Page 55 of Hunted Hearts
She chuckled, a soft, lilting tone. The sound drew smiles from some of the men who were busy at work with their own brushes as if they had been training in art instead of war.
“What are you making today?”
“A sign for my new horse’s stall.”
Willow looked up from the patchwork of color she was busy applying to her wood plaque. “Theo bought her a horse,” she told Honor.
Honor’s lips formed a distinctOthat made heat creep into Juliette’s cheeks.
She hoped the women didn’t ask questions about the status of her and Theo’s relationship because she wouldn’t have the foggiest idea how to respond.
All she knew was that some…pull…lived between them.
She picked up the brush again and dipped it into the aqua blue paint again. When she let it hover over the metal, paint plopped on the surface in a place where she didn’t intend it to go.
But she was a musician. If you made a mistake, you played on, and sometimes nobody noticed.
She spread the paint in small increments in a line to create the first letter of her horse’s name. TheSwas slightly off-kilter,but she could fill that portion with decorative beads she saw in bowls on the table.
Soon, she had the name painted on the sign. She was feeling pretty pleased with herself until she looked up to see that Willow had painted a patchwork quilt on her plaque that looked straight out of a shop.
Willow glanced around. “Where’s Navy? I need her.” A pair of long arms shot into the air, and the baby held high, legs kicking in delight.
Without waiting for whoever had Navy to bring her to her, Willow jumped up and rushed over to get her. When she brought the baby back, Juliette watched in awe as she applied paint to Navy’s chubby palm.
“Ready, squirt?” Willow took her hand and pressed it flat over the patchwork painting, creating a white imprint of her hand.
Navy looked around like a queen waiting for the peasants to cheer. Juliette was the first to drop her brush and clap. Soon the whole room was applauding for the baby.
While Willow took the child to wash her hands, Honor moved through the group of men, offering encouragement for their progress.
A guy with visible scars down his arms from what appeared to be burns nudged a container of beads toward Juliette, followed by a bottle of glue.
“You apply the glue then just dump the beads on. Simple,” he said.
“Thank you.” She couldn’t help but feel like she was part of it all. She squirted the glue on the empty portion to fill in her mistake, but when she tried to open the lid of the bead container, it popped off suddenly, shooting beads in all directions.
Laughter rippled through the group, and she realized they were laughing at the mess she made. Even them laughing at her made that feeling of belonging roll through her once again.
Honor came over and began collecting the beads in her palm to dump back into the container.
“Sorry. I’m not very good at arts and crafts,” she admitted, biting down on her lip.
“No one is good at everything they try.” Honor’s words sank into her, and she found that even though she was embarrassed by the mishap, and her sign looked like the horse had drawn it herself…it was okay not to be perfect all the time.
No wonder the veterans all left the room bearing peaceful expressions. It was very apparent that the Malones provided everyone a place to do their best.
When Willow returned, she didn’t have Navy with her. “She was starting to get hungry, so I passed her off to her momma.” She eyed her art. “I think the plaque is a success. I’m going to give it to Rhae for her birthday. It’s next month.”
“What a sweet idea,” Juliette said.
After the session was over, she hung behind to help Honor clean up. The simple task and the light conversation soothed Juliette in ways she didn’t realize she needed.
When the supplies were all stowed away and the art remained on the tables to finish drying, she turned to Honor.
“I can’t help but feel like I made new friends here today.”
Honor’s eyes sparkled. “You did.”
