Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (12 page)

“Yes?”
It
took
deliberate
self-control
not
to
sound
exasperated.

“I
have
all
my
work
done
for
this
week
except
for
the
rewrite
of
my
book
report.
Can
I
do
that
Sunday
afternoon
; that way
I
can
help
him
tomorrow
too?”

Her
natural
inclination
was
to
say
no,
but
Aggie
remembered
Luke’s
argument
that
the
kind
of
things
he
did
in
his
“free
time”
were
educational
too.
“Ok,
this
time,
but
if
it
isn’t
on
my
desk
and
perfect
Monday
morning,
I
won’t
agree
to
it
again.”

“Thanks!”

Melting
snow
and
two
heavy
space
heaters
made
walking
to
Luke’s
house
impossible.
Every
time
she
ran
an
errand
in
the
big
fifteen
passenger
van,
it
felt
like
overkill,
but
two
cars
for
one
driver
seemed
even
worse.
She
saw
the
lights
on
in
the
living
room
and
dining
room
,
but
there
was
no
sign
of
Luke
when
she
pulled
into
the
driveway
.

At
the
door,
she
pounded.
Her
fists
ached
as
she
used
them
and
her
toes
to
try
to
summon
Luke.
Cold
and
ready
to
give
up,
she
tried
the
door
and
found
it
unlocked.
Once
the
door
was
open,
she
knew
why
he
hadn’t
heard
her.
The
Old
Rugged
Cross
blared
from
a
CD
player
in
the
kitchen.
The
singer
was
the
deepest
bass
she’d
ever
heard
and
then
followed
by
a
tenor
singing,
“I
will
cling
to
the
old
rugged
cross…”

“Luke?”

Aggie
stood
in
the
ki
tchen
doorway,
a
space
heater
in
each
hand.
“I
heard
that
you
needed
a
little
heat
in
here.”

Luke
swallowed
hard.
He
set
down
his
drill
and
moved
to
take
them
from
her.
“Not
anymore.”

Aggie says:
Libby? Are you still awake?

Libby says:
Sorry, are you still here? I was talking with Luke.

Aggie says:
He seemed pretty discouraged tonight.

Libby says:
He is. You made his evening bringing by the heaters.

Aggie says:
I didn’t know what to do—if it was the right thing...

Aggie says:
Laird said he needed some but that his were in Marshfield or something. I don’t know why he just didn’t go to the hardware store here and get one.

Libby says:
He is on auto-pilot right now. He’ll be kicking himself later.

Aggie says:
That makes sense.

Libby says:
Aggie, are you ok?

Aggie says
: Yeah.

Aggie says
: I guess.

Libby says:
You don’t seem yourself.

Aggie says:
I tried to tell Luke…

Libby says:
Wrong timing?

Aggie says:
Not really—I mean, yes but no, you know?

Libby says:
Um, not really. Care to elaborate?

Aggie says
: Well, it wasn’t anything earth shattering. I didn’t have a big speech or anything.

Aggie says:
He just said he loved me. He does that now, you know.

Libby says:
I didn’t know for sure, but I suspected.

Aggie says:
Well, I tried to say I loved him too, but he drove off even before I had a chance to shut the door, much less…

Libby says:
My Luke is distracted right now. That is very unlike him and dangerous. But you went over to the house. There wasn’t a chance there?

Aggie says:
*blush* I sort of lost all intelligible thought after he

made one of his startling comments.

Libby says:
Something tells me I shouldn’t ask what it was, so I won’t. I won’t promise not to wonder, though.

Aggie says:
Ask him. I don’t care if he doesn’t.

Libby says:
I just might do that. I just might.

Libby says:
You know, Aggie. My Luke is going to love to hear these stories of your attempts to share your heart. They will be very special to him once…

Aggie says:
Once we’re engaged?

Libby says
: It seems so presumptuous to say that, but yes.

Aggie says
: Well, I’m a presumptuous kind of gal, I suppose. I fully

expect to be his wife someday—if he’ll ever ask. Well, ask for real. I suppose technically he already has by informing me that he intends to. Sort of.

Libby says:
His sisters are going to be merciless. They’re bad enough now.

Aggie says:
It’ll do him good. Mom says nothing makes a man of a man than enduring good natured teasing regarding his heart.

Libby says:
I suspect your father was in earshot.

Aggie says:
How did you guess? *giggle*

Libby says:
I really would love to chat some more, but I’m developing a nasty headache. I think I should go to bed.