by Linda Ford
He entwined their fingers and smiled. This might be all he could have—a sunny afternoon, a few hours, memories of what might have been. He would make the most of them.
“Come join us,” Rose called.
He pulled her to her feet and they walked along the edge of the pond to where the others were. Lonnie tagged Wyatt. “You’re it.”
Wyatt froze, and then a laugh rumbled from him. Lonnie wanted to play. Wyatt was more than ready to oblige.
The others joined in and they chased through the bushes and darted along the water’s edge tagging one another and laughing.
Wyatt was it again. He had not managed to catch Cora. Each time he tried, she slipped away, dashing in a direction that left him to tag someone else. But this time he meant to catch her.
The direct route hadn’t worked, so he tried another strategy. He pretended to chase Lonnie, who fled through the bushes. As soon as he was out of sight, Wyatt shifted direction and moved with as little sound as he could. To his left, Lonnie continued to batter through the trees, making a great deal of racket that served Wyatt’s purpose well.
He paused to listen. Rose and Lilly whispered, giving away their position. He strained to catch any indication of where Cora might be. A rustle to his right. He moved in that direction.
She stood still, looking every which way. She tipped her head to listen.
He held his breath, but still she turned toward him.
Her eyes widened with surprise. She gave a yelp and took off with him on her heels.
“I’ve got you.”
“No,” she squealed, and slipped away. She glanced over her shoulder, which slowed her, and that was all he needed to catch up. He reached out for her but tripped on a root and couldn’t stop his headlong flight.
His arms caught her in his path and he turned to take the brunt of the fall.
They went down with a thud that knocked the air from him. He forced his lungs to work. “Are you okay?” His voice whistled from his throat.
She didn’t answer.
He turned. Her face was buried against his arm.
“I’m okay.” Her words were muffled.
Between the weight of her in his arms and the struggle to catch his breath, he couldn’t move.
She shifted, then sat up. “I guess you caught me.”
He sucked in air and sat up facing her. “I almost killed you doing so. I’m sorry. You’re sure you aren’t hurt?”
She brushed her hands over her arms. “Well, my pride might be just a little wounded that you sneaked up on me like that.”
He grinned. “You sure looked surprised when you saw me.”
Her grin widened to match his. “I guess I didn’t expect you to be so sneaky.”
“Me, sneaky? Who is the one who runs so close to someone else I have to tag them?”
She shrugged. “Strategy, that’s all.” Her smile didn’t falter a bit.
They pushed to their feet.
Grass and leaves were stuck in her hair. He plucked them out piece by piece, aware she’d lowered her eyelids, allowing him to see only the fan of her lashes against her cheeks. A strand of her hair caught on his finger and his movements slowed as he lingered on the feel of silk against his skin. He swallowed hard, wondered if she noticed and forced himself to continue. He grasped her chin and turned her head to check each side.
Her skin was warm and smooth.
“I think that’s all.” His husky words revealed how deeply he’d been affected.
“My turn.” Did her voice sound as thick as his?
She plucked things from his hair, each touch of her fingers sending a jolt through his brain until he thought his head couldn’t contain it.
“All done.” She reached around him to pick up his hat where it had fallen.
Her eyes lifted to his, full of awareness and longing.
His own must brim with the same thing, he thought. He longed to hold her next to his heart. Tell her every secret of his life.
She lowered her gaze, but before he could find solid ground, she lifted them again.
He forgot every reasonable argument about his past, his present and his future.
A persistent idea knocked at the back of his brain. This couldn’t last. She’d never overlook his past and all the risks it brought to her family’s safe little place.
But all that mattered right now was this precious moment of time.
He’d risk everything for the joy of right now.
Chapter Seventeen
Cora saw the longing in his eyes as clearly as she felt it in her heart. The whole afternoon had been a prelude to this moment. Running from him when she wanted to run to him, sharing him with the others when she wanted him to herself... Everything had accumulated until she could think of nothing else but Wyatt. Touching his hair to remove the twigs and leaves had left her unable to remember any reason she should be cautious around him.
Secrets mattered not. All she cared about was what she saw and knew of him. She lowered her gaze to his mouth, touched his lips with her fingertips.
He caught her hand and pressed her palm to his cheek.
“Cora.” Her name rang like a clarion call, making her like the sound of it as never before.
He cupped his hand to the back of her head. His eyes filled with promises and pleasure, and he bent his head.
Just before his lips touched hers, he paused.
Whether to change his mind or give her time to pull away, she couldn’t tell. But she didn’t intend that either should happen and she lifted her face to him.
Their lips touched. Sweetness like pure warm honey poured through her and she knew she would never feel the same.
They clung to each other, though she couldn’t have said if it was a long or short time.
With a satisfied sigh, he leaned back and smiled at her. “Cora, what would you think if I settled in this area?” He rushed on as if he needed to explain. “Lonnie is happier than I’ve seen him in a very long time. I think he’s starting to put the past behind him.”
