Ben needed to come home. It felt like a year since he’d taken her in his arms and said goodbye. And that kiss… Even now her cheeks heated and her pulse quickened. If only he were here. He could sit across the room or even sleep in different quarters as far as she was concerned. The steady reassurance of his presence would penetrate the floorboards and walls, leaving her safe and secure.
But what if…
There were no what-ifs. Ben was done with laudanum. He was not like her father. And whatever ties he had in Pennsylvania… Surely, the Lord would not have brought this man into her life and allowed her to fall for him if it was to end in their parting.
Cora held Charlie’s shoulder and his good arm. “It’ll be over in less than a minute.”
“Please don’t.” Charlie’s voice faltered.
Arthur grasped the boy’s wounded arm at the elbow and the wrist. “As soon as you get your cast on, we’ll go to the café. See what kind of dessert they have today.”
“I want to go home.” Charlie stuck his lip out.
“You’re a warrior, remember?” Cora fought to transform her grimace to a smile. Two days in the boardinghouse, waiting for the swelling to go down and declining Arthur’s offers of hospitality as best she could. And Charlie thought he was the one who wanted to go home the most? “Warriors are brave.”
Arthur pulled.Snap.
“Oww.” Charlie’s holler echoed through the room. He sank against her shoulder. “It’s over?”
“It’s over.” Arthur maneuvered a sock with the foot cut out over the boy’s hand and onto his injured arm.
Cora kissed Charlie’s head and brushed her hand over his dark hair. “You’ll sleep in your own bed tonight.”
The boy breathed heavily and watched as Arthur dipped strips of coarse cotton cloth in a bucket mixture of water and plaster of Paris and carefully molded them around his sock-covered arm. By the time he’d finished the cast and Charlie’s arm was in a sling, he was ready to wiggle and bolt out the door.
Arthur handed the boy a dime. “A reward for bravery.”
“I didn’t do nothing.” Nevertheless, Charlie took the dime.
“You lived through the setting of the bone without a whimper. That’s bravery in my book.” Arthur tweaked his mustache. “With your sister’s permission, why don’t you go spend it at the general store?”
“Can I?” He shifted his gaze to Cora. “Maybe I can buy me a knife or something for Ben.”
Arthur’s plastered smile faltered.
“You already have a knife.” Besides, a dime wouldn’t buy a knife, but she wasn’t about to point that out and have Arthur dish out more. “You can go to the store while I walk over to the livery stable for our wagon and horses.”
Arthur reached for his coat. “On second thought, the boy could meet us at the café after he’s finished at the store.”
“Us?” Her eyebrows edged upward. “After I settle our bill with you, Charlie and I are heading home. I want to arrive in plenty of time before dark. We have the dried venison to eat on the way.”
Arthur pinned her with his gaze. “Having one last meal with me would settle your bill.”
“Can I go?” Charlie squirmed.
“I’ll settle my bill proper like. I have no intention of taking advantage of our friendship further.” She lifted her chin.
Charlie looked from one to the other. “I’m all right with venison. But maybe we could take the slice of cake with us.”
She waved her hand toward him. “Go on and wait at the store for me.” No use dragging him into the conversation. She needed to go there and pay a portion of the bill, anyway. Not the whole thing, in case Ben had another use for the money. She shifted toward the door as Charlie left.
Arthur drew his silver watch from his waistcoat pocket. “Two o’clock. Plenty of time to eat and then be on your way to safely arrive back at the ranch before sunset.”
Couldn’t the man take no for an answer? “I can’t be beholden to you any further.”
“You refused to eat with me yesterday after I checked on Charlie’s arm.”
“He needed to rest. Besides, you still had food sent to us.”
