“Yeah.” Leo awkwardly stepped back as he rubbed the back of his head. “I was trying to get some air and ended up tripping over the writing desk. Then I bumped into the nightstand.”
Mattie glanced over at the fallen piece of furniture, and Leo belatedly remembered that he hadn’t inspected the carved wood to make sure he hadn’t broken or chipped anything. He hurried over, and Mattie joined him.
“It looks fine to me.” She ran her finger over one of the fragile-looking decorative loops.
“Thank goodness. I have a feeling this costs more than everything I’ve ever owned. With the trouble the flight school is in, it would be hard to even repay Vera in installments.” Leo started to lift the writing desk. Although it was light and he could have easily carried it with one hand, Mattie helped him move it back to where it belonged. It felt good, working together with her again.
“You know you’re not obligated to help my family out of debt.” Mattie rubbed her thumb over the highly polished wood, her gaze focused on the grain before she lifted her eyes toward his face. Her irises looked just as golden as the honey-colored hard maple.
He swallowed. Hard. His heart felt even more swollen than his throat. He didn’t want to confess that he was the reason for the flight school’s financial difficulties. Nor did he wish her to know the shame surrounding his birth.
“Your father said the same thing,” Leo managed. It wasn’t really an affirmative answer, but it seemed to satisfy Mattie all the same. Glad she wasn’t about to dig into his reasoning, Leo relaxed his shoulders. Unfortunately, her next question sent them practically up to his ears again.
“Were you having trouble sleeping?”
“Some. New place.” It wasn’t entirely true, but it wasn’t completely false either. He often had trouble bedding down in new places—a vestige not just from his war days but from his time on the streets, when every nap had meant leaving himself vulnerable to danger.
“Would you like to go for a stroll?” Mattie asked.
“Together?” Leo asked, glad his voice didn’t crack in surprise. It would’ve if she’d asked him a question like that in the middle of the night when they were adolescents.
“You mentioned that you wanted air, and I thought maybe you’d like some company. You used to take walks, didn’t you?”
He had a lot after his return from the war. The McAdams brothers slept deeply as they snored away like freight locomotives chugging up a hill. No one had ever heard him slip away... or at least he’dthoughtno one had.
“You heard?” Leo asked.
“One of my windows faced the door to the bunkhouse,” Mattie answered. “I always figured that you wanted to be left alone, but now I think that maybe you could use the company. I know I could.”
Leo instantly forgot his own awkwardness as sudden concern spiked through him. He instinctually stepped toward her and then stopped. “Is something bothering you?”
Mattie hesitated and then slowly jerked her chin. “This evening when I started to write the weekly letter that I’m planning to send to Pa, I got thinking about the financial mess again.”
“It’ll get sorted in time,” Leo said with a confidence he didn’t feel as fresh guilt stabbed at the already gaping wound.
“Even with us and the boys all pooling our resources, the numbers are still coming up short.” Mattie flexed her fingers as she talked, the movement reflecting Leo’s own frustration over the situation.
“There’s always your idea about using radios to make flying safer,” Leo said. “It could earn a mint.”
As if she could no longer contain her energy, Mattie began to pace the room. “If only I could figure out how to make it workable. I feel the answer is there, but it keeps slipping away, taunting me even.”
“Maybe you’re trying too hard?” Leo suggested. “You always say that you do your best thinking when you’re tinkering.”
Mattie jerked her head. “That’s why exercise would help. I don’t have a workbench or tools here, and I need to do something active.”
It could be dangerous, strolling under the stars with Mattie, hearing her gentle breathing as they moved through the grasses and sedges. But he yearned for this release, this escape, just like he’d needed the fresh air. And Mattie needed it too. That detail alone would have directed his decision.
“Okay.”
By unspoken agreement, they didn’t say anything more. Noiselessly, they crept down the turret stairs and then through the main house. Luckily, they both possessed an uncanny sense of direction, which helped them find their way to the back garden with relative ease. They quietly shut the french doors and slipped out into the cool night.
“Isn’t it magical here?” Mattie asked as she gave a little twirl. The sight of her whirling about, her face turned toward the sliver of the moon, caused Leo to smile. He’d missed being with her like this. She’d always exuded so much zest that her delight was infectious even forsomeone like him. Althoughshemade him feel spellbound, he still didn’t understand how she could derive so much pleasure from simply stepping into the inky darkness.
Leo lifted his head as he’d done so many years ago when he’d tried to envision the world as Mattie saw it. But his mind only took in the important details. “Lots of stars are out. It seems like it’ll be a clear day tomorrow. Good visibility.”
“Leo?” Mattie asked, her voice oddly soft and a little uncertain.
Accustomed to her boldness, Leo immediately whipped his head in her direction. She didn’t look worried... just contemplative and earnest.
