The smile she sent him proved that all was well. Cody hated that he’d hurt her, but he breathed a prayer of thanks that she forgave him so easily after all she’d been through. Disagreements were bound to happen. That was a part of marriage. But if they could work through them as they did today, he had hope that everything would be fine.
CHAPTER 18
Ella stretched, pressing her hands against her lower back to ease the ache.
Cody knelt beside her. “I’m sorry, darlin’. I didn’t think it would take more than a day to get the garden planted.”
She smiled. “It has been quite rewarding. Knowing we did this together, to help sustain our family—” She shook her head, the smile turning to a grin. “I don’t have words to describe it.”
He responded with a smile of his own before bending down to drop seeds in a new row. Ella watched him, her heart thumping out a gentle rhythm. This man surprised her at every turn. His panic over Addie yesterday seemed strange until she remembered his protective nature. When he used his gruff tone on her, Ella hadn’t known what to think. She’d been hurt. But he refused to let the matter be until they’d worked through it. In her experience, men rarely apologized. The fact that Cody did so raised her respect for him.
Her gaze wandered toward the house, where the children played under a tree heavy with blooms. Contentment washed over her. This life was better than she’d ever imagined. She had a good husband and three children to love, work that fulfilled her, and a beautiful home. What more could she want?
Turning her attention back to the task at hand, Ella planted another row of beets. Reaching for more seeds, she found the basket to be empty.
Cody stood beside her, a tired smile on his face. “We did it.”
Ella looked out over the large garden patch. The freshly raked soil was dark, raised in little mounds where they’d planted their vegetables. She rose to her feet, shaking dirt from her dress. “I can’t wait to harvest all this.”
He chuckled. “That won’t be for some time.”
“I suppose the anticipation will make it even more worthwhile.”
“It does for me.” Cody gathered their gardening tools. “I should probably head out to the pastures. The guys are turning the soil to prepare it for alfalfa planting, and they’ll be needing help.”
A sliver of disappointment went through her. “And I should get lunch together for the kids.”
They walked toward the barn. She glanced at the children again. Isaiah stood, hands on his hips, a frown on his face. Jonah held Addie a few paces away, his grip protective. Ella grasped Cody’s arm. “Something’s wrong.”
Her husband’s gaze went to the kids. He dropped the basket. They both ran to the tree. When they got there, Ella went down on her knees beside Jonah and Addie while Cody stopped beside Isaiah. “What is it, son?” he asked.
Isaiah pointed toward the house. “I thought I saw a man over there.”
Alarms rang in Ella’s mind. “A man?”
Cody scanned the area Isaiah pointed at. “I’ll check it out.” He looked at Ella. “Stay here with the kids.”
Her heart dropped as her husband went inside their home. She gathered the children close and prayed hard.
Isaiah’s little voice piped up. “It might’ve been Mr. Hank.”
A shot of relief went through her. “Why’s that?”
“He had the same hat.”
Ella let out a breath.
Moments later, Cody emerged from the house. He came toward them at a jog. “House is safe. No one’s there.”
“Isaiah said he thought it was Hank.”
Cody scratched his chin. “That’s possible. Sometimes he needs something from the barn and comes to fetch it.”
But wouldn’t he have at least waved on arrival? Especially to the children? Ella frowned. Something still didn’t feel right.
“Can we eat now? I’m hungry.”
Isaiah’s comment brought Ella to her feet. She lifted Addie into her arms. “Of course. How do sandwiches sound?”
