I don’t know what he does, not really. I haven’t felt it was my place to ask. I assume he owns property and such—I guess he did tell me that—but I don’t really know where all of this came from or how it all works. Rusty felt better just having said this, but there was more. She talked to the Lord for close to an hour before she fell asleep again.
Downstairs and all over Briarly it was very quiet. Chase had let everyone know that Rusty needed rest. Chase, however, did not bank on accomplishing so little. His mother and Cap had taken Quintin out for the day. He was free to get as much done as he needed, but all he could do was stare out the window and think about the previous night. Rusty had looked him in the eye and told him he didn’t know his own heart, but that she would never hold it against him. Chase had all he could do not to weep.
I wouldn’t let myself overwhelm her, and now I’ve taken it too far the other way. I thought she might be able to tell by the way I look at her, but that’s not working. Well, things are going to change, Katherine Alexa Taggart. You’ll doubt my feelings no more.
Chase caught movement from the corner of his eye. He looked over and watched Melinda Whitley come across the drawing room toward him. She stopped at his open door.
“It’s coming on to lunch, sir, and Cook says Rusty hasn’t been down at all. Should I check on her?”
You think I’m a child.
“No,” Chase said softly even as he heard Rusty’s voice in his mind. “She’ll come down when she needs something.”
Mrs. Whitley nodded, but she looked miserable.
“She would not thank us for babying her,” Chase said gently, as much for himself as for the housekeeper.
The woman sighed. “You’re right, of course, but there’s just something so young and vulnerable about her.”
Chase couldn’t disagree with her, but Rusty had been partially right in her description last night. While they were in Kurth he had determined not to baby her by telling her to eat her food, but somewhere along the way he started to treat her as a child. He had never considered her shallow, but at times he did treat her as an underling and not an equal. It was true that she didn’t always do what he would choose, but what made him the expert?
“How long do I wait, sir?” Melinda’s voice cut back into his thoughts.
“To see if she needs something? All day. As tired as she was, she might just need to sleep. She’ll come down when she’s ready. We’ll wait on her to come to us.”
“But what if she’s become sick in the night and can’t get out of bed?” It was the first time the woman had ever argued with him, and Chase thought she might have a point.
“All right,” Chase put his hand up, “but that’s all. You may check to make sure she’s still alive, but no more. If she needs something, she’ll ask for it. You know she’s never hesitated before.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said with great relief.
Chase watched her walk away. It had passed through his mind that the staff might have to make some adjustments if Rusty became mistress of Briarly, but the thought had been foolish. He’d never once considered how heartbroken the staff would be to have her leave at the end of the summer. He looked forward to the day when he could tell them that she never had to leave again.
Rusty descended the stairs that evening feeling as though she’d been given a new lease on life. She’d slept for most of the day. Mrs. Whitley had come to check on her just as she was headed down the hall for a bath. Rusty had been very honest when she said she hadn’t needed anything to eat. Mrs. Whitley graciously took her at her word, and as soon as Rusty finished her bath, she had gone back to bed and fallen right back to sleep. Once she woke, she slowly did her hair and nails, studied her Bible, wrote a few letters, and even dressed at a snail’s pace.
She was finally hungry. Realizing that she might not have been planned on for dinner, she was prepared to eat in the kitchen. She hit the bottom of the stairs and headed that way. Having seen her from the drawing room, Chase caught her while she was still in the hall.
“Welcome back,” he said softly from behind her.
Rusty turned, slightly startled. Chase came to stand in front of her and she self-consciously stepped back against the wall. He just kept coming until his hand was on the wall above her head and his face was bent down to speak to her.
“Were you able to rest?”
“Yes, thank you.” Rusty’s voice was soft and a bit breathless. He’d come so close, and she was awfully glad to see him, but the things she was feeling were very new to her.
“Would you like to join us for dinner?”
“I was going to eat in the kitchen and not disrupt things.”
“We haven’t started, and Mrs. Whitley set a place for you just in case.”
“Oh. All right.”
She would have pushed away from the wall to join him then, but Chase didn’t move.
“I missed you today,” he told her.
“I thought of you a lot,” she admitted.
“Good thoughts?”
“I think so.”
Chase couldn’t help himself. He reached with two fingers and pulled at one of the springy curls at her temple.
“This hair of yours really has a mind of its own.”
“Especially after I wash it.”
Chase’s brows rose in amusement. “I’d forgotten that you were a lady of leisure today.”
Rusty sighed. “It was difficult, but someone had to make the sacrifice.”
Chase pushed away from the wall and held his arm out for her. Rusty took it and found that she was glad her ears were covered. All embarrassment faded, however, when she walked to the door of the dining room. Quintin was just coming from the drawing room, and a moment later he charged toward her. Rusty scooped him into her arms and held him close. Quintin’s arms went around her neck, and he buried his face in her hair.
“I missed you today,” Rusty said softly.
Quintin pulled back enough to look at her. “I missed you too. We had chicken, and I wanted to bring you some, but Grandma said it wasn’t a good idea.”
“How sweet of you to think of me, though.”
Quintin pushed his face forward so they could rub noses. Rusty turned when Nan and Cap came to join the group. Setting Quintin back on his feet, she greeted them.
