“There you are, Ingrid!” Her blue eyes sparkling, Kari smiled as Seth extended his hand to shake Joshua’s, while Caleb came over and shook his hand, too.
“We’re heading over to the Frederick Hotel for lunch, Joshua. Why don’t you and Emily join us? You’ve been the hero of my family this week, let me tell you. First helping out Ingrid and then Andreas, even with a night spent in jail. It’s the least I can do to thank you.”
“I appreciate the invitation, but I planned to pick up Davy from the infirmary right after church,” Joshua said as he glanced from Caleb to Ingrid, wondering how she could look any lovelier in a blue dress that matched her eyes. He had to admit that four days without seeing her hadn’t made him less inclined to think about her, but more! “Another time, perhaps.”
“Nonsense! Fetch your son and bring him along. Tell Molly and Charles to join us, too. They’ve been hovering over your boy like nursemaids and could use an outing, don’t you agree?”
Still unused to Caleb’s new congeniality after years of dealing with his explosive temper, Joshua nodded. The man had appointed him as sheriff, after all, so there would be no steering clear of Ingrid today. He couldn’t deny he’d felt regret to say no, the disappointment he had glimpsed in her eyes gone now as she smiled as if truly pleased.
He stared dumbstruck, never having seen her look at him like that before, no, not once. Yet all too quickly she lowered her head, blushing.
“Joshua, I believe Ingrid was eager to see you about something.” Kari pushed Ingrid gently toward him. “Would you mind if she rode along with you and Emily? That way you’ll have a chance to visit.”
As Ingrid stared wide-eyed at her sister, Joshua knew she’d been taken by surprise, just like him. “Yes—I mean, no, I don’t mind at all. It shouldn’t take us long to fetch Davy. We’ll see you at the hotel.”
“Good, then everything’s settled,” Caleb said with a glance at Kari, Joshua not missing the wink he gave her.
As everyone moved to their carriages, Joshua searched the churchyard for his own daughter and called out for her. At once Emily came running, her brown pigtails flying, from where she’d been playing with some other children.
“Time to fetch Davy, Papa?”
“Yes, and Miss Hagen is going with us.”
“Good. I think Davy will like that. He said you woke him the other night from a bad dream and were ever so nice to him, Miss Hagen.”
Joshua saw Ingrid blink as if startled by what Emily said, and her face seemed to pale, which made him add, “Yes, I’ve wanted to thank you for that.” He tucked his hand beneath Ingrid’s elbow and guided her toward a buckboard while Emily skipped ahead. “You did a very kind thing for my son.”
“I…I was glad to help,” she murmured, her hand trembling a bit as he assisted her into the front seat.
Wondering at her subdued demeanor, Joshua decided she must be embarrassed by her family so obviously thrusting them together, though he didn’t believe Ingrid had any hand in it. She had looked too startled by Kari’s suggestion. He swung Emily into the back and then climbed onto the buckboard beside Ingrid.
He wasn’t thickheaded. He was a widower and she was unmarried. Why wouldn’t Kari and Caleb think they might be a suitable match for each other? Except hewasn’tsuitable and would never marry again, which he fully intended to make clear to Ingrid.
But not now, with his daughter giggling behind them as he flicked the reins to Big Pete, their draft horse, the buckboard rolling into motion.
“Goodbye! See you tomorrow!” Emily called out to her young friends, waving. Then turning to Ingrid, she said, “I’m glad you’re feeling better so we can go to school again, Miss Hagen. You look so pretty today.”
“Thank you, Emily, so do you in your yellow dress.”
“It’s the same one I wore to your sister’s wedding to Mr. Davis,” Emily chattered on, swinging her legs. “I love yellow, it’s my favorite color. What’s your favorite color, Miss Hagen?”
“Hmm, I think I love blue the best.”
“Oh, yes, you look very pretty in blue. Your hair is so blond, Miss Hagen. Did you know you look just like an angel? Ha! You’re an angel and your sister is a fairy princess. I told her so, too, at the wedding and she was so pleased, she gave me a pink rose from her bouquet! I still have the petals in a box beside my bed—”
“Emily, why don’t you see if you spy any baby chicks on the way to fetch Davy,” Joshua interrupted gently, glad that Ingrid seemed to have relaxed and smiled over her shoulder at his daughter.
“She’s so sweet, Joshua, I don’t mind. I love to listen to what children have to say. They’re so honest and straightforward.”
Struck by the warmth in Ingrid’s voice, he found himself staring at her as she laughed softly at Emily prattling on about how she loved baby chicks and kittens and puppies and baby birds—until a sudden bump made him remind himself that he should be watching the road. They were only a couple blocks now from the Davises’ house, which reminded him, too, that Kari had said Ingrid wanted to see him for some reason.
“Did you wish to speak to me about something?” he asked her, finally managing to get a word in edgewise when Emily was distracted by retying her bonnet. “Your sister mentioned it at the church.”
“Yes, I’d like to bring lessons over to David—Davy, after school if it’s all right with you. I won’t stay long, just enough time to show him what we studied so he doesn’t get too far behind while his leg is healing.”
Joshua fell silent, knowing it was a good idea, but if he agreed he might be seeing Ingrid almost every day…and in his home, too. He kept his gaze fixed upon the road, knowing she awaited his answer, but none came as he wrestled with himself.
Seeing Ingrid’s genuine delight in his daughter, her skirt brushing innocently against his leg, the faint scent of lilac enveloping her, enveloping him…made him yearn so powerfully for something he had sworn he would deny himself. To have her visiting his home would be torture, he knew that with certainty now, just as he knew something had awakened inside him from the first moment he’d swept her onto his saddle—
