A Time of Seasons

by Kay Edwards

Chapter Fourteen

  Dalton stretched as he woke up. He could hear Rachel fussing, so he got out of bed and went to investigate. Knocking on the door, he slowly opened it and walked in keeping it open.

  Dalton could see Misty was starting to understand some of the consequences of her actions.

  Misty looked up at Dalton. "I can't get comfortable which means she can't either. I need to switch sides and can’t. These stitches are keeping me from feeding her."

  Dalton crawled in behind her and pulled her against his chest. He could have taken the opportunity to point out she had done this to herself. Instead, he said. "Use my arm. It will be easier for both of you."

  Misty got comfortable and maneuvered his arm to cradle Rachel against her. The little girl calmed down since she was finally able to finish eating. Misty looked back at Dalton. "It worked." She said excitedly.

  Dalton's eyes were closed, but he smiled. He was tired but was still ready to get up.

  "Are you still tired?" Misty asked softly.

  Dalton opened his eyes a bit and answered honestly. "I may be just a little bit."

  Misty leaned against his chest and waited for Rachel to finish eating. "Do you want to go horseback riding later?"

  Dalton opened his eyes. "That sounds like fun. I just need you to promise me you won't do anything crazy."

  Misty smiled. "I promise to try not to do anything crazy without thinking about it first."

  Dalton chuckled. "I guess that will have to do though you might not want to do anything crazy even after you think about it."

  The couple looked at the doorway when they heard a soft knock. "Hey, Wyatt, how are you?" Dalton greeted the man as he walked into the room.

  Wyatt gave Dalton a lopsided grin. "I'm doing well. I see Misty, and you have talked through her little escapade. She is really good at the talking part."

  Dalton felt Misty tense. "We had a great discussion. She has assured me she plans on doing more than talking, though."

  Wyatt looked at his sister's blushing face. "I am glad to hear that. Rachel needs her to do a bit more than talk."

  Dalton could tell Misty was getting annoyed. That made him annoyed. Dalton's voice was firm as he said. "She has promised me she is going to stop and put some thought into it before she does anything like that again. Didn't you Misty?"

  Misty looked at Wyatt and frowned. She finally shrugged her shoulders and admitted. "I did."

  Wyatt was impressed that his sister had agreed to use more cautious. He could tell she wasn’t thrilled with that, but if he had, to be honest, Brent couldn't have gotten her to do that. "Well, I just wanted to say hi."

  Dalton looked down at Misty. He knew she was still upset with some of the things they had talked about. He kissed the side of her head. “If I didn’t care I would not have asked you to be more careful. I promise we will be okay. Let's finish feeding Rachel."

  Misty nodded. She knew she should not be upset. “I’m sorry. I guess I like having my way a bit more than I thought. I know you care and I am glad you do.”

  Rachel was done eating, so Dalton eased himself out of the bed. He stood and looked down. “Even if we just stay friends, life with you will never be dull. I’m not going to lie, though. I have no intentions of just staying friends. I’m going to get my shower and then get ready for the day. Are you good now with Rachel or do you need me to help with something else?”

  Misty smiled up at him. His words warmed her. She knew she was blushing as she said. "I'm ok now. I'll see you at breakfast."

  Dalton winked at her and walked out.