Laura stepped through the doorway that separated the Bradleys’ residence from the clinic, her heart full from the gathering she’d just left in the kitchen. It’d been two days since the awful ordeal at the cave, and Bright Sun and her grandfather had settled in well at the clinic.
Now, Isaac and Joanna were visiting with little Samuel, and the boy hadn’t stopped talking to Bright Sun for the last hour. It turned out Isaac knew a bit of Eagle Soaring’s language, too, and he seemed to be gathering details about where their people had gone.
The older man hadn’t been hurt by those thieves from the mine—thanks to Aaron, who’d been so worried about Nate, he’d insisted the doctor let him come along to help. They’d arrived just in time to meet Eagle Soaring and defend him from the three men who thought they’d have an easy time with a weak old man and young girl.
When Danvers fell with a single well-placed bullet, the others decided two Indians weren’t worth their lives and freedom.
Thank the Lord for Doc Micah and Aaron.
She paused at the sight of the man standing by the hall window, staring at the white world outside. Aaron.
He turned from looking through the glass to regard her. He held a walking stick under each arm but didn’t lean against them for balance. It was remarkable how much he’d improved in the mere two days since he’d become mobile again.
“Good morning.” She smiled a greeting, but something about the solemn expression on his face made her pause.
The look wasn’t his usual sullen melancholy. More like . . . a soberness.
Had something happened? Her heart stuttered, then scrambled forward. “Is Nate . . . ?” She couldn’t finish the question.
“Sleeping.” Aaron glanced toward his bedchamber door, the room the brothers had shared these past two nights. “But he was stirring when I left the room, so he’ll be underfoot soon.” The corners of his mouth curved in what could pass for a smile, but the seriousness didn’t leave his eyes as he returned his focus to her.
“What’s wrong, then? What is it?”
Aaron turned back to the window and stared through the glass. His jaw flexed, an action she could see clearly since he’d shaved the day before. She’d not had the nerve to ask if the act came from Nate’s prompting or if Aaron was taking steps to improve himself on his own. Either way, the change had to be a good sign.
“I need to tell you . . .” Tension laced Aaron’s voice, and when he paused, his Adam’s apple bobbed. “I need to apologize.” He turned toward her again, and pain swirled in his eyes. “For the way I’ve acted. For blaming you for my troubles. I knew it wasn’t right, but I just couldn’t face . . .” A sigh leaked out. “I knew what happened was payback for everything I’d done. All those years. I just couldn’t make myself face it.” Red rimmed his eyes. “None of that was fair to you, and I’m sorry.”
Laura’s thoughts had frozen at the word apologize, and her numb mind struggled to keep up with each comment after that. She eased out a breath. “Thank you for saying that. You can’t imagine how many times I’ve regretted that day.”
A corner of his mouth tipped in a sardonic half-grin. “That makes both of us.”
The tightness in her chest eased a bit with a little chuckle. “I’ll bet so.”
Then his face straightened, his eyes showing that soberness again. And an earnestness. “I also wanted to say thank you.”
Again, his words stole her breath. He was thanking her? For shattering his leg?
“For not giving up on me. For not showing how much you hate me.” His gaze shifted back to the window. “I know you must, at least a little, for everything I was part of. But you’ve never once made me feel that way.”
“I don’t hate you.” The pressure in her chest finally eased.
He turned back, and it wasn’t surprise shimmering in his eyes so much as doubt. “I’m glad.” After a pause, he added, “Even though I’m not sure I believe you.”
Part of her wanted to smile at his attempt at light words, but his pain was still so fresh. He was finally facing it—the first step. Yet if she could make the path to healing easier for him, she would in a heartbeat.
“I know I’m not the man I should be—I’m certainly not the man my brother wants me to be—but I need you to know I’m trying to do better.” His eyes shone with that earnestness again. His throat worked in a swallow.
“I’m glad to hear it.” She gathered her courage. “God can help you if you ask Him.” Sharing her faith was still so new, but that hadn’t been as hard as she’d expected.
