. “Don’t worry about the board, Mack. I can get a job and earn enough to feed myself. It’s just the room I’ll need help with.”
    “All the same, it’ll probably take at least two months.”
    “What makes you think you might lose your job?”
    He hesitated. “I’ve