She let out a breath, as if solving this simple problem took a larger worry off her mind. “And I suppose you ought to call me Catherine.”
“Catherine,” Jonathan said, testing her name against his tongue for the first time with her present.
She smiled at him briefly, before it flickered away and something akin to concern crossed her face.
“What is it?” he asked.
The train whistle blew, sending up birds that had landed in a nearby cottonwood tree.
“I ought to—” she started before pausing. “There is something you must know.”
He waited patiently, wondering what could be weighing so heavily on her mind.
“My first husband, Harlan . . . he passed recently . . .”
Jonathan nodded. “Pastor Simpson informed me of that fact.” He frowned, his brows knitted together as her words clicked together in his mind.
Of course.
“Please,” he said, reaching for her gloved hands. “I understand that you must miss him. And I know that it may take some time for you to feel ready to be married to me in the full sense of the word. Please know that I see no reason to hurry. I’m willing to wait until you feel ready.”
Her face colored a pleasing pink, which he hadn’t expected but it somehow made her even more beautiful.
“That’s . . . Thank you,” she said, not looking him in the eye.
Jonathan cleared his throat and gently let her hands go. “I’m certain Mrs. Bell will be happy to help you with the tub if you’d like a bath after your travels.”
“Oh . . . yes.” She finally looked up at him. “Thank you. That would be very welcome.”
Something unsaid sat beneath the blue of her eyes. Jonathan studied her a moment, trying to determine what it was, but finally shrugged it off. She was nervous, that was all. This was not only a new town and a new home, but she was marrying a man she’d known only for about a half an hour.
Any sensible woman would carry a look of concern in Catherine’s situation.
It was up to Jonathan to easy any fears she had. And as he led her back inside, he decided he couldn’t wait to spend more time with her.
Chapter Five
