Not how he wanted her to look at him.
He straightened, worked for a smile. That seemed to ease her concern a little. A glance around the room showed Jonah in one of the single beds against the far wall. Naomi sat in a chair nearby, and Lillian nestled cross-legged on the floor. The girl stroked a ball of fur in her lap—a mop of hair with a tongue lolling as it stared at him.
He moved toward them, his step more like a hobble.
Naomi jumped from her chair. "Sit here and visit."
He tried to wave her back down, but she shook her head. "I need to put this sewing away anyhow."
As she disappeared into her bed chamber, Jonah met his gaze, a twinkle in his eyes. "That's us Coulter men. Running the ladies out of their chairs so we can lie around while they work."
Jericho frowned, wanting to remain standing just to prove those words wrong, even though they were in jest. But his strength was already fading, and standing made it hard for his chest to draw a full breath. He tried to ease into the chair but ended up half-collapsing as his legs gave way. He settled in and looked around.
Lillian was watching him, her expression too somber. Too much like the girl she'd been those first long months after coming to the ranch.
He smiled at her, as much as he could manage. "How's the pup doing?" What was her name again?
Lillian picked up the dog and held her under her chin. "Good." It was almost as though she was trying to hide behind the animal.
Jericho reached out. "Can I hold her?" That would bring Lillian closer.
She rose up on her knees and crawl-walked to him, holding the pup close. When she placed the animal on his lap, she stayed at eye level with her. "Say hello to Uncle Jericho."
As he petted and fussed over the pup, Lillian seemed to lighten a little. Had she feared she'd lose him the way she had her mother and father? She and Sean would still have all the others here—his brothers, at least. But he thought of himself as the children’s primary guardian. Maybe they thought of him that way too.
As she stroked the dog, he reached out and placed a hand on her head, ruffling her blond hair, then letting it rest there. She sent a shy smile that warmed through him. "Glad I finally get time with two of my favorite girls." He wanted to look up at Dinah and somehow let her know she was definitely one of thosefavorites, but he didn't want Lillian to feel less.
His gaze caught on the blue his niece wore. "Is that a new dress?" How had he not noticed that at first? He leaned back. "Let me see you."
She jumped to her feet. "Miss Naomi made it up for me. And we even put ruffles." She held up the skirt to display two rows of flounce.
He nodded. "I like it. You make that fabric look prettier than a hillside of spring flowers."
Her grin widened, but then fell, her chin dipping. "Sean has a shirt to match. Uncle Jonah says it's silly."
Jericho turned a hard glare on his brother.
Jonah spread his hands. "I didn't mean that at all. I was just saying... I mean. The dress is perfect. There's no way a boy's shirt could be half as nice."
His gaze slid up to something behind Jericho, and a flash of panic touched his eyes. "At least that's what I thought. But the way Naomi sewed it, the shirt is something special." He glanced at Lillian a bit nervously. "And so is the dress. Both of them. Special."
Jericho turned back to their niece. "Uncle Jonah's been lying in that bed too long. If he doesn't get back to work soon, he'll have that whole leg stuck in his mouth, broken bone, splint, and all."
Lillian giggled. And this time he couldn't stop himself from glancing up at Dinah, just to see if she'd heard that happy sound.
She stood behind Lillian, back against the wall, watching them. She met his gaze with a softness in her eyes and a curve of her lips that made him want to draw her onto his lap. He should probably squelch thoughts like that until he had a chance of making them happen, but now that he'd freed his mind to think of her in that way, he couldn't seem to rein himself in.
Maybe better to focus on his responsibilities than daydreams. At least for now.
He turned back to Jonah. "How are things with the stock? Did the boys start weaning the calves?" Hopefully they hadn't tried to milk any of the cows yet. He'd planned to bring in their oldest, a dark brown mama with a laid-back temperament.
Jonah shook his head. "I don't think so. They were going to, but when things got bad with you, they held off."
Jericho pinched his mouth. He must have really worried them. "Maybe tomorrow then." With a good meal or two, he would be well enough to ride out in the morning.
Dinah straightened from the wall. "If you think you're going to help tomorrow, you might want to delay that plan. Until next week at least." She looked like a jailor, frowning at him like that.
Maybe he should appease her a little. He could hold off another day before starting back to work—use tomorrow to show her how strong he was. For now, he nodded. "You know best."
