Page 44 of Wrong Train to Paris

Julia wondered if Luc was glad for the quiet. Was he sad that she would leave tomorrow? Or did she read more into his actions than he actually intended? She looked down at their hands, fingers entwined, his wrist resting on his knee, and wondered if the life she was returning to would ever feel the same as it had before.

Chapter Sixteen

Gabi hurried out of thefront door the moment the wagon was in sight of the house. She came to the break in the wall and waved, one fist on her hip. The two cats wound around her ankles.

“She was worried,” Luc said in a low voice.

Julia let go of his hand. She didn’t completely understand the status of her relationship with him, but she felt it was something she wanted to keep private, especially since she worried that her feelings for him were not fully reciprocated. She may be imagining more in his kindness to her than what he’d intended by it.

When the wagon reached Gabi, she clasped her hands. “Oh, mes chères! You are home at last!”

“We had some trouble with the wagon,” Luc explained. He climbed down and took Julia’s hand to help her from the wagon seat. “Stuck in the mud.”

Gabi took his face in her hands, patting his cheek playfully. “You made this old lady worry.”

“Luc found us a place to stay for the night,” Julia said, “and someone to help to extract the wagon.”

“Oh, all this rain.” Gabi shook her head, making a tsking sound. “Of course Luc knew just what to do. But still, I worry formes enfants.” She kissed Julia’s cheeks and pulled her into an embrace. “I am so glad you are safely home.”

Julia held Gabi tighter than was perhaps necessary, and longer. But the woman’s words had touched her.Mes enfants—her children. The reminder that Julia would leave Rivulet tomorrow brought a lump to her throat. She would miss Gabi and her fussing. While Julia loved her grand-mère and knew she was loved in return, the woman wasn’t affectionate in the same way. She showed her love through stern correction and constant reminders of the proper way a young lady should act. A warm embrace was something different altogether. And Julia hadn’t realized it was something she craved.

A bleat came from the bed of the wagon.

“Oh, you found a goat,” Gabi said.

“Not just a goat.” Luc smiled at Julia. He let down the back gate and untied Honey’s rope. The goat jumped down.

“Oh, she is beautiful.” Gabi nodded approvingly.

Luc handed Honey’s rope to Julia. He untied Guignol and Spot and lifted them down from the wagon to join their mother.

“Oh.” Gabi’s eyebrows rose. “And two kids?”

The baby goats jumped around, kicking their hooves into the air, delighted at their freedom after the long wagon ride. Spot leaped onto the low wall.

“Juliette, she did not want to break apart a happy family,” Luc explained.

“Ah.” Gabi crouched down and scratched Guignol’s head. “They are still quite young to be weaned.” Her lips twitched. “You have a kind heart, Juliette.”

“Do you think Alice will be pleased?”

Spot jumped from the wall, kicking up her feet as she bounced back toward her mother.

Gabi laughed. “How could she not?”

The three ate a meal of hare-and-wine stew before leading Honey and her babies across the yard to the Laurents’ house.

Julia fidgeted as they neared the front door, feeling anxious. What if Alice remained angry? What if Honey did not meet with her approval?

Luc’s hand brushed hers, just a soft touch that could have been accidental. But she knew it wasn’t. Luc understood her worries and hoped to reassure her. She glanced up at him, giving him a grateful smile. If nothing else, she had his support.

Alice came to the door, and Mathieu followed, leaning heavily on his cane in the doorway.

“Bonjour, Madame Laurent,” Julia said. She tugged on the rope, bringing the goat closer. “This is Honey.”

Alice stepped outside. She squinted as she scrutinized the goat.

“Her milk is sweet,” Julia said. “And I hope you don’t mind, but we’ve brought her babies as well.”

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