Page 90 of Always to Remember
He lowered the flame in the lantern until it was little more than a whisper of light in the dark. “All right. Let’s try not to wake him.”
As they trudged toward the house, Meg realized for the first time in her life how loudly the grass crunched beneath her feet. She feared they’d wake the entire county. Clay walked in long sure strides as though he’d forgotten that their visit was a secret, as though he wanted to tempt Kirk’s father to aim a gun at him.
She hurried to catch him and wrapped her hand around his swinging arm as they neared the house. “Let me go in first,” she whispered.
Clay reluctantly acknowledged the wisdom of her words. If Robert did wake up, he’d be less alarmed if he saw Meg walking through the house. Clay gave a brusque nod.
Meg took the lantern and slowly eased open the door. She peered into the darkened kitchen and listened intently. Slipping the lantern through the opening, she searched the shadows, then tiptoed into the house.
Clay stepped in after her, and Meg could have sworn he stomped the floor. With her finger pressed to her mouth, she spun around and glared at him.
He shrugged.
“Walk on your toes,” she said in a low voice.
He grimaced.
“Do it or I won’t go any farther,” she threatened.
She watched his height increase and lowered the lantern for a closer inspection of his feet. His large toe had escaped through the hole in his sock.
She crept through the kitchen and halted at the hallway. One way led to the room she’d shared with Kirk, the room where Robert now slept. The main room of the house lay beyond it. In the opposite direction, a few steps down the hall, the door to Mama Warner’s room stood ajar.
Taking a deep breath, she cautiously tiptoed down the hall. She peered in through the open door.
Smiling, Mama Warner lay in the bed, her hand lifted slightly, and her fingers wiggling in the air. Meg hurried across the room, the lantern swaying and chasing away the shadows.
“I was starting to worry about you,” Mama Warner whispered.
Meg pressed her finger to the older woman’s lips. “We have to be quiet.”
Mama Warner waved her hand as though shooing away an irritating fly. Then she extended her gnarled fingers toward Clay. His larger hand swallowed hers. “Meg says you’re taking me on an adventure.”
To Meg’s surprise the brilliance of Clay’s smile shone through the dimness of the room.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m gonna be as gentle as I can, but you tell me if I hurt you.”
Meg forgot about cautioning him to be quiet. She forgot about everything but watching the care with which he wrapped a blanket around Mama Warner before gingerly lifting her into his arms and cradling her against his chest.
“Comfortable?” he asked.
“You know how to hold a woman so she feels precious. Makes me wish I was sixty years younger.”
Clay laughed, and Meg thumped his shoulder. “Shh.”
He rolled his eyes. “She keeps me on a tight line.”
“Not tight enough from what I hear.”
“Will you two be quiet!” Meg whispered sharply. “You’re gonna wake Robert, and then we’ll have all hell to pay.” She nudged Clay. “Get moving.”
“It’d help if the person with the lantern led the way,” he said in a low voice.
Meg took the lead, and the whispering behind her increased. These two were worse than maiden aunts at a social. She scurried down the hallway and ducked into the kitchen.
And waited while Clay took his own sweet time following her. She felt as though she were standing on the edge of a deep abyss by the time he finally ambled into the kitchen. She could tell he and the woman in his arms were fighting to hold back their laughter. She trudged through the door, holding it open an eternity.
“You must have trained your mule,” she whispered when Clay finally walked onto the porch. “You move slower than it does. Try and hurry. I’d like for us to be back before sunup.”
