He slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a small squeeze. “Thanks, runt.”
She laughed. “I think you can come up with another nick-name now. Remember, I’m not a little girl any longer.”
Jesse walked up behind them, playfully slapping his brother on the back. “Yeah, she’s not a little boy, either.”
Cal roared with laughter. Glaring, she fired daggers at the man who had made the rude remark.
“I wanted to give it to you on your weddin’ day,” Cal told Jesse and Rosie, “but I couldn’t wait for Rosie to make up her mind.”
Jesse laughed softly, then slipped his arm loosely around Rosie’s waist. “Rosie, honey? I think we really should set a date. Now that we have a house, there’s nothin’ stopping the weddin’.”
Rosie nodded but continued to weep in her handkerchief.
Summer studied her sister’s reactions suspiciously. Something about this scene didn’t seem right. Instead of being happy, Rosie truly looked disturbed.
Standing against the wall, Summer watched those gathered in the cabin. Jesse seemed happy enough, but Cal kept looking at Rosie. For the first time, Summer saw a tenderness in Cal’s eyes she’d never seen before.
Her mind wandered back to the time she’d left to attend her aunt’s school. Although they had always acted proper, Jesse and Rosie couldn’t stop gazing at each other and holding hands or touching in some way. Now they could actually stay in the same room without exchanging a single glance. Jesse’s arm encircled Rosie, but they looked as if they couldn’t wait to break the contact.
All the way home, Summer pondered on what she had witnessed in the cabin. Could it really be that Jesse and Rosie had grown apart in the time she’d been away?
When they arrived home, and Jesse lifted Summer down from the wagon, she stared deeply into his eyes, trying to read his expression. He gave her a tiny smile, and his subtle flirtation played tricks with her mind and made her heart flutter.
Once her feet touched the ground, she stepped back and pulled the shawl around her shoulders. That settled it. She had to talk to her sister, but she worried Rosie might not appreciate her questions. Would her sister be able to share her feelings with her as she had when they were younger?
She glanced at the couple again and still felt the same nagging suspicion. Well, she’d make Rosie confess. There would be no rest until she found out what was really going on between Rosie and Jesse.
* * * *
FULL OF ENERGY, SUMMERrose before dawn. Just as she’d suspected, there wasn’t a chance to tell her parents about Mr. Fairbanks, which meant that she had to do that this morning or let Mr. Fairbanks know that she had to reschedule their meeting.
But last night, after her parents retired for the night, she had a brief conversation with Rosie. Wanting to know more about her sister’s feelings for Jesse, Summer suggested going fishing, which Rosie agreed to. Now Summer was ready to hear the real story of why her sister wanted to marry a lout like Jesse Slade.
Summer stretched and yawned, then climbed out of bed. In haste, she entered her sister’s room and bounced enthusiastically on her bed. “Time to wake up.”
Rosie mumbled and turned on her side. Summer frowned and tried again. This time, she provoked a discontented groan from her sister. “Rosie? Wake up. We’re going fishing. Remember?”
Rosie covered her head with the pillow. “Summer, I’m not going fishing. I’m sorry, but I have a headache.”
Annoyed, Summer grabbed the pillow and uncovered Rosie’s head. “Please. I want to spend time with you before we are both married.”
Rosie’s eyes opened groggily, and she met Summer’s stare. “We can talk later today, I promise.” She pulled the blanket to her chin.
Summer’s annoyance grew. Her sisterhadto go. Five years ago, they had loved going fishing together, and Summer really wanted to go this morning.
Rosie turned her back on Summer, ending their conversation.
Grumbling under her breath, Summer returned to her own room to get dressed. She opened the armoire in her room and stared at its contents, trying to decide what to wear. Her old knickers would be perfect, but ladies didn’t wear knickers. Instead, she donned a black skirt and a yellow long-sleeve blouse with a cotton lace collar. She pulled back her hair, tying it with a matching yellow ribbon.
She didn’t want to examine the reason for her enthusiasm closely, although she felt compelled to look her best since she’d have to see Mr. Fairbanks today. But perhaps she was eager to prove to everyone that going to Aunt Lydia’s school had indeed changed her.
She crept out of her room and down the stairs to see if Pa was awake, but just as she neared his door, Ma came out of the kitchen and stopped her. “Summer, don’t disturb your pa.”
“Why?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”
“He didn’t sleep well last night, and I want him to rest.”
Summer’s hopes for a pleasant morning instantly deflated. Would her father ever recover from this malady? But she didn’t want to know for fear that the answer would be something she couldn’t bear to hear.
