Katie snugged the babe’s blanket tighter, and Aaron moved in beside her.
Sarah's wide dark eyes stared up at them both. She closed her pale lids and opened her mouth in a wide yawn.
"Look at how precious." Katie's voice held so much love, his chest tightened.
"She is that." He’d never imagined he'd fall so quickly for a tiny baby, yet this one's innocence and sweet personality were impossible not to adore.
Katie held out the bundle and he tucked Sarah in the curve of his arm, a little upright so she could see the world around her.
"I'll just be a minute." Katie reached for her coat.
"No need to rush. It's cold out there though. Better bundle up."
When Katie left the cabin, Barney stayed inside, padding at Aaron’s heels as he sauntered around the room, letting the wide-eyed babe see anything she might be interested in. "There's our stack of firewood. I'll bring in more after I see to the mules. And here's our food pack. I should get some water heating for corn mush. Maybe later today we can have meat stew. I'll bet your mama would like that." Katie needed meals with substance to regain her strength.
He'd just managed to fill the pot with snow from outside the door and carry it back to heat beside the fire when Katie returned.
"I can take her now." She looked fresher than when she’d left, her nose and cheeks red from the cold.
He wouldn't have minded keeping the babe, but the mules needed him more just now. When he handed Sarah back to her mother, their hands brushed again, as they had so many times now. Her touch no longer made him nervous. Now it steadied him, made him want to lean in to keep the connection.
But he had to pull back once Katie had a firm hold. "I was just about to put corn mush on to heat, but I need to move the mules to water and grazing. If I start food cooking, will you watch over it?"
As he spoke the words, he wanted to pull them back. He shouldn't assume she knew how to prepare such a plain dish over a hearth fire. She’d likely had a chef who fixed fancy meals. But she'd shown a fair hand at cooking so far, and mush took little talent.
She nodded and offered a smile that showed no trepidation. "Of course."
He reached for the corn meal and stirred the right amount into the melting snow, then positioned it near the fire. “Meat stew might be nice for later in the day. I'll bring in the rest of the cooking supplies when I'm done with the mules." He took up his gloves and coat, then pushed up to his feet.
"We’ll be here." The gentle tone of her voice brought his gaze back to her.
The way she stood there, little Sarah in her arms, the two of them smiling at him as though whether he returned or not mattered to them… What would it be like to have a family like this to come back to every time?
With effort, he turned toward the door. It opened easier this time, and he stepped out into an icy breeze. The ache in his thigh turned to sharper pain as he lifted his knees high through the snow.
The wagon stood like a whitecapped abandoned rig in the place he’d pulled off the road. He trudged around the cabin to the trees where the land sloped down to the lake.
Cain brayed in greeting as Aaron approached them, then Abel joined him.
"You hungry, boys?" The mules had stayed in the rope fence he'd strung when they arrived. They were both likely so tired from pulling for nearly twenty-four hours, they didn't have the desire to push out.
He attached a rope to Abel’s halter, then untied the fence to let both animals through. Cain wouldn't wander far from his brother, unlike his namesake from the book of Genesis.
He led Abel out, then Cain charged ahead, trotting out through the snow with a high step. Beside him, even Abel took a few sideways steps as he tried to follow. The elder mule settled in once they reached the thicker snow, and together they trudged toward the lake.
A thin layer of ice coated the water, but Cain had already pawed a hole through the frozen mass and was drinking deeply by the time Aaron got there. As Abel joined him, Aaron dropped the rope to let them gulp all they wanted while he tested the ground beneath the snow for grass.
The white powder was too thick for him to dig through with his feet, so he hiked back to the trees and grabbed a branch sturdy enough for the job.
His arms were stronger than his legs, so he dug down quickly. There was grass beneath the snow, but the effort to find it would be so hard, the mules wouldn’t get enough to fill their bellies. He’d have to add to the corn he gave them each day. He’d planned to ration it so there would be enough for a delay here and the rest of the trip to Settler’s Fort.
One more reason to get back on the road as soon as they could.
He hobbled through his tracks back to the mules and came alongside Abel. The animals had stopped drinking, and Abel swung his head around to greet Aaron. He patted the mule’s shoulder with one hand and held out the other for him to nuzzle.
Just as Abel placed his nose in Aaron's glove, the mule stumbled. On the other side, Cain pushed against him as he spun away from the water.
Abel knocked into Aaron's weak leg, pushing him sideways. He couldn't catch his balance quickly enough, and he tumbled to the ground on his backside.
