house.
“Well,” she answered, giving him a strained smile. She glanced over to the bed used by Peter. He was asleep, snoring gently, and she wondered how late it was.
“How many horses?”
One hundred thirty-two.”
He whistled low. “I can close the shop tomorrow if you need my help.”
Ruth was about to tell him that wasn’t necessary, but she stopped herself, remembering the nightmarish dinner experience and the silent drive back home. She didn’t know if she trusted herself to be alone with William, not just yet. Either she was carried away with passion or she was frozen with fear.
She nodded slowly. “I would appreciate that.”
“Done,” he said.
Ruth changed for bed and then lay down with a bone-weary sigh.
“Everything else all right?” he grunted.
She didn’t have an answer to that. “Everything else is fine.”
Slowly she rolled onto her side and tried to push thoughts of William from her mind. It wasn’t easy, though. Every time she closed her eyes she saw his face, lit with the fires of love as he looked at her. She could feel his lips on hers and the warmth from his body as he leaned close.
What am I going to do? Am I bound to the words I spoke in a moment of passion?
She wasn’t even sure she loved him.
Attracted to him, yes. Afraid of him, yes. In love with him? I don’t know. And what if I am—what does that mean? Can the two of us have a future that brings anything but pain?
She rolled onto her back again and glanced toward her father. He was still sitting up, staring into the fire. He looked lost in thought. For a moment she wanted to call out to him, to ask him what she should do.
It was easier when I was a child. There was only right and wrong, and there was no problem Father couldn’t fix with a nod or a wave of his hand. That was before the wolf attacked, before Stephen left.
She flipped onto her side.
Maybe Grandmother can help me. Maybe shell have some advice that I can use. Ruth shuddered. Shell tell me that men are trouble, and I finally understand what she means. I need to ask her, though, what made Grandfather different. How did she know she was in love, and how did she know it was right?
She flopped onto her stomach, the air rushing out of her with
a whoof. Maybe the morning will make everything clear, shed a little light into these dark places in my mind.
Chapter Seven
T
he morning came, and with it no answers, no magical enlightenment, only more questions than Ruth cared to face. She dressed slowly, reluctantly. She could feel her father’s eyes upon her, as though he sensed something was wrong. He didn’t ask, though, and she didn’t offer to explain.
At last she heard a wagon pull up outside. “He’s here,” she said, a little more breathlessly than she had intended.
“Sounds like it,” her father answered.
“Where’s Peter gone to?” she asked, more out of the need to say something than actual curiosity.
“Your grandmother’s, I suspect.”
Ruth nodded. Peter had spent more time there of late than she had. She hoped that the two of them were getting a chance to know each other, since he had missed out on that in his childhood.
She took a deep breath and, with her father, left the house. Outside William waited, his face pale and drawn.
It looks like he didn’t sleep much either
.
She had a sudden mental image of William lying in his bed, and she pushed it from her mind.
“Father agreed to come with me today to help out,” she said.
He looked at her in surprise but quickly recovered his composure, “You are most welcome, sir.”
“The honor is mine,” her father said, bowing.
They climbed aboard the wagon, Ruth sitting between the two of them» The seat was narrow, so they all had to sit close. Her father’s knee was touching hers on one side, and Williams knee was touching hers on the other.
Well this is more awkward than I could have imagined
, she thought as the silence stretched around them.
At last they reached the
“Well,” she answered, giving him a strained smile. She glanced over to the bed used by Peter. He was asleep, snoring gently, and she wondered how late it was.
“How many horses?”
One hundred thirty-two.”
He whistled low. “I can close the shop tomorrow if you need my help.”
Ruth was about to tell him that wasn’t necessary, but she stopped herself, remembering the nightmarish dinner experience and the silent drive back home. She didn’t know if she trusted herself to be alone with William, not just yet. Either she was carried away with passion or she was frozen with fear.
She nodded slowly. “I would appreciate that.”
“Done,” he said.
Ruth changed for bed and then lay down with a bone-weary sigh.
“Everything else all right?” he grunted.
She didn’t have an answer to that. “Everything else is fine.”
Slowly she rolled onto her side and tried to push thoughts of William from her mind. It wasn’t easy, though. Every time she closed her eyes she saw his face, lit with the fires of love as he looked at her. She could feel his lips on hers and the warmth from his body as he leaned close.
What am I going to do? Am I bound to the words I spoke in a moment of passion?
She wasn’t even sure she loved him.
Attracted to him, yes. Afraid of him, yes. In love with him? I don’t know. And what if I am—what does that mean? Can the two of us have a future that brings anything but pain?
She rolled onto her back again and glanced toward her father. He was still sitting up, staring into the fire. He looked lost in thought. For a moment she wanted to call out to him, to ask him what she should do.
It was easier when I was a child. There was only right and wrong, and there was no problem Father couldn’t fix with a nod or a wave of his hand. That was before the wolf attacked, before Stephen left.
She flipped onto her side.
Maybe Grandmother can help me. Maybe shell have some advice that I can use. Ruth shuddered. Shell tell me that men are trouble, and I finally understand what she means. I need to ask her, though, what made Grandfather different. How did she know she was in love, and how did she know it was right?
She flopped onto her stomach, the air rushing out of her with
a whoof. Maybe the morning will make everything clear, shed a little light into these dark places in my mind.
Chapter Seven
T
he morning came, and with it no answers, no magical enlightenment, only more questions than Ruth cared to face. She dressed slowly, reluctantly. She could feel her father’s eyes upon her, as though he sensed something was wrong. He didn’t ask, though, and she didn’t offer to explain.
At last she heard a wagon pull up outside. “He’s here,” she said, a little more breathlessly than she had intended.
“Sounds like it,” her father answered.
“Where’s Peter gone to?” she asked, more out of the need to say something than actual curiosity.
“Your grandmother’s, I suspect.”
Ruth nodded. Peter had spent more time there of late than she had. She hoped that the two of them were getting a chance to know each other, since he had missed out on that in his childhood.
She took a deep breath and, with her father, left the house. Outside William waited, his face pale and drawn.
It looks like he didn’t sleep much either
.
She had a sudden mental image of William lying in his bed, and she pushed it from her mind.
“Father agreed to come with me today to help out,” she said.
He looked at her in surprise but quickly recovered his composure, “You are most welcome, sir.”
“The honor is mine,” her father said, bowing.
They climbed aboard the wagon, Ruth sitting between the two of them» The seat was narrow, so they all had to sit close. Her father’s knee was touching hers on one side, and Williams knee was touching hers on the other.
Well this is more awkward than I could have imagined
, she thought as the silence stretched around them.
At last they reached the
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