Owen Moreland held the girl tightly in his arms, giving her silent comfort with his broad and warm embrace.
The embrace of a mature man was like a safe harbor, quietly shielding her from the storms outside, steady and reliable.
Gabriel Nelson stood behind the crowd, watching the girl being held in the man's arms. He remembered overhearing a neighbor's comment at Amelia Clarke's home, saying that Owen Moreland had, as a son-in-law, dressed Olivia Wilson for her funeral and had also kept a three-night vigil at her memorial hall without sleep…
A rich and powerful man doing so much for a woman seemed, apparently, to go beyond what he had thought was just an act.
The hand Gabriel had at his side clenched slowly into a fist before he turned and walked away.
The girl he had once wanted to protect for a lifetime was now being protected by another man. He felt an unwillingness in his heart, yet he was powerless to change anything.