“I’m hungry,” Cap proclaimed when the amenities were out of the way. Rusty had to agree with him. She hadn’t felt a twinge all afternoon, but now she felt hollow. It was wonderful that she didn’t have long to wait. Mrs. Whitley and Rick began bringing bowls of food to the table just moments later. Chase seated Rusty and then bent over and whispered into her ear.
“That was quite a greeting Quintin received. I’ll have to learn his secret.”
Rusty took no time to catch his meaning and looked at him with amused eyes.
“It’s just one of those things you can get away with when you’re five.”
Chase’s hand lingered on her shoulder as he moved away, and Rusty thought he looked very pleased with himself. She wasn’t feeling too poorly herself. They ate the meal in high spirits, and for the first time since the Caplands had arrived, Rusty felt rested and able to relax with them.
“Tell me, Rusty,” Nan invited, “do you have siblings?”
“Yes. Two sisters and a brother. They all live at home with my parents in Boulder.”
“So you are the oldest?”
“Yes. Clare is next, then Les and Dana.”
“How fun. I always wished for at least one brother or sister for Chase. Has Chase told you I was gone for much of his childhood?”
“Yes, he told me a little. It must have been hard.”
Nan shook her head. “At times I thought I would die of loneliness. I knew that someone else was raising my child and that I couldn’t be home when my husband needed me. I felt I’d been set free when I finally came back to Briarly.”
“What is your home like now?”
That was all Nan needed. In the next minutes Rusty went on to
learn that Cap had built a beautiful home for them just a year after they were married. Aspects of it were similar to Briarly, and Rusty could see that it was Nan’s delight.
“We attend a small church in Austin, and rather than have a midweek service at the church, we meet in our front room. We’ve always tried to use our home for the Lord, and He has blessed us time and again. Cap has a Bible study with two young men on Sunday nights, and I’ve started a weekly tea for some ladies who don’t live too far from us. Nothing spiritual has come of it yet, but I’m hopeful.”
“Katherine, tell them about your ministry with the children at the church in Manitou,” Chase encouraged her.
“Oh, certainly. On Sundays we have a special children’s service 45 minutes before the regular service begins. There are several teaching teams, and I’m a part of one of them.”
“Who does the teaching?” Cap wished to know.
“On my team, I teach and my partner does the music.”
“How old are the children?”
“The age span is anywhere from four to ten.”
“That’s marvelous,” Nan exclaimed.
“You should see her in action.” Chase couldn’t disguise the pride in his voice. “She’s able to keep 40 children hanging on her every word.”
“They’re good kids,” Rusty said, and everyone could see that she meant it. She didn’t really see herself as anything special. However, Cap and Nan looked to Chase, who was watching Rusty, before exchanging a warm, knowing glance.
“Coffee in the drawing room, Mrs. Whitley, if you please,” Chase directed when she came to check on them.
“Right away, sir, or a little later?”
“Later is fine, I think, or whenever you have time.”
“Very well, sir.”
Soon after that, Cap, Nan, Chase, Rusty, and Quintin moved from the dining room to settle in the drawing room. Chase suggested an exception for Quintin, allowing him to come back and join the adults when he was ready for bed. Cap read a story to him while they all listened.
The adults started talking when he finished the story, and while no one was looking, Quintin fell sound asleep in Cap’s arms. They left him alone until they all turned in, whereupon Nan and Cap did the honors of tucking their sleeping grandson into bed.
Thinking back on what a restful day and fun evening it had been, Rusty was certain she would not sleep. However, she slept within minutes of turning down the lantern.
41
Rusty scooted past Chase’s chair and under his desk and then sat still. She could still hear Quintin counting in the drawing room, knowing that any moment he would give up and come searching.
“37, 38, 39, 30-ten.”
Rusty heard a long pause.
“50! Ready or not, here I come!”
She could hear him moving around, but there was no tenseness in her. He would never find her in here. She almost wished she’d brought a book to read. Sitting quite comfortably beneath the wood desk, Rusty let her thoughts roam. It was for this reason that the sound of sudden footsteps and the sight of adult, trouser-clad legs made her gasp. One moment there was nothing, and the next moment the chair was moved completely out of the way and Chase was standing just inches from her. He’d obviously heard the gasp since he cautiously stepped back and slowly bent to see her.
“Hello,” he said with soft uncertainty.
“I thought you went to town,” she whispered at him.
“I’m back. What are you doing?”
“Hiding from Quin,” she replied, still speaking in a stage whisper. “He’s figured out all my other hiding places, so I had to find someplace new, and you were gone—well, I thought you were gone. Anyway, this seemed like the perfect place.”
Chase smiled, thinking she looked adorable. Her hair was in her face, and her eyes were huge. He didn’t know many adults who could fit so easily under his desk.
“You could just forget I’m here.”
Chase’s look was comical. “Trust me when I tell you I couldn’t do that.”
Rusty laughed softly, and a second later she heard Quintin’s voice and watched Chase stand.
“Is Aunt Rusty hiding in here?” the little boy asked.
Chase hesitated. “Is it cheating if I tell you?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I can’t find her.”