She trailed her finger along his jawline. “I think it would be a lovely idea. But I hope Lonnie’s not the only one putting his past behind him. Aren’t you, as well?”
“If I can’t start over here, I don’t know if I ever can.”
She smiled at how much his answer revealed. Her heart danced to think he’d found peace and belonging here. He hadn’t said so, and perhaps it was too early to wish for it, but she hoped she’d played a large part in his decision. And would play an even larger part with the passing of each delicious day.
“Who’s it?” Lonnie’s voice came through the woods.
“I guess we better get back to the others.” Wyatt sounded as reluctant as she felt. “I don’t think I’ll say anything to Lonnie about my decision just yet.”
She nodded. “It will be easier for him that way.” Once Wyatt could say to Lonnie, “This is where we’re going to live,” the boy would have something solid to hold on to.
They returned to the others. She ignored the teasing grins her sisters sent her way. The game ended and they gathered round in a circle to talk.
For the first time, Lonnie spoke of his past. “My ma was so different from yours. She was weak. Or maybe frail. I don’t remember cookies or cakes since I was about five.” He sent a questioning look to Wyatt. “Do you?”
He shook his head.
Cora edged closer, not caring what the others thought, and squeezed his hand. “We’re very fortunate. Our ma spoils us with her cooking.”
Wyatt relaxed and gave her a lazy smile. “Seems you all do your share to make your home happy and welcoming.”
“And productive,” Rose added.
They fell into a contemplative silence for two minutes.
Lonnie spoke again. “Did you girls like school?”
The three of them said they did.
Lonnie said he kind of did, too. For a while they discussed their favorite subjects.
Cora turned to Wyatt. “What was your favorite part of school?”
He considered the question a moment. “Singing.” His face was so serious she almost believed him.
Then she burst out laughing. “Did the teacher give you a bucket to carry the tune in?”
He grinned. “She asked me to stand at the back and only pretend to sing.”
The others laughed.
Cora turned to her sisters. They had always liked to sing together. They nodded in understanding and the three of them began their favorite songs. Lonnie joined in on the ones he knew.
Wyatt leaned back, listening.
Cora felt his gaze on her and tried to ignore it, but she couldn’t and wondered why she even tried. This afternoon was to be lived to its fullest and enjoyed, hopefully as a prelude to many such days to follow. She turned to him and sang as if no one else was there, her heart bursting with music above and beyond the songs.
His look never faltered from hers, opening his heart and his thoughts to her.
The others might be there. They might be observing them but she didn’t care. All that mattered was Wyatt’s trusting look and her trusting heart.
And his plan to settle in the area.
The next day, Wyatt rode away intent on finding a place to live. She knew where he meant to go but said nothing. She wondered what explanation he’d given Lonnie, but the boy didn’t seem concerned.
“I need to put in some more hours to pay for my pigs,” Lonnie said.
So she put him to work hauling water to the garden.
Wyatt returned later in the afternoon. He gave a barely perceptible shake of his head. He hadn’t found anyplace suitable. She smiled encouragement.
They walked along the river later that evening. “You’ll find something,” she assured him. “God will guide you.”
“I pray so.”
She hoped it would be close enough they could see each other regularly and often. The future beckoned with a thousand stars.
He walked her back to the house, but Lonnie and the girls were outside so he only said a gentle good-night, called for Lonnie to join him and left.
She stared after him, wishing they could kiss again. Not that she needed another kiss to remind her of all she’d felt last time.
Smiling, she went inside and prepared for bed. She kept her feelings to herself even when the twins teased her, wanting to know what she and Wyatt had done on their walk.
* * *
In the past few days, Wyatt had ridden every direction from the Bell farm and found no suitable land nearby. Heading out to try again, he dismounted on the trail and looked around, as if the right land would appear on the horizon.
Perhaps God meant to let him know this plan of his wasn’t right. Wyatt had promised Cora he’d pray about finding a place. God, guide me to where I should go. He knew his open-ended prayer meant he might have to accept being led farther away than his dreams took him.
But God knew best. Even if it meant he couldn’t live his dream, Wyatt would follow His lead.
A rider approached from the trail to the east, an older man with skin leathered from years of living and working outdoors. He was lean as a whip with deep blue eyes that studied Wyatt with interest.
“You lost, young man?”
“Just deciding.” He didn’t know what direction he should go today to look for land.
The older man swung down and walked to Wyatt with the peculiar bow-legged gait of a long-time cowboy. He introduced himself as Jack Henry. He stood beside Wyatt, studying the lay of the land. “While ya make up yer mind, why not ride along with me?”
It was an offer Wyatt didn’t mind accepting. They both returned to horseback and ambled south.
“Where you from? Where you headed?” Jack asked.
“Been at the Bells’. Now I’m looking for a place to start ranching.”
“Know the Bells. They’s good people.”
A short time later, Jack said, “This here is my place.” He indicated a low ranch house and a cluster of outbuildings half a mile off the road.
