Page 12 of A Steadfast Heart
Crowded, Kaitlyn took a step back, but the kids followed her, pushing in too close.
“Have you gots a magic wand in there?” the littlest asked, her fingers fiddling with the buckle on Kaitlyn’s bag.
David grabbed his little sister, his arms brushing Kaitlyn’s skirt as he pulled her back. “Sorry, Miss. You know better than to go through other people’s things, Tillie.”
Enough.
Kaitlyn put two fingers between her lips and whistled long and loud.
The children gaped at her, and Kaitlyn took advantage of the silence. “I’m here to speak with your father. Where is he?”
Ignoring her question, Jo crossed her arms over her chest. “How’d you do that? Can you teach me?”
“Kids, quiet.”
The deep voice behind Kaitlyn had her spinning in place. Her cheeks burned. Even her ears felt hot. Was this Drew? He seemed young to have three children, and his hair was lighter than theirs, but his stance made it clear he expected them to listen. Had he seen her raise her skirt? She straightened her shoulders.
The man smiled at her, the expression reflected in his dark-brown eyes. “Drew is out on the range, but he should be back soon. David, Jo, Tillie, why don’t you ask our guest inside?”
“Unca Nick!” Tillie ran to the man, then pointed toward Kaitlyn. “She’s a princess, but she’s disguise-ed, ’cause her shoes aren’t glass.”
Uncle Nick. This must be Drew’s brother. Younger brother, by the looks of him.
Nick scooped Tillie up and grinned at her. “If she’s in disguise, we can’t call her Princess. Wouldn’t want the evil stepmother to find her.” Nick glanced her direction, the humor in his eyes contagious.
Tillie raised her hand to her mouth. “I sorry, Princess—I mean, Miss. She won’t find you here. Pa won’t let her.”
Kaitlyn felt a pang of wistfulness at the certainty in the statement.
Nick put the little girl down and gave her back a gentle push to get her moving. “Okay, crew, inside—no, not you, David, not until you take those boots off. Get cleaned up. Supper’ll be ready soon.”
The girls bolted inside, leaving two sets of muddy tracks behind them. David followed once he had removed his foul-smelling boots. Footsteps thudded as they scampered upstairs. If Kaitlyn stayed, those imps would be her responsibility. Could she handle it?
She took a deep breath. Her only other choice was Brian. That was no choice at all.
Nick nodded toward the door. “Nick McGraw. You look like you’ve been traveling awhile.”
“I have.” Kaitlyn shored up her slumping shoulders. “All the way from St. Louis.”
Whatever warmth she’d seen in his welcome, it disappeared instantly.
“You head on in. I’ll find Drew.”
Nick leaned over to grab her things. He crossed the parlor and dropped her bag just inside the dining room. At least it was away from the mud the children had tracked in. He said nothing more but kept walking through the house, his boots echoing against the wooden floor. A door opened and closed in the back of the house.
Kaitlyn’s heart sank into her not-glass shoes. She didn’t understand why Nick’s welcome had changed. She hesitated at the threshold before stepping into the parlor. At least, she thought it was a parlor. Mud-smeared coats sprawled over the chair closest to the door. Pieces of tack better suited to the barn were piled beside the fireplace. Dirty footprints marked paths on the floor. A sofa faced the front door and divided the parlor from the dining area, which had a large table with chairs on one side and a bench on the other. It didn’t have any dirty dishes on it but desperately needed a wipe.
A door opened and closed upstairs, reminding her that the children were still inside.
Kaitlyn hovered near the dingy window, watching as a tall man in a dark hat rode into the yard. Was this her intended groom?
There was some kind of bundle across his lap. Nick approached him, his arm gesturing toward the house. Drew shook his head. Nick gestured some more. What was he saying?
The man dismounted and handed his reins to his brother, who placed a hand on a bundle still slung across the saddle. Nick headed to the barn, and the rider—Drew?—approached the house.
Kaitlyn scurried away from the window. Wouldn’t do to have his first impression of her be as a nosy Nellie. Should she sit? Stand? Her etiquette lessons hadn’t come close to covering this. Her hands ached. She unknotted her fingers and forced her shaking hands to her sides.
The man flung open the front door while she was still deciding, and she turned to face him, standing halfway between the sofa and window.
