Page 15 of A Dangerous Heart (Wind River Mail-Order Brides #4)

H e was stalling. Matching his steps to Clare’s slower, even leisurely steps, when he could have arrived at the main house a quarter of an hour ago had he set the pace.

Tonight was just another family dinner. He’d get through it.

They’d sit and eat with his brother’s boisterous kids while his brothers talked about cattle and preparations for the coming winter.

Rebekah and Kaitlyn would pry a little. What would Clare say?

Isaac didn’t know how to explain what was happening between them.

Friendship? But sometimes when she looked at him, he caught a flash of… uncertainty?

“I can’t wait to see Tillie.” Ben fairly skipped across a flat stretch of brown prairie grass ahead of the two adults. “She knows the best games to play.”

He whirled around like a tumbleweed caught in the wind to ask, “Do you think the kittens are old enough to hold now?”

How long had it been since they’d been to the main house? A week?

Isaac’s “not sure” came out a little gravely.

“Jo said we can pet the horses,” Eli said. He was more interested in horses than dogs or cats. He wasn’t the best rider. They’d have to work on that.

Isaac’s gut pinched. He wouldn’t be the one who taught Eli to ride.

Maybe one of his brothers. Isaac might not be around that long.

A restless feeling stirred inside him, and a voice in the back of his mind whispered it was time to move on.

He’d thought about it more than once—going somewhere else, starting afresh where no one knew him or about his time with the U.S.

Marshals. But he hadn’t been able to face abandoning his family. Not while Quade was causing trouble.

“Just be careful of that little black-and-white mustang,” Isaac warned them. “That one can be ornery. Might even try to take a bite out of you.” No doubt his brothers held the same sentiment about Isaac after their last exchange.

“I’m used to ornery things,” Eli muttered.

Clare turned her face away, hiding a smile.

Isaac could well believe it. The kid could be more ornery than the mustang.

A chuckle rose in his chest but he managed to keep it down, the corners of his mouth twitching despite himself.

Isaac lengthened his stride, regretting that he had decided to walk to the main house today instead of taking the wagon.

He tightened his grip on the basket of jam and cornbread, their addition to the family meal, as they climbed a small hill and the homestead came into view.

Eli and Ben took off running, leaving Clare and Isaac to walk the rest of the way alone.

His gut churned. His brothers would have plenty to say about him and Clare.

We want you to be happy.

He gritted his teeth. They still thought they could fix him. Repair him like the old barn. Pull off the rotted boards, nail some new ones in place, slap on a new coat of paint.

Some things were beyond repair.

Clare moved closer to him and bumped his shoulder. He caught the faint smell of lavender.

“What’s wrong?”

The concern in her hazel eyes gave him pause. He should warn her about his brothers.

“My brothers will be watching us, wondering if I’ve fallen for you yet.” His words tasted as bitter as they sounded in his ears. If she noticed, she didn’t give any sign. Instead, she nodded and gave him a side glance as they passed the barn.

“It’s nice that they love you so much. They just want you to be happy.”

His shoulder muscles tightened. There it was again. They just want you to be happy. “They think it’s just a matter of fixing what’s been broken. Like a wheel or a fence. Some things in life are broken beyond fixing.”

Her eyes went to the mountains in the distance. “The God I read about is mighty. He made those mountains out yonder and parted seas. I don’t think fixing whatever you think is broken is beyond His ability.”

He followed her gaze to the mountains, taking in the grandness of the range. Yeah, the Almighty could fix what was broken in him, but why should He after what Isaac had done?

His throat felt hot and raw.

Before they even reached the house, the door flew open. Jo greeted them with her usual exuberance.

“Hi, Uncle Isaac, hi, Clare.”

Jo eyed the basket Isaac was holding. “What did you bring?”

“Cornbread,” Clare said, giving Jo a smile and gentle pat on the shoulder as she passed over the threshold.

“Oo-ooh.” Jo lengthened the single syllable in a teasing manner. Her lips formed a playful smirk while her brows rose in presumption. “Cornbread is Uncle Isaac’s very favorite.”

Isaac cast a swift glance at Clare. She turned back to smile at Jo, noncommittal. Had she made the cornbread for him? No matter. Jo, normally a tomboy, was behaving like a spinster matchmaker. Pure mischief sparked from her eyes. He scowled at her.

