He gave her hand a light squeeze and shifted his focus back to Laura and the babe. But Nate caught his gaze instead.
His brother eyed him with raised brows and a quirk to his mouth. He shot a look down to where Aaron's hand joined Katie's. By the question in his eyes, he wanted to know exactly what was going on between them.
Aaron tried to shoot him amind your own affairsglare, but the grin fighting hard at the corners of his mouth probably ruined the effect.
Nate’s smirk took over and he gave a slight shake of his head, as though he'd known all along this would happen.
Aaron relaxed into his chair, letting himself fully enjoy being surrounded by these people he loved most—and who loved him. For the first time he could ever remember, he let himself soak in that love.
EPILOGUE
“Have you been back to the cave lately?” Aaron looked to his brother, who sat across the large kitchen table from him. They’d all gathered at Micah and Ingrid’s home for a meal after church—his first time out of the clinic since arriving with Katie and Sarah.
The fact that he hadn’t collapsed into bed as soon as they returned showed just how far he’d come in his recovery. The leg no longer ached all the time. The splint was more of a nuisance than anything. And his lungs didn’t burn with each breath, though the cold winter air outside had made him cough again. Katie and the doctor had both insisted he bundle up tight, so the outing didn’t feel like it caused any significant set-back.
Good thing, for he wouldn’t have wanted to miss this meal. They didn’t often get to sit and visit together—him and Katie, Nate and Laura, and Micah and Ingrid. Little William sat in a special chair their good friend Isaac had made for the boy, so the tot could be strapped in securely and have his own table tray in front of him.
As for Sarah, Aaron had taken her from Katie so she could help Ingrid and Laura with food preparations, and her little exhausted body had succumbed to exhaustion on his shoulder. She lay with her face near his neck, and her breaths tickled his skin, their sweet sound soothing his spirit.
Now, most of the food had been eaten, and he was simply enjoying the company.
In response to his question about the cave, Nate and Laura exchanged glances. Then his brother eyed him. “In fact, we have. We went by there a few weeks ago, and Bright Sun’s entire family has come to winter in the large room where the hot springs run.”
Laura leaned forward, her voice coming to life. “We got to meet her parents. And Eagle Soaring is still alive and seems well.”
Aaron raised his brows. “That should be a nice protected place for them, if they can stand not having daylight.”
Nate grimaced. “Don’t I know it. But I think they’re keeping cookfires going, so it’s not bad. The hot spring keeps the cavern so warm, it’s like summer in there, even with a blizzard blowing outside.”
Silence settled over the group. Probably they were remembering two winters ago when Nate and Laura had first discovered the cave, then found Bright Sun and her grandfather, Eagle Soaring, hiding within. The older man had been near death’s door, and Bright Sun stood so brave to protect them both.
Or maybe they were remembering those men who’d kidnapped Bright Sun and Laura. The moment he’d realized what was happening, Aaron had known he’d had to be there for his brother. No matter how hard. That was the first time he’d left the doctor’s clinic with the walking sticks, venturing to the livery to get a wagon so he could ride to the cave. And he’d made it just in time.
“I’ll go lay Sarah down.” Katie’s quiet voice pulled him from the memories.
He met her gaze, and understanding glimmered there. He’d told her the story. He’d told her of that entire dark time and how God had used Laura and Nate and all these friends to pull him out. She’d also spoken of her life, of the dark days after leaving Pennsylvania. Of her time with her husband and how the man had died.
She’d spoken too of how she’d prayed for Aaron after his accident in the snow and on the journey to Settler’s Fort. How she’d begun talking to God again, which she’d stopped doing years before. How a new hope was blooming inside her.
The one thing they hadn’t spoken of was marriage.
For some reason, every time he’d started to ask her, they’d been interrupted. Perhaps that was God’s hand slowing him down, clamping his mouth shut until the right time.
As much as he’d rather not hand over Sarah, he allowed Katie to take her. But then he added, “I’ll come with you,” as he reached for his walking sticks. No matter how much time he spent with these two, he craved more. Even if that meant tagging along to help tuck the blanket around Sarah’s sleeping form.
He caught Nate’s knowing grin as he followed Katie from the room. But then William started babbling, and the conversation resumed around the boy’s latest antics.
When they exited the doctor’s private quarters into the wide hallway where patient rooms lined either side, Katie paused for him to come alongside her.
He hobbled as fast as he could without making too much racket with the poles on the wood floors. “I’ll be glad when I can be done with these again.”
She sent him a grin. “I read a passage in Romans earlier about suffering producing perseverance, which builds character, which strengthens our hope in God’s love.”
He gave her a look. She’d been reading the Bible? And memorizing it, too, apparently. He grinned. “I needed a reminder of that one. It’s a verse I lean on for strength a lot.”
She turned into her room and moved to the cradle Doc Micah had brought in for Sarah. William had grown out of it, and the scrollwork carved into the end panels seemed the perfect elegance for this sweet girl.
After Katie laid her down and tucked the blanket around her, she pressed a kiss to her fingers, then brushed them across Sarah’s tuft of brown hair. He couldn’t help tapping the end of the bundle where those little toes nestled.Sleep well, my girl.
