“Really? I can keep it?” Simon stared at him wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Caleb nodded, and Simon darted off, screaming, holding the nutcracker high above his head while Buster tried to snag it away from him.
They almost ran Belle over, who came shuffling into the room with a mop of wild blonde curls, holding her soft blanket. Evelyn walked over to her, picked her up, and Belle snuggled into her arms as if she wasn’t ready to fully wake up yet.
“Is Luke working today?” Madelaine asked as she picked up Simon’s snow-covered coat, scarf, and hat. “The weather has been relentless lately.”
“He rode into town this morning, but I don’t know when he’ll be back,” Caleb said. “He was there when I went in, and when I left, he said that he wouldn’t stay much longer, but thatdoesn’t mean anything. Once he gets lost in his work, he loses time.”
Madelaine nodded, and she felt a strange set of emotions. After their encounter yesterday, which had ended with all of them in such a great mood, something had changed in the way she perceived him. It had been wonderful to see Luke let loose and laugh the way he had. Not only that, but he had looked at her with so much more warmth in his eyes, and they had exchanged many silent glances all evening.
When Madelaine went to bed, she’d been so giddy she hadn’t been able to fall asleep. She’d taken out her journal and written almost an entire page about how she couldn’t even really explain the excitement, warmth, and adoration, but also the nervousness and slight discomfort. She shook her head when she remembered how long she’d spoken to God about it and how grateful she was that He had sent Luke her way. She’d almost forgotten about her troubles. Almost.
“I hope he’ll come home soon. By the looks of it, this could be another blizzard rolling in,” she said as she looked through the large window.
“You don’t need to worry about your husband, Maddie,” Evelyn interjected.
Husband. Madelaine liked that word more and more. So far, he’d kept his word, and he’d treated her with the utmost respect, not pushing or demanding anything from her. However,Madelaine didn’t know how to feel about it, because she wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing.
Madelaine shook her head. “I am not. I know he can look after himself. I just don’t want him to get surprised by the weather.”
Evelyn raised her eyebrows, smiling a little too brightly at her before she shot a quick glance over to Caleb, who was grinning from ear to ear.
“I mean it. I am not worried about him,” Madelaine repeated, and immediately felt silly for taking their bait. “So, what else have you got in this box, Evelyn?” she asked to change the subject.
***
Luke walked in through the back door—he’d ridden to the barn first, since he wanted to make sure that all the horses were well taken care of. As always, Alvarez was on top of all his chores, and Luke left everything in the capable hands of his trusted ranch hand.
The snow wasn’t coming down as heavily as it had the day before, but it was enough to warrant an early departure from his office in town.
At least, that’s what he told himself.
Walking back toward the house, seeing the warm glow in the windows, he had to admit that the weather hadn’t been the only reason he’d left early.
Since his funny encounter with Madelaine yesterday and the comfortable evening they’d all spent together, Luke hadn’t been able to fully focus on his work today. This had never happened to him before. He’d tried hard not to get distracted, but Madelaine’s beautiful, laughing face kept popping into his head.
Surprisingly, it didn’t bother him.
As he stepped through the kitchen into the house, he heard Caleb, Evelyn, and Madelaine in the dining room. They were giggling and laughing together, and Luke’s face split into a big smile before he joined them in the other room.
“Who’s not worried about who?” he asked. Madelaine, who stood near the window with her back to him, jumped, then spun around and stared at him with wide eyes. He watched as her cheeks took on a dark shade of pink.
“Your wife is not worried about you,” Caleb said, pointedly nodding toward Luke with a grin. Madelaine’s face pulled into a scowl when she turned to look at him. Caleb winked at Luke, and Luke understood that he was teasing Madelaine about something they’d talked about previously. Seeing Madelaine’s reaction was kind of funny.
“That is not what I said!” she exclaimed.
“You aren’t worried about me?” Luke asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.
“No! Yes! I mean… that is not what I meant,” Madelaine stumbled over her words. She closed her eyes for a second, and when she opened them again, she turned toward Luke and looked straight at him. Her fiery green eyes sparkled.
“I only said that I didn’t want you to get hit by another blizzard while you were out there,” she said. “And that you are obviously very capable of taking care of yourself, so I don’t have to worry about you.” She turned around to Caleb. “That’s what I meant.”
Evelyn giggled.
“Well, you’re right. You don’t have to worry about me,” Luke said with a smile. “But I sure do appreciate you worrying about me anyway,” he added, and Caleb and Evelyn burst out laughing. Luke noticed Madelaine’s eyeroll and hidden smile.
He couldn’t help it; he thoroughly enjoyed their banter and laughter. He had to admit that this was the real reason he’d come home early today.
Home.
