The groggy baritone of Peter’s voice made her heart sing. Without thinking another thought, she pushed through the door.
“Peter!”
At the sound of Whitney’s voice, Peter bolted upright on the cot. Oh, how he’d longed to hear that the last few days.
He’d barely made it to his feet when she barreled into him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.
Mr. Norris chuckled from the doorway. “I’ll leave you two to catch up.”
Peter, still dazed from sleep and by the woman who’d dashed into his arms, nodded at the man and wrapped his arms around Whitney.
The tension in his shoulders eased as he allowed himself to relish the moment. They fit together perfectly. Her red curls under his chin.
“It’s good to see you.” His voice was gravelly, and he cleared his throat.
She laughed against his chest. “I’m so glad you’re alive. When the dogs returned without you, I thought the worst. But with everyone so sick and the storm ... there wasn’t anything I could do but pray for you.”
He hugged her a bit tighter. “That’s the very best thing you could have done.”
“I know. But I still worried. Even though I tried not to.”
“I’m glad to hear the dogs made it back all right. I was pretty concerned about them.”
In that moment, he wanted to hold her forever. Not exactly an appropriate thought as they stood in a secluded room by themselves. With reluctance, he released her.
Her head dipped, and she clasped her hands in front of her. “Peter ... there’s something I need to tell you.”
A catch in her voice made his heart pick up pace. “The dogsareall right ... aren’t they?” If he had been responsible for any of them getting injured, he’d never forgive himself.
“They’re fine.” She smiled. “It warms my heart that you care for them the way you do. But if I’m going to get this next part out, I need you to listen.”
His eyebrows raised. “Certainly.” There was nowhere to sit except the cot, and that didn’t seem appropriate to offer to her, so he stood there and slid his hands into his pockets to keep from fidgeting.
“You know that Judas Reynolds asked to court me. And I dined with him on multiple occasions...” She began to pace.
Peter braced himself. Surely she wasn’t about to say that she had agreed to marry the man!Please, God, no.As much as he had tried to deny it, he had fallen in love with Whitney.
“It became clear to me that it was a mistake.”
He let his breath out.
“Judas is not the one for me. I’ve come to care for someone else.” She stopped her movement and stood barely a foot in front of him.
Their eyes connected.
“Peter ... it’s you. I know we are in the middle of an epidemic—a crisis for the town—so I don’t want you to think that I have any high expectations. But ... I had to tell you the truth.”
For several seconds, he stared into her eyes. The love he saw there made him want to scoop her up in his arms and go find the pastor. He’d never thought he could deserve another chance at love.
But he shouldn’t get ahead of himself. He hadn’t even proposed yet. Gracious, they hadn’t even courted. “Whitney, I—”
“Dr. Cameron.” The young boy who helped Mr. Norris sweep the floors of the Roadhouse burst into the room, out of breath and waving at Peter. “It’s Mr. Beaufort. Granny sent for you.”
He closed his eyes and winced. “Tell her I’ll be right there.”
“I’m coming with you.” Whitney nodded at him.
“All right. Promise me we’ll finish this conversation later?”
