She had to admit the incongruity of how much safer she felt with Darach here, despite his being a stranger. Everything in her life right now; her new responsibilities, the idea and overwhelm of redoing this old house, living in a foreign country, had her emotions in turmoil. But somehow, in the midst of all that, Darach’s presence brought a sense of safety and security to the chaos, when it should be adding another layer of uneasiness.
She couldn’t deny a sense of relief at relying on someone else, for a moment. Even for little things. She’d been the only one to look out for herself and Emily for some time now, and Darach appeared so…capable. And willing. Was it wrong to want to lean on him just a little?
Or, was that just one more example of how misguided her judgement had become? A real mother would have the instincts to know what to do. Butshecertainly didn’t. The only thing she did know was that she didn’t want to raise Em by default, making one mistake after another.
“Ye’ve been busy,” Darach commented, noticing the pile of supplies she’d brought in from the car.
“You, too.” She pointed to the bucket. “What’s in your—?” Her eyes widened when he showed her the contents. “You found coal? I can’t believe it! Where?”
“A root cellar in the back.” He set the bucket beside the fireplace. “ ’Twas so dark, I couldnae ken what else might be in there. I’ll need tae find a candle, or such, and go back. There may be other items of use tae ye.”
“I grabbed a couple of flashlights from the car,” she nodded toward her stash.
Darach looked confused for a moment, then understanding filled his eyes. “Och! Torches! Aye. I’ve seen ’em used at the...” He shifted uncomfortably. “They’ll be a great help. Thank ye.”
Torches? Seen them used?What an odd thing to say, Tess thought, noting his sudden nervousness.
“Ever since Emily and I decided to come and investigate this old place, she’s been begging for a…what did you call it, Em?”
“An inside camp out,” she giggled.
“Yes,” Tess continued, “so of course, we needed all the proper equipment in case we actually decided to stay. Which,” she gave her niece a pointed look, “is still to be determined.”
Emily grabbed Darach’s hand and pulled him over to the pile. “Some of it’s still in the car, but we have tons of camping stuff. See? Flashlights and sleeping bags, and extra blankets. We even have blow-up mattresses, and lanterns, and water and—”
“I think he gets the point,” Tess laughed, a little embarrassed by their overkill. Darach must be thinking what sillygirls, they were. “We like to be prepared,” she said a little defensively.
“Yup. It pays to be prepared,” the child stated earnestly.
Tessa winced, silently admitting she may have harped on that point a few too many times out of fear of putting Em in any danger.
“If we sleepover,” Emily blurted, “you could sleepover with us, Darach. We have extra blankets.” Emily looked at him with such hope in her eyes, it tore the reprimand from the tip of Tessa’s tongue.
“We haven’t even seen the rest of the house yet,” Tess reasoned. “There’s no need to spend the night if we decide this place won’t work for us.”
Sliding her hand from Darach’s, Emily stared at the floor, dragging her toe through the dust. “I know.”
Tess hadn’t meant to sound so sharp. She held out her arms. “Come here, sweetie.” When Em slid into her arms, she gave her a tight hug, then pulled back and smoothed the damp tendrils of hair from her face. “We’re partners, right? So we’ll make the decision together. But right now, let’s get a fire started, get warmed up, then we’ll take the flashlights and go exploring.”
Emily nodded. “Partners.” She gave Tess their signature,partnerfist-bump. “And, after that, even if it’s not lunchtime yet, I think we should have our picnic.” She leaned close to Tess’ ear to whisper. “I bet Darach’sreallyhungry.”
“Excellent decision,” Tess replied as Em moved away.
“I’ll see about getting that board off the window,” Darach said, “Hopefully, I can bust it up for kindling.” He grabbed the tire iron and went outside.
When Emily started to follow, Tessa stopped her. “Em, let’s let him work. Besides, I don’t want you to get any wetter than you already are. So, how about you and I grab some flashlights and check out a couple more rooms until he’s done?”
“Yes!” Emily grinned, scurrying for the flashlights.
“Are you warm enough?” Tessa tugged on the collar of the child’s coat when Em handed her a flashlight. “Do you want to wrap a blanket around your shoulders?”
Emily shook her head. “Nope. I’m good.”
“Yes, you are,” Tessa laughed and gave her niece a squeeze. “You’re the best. Now let’s go see if this house feels like a home.”
