Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (14 page)

Aggie
glanced
back
and saw
the
children
rush
into
the
house
again,
barely
missing
a
spill
that
would
have
created
pie
goulash
in
the
process.
Praying
for
patience,
she
pushed
open
the
gate,
glancing
toward
her
father’s
workshop
,
but
she saw
nothing.
As
she
rounded
the
corner
of
the
house,
she
spied
Luke
on
one
knee,
his
heart
in
his
eyes
and
a
ring
box
in
one
hand.

Aggie’s
heart
leapt
into
her
throat
simultaneously
with
the
thought,
I
hope
someone
is
recording
this!
A
glance
at
the
family
room
window
assured
her
that
the
entire
Stuart-Milliken-Winthrop
clan
was
watching
the
scene
with
visible
re
lish—truly.
Martha
held
a
jar
of
it
in
one
hand.

She
saw
through
the
silly,
over-dramatic
flourishes
he
made,
sweeping
one
hand
out
and
clutching
the
ring
to
his
heart.
His
eyes
told
her
that
no
matter
how
ridiculous
he
may
act
to
cover
his
self-consciousness,
he
loved
her.
Aggie
swallowed
a
lump-one
of
many
that
seemed
to
reappear
as
quickly
as
she
thought
she
dispatched
of
them.

“Aggie,
your
father
assured
me
that
no
one
inside
that
house
can
hear
a
thing.
So,
if
I
watch
the
recording
of
this
later
and
hear
myself,
I
cannot
promise
I
won’t
be
red
for
eternity.”

Still
a
little
stunned
to
see
him,
Aggie’s
first
words
were
the
epitome
of
graciousness
that
any
young
woman
would
hope
to
express
at
such
a
moment.
“You
said
you
weren’t
coming.”

“I
remembered
something
you
said
the
other
day,
combined
with
something
you
said
after
a
certain
spider
dared
to
live
a
little
too
long,
and
then
something
Laird—”

“Laird?
What
did
he
say?”

“Oh,
something
about
overhearing
you
mutter
that
you
never
get
any
time
alone
with
me
and
how
can
you
confess
certain
delightful
things
if
you
never
have
any
time—”

“Ok,
ok.
I
get
the
picture.”
She
sent
an
exaggerated
angry
look
in
Laird’s
direction.
From
the
other
side
of
the
glass,
the
boy’s
eyes
widened
to
immense
proportions
and
he
pretended
to
bite
his
nails
while
quaking
in
fear.

“Um,
Aggie?”

“Yeah?”

Luke
jerked
his
head
at
his
outstretched
arm.
“Mind
coming
a
little
closer
so
I
can
give
my
arm
something
less
painful
to
do?”

Although
it
wasn’t
the
truly
private
moment
she’d
imagined
for
longer
than
she
cared
to
admit
to
herself,
Aggie
crossed
the
last
of
the
yard
and
seated
herself
on
his
knee.
“Think
it
can
hold
me?”

Luke
wrapped
both
of
his
arms
around
her
and
wh
ispered,
“If
I
said
I
loved
you—yet
again—
what
would
you
say
to
that?”