Page 17 of A Steadfast Heart
She pushed away the uncertainty. She had planned to teach in a classroom. This couldn’t be that different.
And she had no other choice. Michael had stripped them all away.
The clatter of a log shifting in the wood-burning stove drew Kaitlyn to the kitchen doorway. Tillie stood on a chair, cracking eggs into a bowl, and Jo rolled out biscuit dough while one of the brothers—was it Nick or Ed?—sliced ham. The worktable in the center of the room easily accommodated all three of them, the girls on one side and their uncle on the other.
“Jo, I dropp-ed more shell in.”
Jo grabbed a fork and moved to lean over the bowl, sighing as if this wasn’t the first time. “You’re such a baby, Tillie. If you could do anything without help, I’d be able to go work in the barn.” Jo scowled as she flicked the piece of shell onto the counter and then returned to the biscuits.
“Jo,” the man warned, though he didn’t even look up at the squabble.
Tillie’s lower lip stuck out. “I’m not a baby.”
“Yes, you are.” Jo ran the rolling pin across the biscuit dough. “You still need someone to look after you all the time.” Jo’s complaint in the last words probably meant she was usually assigned the task. “And I can’t even take you to the barn, ’cause you’re too loud.”
Ed-or-Nick looked over at Jo sharply, and at the same moment, Tillie looked over her shoulder and caught sight of Kaitlyn. The girl jumped off the chair and ran to Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn dropped a hand on her shoulder as the girl hugged her waist.
Jo dropped the rolling pin on the counter with a clatter. “Finally. You slept late. Uncle Nick, can I go to the barn now?”
Kaitlyn might’ve hoped for a warmer greeting. She shored up her smile. Jo must still be getting used to the idea of Kaitlyn staying here. It was an adjustment for all of them.
At least Nick was glad to see her, if his smile was any indication. “There’s coffee on the stove. Finish the biscuits, Josephine,” he said firmly.
Jo scowled again. “I don’t want to. I want to help Pa and David in the barn.”
Nick’s chin dipped and for a moment, the only noise was thesnick-thumpof his knife before he answered Jo. “You are a lot of help in the barn, short stuff. But your pa tasked you with making those biscuits for the family.”
“But I don’t want to. David never has to help in the kitchen.”
Tillie moved back slightly and tugged on Kaitlyn’s hand. “Will ya help me crack the eggs?”
Kaitlyn followed her to the worktable, nose wrinkling slightly at the scattered flour and bits of eggshell on the dirty surface.
Jo glared at her sister. “You’re useless. If you could do the eggs by yourself, I wouldn’t be stuck in here.”
Tillie’s shoulders shook as she swallowed a sob. “I’m not useless, am I, Miss Kaitlyn?”
“Of course not.” Kaitlyn pulled the child into her arms. “You’re just little.”
“That means the same thing.” Jo smirked.
Tillie wailed.
Kaitlyn ran her hand along Tillie’s back. Was it too late to go back to bed and start over? The wool fabric of the girl’s dress was rough beneath her fingers, and her cries didn’t abate.
Of course they didn’t. Kaitlyn’s head spun. What did she know about comforting a distraught child?
Jo pushed hard on the rolling pin, working the dough to nearly pie-crust thickness. Intentionally sabotaging the biscuits, no doubt. Kaitlyn bit her lip. Step into the girl’s trap, or eat burnt crackers for breakfast? Neither choice appealed.
Jo dug one end of the rolling pin into the dough and dragged it, ripping the mixture down the middle. Her smirk grew wider.
Kaitlyn’s stomach tensed. She knew a challenge when she saw one. Unfortunately, the odds weren’t in her favor, no matter how she chose to respond. Still, how much madder could the girl get? Kaitlyn released a still-sobbing Tillie and moved next to Jo. “I think you got the dough a little too thin.”
“We like it that way. What do you know about living on a ranch anyway?”
“Not much, but I can learn.”
Jo scoffed. “You ain’t gonna be here long enough for that. You’ll leave, just like Ma did.”
