Page 46 of A Steadfast Heart
Kaitlyn sank into her chair. “Gossip? What did the telegram say?”
“Only what I told you, but I’m afraid our telegraph operator isn’t as discreet as he should be.”
“So now everyone is talking about Drew forcing me to marry him.”
Danna nodded.
Kaitlyn’s heart turned to lead inside her chest. After Drew had worked so hard to overcome the rumors about Amanda, she’d landed him in a new pile of gossip. When would she learn? Michael always got his way.
Danna took a cookie from the plate. “I need to get back to town. If you give me a message, I’ll see that it’s sent today.”
Kaitlyn’s throat burned and thoughts raced through her mind almost faster than she could register them. Confirm her location to tame the gossip? Or continue to hide and hope for the best? Maybe her brother had sent that wire to multiple law offices. She shook her head. “I need time to decide.”
Danna said goodbye, and Kaitlyn returned to the kitchen. She pulled a plate from the soap-water basin, then wiped it with the dishrag. If only she could clean up her life as easily. Her stomach churned and her mind spun.
What would Michael’s next step be? He’d implied she wasn’t in her right mind. There had to be a reason for it. To ruin her reputation? Deprive her of friendships and support in the area? An image of the family walking into church next Sunday and all the people who had been so friendly at the picnic now turning their backs to her seared her heart. She’d lived that particular torture once before.
Except, it wouldn’t be her alone that was affected this time.
What if the townspeople turned their backs on the McGraws?
She dropped the plate she held, the water splashing her dress. She placed a hand on the dry sink to steady herself.
How could she bring ruin to this family? To little Tillie, who wouldn’t understand why her friends ostracized her. To David, whose friends had been determined to be next to break a horse. To Jo, who was already having difficulty with girls her age.
And to Kaitlyn’s husband, who was trying so hard to be everything his family needed.
Husband.
She sank into the nearest chair. Michael had mentioned marriage, somehow knew about Drew, so he knew she was here. Which meant she couldn’t stay.
* * *
Drew rounded the corner of the fenced-off garden spot and approached the backyard. The marshal had just left. Kaitlyn would serve visitors refreshments, so he’d have to hustle if he wanted to find any cookies left in the jar after Danna stopped by. He grinned. He wasn’t sure if Kaitlyn still thought the kids were to blame for her baked goods disappearing or if she only pretended she didn’t know that Drew and his brothers also swiped them when given half a chance.
“Told ya she’d leave.”
Drew paused at the sound of Jo’s voice coming from the backyard. The gloating tone that could only be aimed at one of her siblings. He sighed. Not again.
“She is n-not. You’re l-lying, Jo!”
Tillie, Jo’s favorite target, and near tears, no less. Drew moved close enough to see the girls taking clothes down from the line and piling them in baskets. He might have to intervene, but Tillie needed to learn to stand up for herself.
“I saw her packing. Good riddance too. We don’t need her.” Jo stretched to reach another clothespin. Tillie wiped her eyes, her shoulders shaking.
Drew squared his shoulders. Much as he might like to ignore the squabble, Kaitlyn had taught him better. He joined his daughters and laid a hand on Tillie’s shoulder. “What’s going on?”
“Jo s-said—” Tillie wrapped her arms around his leg and hid her face. “Jo said—” The little girl dissolved into tears.
He smothered a sigh and looked sternly at his older daughter. “Jo said what?”
“I told her Kaitlyn’s leaving.” Jo’s voice sounded serious now, but her expression remained smug. “Ma left. Why wouldn’t Kaitlyn?”
That didn’t make sense. Just last night she’d told him her plans for the kids’ lessons for May. She’d even asked when she and the kids could help with the herd again.
Drew shook his head. Those weren’t the actions of a woman looking to escape but of a woman planning ways to better the place she lived. “What makes you think she’s leaving?”
“I heard her talking to Miss Danna. Then I saw her packing.”
