Page 33 of A Dangerous Heart
“He didn’t kill him though,” Ben said, making an awkward attempt at cutting into his roast beef. Jo took his fork and knife and skillfully cut the meat into pieces.
He smiled at her. “Thank you.”
Jo returned his smile. “You’re welcome.”
With the whole family tucked around the big table, Isaac was seated closer to Clare than at his small table at the cabin. He was careful to keep his spine straight and his hands in his lap. But she had to lean into him a bit to receive a bowl of gravy from Nick. Her shoulder brushed his arm again. The hair on his arms and at his neck rose.
“Can you place this in the empty spot in front of you?” she asked.
Kaitlyn cleared her throat. “Drew, could you lead us in prayer?” At her request, everyone joined hands.
When Isaac hesitated, Clare slipped her soft, warm hand into his bigger calloused one. It fit just fine. And that was a problem. Maybe he liked the feel of it a little too much. She gave his hand a small squeeze. He sent her a sideways glance. Could she read his mind? Her pink lips slid into a smile before she lowered her chin and closed her eyes. His gaze lingered on her graceful profile, taking in the long eyelashes set against her flushed cheek, before closing his own eyes to her beauty and the growing attraction that thrummed beneath his skin. What was wrong with him? She wasn’t for him. They’d agreed on that.
The prayer ended with a chorus of “Amen.” He felt Clare squeeze his hand again and realized he’d held it too long. Hereleased it and picked up his fork. Rebekah nudged his shoulder, passing along a bowl of mashed potatoes. He fumbled his fork, grabbed the bowl, took a scoop, and passed the bowl to Clare, careful not to brush her hand.
“David tells me you’re a real fine fisherman, Eli,” Drew said as he passed the cornbread.
Eli’s eyes flew to Drew, then to Clare. She gave him a slight nod with widened eyes, silently urging him to answer the question.
“Yes, sir,” Eli replied respectfully, color high on his cheeks.
“He catches more than everyone, even Isaac,” Ben informed Drew. He chewed and swallowed. “But even I catch more than Isaac.”
Guffaws and giggles erupted around the table. Clare cast Isaac an apologetic smile.
“Isaac never was very good at catching fish,” Nick said. “He never had the patience to sit still that long. That’s the one thing I’m better at than him. Well…” His lips formed a mocking challenge. “Besides roping.”
Nick threw the hook, waiting for Isaac to take the bait. To send a teasing barb back. Isaac stayed silent.
“Thank God he was good enough to fish your fool self out of the water that winter you’d just turned twelve.” Drew spoke up, filling in the awkward silence.
All eyes pivoted to Isaac. His chest tightened and his mouth went dry. He didn’t want to think about what had happened that day when Nick had broken through the ice, submerged in the freezing water. How foolish Nick had been to be out on the ice in the middle of the river so early in winter. If Isaac and Bullet had not been heading by at that exact moment…
And he certainly didn’t want to think about the way everyone seemed to look at him now, like he’d been a hero. He wasn’t. Notanymore. He shifted in his seat and focused on swallowing the lump in his throat.
“What did he do?” Eli asked, sitting up in his chair.
“He threw a lasso. The most perfect one you ever saw, according to Nick. Then he and Bullet pulled Nick out.” Drew made it sound easy, but all Isaac could remember was the fear and his shaking hands as he’d thrown the loop.
Nick met Isaac’s silence with a rueful grin. “Then he proceeded to scourge me with words that would make a gambler blush.”
Disbelief crossed Eli’s face.
Nick went on. “It’s true. But later that night, he gave me his warmest blanket and snuck me some hot chocolate. Best cup of hot chocolate I’ve ever had.”
Isaac felt Nick’s gaze on him, but he couldn’t look at him.
Memories flooded back, a stark reminder of the self-assurance that used to define him. He recalled a time when he’d effortlessly embraced risks, convinced that every outcome would favor him simply because he was Isaac McGraw.
He’d been a fool.
“I remember hearing about that in school,” Rebekah said.
Clare turned to Rebekah. “You all grew up together. Were you sweet on Ed in school?”
Ed scowled, but Isaac saw the spark of amusement in his brother’s eyes.
Rebekah put her hand on the crook of Ed’s elbow and blushed. “Actually, I had a walloping crush on Isaac back when we were in school together.” She sighed. “But Isaac always had his eyes set on leaving Calvin. He knew he wanted to be a marshal since he was a kid reading dime novels. And Ed…” She turned and gave Ed a peck on the cheek. “He turned out to be a better writer than any dime novelist.” She looked adoringly at her husband.
