Page 479 of Conveniently Wed
“I know. Isn’t it amazing?”
He looked into her shining eyes. She giggled, and he laughed as the little one gave another good kick.
“Does it hurt?”
“No, it’s just a tad uncomfortable at times.” She gave him a warm smile. “What names do you like?”
He’d refused to think of the child as his, so he hadn’t given names any thought. “I’m not sure.”
“What was your pa’s name, or your grandpa’s?”
“You’re fixated on boy names.”
“It’s a good place to start.”
“My grandpa’s name was Seth, and I’ve always liked that name. But Grandma’s was Eunice, and that’s not an option.”
She laughed. “I do like Seth.”
“You do?” His heart bolted, and his pulse accelerated at the way she was looking at him.
“I do.”
“How about Kat for a girl?” he teased.
“Ah, I’ve so missed that nickname.” She touched his face. The gentle graze of her fingertips along his jaw sucked the air right out of his lungs, and he leaned closer. Her breath mingled with his.
She bridged the gap and her warm, pliant lips brushed against his. His mind, body, and soul entered into the kiss, and he was falling…falling…falling.
He groaned and tore his mouth from hers. Then he pushed up with a snap to his feet.
“Emmaline’s gone now, Katherine. You don’t have to pretend with me anymore.” He turned on his heels and walked swiftly away. He had to get control of himself.
“Josiah, I’m not?—”
He put both hands over his ears. He didn’t want to hear, for then he would have to make a decision—to trust, to be vulnerable, to open his heart back up to love.
“Another premature foal?” Josiah looked around the kitchen at the soft pile of blankets for the horse’s bed. The wood stove was throwing more heat than necessary, too. “You realize you were lucky with the last one.”
“I know,” Katherine said, “but it’s who I am…a softy for the ones who need me most.”
“Is that why you’re still hanging around here?” He should have resisted the jab, but it slipped out.
She struggled to lift her ever-growing body from her knees. He rushed to give her a hand.
When she was on her feet, she brushed her hands together and smiled up at him. “I stay because I want to stay.”
His voice got tied up in his throat. He was the one who needed her most, but he could never let her know.
“In your delicate condition, I’m not letting you do this alone. I’ll get Hank to assign one of the boys to help through the night, and if the foal makes it, we’ll move her out to the barn.”
“I don’t want to miss the best part of seeing her get to her feet, like the last time.” Her pleading eyes grew large and misty.
“There’s no guarantee?—”
“I have hope.” She touched his arm. “I have enough hope for the both of us.”
The way she looked at him, she seemed to be speaking about more than just the horse. He turned away from the intensity in her gaze. “Do whatever you wish, but help you shall have.”