Aaron’s mouth tipped up again, and this time real humor touched his eyes. “You and Nate really are a good fit.” He held the look for a moment, then nodded, as though he’d confirmed something inside himself. “I’m trying. Let’s just leave it at that. Me and God are talking finally, so we’ll see if anything comes out of it.”
For the first time since she’d come into Aaron’s presence, the knot in her middle finally unclenched, and the last of the weight lifted from her shoulders. She couldn’t have stopped her smile if she’d wanted to. “I’m glad.”
A sound from down the hall drew her attention as Nate stepped through the bedroom door. He paused, standing in the hallway, strong and tall.
Her heart surged with a love she no longer tried to deny.
He sent her one of those off-kilter smiles that made her stomach flip, and she jerked her focus away from him to stop the heat from surging up her neck. Especially with his brother watching. “I, um, came to tell you both the morning meal is ready in the kitchen. You’re welcome to eat any time.”
The scuffle of footsteps sounded from the corridor leading to the kitchen. She turned to see Samuel pulling Bright Sun by the arm as he rambled on to her. “C’mon. My daddy and I play it all the time. It’s so fun.”
Laura stepped aside to allow them passage, and Samuel paused long enough to send her a grin. “I’m gonna show Bright Sun the new game me an’ Daddy Isaac made up. She’s gonna love it.”
Bright Sun’s grin was sheepish, but she let Samuel pull her toward the front door. They made an incongruous pair—the barely-six-year-old boy with his red hair and energy enough for three lads, and the staid Indian girl who stood at least a head taller than him.
But the picture soaked through Laura’s chest like warm tea and honey soothe an aching throat. The girl needed the chance just to be a child. And no one could pull her into childish abandon like Samuel Watson Bowen.
“Guess I’ll head to the kitchen, then.” Aaron’s voice pulled her back to the present.
She nodded as he walked past, then she turned her focus to the one remaining person in the hallway.
A smile quirked Nate’s lips as he strode toward her, and when he stopped in front of her, his nearness seemed to magnify his presence. He settled those warm green eyes on her, roaming her face with a look radiating so much love that her heart squeezed with the intensity of that exact emotion welling inside her.
He reached out a hand, and she slipped hers into his, allowing him to pull her a step nearer, so that only a handbreadth separated them. His gaze never left her face. His eyes never stopped their caress. “I need to tell you something, Laura Hannon, and I don’t want to wait another minute to do it.”
She could barely breathe as she soaked in every word. The sweetness in his look.
“I love you. I know I don’t deserve you, but I promise there’s not another man alive who could love you more. You can take as long as you want to get used to the idea. I can be patient if I have to, but I want you in my life. I want to be the one who makes you laugh, the one there when you need a sidekick on your next adventure.” His hand tightened the tiniest bit around hers, and his voice grew hoarse. “I want to protect you and never let you forget how special you are. How much you’re loved.”
Oh, dear God, you’re good to me. Tears of overwhelming happiness welled in her eyes, cutting off both her breath and words. She could only release a strangled laugh as joy surged through her.
She stepped into his waiting arms, releasing his hand and wrapping her arms around him as the tears spilled down her cheeks. He wrapped his arms around her, locking her tight against him. She wouldn’t have left his embrace for anything in the world.
“So . . . does that mean I’ll need to be patient awhile?” Nate’s deep voice rumbled in her ear, not covering up the humor in his tone.
She chuckled a shaky laugh as she pulled back enough to look into his handsome face. He raised his eyebrows and cocked his sideways grin. “No need for patience on my account, although I’d be happy to wait awhile before we have any more adventures. At least the kind that involves men with guns.”
His face sobered, and his arms around her tightened. “I plan to do my very best to make sure you never have to face another gun pointed your way. You can be sure that’ll be in every one of my prayers, too.”
With that, he sealed his promise with a kiss so achingly tender, she couldn’t imagine ever loving him more than she did now. The rest of her life with this man may not be long enough.