CHAPTER11
Katie reminded herself to breathe as she approached Abel with the rope. She'd managed to move the mules to new grazing each day after his injury, but harnessing them to the wagon would be an entirely different matter.
"Here, boy." She worked to keep her voice from trembling when she grasped his rope halter. Her cold hands fumbled as she knotted the lead rope. Thankfully, the mule stood quietly while she worked. Aaron had said Cain might not be as easy.
One at a time. Don't borrow trouble.
Did the animals sense her nervousness? These two didn't seem as rambunctious as Neil's horse had been, but that wiry animal had pushed her around every time she'd had to manage him. She’d actually been thankful when he escaped the fence in the night after Neil’s death.
And these two were so much larger. They'd done a great deal of damage to Aaron without even trying. She couldn't let herself get hurt too, not when Sarah and Aaron depended on her.
Squaring her shoulders, she tugged Abel’s rope. "Come."
He obliged, walking beside her as she trudged through the icy snow toward the wagon. She'd already laid out the harness, and Aaron waited there to instruct her on how to fasten the team. He'd said once Abel was in place, Cain would be easier to manage.
As they rounded the corner of the cabin and came into view of the wagon, Abel shook his head and snorted. She startled before she could stop herself.
The mule wasn't acting out, just blowing out a breath. She released her own pent-up air, trying to force some of the tension from her chest at the same time. Aaron was watching her. The last thing she wanted was for him to see this weakness.
She didn't meet his gaze as she led Abel past him, just kept her shoulders squared and her stride steady. In truth, she had to keep moving to stay up with the mule’s lanky legs. Aaron could have never managed this with his walking sticks.
Once she halted Abel in front of the wagon, Aaron called to her. "That's it. Now place a hand on his chest and back him a step so the harness will reach."
When she touched the mule’s chest, he moved backward immediately. "Good boy."
One step at a time, Aaron talked her through how to position the leathers and fasten each buckle. When he hobbled forward and started to help, she pointed a finger at him. "Get away from that, Aaron Long. This is my job."
His mouth pinched, and he turned and limped back to where he'd stood before. She'd meant it as a lighthearted jest, the way she and Aaron had come to banter these last few days. But he'd clearly not taken it that way.
Of course he wouldn't. No man would accept such blatant disrespect. Neil might've slapped her for speaking to him so. In truth, she never would've attempted to banter with Neil.
Once she’d secured Abel, she turned to Cain. He'd followed them up and was pawing through the snow near the cabin. He allowed her to fasten the rope to his halter, but when she tugged for him to follow, he shook his head and snorted.
"You have to take a firmer hand with him. He needs to feel for certain you mean what you're asking of him."
She tightened her grip on the rope and pulled harder. "I mean what I'm asking." She growled just loud enough for the mule to hear, and he seemed to understand her, for he turned and started the direction she pulled him.
Getting him in position beside Abel proved a little harder, but with Aaron’s instructions, she managed to accomplish it. When she began fastening buckles, Cain blew out a long breath and dropped his head, as though resigning himself to his fate. She didn't relax, though, until she'd finished the final strap.
She glanced over the team’s backs at Aaron. "Is that it?"
He nodded. "Let's get Sarah, and we’ll head out."
A thrill surged through her as she strode back around the animals and toward Aaron. She'd done it. She'd harnessed both mules, all by herself. With Aaron talking her through each step, of course. So really, they’d done it together.
She clapped her hands as she approached him, and she couldn't help a grin. "We did it." Barney gave a joyful yip from where he sat at Aaron’s side.
Aaron’s own mouth finally formed a smile, and the sadness that had taken over his eyes these past days eased. "So we did."
When he opened one arm, she stepped into it, tucking herself against his side in a way that felt so natural. He wrapped both arms around her, pulling her closer. She slipped her hands around his waist, careful not to dislodge the walking sticks propped under his arms. The warmth, the security in his hold… She’d never felt so protected. So appreciated.
Her head fit perfectly against his shoulder, and she rested there. Did he feel the thunder of her pulse, being so near him?
A new kind of tension filled the air, slipping through her body. Did he mean anything more by this hug than a quick congratulations? They'd become friends—good friends—through all they'd endured in the short time they'd known each other. But could he possibly feel even a part of the attraction that coursed through her veins every time she was around him?
His hold loosened, his hands moving to her sides as he pulled her back enough that she could look in his face. His eyes had darkened so much she couldn’t look away from them. The admiration there…could it be real?
And when his gaze dropped to her lips, a thrill slipped through her body. Everything in her wanted him to kiss her. This man who'd rescued her from the side of the road in a deserted wilderness, who'd helped bring her daughter to life and took joy in simply holding and talking to the babe. He'd proven the kind of man he was in so many ways, and she'd admired him from afar.
