Chapter Five
Summer sat uprightin the rickety wagon while Cal led the group to the unveiling of his wedding gift to Jesse and Rosie. Feeling annoyed, she twisted her hands in her lap. She had finally built up the courage to tell her parents about her impending marriage when Jesse showed up and announced that Cal had a surprise for him and Rosie. Now Summer had to wait until they were finished, but then her father would be too exhausted to stay awake long enough for her to tell him because Pa insisted on coming along.
No matter how hard she wanted to keep her attention diverted from Jesse, it stubbornly continued to stray to his broad back as he drove the wagon. The fawn-colored shirt tucked nicely into his pants, and his wide torso tapered down to a slender waist.
Her face grew hot, and she snapped her gaze away. Lowering the blue shawl from her shoulders, she tried to cool her body’s temperature.
Cal’s light chuckle brought her attention back to him. “Summer? What’cha been up to lately? Tried trappin’ a man into your womanly web yet?”
He knows?She wouldn’t forgive Jesse if he said something to his brother about Mr. Fairbanks. She forced a small laugh. “I’ve only been back for one day, Cal.”
“But the boys around here would be foolish not to notice you.” He winked. “You’re certainly different from when you left.”
His gaze moved over her figure, resting briefly on her bosom, but it didn’t send chills down her spine as it did when Jesse looked at her.
“Marvin,” Cal continued, “can you believe this little runt here has finally sprouted some–”
“Don’t say it,” Summer snapped, her face aflame with embarrassment. Everyone laughed while she glared at Cal.
He led them over a slope, then stopped his horse. When he met Jesse’s eyes, he grinned. “Over yonder is your surprise.”
Jesse stopped the wagon, and everybody leaned up to see. Gasps rang through the air. Jesse and Rosie exchanged a surprised look. Not far from a gurgling brook stood a small cabin with a wraparound porch. Scraps of wood littered the yard, giving evidence of the recent work that had been done. Cal’s generosity made the small cabin appear like a grand palace.
“You did this by yourself?” Jesse asked as he climbed down from the wagon.
“Most of it. I had help once in a while.”
Tears sprang up in Rosie’s eyes. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”
Cal dismounted and ambled to the wagon to help Rosie down. Summer arched an eyebrow. It must have slipped Jesse’s mind to do that gentlemanly deed himself.
“Oh, Cal.” Rosie’s arms wrapped around his neck as she hugged him. “You really shouldn’t have.”
He kissed her on the cheek and withdrew. “Yes, I should’ve. I didn’t know what else to give y’all.”
“It’s...the most wonderful...place in the world.”
“Yes, it is,” Jesse agreed, standing still as he gazed at the cabin.
“All it needs is furniture and some curtains and rugs, but I figured you’d want to decorate it y’rself.”
Rosie’s tears streamed down her face. Her voice must have choked up because she only nodded at Cal’s comment.
“Can we go inside?” Jesse asked.
Cal chuckled. “Well, of course. Let me go in and light some lanterns. It looks like we didn’t quite beat the dusk this evenin’.”
Jesse assisted Pa from the wagon and placed him in his roller-chair. Summer helped Ma push the chair toward the cabin as Jesse walked beside Rosie. Summer studied the engaged couple, pursing her lips tightly. Why wasn’t he holding her sister’s hand? Or, at the very least, he should have his hand on Rosie’s back. Weren’t these two in love? If so, Summer couldn’t see it.
Once they entered the cabin, Summer could see that Cal’s loving touch was evident throughout the place. A small fireplace centered against the far wall, and above the mantle, he’d carved intricate designs into the wood. Large bay windows opened in the front room and kitchen.
While she walked through the kitchen, she trailed her fingers along the decorative carvings and noticed two closets instead of one. A small staircase in the back led up to an extra bedroom, and the other two were on the main floor.
She moved next to Cal and stopped. “You’ve done a wonderful job.”
