Sarah My Beloved (Little Hickman Creek Series #2) (35 page)

"Sarah," he whispered, rocking her gently back and
forth.

He kissed the top of her soap-scented head, and with newly
awakened certainty, confessed to himself that he'd fallen head
over heels in love. Was it presumptuous to believe she might
feel the same?

They stayed that way for several seconds, her sniffing and
sagging into his embrace, arms wrapped loosely around his
back, he reveling in her softness until she finally tipped her
face upward. He might have kissed her in that very moment
had it not been for the pair of gazing eyes they simultaneously
sensed.

"Seth!" Rocky exclaimed at the sight of the lad standing
in his bedroom doorway, weak and pale, but standing nonetheless, nightclothes wrinkled, hair a tousled mess. It was the
first time since falling ill that the child had ventured two steps
beyond his cot. "What are you doing out of bed?"

Earnest brown eyes studied them intently. "Was you two
gonna kiss?" he asked instead of answering Rocky's question.

On the one hand amused, and on the other disgruntled,
by the interruption, for he'd come so close to confessing his
love for Sarah, Rocky dropped his hands to his sides and
turned toward the boy. Sarah gave one last dab at her eyes
and cleared her throat. Seeming self-conscious that Seth had
caught them in an embrace, she promptly sidestepped.

He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "And
what if we were?"

Seth gave a matter-of-fact shrug and leaned his small body against the doorframe, undoubtedly weak. "I just wondered'cause I never seen kissin' before."

Rocky shook his head and chuckled. "You best get back in
bed, young man. You look about ready to topple."

"I'm tired of sleepin'," he whined. "Can I come out here?"

Rocky glanced at Sarah, whose face had creased into a
sudden smile. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. But you
have to promise to stay on the couch," she told him.

Rocky walked over to the boy and swept him into his arms,
then headed for the lumpy couch. Seth gave a weak giggle.
"I'm hungry," he announced.

No question. The boy was on the road to recovery.

arah could not recall being happier. Although the
diphtheria outbreak continued to spread throughout
the area, Seth grew stronger every day, having come through
the worst of it, and Rachel had returned, making their family
once again complete. To top matters, Rocky had been paying
Sarah special attention, helping her around the house whenever possible, insisting she take some time to rest, and every so
often, giving her a quick peck on the cheek when the children
weren't watching.

Rocky gained strength every day, his cough having all but
disappeared, and the burns on his face, shoulders, forearms,
and chest healing nicely. Even the pinkish scars were fading
fast. With his newfound strength came a desire to finish the
bedroom addition. The quicker he did that, he claimed, the
sooner he could tackle the job of rebuilding the barn. Of course,
the townsmen had promised their muscles whenever Rocky
gave the word, so Sarah had no qualms about that. She did
wonder, however, where the money might come from, having
sneaked a peek at his bankbook when he was outside working
and seeing firsthand what his financial situation looked like.
There was plenty of money left from the sale he'd made on the
fall harvest and the few livestock he'd sold before winter, but
that would go toward meeting their personal needs, as well
as feeding the animals. He had invested in a small insurance policy some years prior, but it wouldn't come close to covering
the entire loss, which included many farm implements, animal
feed, horse riggings, and other supplies.

Once more, she'd offered to provide the money from her
private funds, and again he'd refused, saying he hadn't married her for her wealth. "I never said you did," she'd argued,
reacting with irritation. "What's mine is yours, remember?
When we married, we became partners, did we not? I should
think that would extend to our financial matters. If you would
allow me to contact-."

"Your lawyer beau?" he'd finished for her, his tone heavy
with sarcasm, brow slanted upward.

Would he never get it through his head that Stephen Alden
wasn't her beau?

Your man is a stubborn one. Doc's words coursed through
her head. Stubborn and proud, she'd mulled.

Because she hadn't wanted to feed the tension between
them, she'd chosen to ignore the jab and go back to the task of
scrubbing the heavy kettle she'd been working on.

"I'm the head of this household, Sarah Callahan. I can
manage our finances just fine without your help." He seemed
to think this was the end of the discussion.

The back door slammed shut, bringing Sarah back to the
present.

"Somethin' smells good, Aunt Sarah," said Rachel, a basketful of eggs under her arm. She wiped her feet on the braided
rug, handed the basket over to Sarah, and took off her jacket.
With April mere days away, milder temperatures had set in
along with bounteous amounts of sunshine.

"It's the bread in the oven," Sarah answered. "More eggs?" she asked with a frown. "I think you're feeding those chickens
too much grain!"

Rachel giggled. "All the more money we'll earn when we
take the eggs to town."

Selling the eggs for measly pennies seemed ridiculous
to Sarah in light of her bursting bank account in Boston, but
folks did rave about the rich flavor in the small brown eggs,
and there was a certain satisfaction in exchanging goods for
profit.

Sarah placed the basket on the counter. "I'll rinse them
off, and you can put them in the containers for me."

"Want me to set the table after that?" Ever since the girl's
return to the little house, she'd bent over backwards to do her
part. It seemed her brush with death and Seth's recent illness
had matured the girl beyond her years.

"I'd appreciate that. I just have to take the bread from the
oven and see to the stew. Then we'll call your uncle in."

