Page 45 of A Secret Heart
And only moments ago, had woken discombobulated to realize they’d almost arrived at the McGraw homestead.
“You all right?” He reached out to place a hand over hers. Almost as quickly, he removed his hand as he turned to pull up on the reins.
His action reminded her of his awkwardness in town. That walk.
Rebekah let her eyes linger on his profile. His protection today went deeper than a promise to Uncle Vess. And that rattled her as much as the shooting had.
“Whoa…” Ed guided the horses to a stop beside the barn. His jaw worked.
As Ed shifted on the seat to get down, a familiar figure caught her eye.
Isaac.
Everything froze inside her, choking her.
His features were as chiseled as she remembered, his stubble rugged as he worked to unsaddle Bullet. He looked up with hooded eyes and hailed them with a single wave.
She waited for the familiar buzzing in her veins.
And felt nothing.
Nothing at all like the way her heart had raced when Ed had held her in his arms in town.
Ed didn’t greet his brother. Suddenly, she was aware of his silent tension. Ed clambered down from the wagon.
Isaac almost looked…dismayed when his eyes flicked her way.
A sense of discomfort surged inside her. Isaac knew about her deception. She’d even proposed to him, but there was no warmth in his greeting.
Her breath caught wrong in her chest. She’d been staring.
Ed was waiting beside the wagon, but he wasn’t looking at her. Just waiting, head down. When she reached out, he took her hand and slowly helped her out of the wagon.
“Hello.” Ed offered the mumbled greeting to his brother without even turning in his direction.
Her greeting for Isaac was laced with determination. “Hello.”
Ed started unloading the wagon, ignoring them both. A gnawing pit formed in her stomach.
That wasn’t the Ed she’d come to know.
Of course. She’d told him she’d written to Isaac, answered his ad. Ed knew things were unresolved with Isaac.
It was time to fix that. Ed disappeared around the side of the barn, and Isaac kept brushing down Bullet, leaving her to stare at his back. She moved closer and then waited.
Isaac didn’t look up. He brushed his horse as if no one in the world were near. As if she weren’t standing there waiting for him to acknowledge her presence.
Maybe this was Isaac’s answer to the question in her letter. She ran her fingers over her hair, hoping curls hadn’t escaped unbidden, then smoothed out the front of her blouse and skirt.
“I haven’t seen you around town. Are you okay?” She leaned around where he worked to move in closer.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” His answer was cool. Lines pulled around his eyes, as if he were haunted by something. He hoisted the saddle from the corral fence, heading for the barn with it.
Rebekah watched him walk away. Ed still lingered out of sight. This was her chance to clear things up with Isaac. Her chance to tell him things had changed.
She lifted her skirt to follow Isaac. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the light inside the barn. As she stepped behind where Isaac settled the saddle on a stand, he spun and pulled up before he ran into her. His shirt and pants appeared more worn, less like the polished Isaac she remembered. Even his signature holster and six-gun were missing.
“I thought you were out there with Ed.” The disgruntled tone in his voice unsettled her.
