Page 57 of A Forgotten Heart
He knew she was there. She could tell by the way his shoulders went even more tense. But he didn’t turn to face her. Or say anything.
Elsie rubbed her arms, partly to stave off the wind and partly to keep herself from reaching for him.
She blinked. “Would you come in already?”
He slowly turned his head and eyed her.
The greenish hue underneath the flush on his cheeks made her pulse fly.
“Last night, you were willing to eat the beans you hate to keep from hurting Kaitlyn’s feelings. But you’ve got no compunction in bossing me around.”
His almost teasing words were such a surprise that it took her a moment to respond. “I guess you’re just special.”
He pushed against the wall to straighten, but his balance was off, and he wobbled.
She was already reaching for him before she thought better of it and let her arms drop back to her sides.
He stared at her hands, unmoving. “I’m fine.”
No, he wasn’t. “You’ve hurt your head.”
He ignored that, wincing as he pushed away from the wall again and brushed by her.
Elsie shifted on her feet before she followed him in and closed the door, still shivering.
Nick slid off his coat, his movements stiff, then hung it on a peg before crossing over to the sink. He primed the pump to wash his hands.
Elsie couldn’t ignore the rawness of his expression. Something inside called her to ease his pain. “You need to sit before you fall over.” She pulled out a chair from the small table in the corner. “You missed breakfast, but I’ll make you something to eat.”
With pressed lips, he looked at her, then the chair, wiping his hands slowly on a towel.
Elsie swallowed. “Please.”
He tossed the towel onto the counter. “Only if you quit bossing me around.”
Nick was the only one who’d ever accused her of being bossy. The callback to how they’d once been pricked her heart. She moved to the larder to pull out the leftover biscuits from breakfast as he gingerly moved to the chair.
Nick stretched his legs out in front of him. She was conscious of the way he watched her. Gone was his anger from yesterday. He seemed almost uncertain.
She brought the plate over and set it down in front of him. “Nick, I know it’s none of my business, but your brothers wanted you along. I know it. Your injury?—”
He bristled. “I know that, Elsie. When a single load of firewood makes me feel like heaving, I know that I would’ve slowed them down.”
He sounded so angry. How could he be angry at himself for having been shot?
He kept his head bowed over his plate, fingers playing with one of the biscuits.
“I can’t let my family down again.” His voice was soft, as if he hadn’t meant to speak out loud. He smoothed his thumb along the cup, a faraway look on his face.
She sat in the chair across from him, avoiding his eyes. “You aren’t letting your family down.”
He folded his arms and braced them against the table. “I did when I chose to study over helping my dad one time. He ended up…”
His eyes closed, and Elsie’s breath caught in her lungs. “Ended up what?”
His gaze flicked to her and then away again. He was silent for so long that she thought he wouldn’t answer. And then words seemed to pour out of him.
“Back when I was studying for my entrance exam for normal school, my dad told me to move my green broke colt to the barn from the corral. I lost track of time studying.”
