Page 41 of A Steadfast Heart
Drew’s cheeks warmed, and he turned to fully face his friend. Maybe that would focus his attention where it should be, helping to find solutions to the problems he and his neighbors were facing. “We’re doing okay so far. Are a lot of folks having that problem?”
Sam nodded. “I think it contributed to the Robbins family pulling out.”
Drew scrubbed a hand over his face. If he’d known, he could have offered them time on his land.
“Drew, there you are.” Tom Fisher, a local carpenter, stopped next to them. “Kaitlyn said that you had an extra side of beef and you might take some shingles in exchange.”
Kaitlyn? How’d she get on a first name basis with Fisher, who’d more than earned his reputation as a curmudgeon?
The man ran his hand along his grizzled cheek. “The shingles are mostly leftovers from bigger projects, so you might have to piece ’em together some, but I reckon they’d keep the rain out till you could do better.”
Drew’s shoulders lightened, as if a load there had been lifted. Every time he turned around, Kaitlyn found a way to help, easing the burden he carried in ways he’d never expected. “How many you willing to part with?”
“Enough to roof a cabin, I’d think, iffen it weren’t too big.”
“Sounds like a fair trade.” Drew extended his hand, and the older man shook it, then wandered closer to the horseshoe pit.
Drew turned back to his friend. “Maybe you could drive your herd out my way if your grazing is bad.”
“Grazing isn’t the worst we’re facing. Have you tried to get a loan at the bank this year? They turned me down flat, and I’ve always paid off anything I borrowed ahead of time.”
“I haven’t asked for one. Only collateral I’ve got is the original homestead, and I don’t want to put it up.” He’d considered it though. Ran the numbers and had just about decided he had to do it. Now it looked like it wouldn’t be an option.
Sam looked around, then lowered his voice. “You know the new bank president and Quade are thick as thieves. And Quade’s out buying up land people can’t prove up. Well, he ain’t getting mine. No siree. I’ve got a year to go on my agreement, and I’m gonna keep it, loan or no loan.”
Drew’s lunch solidified into a lump in the pit of his stomach. He only had a month to prove up Ed’s homestead. How was he going to get that lumber?
A commotion drew his attention back to the ladies. David and a few of his friends skidded to a stop in front of Kaitlyn. She cocked her head, listening to the boys, then nodded an answer. They dashed back to their abandoned baseballs and gloves.
She watched them run back to the field, her smile gentle. Then she looked his way, as if she could feel the weight of his gaze. He could no more keep himself from smiling back at her than he could hit a ringer in the horseshoe pit today, and for the same reason. His mind was on her, not the task at hand.
Just like he found himself making mental notes of things to tell her about when they had coffee in the evenings after the kids went to bed. Or looking forward to hearing her lesson plans. Or sharing a look when Tillie did something adorable.
He shook his head to clear it of memories. They had a business deal, not a marriage. That was the way it had to stay.
Even if her presence eased the burdens he carried.
One of the ladies standing near Kaitlyn, Mindy Cummins, waved briefly to her and made her way to the men. She and her husband lived on one of the ranches farthest from town and probably needed to leave early.
She paused next to Drew, her hand shading her eyes as she tried to find her husband.
Drew gestured toward the ball game. “I think he went to check on the boys, find out what sent them racing through the picnic area. Hope there wasn’t trouble.”
“Not a bit of it. David wanted Kaitlyn to back up his story about breaking a colt. Some of his friends thought he might be exaggerating.”
“And was he?”
“Nope. Evidently, Kaitlyn told the story almost exactly the way David did. Now I’m gonna have a boy sulking around the ranch ’cause his friend got to break a horse first.”
Drew’s lips twitched. “I’ve been there. Sulky boys can be a handful.”
“I’ll manage him, or his father will. Just like you do with David. After the boys ran off, Kaitlyn mentioned you let David continue the ride after Phantom bucked. Said she thought that was one of the bravest things she’d ever seen, knowing how much you wanted to yank him out of harm’s way.”
Kaitlyn thought he was brave? He could almost feel his chest puff up at the thought, but he couldn’t very well say that. “Wouldn’t have done boy or horse any good for me to take over.”
“You don’t fool me, Drew McGraw. Nor Kaitlyn either. Letting them grow up is hard.”
He nodded. It certainly was. He’d put pillows around the kids all their lives if he could.
