She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Desertion was a worse scandal than an unwed pregnancy, but it could eventually be overcome. “Wouldn’t they want to mourn their son and see him properly buried?”
“Ross doesn’t deserve it,” Jackson growled. “Regardless, a funeral would raise questions about the circumstances of his death. My parents have already lost two sons to the war. They think Ross hared off to sew some wild oats, and—as long as they draw breath—that’s what I’ll let them believe.”
Caroline sat mute, digesting it all.
She reached across the table and touched Jackson’s hand as he shoved his chair back and moved to rise. “Thank you for telling me.”
He gave a curt nod then stood and put on his coat. He muttered something about ‘horses’’ and ‘extra feed’ in a gravelly voice as he went out the door.
Jackson wasn’t a traitor. He was an honorable man, hardened by loss and constrained by responsibility.
Chapter 15
Caroline rose with the rooster the next morning and made breakfast. The sun hadn’t yet risen when she put the biscuits on to bake, and neither had the children. She peered out the window, trying in vain to see the snow, but all she could see was the flakes that had collected in the corners of the frame and her own reflection.
She poured a second cup of coffee when Jackson’s boots clomped on the porch as he returned from doing early morning chores. He set a pail of milk on the sink then removed his coat, his face reddened from the cold.
“Did it snow much?” she asked as she handed him the cup.
“Half a foot.” He wrapped his hands around the steaming cup and took a cautious sip. “I’ll have to see what the sky looks like when the sun comes up, but I should still be able to take you to town.”
Caroline responded with a small nod. She couldn’t get away from Jackson Maguire fast enough yesterday. Today, she wasreluctant to leave. “Noah is going to press you to get him one of Mr. Green’s puppies,” she said as she joined him at the table.
Jackson grimaced. “I know.”
“It might be good for him…something to teach him responsibility. And a distraction.”
He took a sip of his coffee and tilted his head, as if to acknowledge something he hadn’t considered.
“Would a dog truly distress your food stores, or is that just something you told him to put him off?”
“It could during lean years. But that’s not why I dissuaded him. I’ve made plans with my sister and her husband to take Noah and Jewel to live with them in St. Louis.”
“Indefinitely?”
“For the foreseeable future.”
“I thought you’d send them back to stay with Celia.”
“I will, but it’s temporary. Sagebrush Springs is growing, and so is Celia’s customer list. She can’t run her business with children underfoot.”
“But this is their home,” Caroline blurted, unable to hide her shock, “and they just lost their mother. How can you send them away from all they know?”
Irritation sparked through the misery in his eyes. “What choice do I have? They’re too young to look after themselves, much less cook and see to the house. I can’t run the farm and care for them alone.”
“Have you told them?”
“No.” He set down his cup and pushed away from the table. “Dress the children in something warm. I’ll hitch the team after breakfast.”
Caroline watched Jackson go out the door, then set the table and fried some ham to go with the biscuits. On a day this cold, they’d all need something substantial.
Small feet padded down the stairs behind her as she shoved the skillet of ham to the warming section of the stove and pulled the biscuits from the oven. Noah shuffled into the kitchen, wearing his nightclothes and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“Good morning,” Caroline greeted with a smile.
“Mornin’.” He blinked and looked around.
“Is something wrong?”
