“Don’t start that again, darlin’.”
“How can I not?” She traced the lines of his face, red and puffy from the night’s ordeal. “If I wasn’t here…”
Cody pushed himself up. The abrupt movement led to a coughing fit. Ella grabbed a cup of water from the bedside table and held it to his lips. He drank several long draughts, then sank back against the headboard. “Thanks.” His eyes narrowed. “Now, about your mistaken assessment…”
She fought the tears blurring her vision. “Is it? All this has happened because of my presence in Harmony Springs. Without me, your life would not be in danger.”
“It’d also be a shallow existence.”
Her brow furrowed. She opened her mouth, but Cody held up a hand.
“Let me finish. Before you came along, I was lost, closed off to love. Now, because of you, there’s joy in my life. We’ve made a family. I wouldn’t trade that for anything. Especially not to appease some low-life who thinks he can bully you back to Boston.” He huffed. “I wish I’d been conscious to see Travis haul him away.”
Ella smoothed back his soot-streaked hair. “The man probably wouldn’t have liked that.”
“Humph.” Cody’s eyes drooped.
Ella pulled the blankets up around him. “Sleep. You need your rest.”
He slid down but just as quickly sat up again. “Ella, I need you to promise me something.”
“Anything.”
His blue eyes stared straight into hers. “Don’t leave me.”
There was a plea in his words. Her heart jolted at the mere thought of leaving. Leaving him. Leaving the children. It was unthinkable. Despite the danger from Boston, her place was here.
The vulnerability in his eyes pierced her heart. She leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I promise. You are my home, Cody. Nothing will change that.”
“Good.” He squeezed her hand before bringing it to his lips. As his eyes closed, his grip loosened. It took only a minute for him to fall asleep.
Ella slipped from the room and headed downstairs. Miss Hattie met her in the parlor, Addie on her hip, Jonah and Isaiah crowding her legs. The boys bolted to Ella as soon as they saw her.
She sat on the couch, a boy on either side. Isaiah looked up, his brown eyes wide. “Is Papa Cody going to be okay?”
“Yes, sweetie. The doctor came by last night while you were asleep. He said Papa Cody will cough for a while, but he’ll be fine.”
Isaiah’s body lost its tension. Jonah climbed onto Ella’s lap and curled up like a cat.
Miss Hattie sat in the seat across from them. “Thank the good Lord above. That could’ve been much worse.”
Ella sighed. “Thank God, indeed. And Travis caught the culprit.” Would that mean an end to the string of harmful events? Or was there another person who would take over? Hopefully, Travis would come by soon with information on the assailant.
Jonah looked up. “What’s a cu’prit?”
Maybe this wasn’t the best conversation to have in front of the children. “It’s someone who does something bad. Now, I heard you two say you wanted to build a whole town with your blocks yesterday. Did you start?”
“Not yet,” Isaiah replied.
“Why don’t you do that now? I’m sure Papa Cody would love to see it when he wakes up.”
Isaiah perked up. “Really?” He hopped to the ground. “C’mon, Jonah! Let’s make it huge!”
Jonah scrambled down from Ella’s lap. The brothers scurried up the stairs.
Hattie chuckled, rising from her chair to sit beside Ella. “Deftly done, my dear.”
Addie reached for Ella. She took the baby and settled back against the sofa. “They worry so much. Redirection seemed a good option.”
