“You might be grateful for a warm bed and a roof over your head.” He got to the ground. “I’ll take you to them.” He held out his hand to help her.
She ignored his offer and stared down the street.
He waited. She didn’t have a choice. He wasn’t going to leave her on the street nor take her to the livery barn where he meant to spend the night.
With a grim sigh, she shifted Eddie to him and made her own way down, refusing his offered elbow as they walked toward the door. Stubbornness and disappointment radiated from her. She didn’t need to be so upset about it. It wasn’t like he had a choice.
He rapped on the rough wooden slab before him. Footsteps sounded on the other side, and then the preacher opened the door, yellow lamplight leaving his face shadowed.
“Preacher Stone, this woman and child need a place for the night.”
Mrs. Stone hurried to them. “By all means. Come right in.”
Eyes burning with disapproval, Dianne took Eddie from Jace. “Thank you for your help.” Voice as cold as winter’s ice. She half turned and then brought her gaze to him. “Where are you spending the night?”
“At the livery barn. I need to take care of the horses. And then return the wagon to its owner.”
“Very well.” She turned her back on him and followed Mrs. Stone into the house.
Preacher Stone nodded. “We’ll take care of them.”
With nothing more to do but get on with his life, Jace headed to the barn to rest, feed the horses, and find a bed of straw for himself.
A few minutes later, with a blanket the owner had lent him, he settled down for the night. The straw poked into his skin, stuck in his shirt, and scratched his legs, making it difficult to be comfortable. Sleep was what he needed. Not the echo of Dianne’s words.Abandoned. Rejected. Disappointed.
It wasn’t his fault. From the beginning, he told her he wasn’t returning to the ranch. Nothing would convince him to change his mind.
He curled his arms over his chest, wriggled into a little nest, and ignored the persistent digs of the straw just as he’d ignored Dianne’s pleading.
Morning found him unrested. He rubbed straw from his hair and clothes. Sniffed himself. He’d been wearing this shirt too long. Guess it was time to make a stop at the store and then be on his way. He harnessed the horses.
They stood at the gate, ready to depart, but that was as far as they got as Dianne approached, Eddie trotting at her side.
Every step the woman took stamped a determined thud.
“You can’t change my mind,” he muttered.
She steamed forward.
Either he could jump to the wagon seat and drive away without talking to her. He could untie Sam from the back of the wagon and ride full steam back to his cabin. Or he could wait.
A smile tugged at his lips. It might prove interesting to discover what she had in mind.
Dianne had decidedwhat she was going to do, and she wasn’t going to let anyone get in her way. The preacher and his wife had been very welcoming. The hot soup and bread were satisfying. The bed, comfortable. She’d slept soundly.
The preacher had explained about the house they owned where women in distress were invited to stay. Yes, Dianne might fit that description, but she didn’t mean to give up her plans. She’d find a way to make them work. She’d counted on God to make Jace realize the rightness of returning to the ranch, but the man was too stubborn to change his mind.
Well, she wasn’t going to let that stop her.
Jace waited at the wagon. She hadn’t expected he’d still be there. But it made no difference.
“Good morning.” Her words were as brisk as a winter wind.
“I was about to leave. Gotta return the wagon and horses.” He tipped his head to indicate what he meant.
Humph. As if she couldn’t see for herself. “Enjoy your solitary life.”
His eyes narrowed to slits. “I’ve been straight with you from the beginning about not going back. I haven’t changed my mind.”
