laughed.
She stared. Of all the reactions he might have had, this was the most unexpected. “Why is that funny?”
He stood to his full height and grinned down at her. “Here I was thinking you would find me rough. After all, you have a mother and sisters who would normally tend your needs. I kept expecting you to tell me I was a big oaf.” He laughed again. “A gentle touch, you say. I will never forget that.”
He squatted in front of her. “How is your head? You took quite a fall.”
Her head buzzed from the swirling confusion of her thoughts. Not from hitting the ground.
“I’m fine.” She pushed to her feet. “What about you? Didn’t you get stung?”
He shifted his gaze to a spot over her shoulder. “Nothing to be concerned about.”
“Really? And yet you drag me over here and plaster mud on each bite?” She tried to sound teasing, but her voice caught with an overwhelming sense of tenderness. “Let me see.” She grabbed his chin just as he’d done with her and felt him stiffen. He wasn’t a lot different from his brother. Afraid of touches. Expecting them to be cruel. If he stayed here long he’d learn otherwise. Ma and Pa were the gentlest pair ever.
She saw no sign of stings on his face but detected three on his neck below his ear. “You have been stung. I’ll get some mud.” But when she tried to stand, he shook his head.
“There’s some here.” He pointed toward a clump that had fallen from his hands.
She loaded her finger with some and applied it to his bites. Beneath her fingertip his muscles knotted. She ignored his tension. Being this close gave her plenty of chance to study him more closely. Tiny white lines, from squinting in the sunshine, fanned out from the corners of his eyes. His black whiskers roughened suntanned skin.
When the stings were well bathed in mud, she wiped her fingers in the grass.
She turned her eyes toward him. His gaze jerked away as if uncomfortable with all the touching of the past few minutes, even though it had been impersonal for both them. Hadn’t it?
Swallowing hard, she put eight more inches between them.
“Are you feeling up to walking home?” he asked.
His tender look caused her throat to tighten. Then some little imp made her press the back of her arm to her forehead dramatically and wobble slightly.
His arm came around her shoulders and steadied her.
“Do you think you could carry me all the way?” She managed to make her voice quaver.
“I think I’ll go get my horse.”
She laughed. “I’ll walk. I’m fine.”
He nodded, a wide grin on his face. “I figured you were.”
They gave the area of the hornet’s nest a wide berth.
“I’ll be sure to tell the others its location.” She surely didn’t want anyone else to be attacked. Though, on second thought, if Ebner or some other troublemaking Caldwell cowboy got a sting or two, it sounded like justice to her.
As they neared home, she slowed her steps. “Wyatt, why would you leave Lonnie with your pa, knowing what he was like? I need to understand. I want to understand.”
He stopped, faced her squarely. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you anything more. I had to, and that’s all I can say.”
She sighed. It wasn’t enough and yet she couldn’t believe his reasons had been selfish. Or was she letting his taking care of her for a few minutes erase her sense of caution?
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