“It’s obvious you love her.”
“I suppose I do.” He bounced the baby up and down. “Children are surprisingly easy to love.”
“So are gruff cowboys.”
Ella’s voice was soft. His heart stilled, then pounded hard. Not daring to breathe, he turned his attention to her. She watched him steadily. “Cody, what were you going to say this morning, before Travis interrupted us?”
“Ella, once I say it, it can’t be unsaid.”
“I know.”
It sounded as though she wanted him to speak the three words that had been begging for release. His stomach danced with dizzying speed. He drew in a deep breath and exhaled hard. “I was going to say—I love you. I don’t know when it happened, but it did.”
Ella’s smile lit her face.
Cody fumbled on. “This wasn’t how I planned on telling you. You deserve a grand gesture, something from the heart, and that…”
She stopped him with a finger over his lips. “I don’t need flashy gestures, Cody. This declaration, in the middle of our everyday life, is beautiful.” She paused, then softly went on. “‘I love thee to the level of every day’s most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.’”
The words, so familiar, rendered him speechless. He looked at the book in her lap. His mother’s handwriting stared back at him. “You remembered.”
Her hand found his. “Your mother knew what she was talking about. Loving another happens in the simple moments of life. By day and by night. By sun and candlelight. That’s how…” She stopped, her chest rising and falling quickly. Her voice softened even more, barely audible. “That’s how I fell in love with you.”
Cody laughed, his heart full to bursting. He wrapped his free arm around Ella and leaned toward her.
“Well! It’s about time!”
Cody’s gaze shot toward his sister, who stood in the parlor entrance wearing a huge grin. “Really, Cass?”
“I can’t help it if I overheard your declaration of love.”
He straightened. “Just how much did you hear?”
“Enough.” Cassie sauntered in, plucking Addie from his arms. “Congratulations, you two. I’m thrilled to know you found happiness together.” She wiggled her brows. “Now, I’ll just take this little angel to the kitchen. Ta-ta!”
Ella buried her face in his chest. He felt the heat from her cheeks through his shirt. “I’m not sure whether to feel amused or mortified.”
Cody chuckled. “At least we know we have her support.”
The clock chimed. He glanced at it. “Travis will be back soon.”
That statement seemed to deflate his wife. He put a finger under her chin, lifting it until her eyes met his. “Whatever comes, we’ll face it together. We won’t do this alone.”
She slipped her hand into his. “Thank God for that. I love you, Cody.”
“I love you too.”
And he sealed it with a kiss.
CHAPTER 20
Two weeks passed without further incident. Ella and Cody healed from their injuries, and Cody went back to the range three days after his fever broke. Ella jumped at every little sound while her husband was away. Her consolation lay in the fact that Travis rode by a few times each day. Cody had given her another shooting lesson, though he said if she could shoot a snake, her aim was excellent. They’d come up with a signal for trouble—if Ella needed him, she’d fire two shots in rapid succession. The reverberation should be enough for at least one of the ranch hands to hear and come running.
She tried not to focus onshould.
Travis brought news that no one had seen a stranger in town beyond the usual arrivals from the train station. No out-of-towner stayed at the hotel or frequented the restaurant or mercantile. The lack of answers strengthened the perpetual knot in Ella’s gut.
She tried to keep her mind on the fact that Cody loved her. That brought her joy, an airy lightness that broke through the dark surrounding the unknown. At least they had each other.
