him. “You have so much here—land, horses, food, even an automobile.”
“You and Cole worked hard for all this. France went through combat. In America, we fought the war, but differently. And you do know how to groom a horse—you learned it here , years ago. You have your own horse, too,” she said, turning to point to a stall farther down the row. A narrow beam of sunlight cut through the gray sky and across her thick braid of curls, revealing subtle shades of mahogany and blue.
“I do?”
“You named him Kuitan. It’s Chinook for horse .”
“Chinook?”
“That’s an Indian tribe who live up here in the Northwest. Would you like to see him?”
“Yes, of course.” He returned the brush to the shelf.
She led the way past other stalls, slowing her pace to allow him to keep up. She stopped in front of one, and a beautiful buckskin horse with a dark mane poked his head out. “Kuitan, look who’s here to see you. Riley has come back.”
He thought he saw a spark of recognition in the animal’s eyes, but he couldn’t return the greeting. He reached out and patted Kuitan’s elegant neck. “Maybe we’ll become friends again.” He spoke to the horse but he looked at Susannah. A rosy glow suffused her face and she began twisting the slim gold band on her left ring finger. He dropped his gaze and then looked up at her again. “You are as pretty as your photograph. I thought about that all the way here—would I have a wife so pretty?”
He gave her a brief smile and extended a hand to touch one of her curls, but he let it drop.
“Those two young boys I’ve seen here, Joshua and Will… Warren—”
“Wade,” she supplied.
“They are not ours?”
Her eyes widened. “Did you think—oh goodness, no. Tanner is their uncle and he’s raising them, although we’ve become their substitute family.”
“We have no children of our own?”
Her blush deepened. “Um, no. We—I—that is, we were still hoping for that to happen when you left.”
“Well, maybe we’ll have the chance to make it happen now.”
She dropped her gaze and then she looked over her shoulder at the big doorway at the other end of the stable. The hired handwas leading the filly to an empty stall at the far end of the stable. Turning back to Riley, she said, “I’ve got to put lunch together. You’ll probably want to get washed.”
She turned and walked toward Tanner, faster this time, and didn’t bother to see if Riley could make his way back to the house. Sighing, he leaned on his cane and stumped his way across the yard to follow her suggestion.
• • •
Tanner caught a few isolated words of the conversation between him and Susannah, but it didn’t sound like anything important. Still, it gave him that old feeling he’d once had, before Riley Braddock went to war—like a trespasser, as if he’d eavesdropped on something he wasn’t meant to hear, no matter how insignificant. He’d felt like a lousy bum for coveting his employer’s wife, though he’d always been careful not to reveal his feelings. But she was his own wife now. At least she was supposed to be. The last two nights he’d stayed in the bunkhouse had been lonely ones. He couldn’t help but glance across the yard at the window of the bedroom they’d shared, looking for silhouettes on the curtains. He hadn’t seen any, but his imagination had played out dramatic and emotional reunion scenes in his mind’s eye. Despite Riley Braddock’s wasted appearance and uncertainty, Tanner knew what he would do if he’d returned to Susannah after being gone for over two years.
She approached the stall and put her elbows on the chest-high door to watch while he went about the business of unsaddling the filly and grooming her. He felt her eyes following his movements, but he avoided crossing gazes with her. If he just didn’t look, if he didn’t ask questions, somehow everything would be all right. Heknew it wasn’t logical but that was his flimsy
“You and Cole worked hard for all this. France went through combat. In America, we fought the war, but differently. And you do know how to groom a horse—you learned it here , years ago. You have your own horse, too,” she said, turning to point to a stall farther down the row. A narrow beam of sunlight cut through the gray sky and across her thick braid of curls, revealing subtle shades of mahogany and blue.
“I do?”
“You named him Kuitan. It’s Chinook for horse .”
“Chinook?”
“That’s an Indian tribe who live up here in the Northwest. Would you like to see him?”
“Yes, of course.” He returned the brush to the shelf.
She led the way past other stalls, slowing her pace to allow him to keep up. She stopped in front of one, and a beautiful buckskin horse with a dark mane poked his head out. “Kuitan, look who’s here to see you. Riley has come back.”
He thought he saw a spark of recognition in the animal’s eyes, but he couldn’t return the greeting. He reached out and patted Kuitan’s elegant neck. “Maybe we’ll become friends again.” He spoke to the horse but he looked at Susannah. A rosy glow suffused her face and she began twisting the slim gold band on her left ring finger. He dropped his gaze and then looked up at her again. “You are as pretty as your photograph. I thought about that all the way here—would I have a wife so pretty?”
He gave her a brief smile and extended a hand to touch one of her curls, but he let it drop.
“Those two young boys I’ve seen here, Joshua and Will… Warren—”
“Wade,” she supplied.
“They are not ours?”
Her eyes widened. “Did you think—oh goodness, no. Tanner is their uncle and he’s raising them, although we’ve become their substitute family.”
“We have no children of our own?”
Her blush deepened. “Um, no. We—I—that is, we were still hoping for that to happen when you left.”
“Well, maybe we’ll have the chance to make it happen now.”
She dropped her gaze and then she looked over her shoulder at the big doorway at the other end of the stable. The hired handwas leading the filly to an empty stall at the far end of the stable. Turning back to Riley, she said, “I’ve got to put lunch together. You’ll probably want to get washed.”
She turned and walked toward Tanner, faster this time, and didn’t bother to see if Riley could make his way back to the house. Sighing, he leaned on his cane and stumped his way across the yard to follow her suggestion.
• • •
Tanner caught a few isolated words of the conversation between him and Susannah, but it didn’t sound like anything important. Still, it gave him that old feeling he’d once had, before Riley Braddock went to war—like a trespasser, as if he’d eavesdropped on something he wasn’t meant to hear, no matter how insignificant. He’d felt like a lousy bum for coveting his employer’s wife, though he’d always been careful not to reveal his feelings. But she was his own wife now. At least she was supposed to be. The last two nights he’d stayed in the bunkhouse had been lonely ones. He couldn’t help but glance across the yard at the window of the bedroom they’d shared, looking for silhouettes on the curtains. He hadn’t seen any, but his imagination had played out dramatic and emotional reunion scenes in his mind’s eye. Despite Riley Braddock’s wasted appearance and uncertainty, Tanner knew what he would do if he’d returned to Susannah after being gone for over two years.
She approached the stall and put her elbows on the chest-high door to watch while he went about the business of unsaddling the filly and grooming her. He felt her eyes following his movements, but he avoided crossing gazes with her. If he just didn’t look, if he didn’t ask questions, somehow everything would be all right. Heknew it wasn’t logical but that was his flimsy
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