Page 47 of A Steadfast Heart
Tillie sobbed harder. He rubbed his hand across her back, slow and steady, just like he’d do with a frightened horse. Who knew his skill with animals could help him comfort his children? “Jo, the problem with eavesdropping is you don’t get the whole story. And I know you didn’t see her packing.”
“I did too.”
“How can you stand there and lie to my face?” Drew struggled to keep his voice level.
Jo stomped her foot. “I’m not lying. Kaitlyn’s in the house packing. If Ma wouldn’t stay, why’d you think Kaitlyn would? Ma was lots better than her. She loved us.”
Drew wanted to stamp his own foot. “Jo, be quiet.”
Jo ran from the yard, heading toward the woods.
Tillie hiccuped. “Is she really leaving, Pa? I don’t want her to go.”
“Kaitlyn isn’t leaving, Tillie. I’m going to go inside and figure out what’s going on. Are you all right?”
Two more tears tracked down Tillie’s face, but she nodded.
Drew glanced at the path Jo had taken, then shook his head. He didn’t have time to track her down right now. Besides, he still had no idea what Jo needed from him. Tillie was easier.
Since when do you take the easy way, McGraw?
Since talking to Jo might mean telling her what her mother had really been like. He shuddered. No child should have to know that her mother hadn’t wanted any of them.
He moved through the silent kitchen, then passed the dining room table, where Kaitlyn and the kids worked on lessons. The parlor chair where she curled up, enjoying his copy ofTom Sawyer. He’d never have to wonder what to get for her birthday. Twain had written a lot of books.
Her birthday. When was it, anyway? He’d have to find out, make sure her day was special. And Christmas. She’d want to do something special for the kids that day, no doubt. It’d be his job to make sure she wasn’t forgotten. It’d take a few years before he’d have to find another author.
He stopped in the parlor. Since when did a business deal include worrying about Christmas gifts? Probably about the same time it started including sharing stories of their days and the kids’ exploits.
He set his jaw. Somehow, friendship had snuck through the fences he’d erected, but it stopped there. Not that Kaitlyn was likely to fall in love with him. No one had thought he was worth a lifetime commitment.
He knocked on the door to her room.
She opened the door a foot, just wide enough for him to see into the room behind her.
Her trunk lay half filled on her bed.
Chapter11
Drew pushed the door open farther. Kaitlyn’s clothes were scattered across the bed.
His pulse pounded in his ears.
She’d really fooled him. He’d thought she was different. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he brushed past her to stand between her and the open trunk. He forced himself to pull in air, the cool May breeze feeling like cut glass as it passed into his chest.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
She looked at him, her eyes blank, expressionless.
“There’s a little girl out there crying because you’re packing.”
Kaitlyn’s face paled, and she shrank in on herself, but then she squared her shoulders and walked to the other side of the bed. Good. At least she’d have to reach over the lid of the trunk from that side. He turned to face her, the bed and trunk between them.
She picked up a dress and bunched it up, then pulled it to her chest like a shield. “I need to borrow your trunk. I’ll see that you get it back.”
He gritted his teeth, forcing words from behind them. “What are you doing?”
She leaned over to fold the dress, hiding her expression from him. “Leaving.”
