Page 68 of A Steadfast Heart
The land was cleared and leveled over a much larger area. The area originally planned for his brother’s house. Before they had accepted they would have to take Wilson’s offer for the bull. Before they’d lost the grazing rights to their neighbor’s land.
Now all they could afford was a twelve-by-fourteen shack.
And where was the hay going to come from?
Drew shook his head. He’d hoped Kaitlyn would be able to settle her inheritance quickly, but something was delaying her. He’d told her not to send a telegram so they didn’t tip their hand to Quade, but he regretted it now. She’d left over two weeks ago, and he didn’t have much time left. He’d have to go through his herd and make some hard decisions. Selling half his cattle would buy enough hay to keep the other half alive.
Hopefully.
Ed stopped next to him. “We’re ready to go. Best get at it if we’re to get things done by the deadline. Probably have to work straight through if we’re to even have a chance.”
The deadline. Three days to raise a shed. Not that hard if they had all the material on hand. Which they didn’t. Haskin’s lumberyard had raised its prices. They’d had to settle for green lumber, and only half enough to do the job.
Drew rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. Why was he even out here? His time would be better spent separating his herd. This was impossible.
With God, all things are possible.
Well, unless God planned to multiply the boards like He had the bread and fishes so long ago, they were done for. But they were McGraws. They didn’t know when to quit. “Think I’d better check on Quade first. I want to make sure he didn’t find his way back onto our land. Still, you should have your own roof in a couple of days.”
Ed shrugged. “The bunkhouse ain’t so bad. Sure miss Kaitlyn’s cooking though.”
Kaitlyn. Drew had missed more than her cooking. He’d missed the times they shared a joke with a simple look. The times she’d brought him a cup of coffee when he was working in the barn. The smell of lavender she carried with her. The small joys she’d brought with her had snuck up on him, and now he wondered how he’d ever lived without them.
Drew ran his hammer through his belt loop and followed the trail to the main house. Quade’s horse stood near the entrance to the road.
Drew’s chest seized up. Several men on horseback accompanied a wagon. Dust obscured the people’s identities. Who could be headed this way? If Quade had moved aside for them, it couldn’t be good.
A door slammed. Tillie ran across the yard. “Kaitlyn! It’s Kaitlyn!”
Drew strained his eyes against the dust and caught sight of a patch of green calico and a bit of blonde hair. His knees weakened and his heart floated free. She’d come back.
Quade’s eyes narrowed as the wagon passed him and entered the path to their house.
The driver stopped at the corral. Tillie climbed into the wagon and clung to Kaitlyn like a little monkey. Not that Kaitlyn seemed to mind. She wore his favorite green dress, her blonde hair a bit ragged from travel and Tillie’s greeting, but he’d never seen a more beautiful sight. She slid Tillie to the ground and gathered her skirt to climb down herself. Drew hurried to help her. She’d been in the wagon a long time, so her legs might be weak. And if it gave him an excuse to touch her, well, he was her husband after all. He put one hand on either side of her waist and lifted her down. How could someone who didn’t weigh much more than one of his calves transform an entire ranch? Nothing had felt right while she was gone.
One of the riders chuckled, and Drew released Kaitlyn’s waist. His hands tingled from the too-brief contact. “You’re late,” he murmured.
Kaitlyn’s cheeks reddened, and she looked down. “We couldn’t get in to see the judge for a few days. And the banker took a few days more.”
“I missed you,” Drew murmured.
“Your wife said you had work for us, McGraw.”
With difficulty, Drew tore his gaze from Kaitlyn’s face. It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen the riders. They just hadn’t mattered. Not once he’d seen Kaitlyn. He forced himself to step back from her. “What’s all this?” He gestured to the men surrounding them.
Her smile rivaled the sunrise. “We did it. The judge released my funds. Most of it was transferred to the bank at Calvin, but I brought enough with me to buy lumber for Ed’s house. Good seasoned lumber, just like he wanted. I had a bit left over, so I brought along some hands to work.”
The driver pulled a lever on the wagon and the brake screeched.
Kaitlyn spun, one hand to her chest.
Drew stepped closer. She was jumpy. Like she’d been the first few days after she’d gotten here. What else had happened in St. Louis? He drew her against him and pointed toward Ed back at his building site. “Go ahead and take the supplies over there. We’ll be along shortly.”
Ed gestured for the workers to come toward him. The men on horseback moved that way, and the wagon followed.
Drew glanced at Tillie. “Go get your brother and sister. We’re all going to the building site.”
“But Pa. Kaitlyn just gotted back.”
