Settling back on his haunches, he patted the envelope he’d tucked into his pocket that morning. The letter that had arrived from the War Office hadn’t exactly contained good news.
Gil, the blighter who’d cashed in his chips sooner than he should have, had failed to turn in the paperwork informing the military’s financial services office that he’d married. Luke wanted to believe it had been an oversight, but Gil’s wages for September and October had, in fact, been collected. By Captain Arthur Gilcrest himself.
Damnit, Gil!
He needed to speak with Naomi before returning to the inn tonight. He should have sought her out earlier, when he’d heard her chatting in the kitchen with Ester, but well…
It wasn’t as if he was eager to give her more bad news.
Balancing carefully, Luke lowered himself off the edge and climbed down the ladder. He’d worked on the house for nearly a fortnight now. Although his muscles had initially protested, the battles in his mind weren’t quite as obnoxious. This kind of labor didn’t cause his soul to decay the way deployments did.
Yet another conversation he would like to delay indefinitely if possible. That being the one with his commanding officers, and then there would be the even less-anticipated one with his brother.
With his feet now on solid ground, he sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face.
“Did you find more trouble up there?”
Luke hadn’t realized Naomi had been standing in the shade of the eaves, leaning against the side of the house. Even wearing a floppy garden hat, her cheeks flushed and with dirt on her hands, she affected him.
There was nothing he could do to cool the warmth that surged through him at the sight of her.
“Nothing new,” he reassured her.
She tilted her head. “I wondered if you would…” She winced. “Grant me a favor? In addition to everything else you have done.”
“All you need do is ask.” His voice emerged huskier than usual as he locked his eyes with hers. Her lips parted and her cheeks flushed. Was she thinking the same thing he was?
She dropped her gaze to her belly and raised a hand to circle it. When she lifted her chin again, she was looking towards the stable.
“I wondered if you’d be willing to drive me into Hull Crossings? I would drive myself, but I’m not very capable, and Ester’s been called away. Her niece has injured her ankle and, what with seven children to care for, she is going to require Ester’s help for a few days.”
Luke could not refuse Naomi anything. He was also well aware that the bench on the small cart she owned was narrow, meaning he’d have no choice but to sit pressed close to… Oh, to hell with it. “Of course. I need supplies myself. Allow me to clean up, and I’ll hitch the horses up and bring the cart around.”
She was wringing her hands together almost nervously. “You’ve already done so much for me,for us. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay?—”
“My time is a gift, as are the supplies. Gil would have done the same for me if our circumstances were switched.”
Would he, though?
An uncomfortable sensation settled in the pit of Luke’s stomach that such a thought would even cross his mind.
And God help him, but for about the thousandth time, he couldn’t stop thinking how pretty she was. She was a contradiction of attributes. Although her appearance lent one to believe she was fragile, she accomplished tasks no lady ought to do in any condition, let alone while expecting—such as painting and cleaning and climbing ladders when she thought no one was around to stop her. She bristled at times, not one to suffer fools gladly, and yet when it came to other particularly important matters, she could be incredibly naïve.
She was a gentleman’s daughter and a gentleman’s widow, living on next to nothing. Luke couldn’t relinquish the nagging suspicion that Gil hadn’t done his best by her. Which reminded him of the issues with the pension.
“I received word from the War Office this morning.” As her eyes widened, Luke took her arm and led her to the bench he’d built for the porch.
In between tackling various repairs on her home, he’d set himself to doing whatever he could to decrease her distress. He could do nothing to ease her grieving but he would do his best to prevent her from worrying.
Not removing his hand from her arm, Luke inhaled.
“Gil failed to send his change of status paperwork. He must have forgotten or been distracted.” Luke ran his other hand down his face because those excuses seemed pretty damn weak in his own ears.
“So… that’s why I haven’t received anything—even before…”
“Right.”
She was staring straight ahead as she absorbed the information.
