Chapter Ten
The early morning sunpeeked over the hills and shone into Summer’s bedroom window, waking her from a most refreshing sleep. She stretched and yawned, then turned and slid her feet out of the bed onto the cold wooden floor. Although the afternoons were still warm, at least the morning proved that a new season was nigh.
She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, then stood and hurried to the closet. She pushed through the gowns hanging on the rod, contemplating what to wear for the day. Her hand brushed across the dress she wore last evening, and she paused.Jesse.
She really shouldn’t have touched his bare chest and kissed him so passionately. The way her body had tingled would always stay in her mind, but guilt overrode her excitement, and her heart grew heavy. Rosie would never forgive her. Summer didn’t think her sister would understand that she still thought about Jesse’s tender kiss.
Yet, had Jesse felt the same? Did he have the same disturbing feelings? Could he be thinking of her at this very moment?
She slid a yellow dress over her head and arranged it around her body. She glanced in the mirror as she fastened the buttons and liked the way the bright sunflower material lit up the auburn highlights in her hair. Before leaving the room, she brushed out the night’s tangles in her hair and pulled it away from her face with a matching ribbon.
Unable to control the giddy feeling from last night’s kiss, and especially Jesse’s confession, she smiled wide. For now, she wouldn’t think about Adam or Rosie but remember how Jesse had enjoyed her touch, and she knew he enjoyed kissing her.
She skipped down the stairs on her way to see Pa, but as she entered the kitchen, Rosie stepped from the other room and stopped her. The solemn expression on her sister’s face made fear clutch Summer’s chest. Rosie couldn’t possibly know...
Tears glistened in Rosie’s eyes. “Something happened to Pa.”
Although Summer wanted to be relieved that her sister didn’t suspect her feelings for Jesse, the news of her father overrode that, and she gasped. “What happened?”
“Late last night, Pa tried to walk and fell into Ma’s vanity, and his hands slid right into the glass on the mirror. The glass cut his arms pretty bad.”
“Oh, no.” Her breath caught. “How is he now?”
“He’s sleeping, but not very peacefully. Ma says he feels worthless, and she is worried that his illness is getting worse because he was so weak last night.”
Summer slumped in the nearby kitchen chair, and she covered her face as the tears gushed forward. “There must be something we can do.”
“We all feel helpless, especially Ma.”
Summer’s chest grew heavy. “Do you think... he’ll die?”
Rosie shrugged. “He’s not getting any better, so yes, I think he’s very close to death.”
“Oh, Rosie. I’m not ready for him to go.”
Rosie sat next to Summer and hugged her tightly, crying with her. This was the first time Summer had been this emotionally close to her sister.
Summer withdrew and wiped her eyes. “Where is Ma?”
“In with Pa, of course.”
“Well, come on.” Summer slapped her knees and stood. “We’ve got chores to do. We can’t let Ma do anything today but take care of Pa.”
Rosie’s eyes widened, and even Summer couldn’t believe she’d actually said those words. This was the first time she could remember ever wanting to take charge of the household work.
The corner of Rosie’s mouth lifted. “Yes, we do.”
Working side by side with her sister, Summer prepared breakfast. After the meal, she wrapped an apron around her waist and went about the house preparing for the day by washing dishes and sweeping and mopping the floors. Rosie straightened, dusted throughout the rooms, and aired out the rugs and curtains
During the day, Summer visited with Pa for a few minutes before he dozed. Pain kept him from talking, so she let him rest. She hurried about the house, doing her chores with a smile, which surprised Ma greatly, especially because this was a side of Summer nobody had seen before.
After supper, she visited with her father again. He looked a little stronger, but not much.
“Summer, my dear.” Pa smiled. “I’m so happy to see you helping your sister around the house. I know how much you’d rather be down at the livery, and it thrills me to see you taking over some of the household duties.”
She sat on the edge of his bed and rested her hand on his arm. “It was nice to be with my sister today.” She chuckled. “It’s not very often I’m this way.”
