you, can I?”
She wanted to apologize for her shrewish behavior. Instead she said, “I suppose I should thank you for saving my neck in front of the Hatfields last night.”
“You can if you want to.”
Puzzled, she turned. “Want to what?”
“Thank me.”
His infamous half grin cracked his mouth, and his eyes were warm. Susannah felt herself thaw. She wondered, as crazy as it was, if she couldn’t be half in love with him already. The way he treated Corey alone made her frightened for her feelings, and to have him look at her that way, like he had the night before . . .
Nonsense
!
“I still think they would have understood if you had explained that you’re just doing a few chores for me. All that . . . that foolishness about the way we met—” She remembered the story, the easy way he pulled her into his tangle of sweet lies.
“I was trying to protect your reputation, Susannah.”
She finished preparing the coffee, then turned on him. “My
reputation
? How will it look if that lie gets back to town? What in the world will those people think?”
Nathan shook his head and went to the window. “The Hatfields are going in the opposite direction. Everything will be the way it was once they’re gone.”
“But what if they . . . they run into someone on the road and tell them they’ve spent the night with us?”
Nathan went to the fireplace and stirred up the fire. “Then I guess everyone in town will think I’m your loving husband, finally, at long last, returned from the war,” he answered, his voice edged with sarcasm.
She’d been slicing side pork, but slammed the knife down and glared at him. “That isn’t funny My . . . my husband could return any day now, then what? Would they declare me a bigamist and . . . and . . . and run me and Corey out of town?” She was furious with him, but she wasn’t sure why. Of
course
he couldn’t be her husband, and of
course
her real husband couldn’t come looking for her, because, well, she’d killed him.
He glanced at her over his shoulder, arching an eyebrow at her. “Get any more hysterical, and our guests will have something else to talk about.”
She took a deep breath and turned back to the counter, pressing against it to still her quivering stomach. She searched for something else to say. “I hope Corey isn’t the reason you’re up so early.”
“No, I’m an early riser. Like you are.”
She tried to concentrate on what she was doing, but her hands shook. “Still, he . . . he can get pretty wiggly, and he was probably wet, too . . .” She could have bitten her tongue. How she hated reminding anyone that Corey was still in diapers! It made her feel like such a failure.
“I changed him before he crawled in with me.”
Corey’s diapers were in the bedroom where she’d slept. Heat flared into her cheeks. She wondered if he’d watched her, if that was the reason he’d heard her fighting her dreams.
“I . . . I’m sorry you had to do that.” With deliberate care, she sliced some bread, working hard to cut each piece straight, for it was something she’d never been able to do.
“I didn’t mind, but he’s getting a little old for diapers, don’t you think?”
She should have been angry and defensive, but she wasn’t. She stopped slicing and piled the bread into a basket. “Yes,” she answered, her voice barely audible. “I guess he is. But—”
“But, you want to keep him a baby for as long as possible, is that it?”
She whirled and stared at him. He had a smug expression on his face, as if he knew exactly what was on her mind. Well, he didn’t. He couldn’t. “No. That’s
not
it. It’s . . . it’s just that . . .” Oh, Lord. How did she explain to the man that she wasn’t equipped to stand up and teach her son how to pee? She felt heat stain her cheeks again, only this time it crept to the roots of her hair.
He pulled jam and butter from the cool cupboard in the corner and put them on the table. “I’d
She wanted to apologize for her shrewish behavior. Instead she said, “I suppose I should thank you for saving my neck in front of the Hatfields last night.”
“You can if you want to.”
Puzzled, she turned. “Want to what?”
“Thank me.”
His infamous half grin cracked his mouth, and his eyes were warm. Susannah felt herself thaw. She wondered, as crazy as it was, if she couldn’t be half in love with him already. The way he treated Corey alone made her frightened for her feelings, and to have him look at her that way, like he had the night before . . .
Nonsense
!
“I still think they would have understood if you had explained that you’re just doing a few chores for me. All that . . . that foolishness about the way we met—” She remembered the story, the easy way he pulled her into his tangle of sweet lies.
“I was trying to protect your reputation, Susannah.”
She finished preparing the coffee, then turned on him. “My
reputation
? How will it look if that lie gets back to town? What in the world will those people think?”
Nathan shook his head and went to the window. “The Hatfields are going in the opposite direction. Everything will be the way it was once they’re gone.”
“But what if they . . . they run into someone on the road and tell them they’ve spent the night with us?”
Nathan went to the fireplace and stirred up the fire. “Then I guess everyone in town will think I’m your loving husband, finally, at long last, returned from the war,” he answered, his voice edged with sarcasm.
She’d been slicing side pork, but slammed the knife down and glared at him. “That isn’t funny My . . . my husband could return any day now, then what? Would they declare me a bigamist and . . . and . . . and run me and Corey out of town?” She was furious with him, but she wasn’t sure why. Of
course
he couldn’t be her husband, and of
course
her real husband couldn’t come looking for her, because, well, she’d killed him.
He glanced at her over his shoulder, arching an eyebrow at her. “Get any more hysterical, and our guests will have something else to talk about.”
She took a deep breath and turned back to the counter, pressing against it to still her quivering stomach. She searched for something else to say. “I hope Corey isn’t the reason you’re up so early.”
“No, I’m an early riser. Like you are.”
She tried to concentrate on what she was doing, but her hands shook. “Still, he . . . he can get pretty wiggly, and he was probably wet, too . . .” She could have bitten her tongue. How she hated reminding anyone that Corey was still in diapers! It made her feel like such a failure.
“I changed him before he crawled in with me.”
Corey’s diapers were in the bedroom where she’d slept. Heat flared into her cheeks. She wondered if he’d watched her, if that was the reason he’d heard her fighting her dreams.
“I . . . I’m sorry you had to do that.” With deliberate care, she sliced some bread, working hard to cut each piece straight, for it was something she’d never been able to do.
“I didn’t mind, but he’s getting a little old for diapers, don’t you think?”
She should have been angry and defensive, but she wasn’t. She stopped slicing and piled the bread into a basket. “Yes,” she answered, her voice barely audible. “I guess he is. But—”
“But, you want to keep him a baby for as long as possible, is that it?”
She whirled and stared at him. He had a smug expression on his face, as if he knew exactly what was on her mind. Well, he didn’t. He couldn’t. “No. That’s
not
it. It’s . . . it’s just that . . .” Oh, Lord. How did she explain to the man that she wasn’t equipped to stand up and teach her son how to pee? She felt heat stain her cheeks again, only this time it crept to the roots of her hair.
He pulled jam and butter from the cool cupboard in the corner and put them on the table. “I’d
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