The traffic began flowing again.
“Yep, Pa. I’d’ve been fine if that lady hadn’t knocked me down.” The boy glared at her.
Megan didn’t let it bother her overly. Zachary was a child and children weren’t known for having the best judgment. Sure and raising five rambunctious little brothers had taught her that.
“Hush.” Mr. Laramie gave the boy a fierce hug. In the midst of that show of fatherly love—something Megan knew precious little about—Mr. Laramie’s eyes lifted and he gave Megan a look of such gratitude, such understanding of what could have happened, that it almost brought tears to Megan’s eyes.
“Are you all right?” he said to her then. “I saw you get kicked.” David coughed and quickly covered his mouth. A deep, painful cough that shook his whole body.
“The kick was a gift from God. It knocked the both of us out of the way of the horse. I’ll be fine. Shall we go in?” To give David a moment to get finished with his coughing fit, Megan reached for the older boy’s hand with her left arm, checked the motion at the pain that sliced through her, then reached with her right. The tyke, five years old, his da had said in the letter, took it. Megan smiled. She had a knack for getting her way with boys.
David still hung on to Zachary, though he had his head turned aside while he coughed.
“It’s sorry I am that I knocked you down, laddie.” She brushed a smudge of grime off the little one’s chin. “I got both of us fair covered with dirt. Next time I’ll let that horse and stagecoach run right over you to spare us this untidiness.”
Her sharp sass earned her a rueful smile from the boy. Mr. Laramie let him loose and stood. As he gained his feet he staggered slightly, and Megan’s hand, her wounded left, shot out and steadied him. The man was still ailing from the pneumonia he’d mentioned in his letter. He clutched at his chest. Megan saw his jaw tighten and his lips go nearly white as if it took everything he had to keep a groan of pain inside. Megan’s mother had died of pneumonia and she’d had two little brothers who caught it. Megan knew how deadly it could be and even if a body survived, it took awhile to shake the cough.
Grabbing him helped her ignore her arm. Though sore, she’d used it so she knew it wasn’t badly injured. A little pain. Honestly, a lot of pain. But no real damage. Megan knew the difference well enough and she saw that difference in the agony David Laramie was trying to keep to himself.
After a few seconds, David’s jaw relaxed. He glanced at the hand she used to steady him. A faint blush painted the man’s cheeks and something flashed in his eyes, probably embarrassment for needing help. Megan knew a bit about how boys thought—another knack she’d learned in a hard school by raising her brothers. She’d not had too many dealings with men, but boys were just a younger version of them. And she knew men had their pride.
Megan looked down at the boy she held. She asked, “And can I be trusting you to stay at my side, laddie? No running off? No horseplay?”
The boy nodded as if he was quite terrified to disobey. Megan released the child, took a few moments to dust herself off. She straightened her bonnet, which had been knocked nearly off her head. Then she tidied Zachary with quick, efficient motions. Regaining Ben’s hand, she said, “I’m ready to go in then. We can have our visit and decide if we’ll be suited to one another, Mr. Laramie.”
“You just saved my son’s life,” Mr. Laramie said with grim satisfaction. “I reckon we’ll suit just fine. In fact, we’ll suit well enough you oughta call me David.”
The story continues in Winter Wedding Bells by Mary Connealy
Other Novels by Robin Lee Hatcher
Beloved
Betrayal
Belonging
Heart of Gold
A Matter of Character
Fit to Be Tied
A Vote of Confidence
About the Author
Best-selling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. The winner of the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction, the RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance, the Carol Award, two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards, and the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award, Robin is the author of more than sixty-five novels.
http://www.robinleehatcher.com/
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