Page 21 of Mail-Order Bride Secret
“You’re hurt. How bad?” She took a step toward him, lifted a hand, then forced herself to stop. Her first thought had been to touch him. Her second, more powerful, had prevented her from doing so.
“He must have kicked me. I didn’t notice at the time.” He straightened and smiled at her. “I’m fine.” He strode out the door, leaving her staring after him, a ticking inside her chest like an overwound clock.
She’d wanted to examine his wound. Make sure it was nothing more than a bruise.
A yearning as wide as the sky, as deep as Shannon Valley, and as startling and unexpected as snow on a hot day sucked at her insides.
Wally’s stridesate up the distance in a rush. Matt waited at the barn door.
“How’s the boy?” Matt asked.
“He’s fine. Few scrapes. Nothing more.” He rubbed his side. But that wasn’t where he hurt. And it wasn’t pain he felt. It was something deeper, more visceral. An ache in the marrow of his bones.
Tending Otis’s injuries had triggered it.
Seeing the concern in Madeline’s eyes as she realized he’d been hurt—though it was a minor thing—had unleashed longings as old as life itself. The need for tender nurture and…
He shook his head. He was no longer a child aching for a mother’s love. Mrs. Shannon had given him tenderness and care to satisfy that need.
The ache came only from the bruise on his ribs.
“Let’s get at the rake.” They hadn’t taken time to fix the machine when it broke down at the end of haying.
Several times throughout the morning, he paused to look toward his house. What were Madeline and the children doing? Were they settling in? Maybe he should check on them. Twice he took a step in that direction then stopped himself. Madeline was a capable young woman. She could manage without his help.
Kit ran to them. “Where’s that boy?”
“Otis. I believe he’s at the house.”
“Why doesn’t he come out and play?”
Wally glanced toward the house. “I can’t say. You could go ask him to come out.”
Bits of dust flicked up in Kit’s wake as he trotted across the yellowed yard. The door opened to his knock and Otis scampered out to join Kit. A few minutes later, Ivy left the house.
“They’ll soon be best friends.” Matt’s words drewWally’s attention back to the task at hand. He’d already explained about Otis and Ivy. He smiled as he recalled how Matt and Luke had declared it was nice to have another set of twins on the premises.
“That’s got it.” Matt gathered up the tools. “And just in time. It’s noon.”
Wally followed him to the shed. One of Mr. Shannon’s rules had been a place for everything and everything in its place. It seemed to take forever to wipe each tool they’d used and put it away. A sense of urgency built in his chest, crowding his lungs so he couldn’t pull in a breath. His ragged attempt left him dizzy.
Matt clapped him on his back. “No doubt you’re in a hurry to join your new wife and family.”
“Uh-huh.” But his feet remained motionless, riveted to the floor.
Matt chuckled. “A little nervous?”
“Course not.” From the height of the ceiling came a whoosh of air that filled his lungs and empowered his muscles and he started for his house, his strides confident but not hurried—he wouldn’t want to give Matt or anyone watching him the wrong idea.
Otis and Ivy came at his call, and he let them enter first, following at a more sedate pace.
A rich smell came from the pot on the stove—a warm greeting. The children laughed and talked at once. Madeline smiled at them and then lifted hersmile to him. The air grew sweet and refreshing, reaching into the depths of his heart with the whiff of something he couldn’t name but it held familiarity. Brought to mind the way he’d seen mothers touch their children.
“Dinner’s ready.” Her words settled his thoughts.
They sat around the table. He bowed to pray but he discovered tightness like a rope had been tied around his throat. He managed to squeak out enough words to qualify as a grace. “Amen.”
Madeline filled each bowl.
