“Take Jewel out and play with the kittens until Miss Celia calls you in for lunch,” Jackson told him, then gave Noah a pointed look and put a stop to any protest before it could be voiced.
With a sigh, Noah went and collected his sister.
Once they’d gone outside, Jackson went to the sitting room and prayed Caroline would follow him.
She made him wait a full minute before she acquiesced.
“Thank you,” he said as she sat.
He chose a chair that was on the other side of the lamp from hers—far enough not to crowd her, but near enough that he could keep his voice low. Now the only thing left was choosing his words.
“Noah told me you’re leaving.”
She stared mutely at him, her only response a slow blink.
“There’s something else I need to tell you, but it’s not something I can express in a mere few minutes. Celia will be leaving as soon as she puts lunch on the table. If you go with her, there won’t be enough time.”
She didn’t look convinced. In fact, she looked ready to gouge out his eyes.
“It’s a conversation we’d need to have in private, after the children are asleep.” Jackson lowered his voice and added, “Ross... He... There’s more to the story.” That earned him a glimmer of interest.
Caroline’s chest rose and fell with a measured breath. Her resolve was wavering.
“You can send word to Mr. Ames to retrieve you tomorrow, or I’ll drive you into town, myself. But, please, stay one more night.”
Wan winter sunlight slanted through the kitchen window, despite the midday hour, catching the steam that rose from the pot on the stove. Caroline flipped the dishtowel over her shoulder and stirred the soup Celia had made, unsure if she was more unsettled by the quiet or by her decision to stay.
Jackson wouldn’t have stood in her way if she’d insisted on leaving. But he knew her, knew how she would respond to the secret he’d dangled.
She’d fallen for it. But she’d also been drawn to something she’d seen in his eyes. Not pleading, exactly. More like surrender. And hope worn thin at the edges.
Caroline glanced back at Amanda’s chair in the sitting room, to check on Jewel, and smiled at her angelic little face. She hadplayed with the kittens so much that she’d tired herself out and fallen asleep.
Noah strode in, smiling. “Papa said you're staying till tomorrow.”
“Just for the night. Will you set the table for me?”
At his enthusiastic nod, Caroline handed him a stack of bowls and watched.
He carried them to the table with careful steps, tongue caught between his teeth in concentration. Then he placed them all around and came back for the spoons and napkins.
“You did a good job, Noah. You were very careful with those bowls.”
“Papa makes me carry them one at a time, but I can manage all four,” he remarked in solemn seriousness. “I’m trying to show I can be responsible, so he’ll let me have a puppy”
“A puppy?”
“Mm hm. A mongrel. Mr. Green, who works at the sawmill, has a whole litter, and he’s giving them away. Papa said mongrels make good pets. He worries a dog might eat too much of our food, but he said he’d think about it.
“Maybe, when we take you to town tomorrow,” he added, looking hopeful, “we can get one.”
“Puppies require a lot of care,” Caroline cautioned, trying not to get Noah’s hopes up, in case Jackson said no.
“I know, but I’m old enough. It’s almost December, and I’ll be five in February.”
‘Count the months, Caroline.’
Jackson had told the truth.
