Page 36 of Wagon Train Dreams
“It is.” She’d gladly sit in the blazing sun if it gave her time with him. Time to use to her advantage. But all the things she meant to say now seemed inadequate.
They sat in the warm grass, leaves fluttering overhead like tiny fans.
Before she sorted out how to voice her wishes, Joe began.
“I’m trying to imagine what it was like to have brothers and sisters growing up.”
She chortled. “Sometimes a mixed blessing.” She held up a hand, stopping him from probing. “Don’t get me wrong. I love my family. I loved our home.”
“But there were bad times?”
“Umm. Things don’t always go as one expects. For instance, as a young child, Irene liked to wander.” Her gaze followed theflight of a bird through the trees as it looked for a place to rest. Unlike Irene who wasn’t looking for rest. “I remember this one time. I was maybe eight and Irene three. Ma was looking after Ruby and asked me to watch Irene. And Bertie.” Her words slowed. “Bertie got upset so easily, and then we never knew how he’d react.”
She squared her shoulders as she talked, wanting him to understand she could deal with difficult situations.
“Well, on that day, Bertie was upset because one of the baby kittens was missing. I went to help him look and told Irene to come with me, which she did. We found the kitten stuck behind a loose board on a shed. I had to reach in and get it. I gave it to Bertie, but when I turned around, Irene was gone.”
He reached for her hands, and she gladly accepted his grasp.
“I called and called. Ma heard me and asked if there was a problem. I said no. It was my doing, and I meant to fix it. But I searched and couldn’t find her. I was so scared. Irene was little. Defenseless. And I’d failed to take care of her.”
His hands tightened around hers, comforting, strengthening. A man to count on.
“Finally, I had to tell Ma, and she helped me look. It meant carrying the baby and Bertie following us. Before we found her, I was sobbing and saying I was sorry. I promised I’d never let it happen again.” Her throat closed off, choking her words to a halt.
“I assume you found her seeing as she is at this moment back at the wagons.”
She laughed. “We did. She was sitting in a shady spot in the woods, watching a snake.” A shudder raced through Hazel. “A harmless garter snake, but still.” Another shudder.
Joe’s hands pumped hers with sympathy. Or perhaps comfort? And was that a twitch at the corner of his mouth? She shook their joined hands.
“You can laugh if you want. But seeing your little sister watching a snake is no laughing matter.”
“There’s more to it than seeing Irene with a snake.” He pushed his face in close, his dark gaze impaling her. “You, Hazel Meyers, are afraid of snakes.”
“I hate ’em.” She narrowed her eyes. “Didn’t you promise to protect me from them?” Would he get her very broad hint that she expected him to keep that promise…not just for today but for as long as they lived?
Shutters came down on his eyes, informing her he understood and refused to accept her suggestion. “I think you can defend yourself if you need to.”
“If it came to protecting someone I loved, I suppose I could and would. Anyway, back to Irene. She came home, but it wasn’t the last time she ran off. When I was home, I didn’t let her out of my sight. Finally, Ma and Pa gave her permission to go to the woods. She only had to let people know and had to return for meals.”
“She’s learned many skills because of that.”
“True. She’s strong and independent.”
He leaned back, taking their clasped hands with him, forcing her to shift closer. Tipping his head, he studied her.
“What was it like to marry and leave your home?” His eyes widened. “You did, didn’t you?”
“Peter had a house in town where we lived.” She sank back into her memories. Bit by bit, in slow, even tones, she told Joe about learning to be a wife, being away from her family, being in a house all alone, waiting for Peter to come home. “Sometimes, he returned very late.”
Somehow, she had moved so she now pressed to his side. “When Peter died, I lost a big part of my family, and to accompany my mother and siblings, I sold my house. No more home.”
The finality of all she’d lost hit her like a kick in the stomach.
She couldn’t lose Joe on top of all that. She choked back a sob.
Chapter Nine