“Where have you looked?”
“Everywhere!” He sounded dismayed. “We’re not supposed to go outside.”
He looked so forlorn that Chase had to help him. “Have you searched here in the office?”
“No.”
“Well, I guess you could look in here.” Chase felt a small fist hit the top of his shoe, but he didn’t move.
“Aunt Rusty!” Quintin shouted just a moment later as he scrambled past his father’s legs to get to her. Rusty laughed as he climbed beneath the desk and tried to sit in her lap. Chase followed him down to the floor, actually stretching out on his side to talk with them.
“You told him!” Rusty accused.
“I felt sorry for him.”
“You should feel sorry for me. Do you know the places he can hide? My hair and dress always manage to hang out, and he finds me every time.”
For all the scowls being sent his way, Chase could only smile. She was marvelous when she was fierce.
“What was I supposed to do?”
“Ask him if he was ready to give up. That way I can come out, and he doesn’t have to know where I hid. Then I can use this place again.”
“That wouldn’t have worked.”
“Yes, it would,” she insisted. “Next time I wouldn’t make a sound. You wouldn’t even know that I was here.”
The look he sent her caused her to lower her eyes.
“Don’t you think Aunt Rusty is pretty, Quintin?” he asked his son.
Quintin smiled at Rusty.
“He’s being silly, isn’t he?” Rusty asked Quintin in order to cover her embarrassment. She wouldn’t look at Chase but felt him reach up and tuck her hair behind her ear.
“Mmm, very pretty indeed.”
Rusty still wouldn’t look at him, and Quintin, thinking this a great game, just laughed. Rusty fixed the hair over her ear, but Chase pushed it back again and caught her hand.
“Quintin?” Mrs. Whitley’s voice carried into the drawing room; she was clearly looking for him.
“You’d better go see what she wants,” his father told him.
Chase looked back to Rusty when the small McCandles went on his way. He stared at her a moment and then stood to his feet. When Rusty crawled from beneath the desk, he gave her a hand up. He propped himself on the edge of the desk and waited for her to push the hair from her face before speaking.
“This is going to be a challenge.”
“What’s that?”
“Courting you. I didn’t court my first wife at all, and now I’m trying to get to know you while having to share you with my five-year-old son.”
Rusty could only stare at him.
“Not to mention the fact that you can’t go on living here.”
This was news to Rusty, so she didn’t respond.
“Unless, of course,” Chase said, only half-kidding, “we were married this weekend. Then you could live here.”
Rusty decided to go with the wry humor she heard in his voice. Her chin went into the air as she teased back.
“I’m not certain that I can marry a man who tells my opponent where I’m hiding. Where I grew up that was a pretty serious offense.”
“I was way off when I asked Quintin if you were pretty,” Chase returned seriously. “Pretty doesn’t come close to describing how lovely you are.”
Rusty’s heart swelled. She had worried about what he thought of her. The admiration she saw in his eyes went a long way in her heart.
“Have dinner with me tonight,” Chase said suddenly.
Rusty blinked. They had dinner together almost every night.
“In town. Just the two of us.”
&
nbsp; Rusty felt a rush of excitement go through her but still said, “Quintin.”
“Something tells me Mrs. Whitley or my mother would be thrilled to take care of him.”
“All right. Shall I check with them?”
“I’ll take care of it. You just be ready to leave at 6:30, and wear that lavender dress with the purple trim.”
Rusty’s mouth opened.
“What did I say?”
“I don’t know.” He had flabbergasted her. “I just didn’t think you noticed anything about me, and now in one morning you say I’m pretty and that I am to wear a certain dress.”
Chase laughed—not at Rusty—but at himself. He had done a good job of keeping his feelings to himself. The truth was that he noticed everything about her.
“Why is that funny?” She sounded so uncertain that Chase sobered in a moment.
“It’s not, Katherine, not really. I was laughing at myself, not you.” He looked at her for a moment. “Did you honestly think I didn’t find you attractive?”
Rusty bit her lip.
“Tell me, Katherine,” he urged softly.
She couldn’t look at him but still managed to say, “It’s just little remarks about my curly hair having a mind of its own, or my nose being burned because I forgot my bonnet. You say things like that, and I just assume they’re distasteful to you.”
“Katherine,” he said and waited for him to look at her. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”
She nodded, but he wasn’t certain she was persuaded. He was sure she was not reassured when she said only, “I’d better get back to work. Are Mr. and Mrs. Capland around today?”
“As far as I know,” he said slowly. He was going to have to let the other subject drop and take time to show how very lovely he found her; telling her wasn’t enough. “My mother and Cap plan to leave Saturday to spend some time in the mountains. They might come back here on their way home.”
Rusty nodded. “I’m glad I was able to meet them.”
“They’re quite taken with you.”
This was good news to Rusty, but she didn’t stay or ask what they had said. Mrs. Whitley had asked Quintin to put his puzzle away so she could mend the rug in his room. Rusty found him there still gathering all the pieces. She knelt down to help him but could feel how distracted she was. Tonight she was going out with Chase. Tonight they could talk and be alone. The day was sure to last forever.