Page 533 of Conveniently Wed
“I didn’t hear him.”
“I don’t think he was hungry.” Her husband smiled down at Michael. “We had a good time last night, didn’t we, Son?”
Confused, Lorinda shook her head.
Mrs. Oleson glanced at her. “I’m fixing your eggs right now.”
“All right.” She stared at Franklin. “What are you talking about?”
He lifted Michael onto his shoulder, and her son held his head high instead of resting it on the man. “I didn’t see any sense in waking you if he wasn’t hungry. So I got up and played with him. We even went outside and looked at the moon and stars.”
This was almost too much for Lorinda to take in. Franklin had gotten up with Michael, played with him, and taken him outside?
“I didn’t hear you unlock the front door.”
He lifted one eyebrow and glanced at her. “I looked in on you, and you were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t want to bother you.” He kept his hand on her son’s back while the baby wobbled in his arms. “If he’d have been hungry, I’d have awakened you.”
What kind of crazy world had she walked into? She felt as if she had fallen down a rabbit hole and landed in Wonderland, like the Lewis Carroll book Mrs. Oleson had shared with her. Perhaps she was still asleep, dreaming all of this.
Dreaming?Suddenly, flashes of her night vision flitted in her head. Heat made its way up her body and into her cheeks. Why did she have to blush? She didn’t want anyone to know about that dream. No telling what Franklin would think if he knew. Another secret to keep from the man.
Franklin had never seen Lorinda immediately after she awakened. Usually by the time he saw her, the rosiness of sleep had worn off, and the wrinkles from the linens had disappeared. And her hair was combed and styled. This messy braid with curls springing around her face hit the pit of his stomach. He’d alwaysthought her pretty, but a new beauty shone through her today. He wished he had the right to tuck one long curl, that rested on her shoulder, behind her ears. If he hadn’t been an idiot, he could exercise that right.
“Come sit down, Lorinda.” Mrs. Oleson set a filled plate on the table.
“I need to feed Michael first.” She glanced at the baby, but her gaze evaded Franklin’s.
“He’s happy right now.” Franklin sat down in the chair across from her. “Your breakfast won’t be as good after it sits a while.”
Finally, her gaze met his. She looked as if she were trying to read something into what he said. Then she bowed her head for a moment. After she raised it, she concentrated on her food, only peeking sometimes at their son.
Franklin set him on his knee, being careful to hold him with fingers high enough to keep his head from wobbling. He lifted his heel from the floor just enough to gently rock the baby up and down. A soft laugh filled the silence in the room.
“Did you hear that?” Lorinda smiled at the boy. “I haven’t heard him laugh before.”
Franklin didn’t want to upset her, so he didn’t tell her Michael had laughed a little when they were outside during the night. Just letting her think this was his first time wouldn’t hurt anything...would it?
“That was so sweet.” Mrs. Oleson came over and bent over Franklin’s shoulder so she could look the baby in the face. “You’re such a happy boy, aren’t you?”
Another laugh ended in a gurgle. Franklin took the folded diaper from his shoulder and wiped the drool from his son’s face.
“He must be getting ready to cut a tooth.” Mrs. Oleson straightened up and placed one hand on her arched back. “I’m getting too old to be leaning over like that.”
Finally, Lorinda looked up from her half-eaten food. “You’re not that old. Even I get aches and pains sometimes.” She picked up her biscuit. “What kind of jelly is this? You made it before I came to live here.”
“Plum. The thickets grow wild in some areas of the ranch.” Mrs. Oleson dropped into the chair beside Franklin.
“It’s delicious.” Lorinda took a bite, and a drip of butter started down her chin. Quickly, her pink tongue flicked it away.
The memory of the kiss at the wedding rushed into his mind. That memory almost choked him, and he stopped bouncing the baby.
Lord, help me.Without being able to let her know how much he liked having her around, his life could turn into a misery. The only bright spot right now was this tiny boy who had captured him in all the right ways.
Franklin was responsible for so much. How could he take care of the worries he and Thomas discussed last night? What scared him most was his inability to guarantee the safety of the three people who shared the house with him.
The most important people in his world.
21