"Can I call him?" asked Seth from the sofa. He laid the
picture book he'd been looking at in his lap. Although he'd
gained in strength, the boy's face remained ashen and his
voice weak, an indication that the illness had taken its toll on
his small body. Sarah's heart overflowed with affection.

"I'm not sure he'll hear you, sweetie, but you can certainly
try," she encouraged with a smile.

"Why can't I go outside and get him?"

Sarah gave the boy a stern but loving look. "We've been
over this before. When you get stronger you may go outside,
but we're taking things very slowly so your sickness doesn't
return."

Seth's face dropped in a pout. "I'll go get Uncle Rocky when it's time," Rachel said, attempting to smooth over the
matter.

Just then, the front door opened and Rocky entered. "Is
someone dragging my name through the mud?" he asked,
eyes twinkling as they came to rest on each one individually,
lingering the longest on Sarah. He slipped out of his farm coat
and hung it on a hook, then turned to face Sarah again. A tiny
smile flickered at the corners of his mouth. As was usually the
case, his large presence ignited a warm flame that ran the
length of her.

"Seth said he wanted to go outside and get you when it was
time for supper," Rachel announced, "but Aunt Sarah says he
can't go out until he's stronger."

"And she's right," Rocky said. "Your Aunt Sarah is a very
smart woman." He advanced further into the house, taking
a moment to tousle Seth's brown hair, then giving Rachel a
gentle pat on the shoulder. Both children responded with a
shy smile. They were still growing accustomed to their uncle's
newfound affection.

As Rocky moved in her direction, Sarah whirled toward
the sink with the basket of eggs and started rinsing each one.
Despite her efforts to adjust to her husband's presence, he still
managed to jangle her nerves. Thus, when he brushed against
her at the sink, she accidentally cracked the egg she held in her
hand in two, its gooey yoke slithering through her fingers.

A low chuckle rumbled from Rocky's chest as he set to
pumping water. "Concentrate, my sweet wife," he whispered,
taking her hand in his and rinsing it. His blue eyes were
humorous yet tender.

"I am concentrating just fine," she replied, pulling her hand away to regain her composure, but realizing her sense
of calm wouldn't be complete until he put some space between
them.

"Here's the egg container, Aunt Sarah," Rachel interrupted, suddenly shoving herself in between the two adults.
"Want me to put the eggs in now?"

"Yes," Sarah answered in haste.

Forced to move aside, Rocky smiled down at Rachel as
she began to place each egg in the small, sectioned container.
"Looks like you'll earn a fair piece in town tomorrow."

"Me?" Rachel asked. "They're not my chickens."

"Ali, but you've named them all," Rocky countered. "I
should think anyone who names a critter ought to lay claim to
it. Besides, ever since you came home, you've been tending to
the egg collection. Seems only fair you should reap the profits
for your labor."

Rachel's eyes grew double in size as she threw her arms
around Rocky's middle, her hands falling far short of meeting
at the back. "Oh, thank you, Uncle Rocky! Just think, my very
own money!" she shrieked.

Surprise lit in Rocky's face at the child's gesture of appreciation. Slowly, he put both hands around her shoulders and
drew her close. Balmy warmth seized Sarah when she realized it was the first time she'd witnessed the two in an actual
hug.

"Hey, what about me?" Seth complained from the couch.
"I want a job so I can earn some money."

Rocky glanced at the boy and chuckled, his hands still
resting on Rachel's shoulders. "Well now, you're a bit young
for earning money. Seems to me you'd do well to concentrate on regaining your strength, young man. That's job enough
for you right now." Leaving Rachel's side, he sauntered across
the room and sat down next to Seth. Just like that, the boy
snuggled in close.

Sarah continued to watch, glorying in the precious
moment. As if sensing her silent assessment, Rocky glanced up
and winked at her. More warmth trickled down her spine.

Quickly, she turned her attention back to her chores.

Moments later, as Rachel was reaching for the usual mismatched dishes with which to set the table, Rocky announced
from the couch, "This seems like a fine night for the new
china."

Her back to him while she sliced fresh bread for the evening
meal, Sarah felt her breath catch, but her better judgment told
her not to react. "That would be nice," was her simple reply.

At Sarah's nod, Rachel moved to an entirely different
cupboard where Sarah had stacked the new dishes. Not since
Rocky's verbal display in front of family and friends had she
used them. "They're so pretty," the girl cooed as she carried a
stack of plates to the table. One by one, she placed each plate in
its appropriate spot, then returned to the cupboard to pull out
the drawer that held the tub of old, tarnished dinnerware.

As she was counting out mismatched spoons, Rocky
stopped her. "Use the new silver, too. It's in that wooden chest
on that lower shelf behind the curtain," he said, pointing. The
girl froze in place, obviously remembering the stir the new
dishes and silver had earlier created.

Barely able to contain her own gasp of surprise, Sarah
ceased with her bread-cutting to snag a look at Rocky. At the
same time, Seth angled his head upward to get a better view of Rocky's face. "Aren't them the weddin' presents from Aunt
Sarah's beau, Uncle Rocky?"

Surrendering to embarrassment, Sarah cleared her throat,
picked up the platter of bread, and carried it to the table. "As
I've said before, Stephen Alden was never my beau," she stated,
forcing calmness. At some point Rachel had retrieved the silver
and was even now arranging each brightly shining utensil in
its proper place.