“Ma’s feeling peaked again,” Jo informed Isaac just above a whisper as they gathered in the small entrance hall outside the steamy kitchen. Roast beef, onion, and joy permeated the room.

“Jo, let them in the kitchen,” Kaitlyn chided, but there was a smile in her words.

After a few hearty welcomes and slaps on the back between the men, everyone took a seat at the table.

By the time Isaac, Clare, and the boys had washed up, only two chairs were left empty, side by side.

He felt awkward standing behind the chairs and waiting for Clare.

She carried a platter of roast beef, carrots, and onions from the sideboard and placed it on the table.

He couldn’t help but admire her helpfulness.

She’d done the same for him too, at the roundup and at the cabin.

He allowed himself to appreciate her pretty face, flushed pink from the heat of the kitchen, but snapped out of his reverie when he caught Ed eyeing him with an amused expression.

Ed could be annoying and competitive, but Clare was right.

Ed wanted him to be happy. Especially now that he’d found marital bliss with Rebekah.

“Seen anymore bears up around you?” Nick turned his question to Eli, seated to his left.

Eli flushed and kept his eyes on his empty plate. “No.”

Drew’s posture shifted as he leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on the table.

His eyes locked with Isaac’s. “Can’t hardly think about that incident without a powerful gratitude that Isaac had his gun with him and reacted so quickly.”

The scene flashed before Isaac. A terror so intense that the memory of the event left him feeling unsteady. Truth was, it had been Clare’s quick action that had saved his nephew’s life.

When the silence lasted a beat too long, Clare eased in beside him. “No bears, thank the Lord,” she said with a playful smile. “But there was a wily little squirrel who staked a claim in the lean-to. Poor Isaac had to chase him away before he could get any sleep one night.”

Ed laughed. Drew looked at Isaac. He shrugged it off.

“He didn’t kill him though,” Ben said, making an awkward attempt at cutting into his roast beef. Jo took his fork and knife and skillfully cut the meat into pieces.

He smiled at her. “Thank you.”

Jo returned his smile. “You’re welcome.”

With the whole family tucked around the big table, Isaac was seated closer to Clare than at his small table at the cabin.

He was careful to keep his spine straight and his hands in his lap.

But she had to lean into him a bit to receive a bowl of gravy from Nick.

Her shoulder brushed his arm again. The hair on his arms and at his neck rose.

“Can you place this in the empty spot in front of you?” she asked.

Kaitlyn cleared her throat. “Drew, could you lead us in prayer?” At her request, everyone joined hands.

When Isaac hesitated, Clare slipped her soft, warm hand into his bigger calloused one.

It fit just fine. And that was a problem.

Maybe he liked the feel of it a little too much.

She gave his hand a small squeeze. He sent her a sideways glance.

Could she read his mind? Her pink lips slid into a smile before she lowered her chin and closed her eyes.

His gaze lingered on her graceful profile, taking in the long eyelashes set against her flushed cheek, before closing his own eyes to her beauty and the growing attraction that thrummed beneath his skin.

What was wrong with him? She wasn’t for him. They’d agreed on that.

The prayer ended with a chorus of “Amen.” He felt Clare squeeze his hand again and realized he’d held it too long.

He released it and picked up his fork. Rebekah nudged his shoulder, passing along a bowl of mashed potatoes.

He fumbled his fork, grabbed the bowl, took a scoop, and passed the bowl to Clare, careful not to brush her hand.

“David tells me you’re a real fine fisherman, Eli,” Drew said as he passed the cornbread.

Eli’s eyes flew to Drew, then to Clare. She gave him a slight nod with widened eyes, silently urging him to answer the question.

“Yes, sir,” Eli replied respectfully, color high on his cheeks.

“He catches more than everyone, even Isaac,” Ben informed Drew. He chewed and swallowed. “But even I catch more than Isaac.”

Guffaws and giggles erupted around the table. Clare cast Isaac an apologetic smile.

“Isaac never was very good at catching fish,” Nick said. “He never had the patience to sit still that long. That’s the one thing I’m better at than him. Well…” His lips formed a mocking challenge. “Besides roping.”

Nick threw the hook, waiting for Isaac to take the bait. To send a teasing barb back. Isaac stayed silent.

“Thank God he was good enough to fish your fool self out of the water that winter you’d just turned twelve.” Drew spoke up, filling in the awkward silence.