Page 20 of A Steadfast Heart
Ed stopped beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you sure, Drew?”
“I’m sure. I’m getting married.”
Chapter5
“You got a brother?” Tillie asked from the wagon bed, where she rode with her siblings. “What’s his name? When do we get to meet him?”
Kaitlyn’s head spun. Who knew such a little girl could have so many questions? She looked around for a distraction for the girl. The side street off Calvin’s main thoroughfare was lined with small bungalows and empty of town folk.
The wagon jolted as the wheel hit a low spot, sending her sliding across the seat before she could brace herself, and landing her against Drew’s strong shoulder. Again.
“Sorry,” she muttered as she moved back to a proper distance. Unlike her, he seemed to shift with the jolts of the wagon, never losing his balance.
At least, not physically.
She’d seen his shoulders droop a bit more every time David snubbed him on the trip to town.
Tillie grabbed Kaitlyn’s arm. “When we gonna get there?”
Kaitlyn gritted her teeth. It had to be the hundredth time the girl had asked during the long drive. She forced a smile. “Soon, Tillie. Soon.” It had to be soon, didn’t it? They’d reached the town, after all.
Drew pulled the team to a stop in front of a small house near the church and secured the reins. “Now, Tillie. We’re here now.”
“Yay!” Tillie stood in the wagon bed. “I want to go with you, Pa.”
“Nope. You stay with Kaitlyn.” Drew rubbed a hand across Tillie’s head, then climbed down from the wagon.
A man of few words, her soon-to-be husband.
Husband.
Her nerves hummed, and an itching sensation skittered across her skin. She didn’t know this man. He’d barely spoken on the trip to town, and yet his steadfast presence had been impossible to ignore.
She forced a deep breath, her mind racing back through the past twenty-four hours and stopping on the image of Drew at the table, his face buried in his work-roughened hands. Her next breath came easier. He worked hard and cared about his children. Both good recommendations.
She turned to David and Jo, who had ridden quietly in the back of the wagon. Too quietly. David looked somber, his arms draped to his sides and his attention focused on his father. Jo’s arms were crossed over her narrow chest, and she glared at Kaitlyn.
“What do you want to do while we’re in town, David?”
He shrugged, and Kaitlyn’s heart sank. The boy was hurting, and she didn’t know how to help.
“I want a candy stick.” Tillie danced in place, excited over the outing.
“Candy’s for babies. I want a new headband for Sunny’s bridle.” Jo stood in the wagon bed and leaned on the back of the seat, then backed away. Probably realized her enthusiasm had put her too close to enemy camp—Kaitlyn.
Tillie ignored Jo’s verbal jab, so Kaitlyn did too. All siblings snipped at each other. It was normal. Wasn’t it? But then, what did she know about normal sibling relationships?
The door to the house creaked open, and an older man stepped outside. Drew gestured toward the wagon, but Kaitlyn couldn’t hear what he was saying. The man’s eyebrows rose. He studied the wagon for a moment, then spoke earnestly to Drew. Drew nodded, then returned to the wagon. He extended a hand to Kaitlyn. “Pastor Carson said he’ll wed us now.”
Kaitlyn placed her hand in his. She had never thought her hands particularly delicate, but against his calloused palm, her hand appeared no larger than Tillie’s. Heat soaked through her glove and traveled straight to her heart. Doubtless, Drew only aided her descent out of good manners. He’d do the same for any woman. She pulled her hand from his and took a wobbly step. Her feet tingled and burned.
Drew’s eyes narrowed, and he retrieved her hand to carefully tuck it into the crook of his arm. When her next step faltered, his arm tightened, lending her his strength until she found her footing.
Her face heated. “I’m sorry. My legs seem to have deserted me.”
He smiled at her. Not a full smile, just a quirk of his lips, but it warmed his eyes from pewter to something closer to the dapple gray of the draft team pulling their wagon. “It was a long ride.”
He guided her to the boardwalk, then released her, but watched for a moment to make sure she was stable. Her heart lost its rhythm for just a moment. When was the last time someone had cared enough to help her find her footing?
