He needed to work on that.
But there was something special about Patsy. Something that came to life inside Jonah when she was near. From that very first moment he opened his eyes to find her pointing a gun at him, he’d been drawn to her in a way he’d never been drawn to another woman. He couldn’t put into words what was different about her, but they fit together just right. He could read the nuances of her expressions, could feel what she was feelingsometimes. He’d never been like that with any other person, not even his brothers.
Eric was right. What he had with Patsy was special.
Shewas special. And worth fighting for.
He met Eric's gaze. “I think I’ll go with her.”
A slow smile slipped over his friend’s expression. “Good. You’ve got two weeks to tear down those walls. If anyone can do it, my bet’s on you.”
Later that day, the afternoon sun cast long shadows across the dirt path as Patience made her way back to the main house from Eric and Naomi's cabin, her heart as heavy as her footsteps. Anna's angry tears still twisted in her belly.
She’d brought cinnamon crisps over as a treat to tell her niece the news, both because she’d seemed to like them before, and because they were the one thing Patience could manage to bake in the cookstove’s finicky oven.
But she might as well have brought manure as a gift for all the good it had done.
I don't want to leave. Why can't I stay here with Naomi and Eric?They love me.
Tears had run down Anna’s sweet face, her small fists clenched at her sides. Patience wasn’t even sure Anna had heard her when she’d said she loved her too. She loved Anna, her only sister’s daughter, so much it hurt. She could still remember holding her when she was only a few weeks old. The tiny precious bundle, perfect in every way.
Patience squeezed her eyes shut against the tears.
Maybe…maybe this was a mistake.
No. She forced the thought from her mind.
Shehadto take Anna with her. Hannah wouldbe devastated if she knew Patience was even considering leaving her daughter with strangers.
Yet Naomi and Eric clearly adored Anna, probably even more than Anna loved them. They were good people, no question there. They could give her the stable, loving home Patience had always yearned for herself.
But she was Anna’s blood kin. Family should stay together, shouldn’t they? And they would have a nice home once she got her inheritance, then found land and had a cottage built. Maybe she should leave Anna here until she’d built the house, then come back for her.
By then, though, Anna would be even more attached to Naomi and Eric and little Mary Ellen. The tot adored Anna like a big sister.
Patience sighed as she stepped into the clearing where the main house stood. She was doing her best not to let herself think about how hard it would be to leave Jonah. And Anna’s resistance was one more weight pushing down on her.
There seemed to be no good answer. Was she being selfish by taking Anna away? Wanting to soothe her conscience? Wanting her own choice instead of what was best for Anna?
She caught the motion of a tall figure striding toward her from the edge of the clearing. Jonah.
She didn’t want to face him and his disappointment right now, not when she’d just endured the same from her niece. But she couldn’t simply turn and walk away from him.
As he drew closer, there seemed a change in his bearing since the day before. The tension was gone from his shoulders. A freshness marked his expression. Had he forgiven her already? Maybe the thought of her leaving wasn’t nearly as painful for him as it was for her.
"I was just coming to find you." He halted in front of her. His blue eyes searched her face, seeing too much, no doubt. "What’s wrong?"
She smiled, though it felt brittle. "Fine. I just had to talk to Anna. About us leaving."
Jonah grimaced, understanding softening his rugged features. "I’m sorry."
Patience shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant even as her heart ached. "I knew it would be hard. I’m grateful your family has been so kind to her." She glanced away. Her words made it sound as if she were a stranger, dropping by to pick up her niece after an afternoon playdate. In truth, spending nearly two weeks with his family—with Jonah—had changed her life in ways she might never recover from.
She summoned a pleasant expression with the last bit of self-control she had. “I need to help Lillian with dinner. Dinah wasn’t feeling well this afternoon, so I made her promise to let me take over her part when I returned so she could rest.”
Jonah’s chin dipped, but he didn’t step aside. Just regarded her. “I’ll be riding with you and Anna to Fort Benton. The cookstove I ordered should be there now, and I need to pick it up. I’ll take the wagon, and that’ll make travel easier on Anna.”
Patience blinked, her heart stuttering in her chest. She hadn't expected this offer. "You…want to come with us?" She’d thought Jonah seemed angry when his brother volunteered him for the journey. Maybe his change of heart had come with this newfound peace.
