After the Rain by Leah Atwood Page B

the inside of her cheek, Lettie tried to keep her emotions in check. What had she done wrong? Was it so wrong to be respectful and ask before making a purchase from the mercantile? She looked out the window and watched grab a post from his stack and pound it into the ground. A lump formed in her throat and she turned away. Watching him only upset her further.
    To keep busy, she cleaned up the dishes from their meal. Her food remained barely touched and not because the bread she’d eaten that morning had sustained her nutritional needs until then. She grabbed a broom from the corner and vigorously swept the entire house, downstairs and the two bedrooms upstairs. Next she fixed a pail of hot soapy water and got down on her hands and knees to scrub the floor clean, forgetting her troubles in standing back up.
    An aching back prompted her to stop before she was finished, but she couldn’t make herself continue. Trying to stand, she found herself stuck for the second time that day. A grimace marred her face as she crawled several feet to the kitchen table. Using a chair to support her weight, she struggled against her hindered balance to stand upright. Finally, she managed to partially stand, enough to slide into a chair. Worn out from her efforts, she laid her head down on the table and closed her eyes.
    “I’ll just rest for a few minutes before continuing on.” But nothing that requires stooping down¸ she added silently. Drifting into a light sleep, her head and body jerked when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
    “Shh, it’s just me,” she heard Rand say.
    Shifting in the chair, she turned to look at him. Tired and cranky, she shot him a glare for his attitude earlier. Under normal circumstances, she would have behaved more properly, but her back smarted with a dull pain, her feet were swollen and her feelings were hurt. Not a combination conducive to positive interaction.
    “What do you want,” she snapped, instantly appalled at the acrimonious tone she used, but not enough to apologize immediately
    Rand faltered. “I guess I deserved that.”
    She looked at him, still scowling, trying to fight the tears brimming in her eyes. Until losing Daniel, she’d never been given to fits of crying and the more frequent crying episodes only fed her agitation.
    “I came in to apologize for my behavior earlier.” He sat down next to her, his eyes crinkled with remorse.
    “Oh,” she whispered, feeling ashamed of her outburst when he’d come back to make things right.
    “My pride got the better of me. Every man wants to provide the best for his family. Although we’re not destitute by any means, I wish I could give you your pick of anything you want at the mercantile, but it’s not possible right now. When you asked if there was money for pantry items, I was unjustly offended that you thought I couldn’t even provide those.”
    “I only wanted to be respectful by not assuming I could purchase the items,” she told him, trying to keep the tears from falling. “The people in my life are what make me happy and content, not material things.”
    “I know that, but it doesn’t stop a man from wanting to give his family the best. Will you accept my humble apology?”
    She nodded. “And I am sorry I snapped at you just now.”
    His gaze traveled to the pail of water, now murky, still on the floor with a rag hanging over the edge. He narrowed his eye, opened his mouth to speak, apparently thought better of it and clamped his lips together.
    “Would you like those cookies and cup of coffee now?” she asked, eager to fill the air with anything other than silence before he decided to chide her for mopping.
    “Sit still. I’ll get them. Would you like some, too?”
    “Yes, please. Thank you.” Her body was too weary to argue with his offer of assistance.

Chapter Five
     
    Spring was in full bloom by the time they made it into town for supplies. Three weeks had passed since the date for which they’d originally