Wyatt had ridden by a couple of days ago and admired the yard, but it didn’t have a for-sale sign posted so he’d gone on by.
“Why not light awhile and tell me more. Do the Caldwells still object to the Bells farming in the middle of their ranch land?”
Wyatt accepted the offer mostly because he didn’t have the heart to push on. And he enjoyed the old man’s company.
They rode into the yard. “Nice place.” Sturdy buildings. Well maintained. He told how the Caldwell cowboys harassed the Bells in the hopes of persuading them to sell their bit of land. “The Bells have turned their few acres into a beautiful productive place. I don’t blame them for refusing to sell it.”
Jack nodded. “A man’s roots can go down mighty deep. Take me, for instance. I been here since before the Caldwells. I brought my missus out with me. She died five years ago. We never did have the family we hoped for. Say, do you want to see around?”
Wyatt accepted the invitation out of curiosity and the hope of learning from a man who’d been in the area a long time.
They rode around the place, admiring the crop of calves the man’s cows had.
“I should be moving on,” Wyatt said as the afternoon lengthened. He longed to see Cora and be assured that she wanted him to stay in the area and that it wasn’t just wishful thinking on his part.
Jack sat beside him, one leg bent over his saddle horn. “Son, take a look around you. Why, there ain’t nothing you can’t grow here—cows, sheep, crops and gardens.” He paused. “And a family.”
“I’m sorry you didn’t have the family you dreamed of.”
“It’s my only regret in life.”
Wyatt waited for Jack to corral his thoughts.
“I’m getting too old for all this.” He pointed to the cows but Wyatt understood he meant the land and the work, as well. “You say you’d like to settle in the area.” He nodded once as if coming to a conclusion. “You’re the sort of man who would benefit the community.”
Wyatt stared at the man. How could he come to such a verdict? One that could easily be proved wrong. He silently prayed that God would keep the truth about his past hidden.
Jack continued. “Like I say, I’m tired.” He gave Wyatt a direct blue-eyed look that made Wyatt feel as if the man saw clear to the depths of his soul. “I’d be pleased if you would join me. I’d make you part owner for now. You do the work to earn your share. In time it would be all yours.”
“I’m honored you ask me.” Wyatt could picture himself here raising a family. Maybe sharing his life with more than Lonnie.
Hope burst forth like blossoms before the sun. “I accept your offer. How soon do you want me to join you?”
“Soon as you can. Bring those horses and let’s get the herd growing.”
Wyatt laughed. “I can’t believe this.” Doubts erupted in his brain. “Why would you ask me?”
Jack drew in a slow steady breath. “Son, just this morning I was talking to God again. Said how much I wanted to turn this place over to a younger man. And seeing as God hadn’t blessed us with children, I asked Him to send along someone who would take the place of mine. I saw you there at the side of the road and knew God had answered my prayer.”
“But you know nothing about me.”
“Know enough. Seems God led ya here for a purpose. One that benefits the both of us.”
They shook hands on the agreement and Wyatt headed back to the Bell place.
And a future as bright as the sun overhead.
He resisted the urge to make his horse gallop all the way back, but by the time he rode into the yard, he was ready to burst with his news.
Mr. Bell waved a greeting as he approached.
Mrs. Bell’s face appeared at the kitchen window and she raised her hand.
He realized he needed to take care of his horse before he told his news and turned to go to his campsite, where he unsaddled his horse, rubbed the animal down, and fed and watered him—all things he did on a regular basis so they were almost second nature. When had they ever before consumed so much time?
Finally, satisfied he’d done all he needed in that regard, he trotted up the hill.
“You’re just in time for supper,” Rose called.
Food seemed an intrusion at the moment, but through the open door, he saw Cora setting plates at the table. He’d not be getting a chance to talk to her until after the meal.
Lonnie bumped into him in his hurry to get to the food.
Resigned to the delay, Wyatt followed him inside and took his customary place at the table beside Cora.
When Mr. Bell held his hands out to grasp the hand of the girl on each side of him, Wyatt eagerly took Cora’s hand. Would she know by the strength of his grip that he’d found a place? One he hoped she’d appreciate?
The meal took a long time as the family discussed the trip to town earlier in the day. Seemed all the news was about the continued robberies and who might be responsible.
No one knew he was a jailbird, so fingers wouldn’t be pointed his way. But if the news ever came out...well, he knew what to expect.
Was he doing the right thing, subjecting Cora to such risk?
He vowed he’d tell her where he’d spent the missing year and see if she still welcomed the idea of him settling in the area.
Finally the meal ended and the kitchen was cleaned.
“It’s a lovely evening,” Cora said. “Would you care to go for a walk?”
He’d thought the opportunity would never come and hurried to the door.
Lonnie and Lilly headed toward the pigpen.
“I have news,” Wyatt said, and called Lonnie to join them.
Lonnie came with such reluctance, his boots scraped every step of the way. “I want to help Lilly feed the pigs.”
