And yet he stood just outside the barn, staring up at the stars and thinking about how none of this was going as planned. He’d agreed to help his brother with this farm but most of his time should have been spent on the primary reason he’d come to the Wet Mountain Valley.
Thatreason paid him regularly, unlike this farm that now took up the majority of his waking hours.
He shook his head, looking back toward the house. He had no room for bitterness. He was doing the right thing, both for his brother and for Rebecca and her children. This farm meant everything to Edward, and Rebecca . . .
He moved forward then, his boots crunching in the thin layer of snow underfoot, willing himself not to think too much about her. She made him nervous, with those pretty eyes and the way she constantly surprised him. His new wife might look fragile, but inside, she was made of steel. And that was far more intriguing than was good for him.
Glancing around him to ensure all was as it should be, Levi took a deep breath and opened the front door. The second he stepped inside, the most heavenly scents enveloped him. Hisstomach immediately growled in response, and he almost forgot to lock the door behind him in his eagerness to run across the room toward where Rebecca was tending to something on the stove.
“Good evening,” Rebecca called from the kitchen. “Supper’s just about ready.”
Levi couldn’t imagine what she’d found in that cabinet that could smell so good. “What did you make?” He paused by the table where the second oldest girl—Sarah, he remembered—was setting out plates and utensils.
“Only potatoes,” Rebecca replied.
Levi had boiled potatoes more than once, and never had they smelled this delicious.
“Children!” Rebecca called. She didn’t have to say anything else. The kids ran to the table and grabbed plates as if they’d never eaten before.
And that’s when Levi realized that the four chairs he and Edward had quickly made last summer wouldn’t be enough for everyone living in the house now.
“It’s all right,” Rebecca said lightly from where she’d begun filling plates. “The older ones have already decided to picnic on the floor.”
Gwynnie and Roger grinned at each other as if it would be a fun game, while Johnnie pouted.
“I want to picnic too!” he said, crossing his tiny arms as Sarah held his plate.
Levi winced at the idea, imagining bits of potato wedged between the floorboards.
“You get to sit at the table with the grown-ups.” Rebecca made it sound as if it were the most important thing little Johnnie would ever get to do.
“Will they ensure the floor is clean afterward?” Levi asked, glancing toward where Roger had settled down with his plate. “Not that I’m particular, but if we draw in mice . . .”
“I’ll sweep,” Gwynnie volunteered as she helped little Emmy settle into her chair at the table.
Rebecca smiled at her daughter, while Levi bit back surprise at the girl’s willingness to be so much of a help. He picked up two plates—one for him and one for Rebecca—and brought them to where she stood at the stove.
“She’s been a great help to me,” Rebecca said.
“I can see that.” Levi’s mouth watered as Rebecca heaped potatoes onto his plate. They were flecked with something green and—had she diced up ham?
His fingers itched to pick up his fork and dig in, but he forced himself to remain still until she’d been seated. No sooner had his fingers grazed the handle of the fork did Rebecca ask about a prayer.
“Of course,” he replied, as if this were a regular occurrence. He’d generally eaten as fast as he could, giving no mind to anything but getting the food into his hungry stomach. He forced himself to bow his head as Rebecca said a mercifully short prayer of thanks.
The food was worth the wait. Levi couldn’t imagine what she’d done to everyday, dull potatoes, but these had more flavor than anything he’d ever made. The ham certainly helped, and he finished off his plate before little Emmy had finished chewing her second bite.
“Please don’t wait on us if you’d like some more,” Rebecca said. She smiled at him, looking pleased that he’d enjoyed her cooking.
She didn’t have to tell him twice. Levi filled his plate again, and this time, made himself eat more slowly. Johnnie shifted this way and that in his chair, unable to keep still as Rebeccareminded him to keep eating, while Emmy watched him with round eyes. The older children kept up their own conversation on the floor, and as far as Levi could follow, it centered around which of Levi’s horses was the fastest.
Levi had grown used to the quiet in this house. He wasn’t sure that he’d ever be comfortable with this much chatter, but wherever the children went, chatter followed. Rebecca set the older girls to cleaning up after they’d all finished, sent Roger out for water, and shepherded Emmy and Johnnie to the bed in the corner. Levi slipped outside on the pretense of checking on the animals, but mostly because he didn’t know what to do with himself. Sitting comfortably in an armchair felt awkward, and it was too early to turn in for the night.
So instead, he walked through the barn, ensuring the horses were safely in for the night. He secured the latch on the barn doors. And then he stood outside in the cold and cast his gaze toward the south.
In between helping Edward, he’d been able to carve out enough time to do some initial investigation. He had yet to lay eyes on the man he’d been dispatched to find, but he’d observed enough comings and goings on the ranch directly to the south to know that the lead they had was likely true. But once Edward had passed, Levi had hardly been able to get away from the farm. As the weather grew colder, there were fewer demands on his time—but then he’d found himself ensuring Rebecca’s comfort in town and waiting on her answer.
Now that she was here, and there wasn’t as much to do in winter, he’d have more time to accomplish the task he’d been assigned.
