Second-Chance Bride (Dakota Brides Book 3)(11)

Remembering what happened yesterday, even with him standing right there, he decided to wait until Freyda arrived before he went to the barn.

He wasn’t much of a cook but there were potatoes left from last night. He fried them up along with some ham and put out the last of the biscuits.

They had just finished when a rap sounded at the door. “Come in,” he called.

Freyda stepped into the house and favored them all with a smile. “Good morning. I think it is going to be a lovely day.”

He hoped she meant more than simply the weather. He pushed to his feet. “I will leave the boys with you. I have to milk the cow yet.”

He glanced skyward as he left the house. The sun glowed over the horizon and he hurried his steps. He had to get his crop in as quickly as possible then get hers in. Again the question plagued him. Then what?

Then, he told himself firmly, he and the boys would manage on their own. Because he did not want another woman in his life.

He took the milk to the house, grabbed the last three biscuits, filled a canteen with water, then made his way to the field with the horses. The sun was warm and his shirt soon dampened with sweat.

Freyda left the house, his two sons at her side. She carried a basket and they set off across the prairie toward the creek.

His nerves twitched. The boys were forbidden to go alone to the water. They weren’t alone, he told himself. Freyda was with them. She had been raised in a large family. Surely she was able to watch two children without mishap.

He focused on the seeding but in his mind he saw Milo swinging back and forth from the loft. Going to the creek wasn’t the same. The creek was shallow and narrow. There were no steep banks. But why had she taken them there? She should have asked his permission.

The horses reached the end of the field. He left them to rest and trotted to the yard, following the direction Freyda had gone with his sons. He heard them before he saw them. Freyda said something and Kit laughed. Ward strained to hear his elder son. He heard Freyda again though he couldn’t make out what she said.

Then he heard Milo and he ground to a halt as the boy said something and then laughed.

When was the last time he’d heard Milo laugh except with him?

He edged closer, wanting to see them without being seen.

“Hi, Papa,” Kit called.

So much for not being noticed. He stepped from the sheltering trees.

“Is something wrong?” Freyda asked.

“What are you doing here?”

Kit answered. “We’re on a treasure hunt.”

He repeated the words, totally mystified. “What sort of treasures do you expect to find?”

Again Kit answered. “We won’t know till we find ’em.”

Freyda handed the basket to Milo. “That looks like a good treasure place under that tree. Kit, you go with him.”

Milo took Kit’s hand. Both boys left reluctantly, glancing over their shoulders several times.

Freyda waited until they squatted under the tree and moved aside twigs to look for treasure. “You have come to check on us? On me? You don’t think I can look after two boys?”

“You don’t know if the creek is a safe place. What if they fall in?”

Her fair eyebrows headed for her hairline and her eyes darkened. “It is the same creek as flows by my place, ja?”

“Yes.” His skin grew itchy at her accusing look.

“So I have seen it before. Maybe several times. I know it is shallow and slow moving. I know, too, how to watch children.”

“But my boys are known for getting into trouble.” He heard the uncertainty in his voice. Knew he had overreacted, but he couldn’t help it.

“Mr. Rollins.”

“Ward,” he reminded her.

“The worst that could happen to them is they get wet. And what would it matter? ’Tis a warm, sunny day. A little water never hurt anyone. What matters is they have fun.” Her eyebrows knit together and she took a step closer. “If this agreement is going to work, you are going to have to trust that I can care for two children. Just as I have to trust that you will plant my crop after you’ve done yours.” She crossed her arms and studied him.

He pulled at the neck of his shirt and tried not to squirm. Why was she staring at him so fiercely? Oh, she was hinting he should return to work. “I see you have things under control.” He backed away until the trees hid him then he loped back to the horses.

“I was only checking,” he muttered to the animals. They ignored him as they plodded down the field.

He smiled the full length of field. It had been good to hear Milo laugh.

His smile flattened. Freyda had things in hand. But he’d learned not to trust a woman. His aunt had been sweetness when others were around. Quite the opposite when she had Ward alone. And Dorothy? At first, he had enjoyed her appreciation of every little act of kindness he had shown her, but they weren’t married long before he learned that she demanded them all the time.

Freyda seemed nice enough at the moment.

What would she really be like as time passed?



Freyda knelt between Milo and Kit. “What kind of treasures did you find?” In time, Ward would understand that she would not treat his sons unkindly.

Kit held up a knotty bit of wood. “This is a wild cat. Rrrr. I’m going to take him home and put him on my windowsill. He will keep away all the bad guys.”