I sucked a breath so hard I choked, starting a coughing fit I barely shook before flinging off my apron and rushing over to Kit. “If you’re going to have a tour, there’s much more to see that isn’t in this tiny house,” I told him. “It would be impolite not to show youeverything.”
I took hold of Kit’s elbow to steer him toward the back door, a touch he immediately shook off. My face was already burning, and that made it worse. I spun away from Mother and Sayla’s prying eyes, and the scathing look I sensed from Kit.
Mother started after us. “Oh, Pen, let me come with you. There are a few tools in the barn I’d like to have Mister Mosel take a look at?—”
“Later, Mother.” I struggled through another smile as Kit and I made rapid progress toward the nearest exit.
“Don’t be gone too long!” Sayla called after us. “Dinner’s in an hour!”
I waved without turning, then hurried out of the cottage.
Once outside with the door pulled shut, I expelled a breath. Kit stood a few feet ahead with his arms crossed and brow furrowed as he searched the gloomy gray sky.
The fields sprawled out before us, stripped bare at the end of the season—the first harvest we’d brought in without Father’s help. He’d observed from what shortly after became his deathbed, like he’d lingered just long enough to see the job done.
Merrick and I had managed, though working beside my older brother had been a challenge. Since Merrick joined the militia, Father and I handled everything. The farm was sizable, and the work kept us busy, especially after Father fell ill. As grateful as I’d been for Merrick’s able hands, it had been a rude shock to be saddled with my overbearing brother without Father between us as a buffer.
With Father’s health failing, I’d been forced to make concessions and let a few things go. Substandard, Merrick said. He made it his first and continued priority to remind me I would soon be the man of the house and needed to fill that role so Mother wouldn’t worry. The burdens of the farm, the harvest, the livestock, and Mother and Sayla’s wellbeing became crushing.
I felt the weight as I gazed across the acres of land I was responsible for and tried not to think of the two women inside relying on me just as heavily.
The idea of Eeus’s curse sprung to mind. Bringing my father’s body back from the Bone Men wouldn’t make me any more fit to thrive here. Failure of one kind or another seemed a forgone conclusion.
Drawing a steadying breath, I looked at Kit standing by.
“Your sister seems to have some particular ideas about the nature of our relationship,” he said, his face turned toward the sky.
Cringing, I stepped up to stand beside him. “You mean in presuming we have one? I’m very aware we do not.” My huffed laugh managed to dispel some of my embarrassment. “Don’t worry, I clarified things for her. Though she’s not inclined to believe I’ll amount to any kind of blacksmith.”
Kit’s lips curved in a wry smile at my expense. “She’s not wrong about that, at least.”
The low, hazy clouds spoke of impending rain. After spending one stormy night on Kit’s porch, I’d endured two more on the road, left soggy and shivering like a drowned rat. It didn’t bode well for traveling conditions on the next leg of our journey.
After several seconds, Kit cleared his throat. “So, I’ve met your mother and sister. When can I expect to meet the infamous Merrick?”
“Not tonight, I’m afraid.”
“Pity.” Kit’s tone implied he didn’t think it was a pity at all.
“Merrick’s away more often than not,” I explained. “He ranks highly in the militia. He’s very?—”
“Driven?” Kit pinned me with an exasperated look.
The conversation sounded familiar. I’d talked a fair amount on the journey here. Especially while walking when I didn’t have my sketchbook to occupy my hands and mind. I couldn’t recall all the topics I’d covered, but I didn’t doubt that my brother had been among them.
“Said that before, have I?” I asked.
Kit nodded. “Once or twice.” He stepped out toward the farmlands, on the path that wound past the weathered old barn and the fenced pasture where our sheep and cattle grazed. “What was it you wanted to show me?” he asked. “Or show mefirst, since apparently I must seeeverything.”
I studied his face as a passing breeze ruffled his dark, wavy locks. Was he teasing? Between that and the fleeting smiles, this was the most pleasant mood I’d seen from him yet.
“I thought you might like a few moments alone, actually.” I caught up to him, and we walked in stride down the packed dirt road. “You won’t get that in the house, but the barn is a safe bet.”
Kit tracked my gesture to the two-story building ahead. The wood had washed out to gray over the years, and the door stood open, allowing a glimpse of baled hay piled inside.
“Is that where you’re going?” Kit asked.
“I thought I’d walk out to where Father was buried.”
