Second-Chance Bride (Dakota Brides Book 3)(37)

She wanted to argue but he was right. It was dark.

“I’ll take the lamp out when I see your signal.”

He walked her to the door, stood with her on the step, and handed her the lantern. He wrapped one arm about her shoulders and pulled her close. “Be safe.” Then he released her and stepped back.

She forced herself to leave the shelter of the house and the safety of his presence and made her way home. At her doorstep, she swung the lantern back and forth until she saw the faint golden light of the lamp. Smiling, she stepped inside.

She did her few chores and prepared for bed. Tomorrow things would change. And yet they’d be similar. But nothing felt the same.

Something Ward had said plagued her thoughts. Maybe it’s time you stopped trying to prove something to everyone else and decide what it is you want. She’d come all the way from Norway to get her farm. Now she wasn’t certain she still wanted the same thing.

Could she have made a mistake in coming to America?





9





Ward and the boys walked down the path toward Freyda’s house. Or mostly the boys ran and he lengthened his stride to keep up. They reached the door before he did and Freyda welcomed them each with a hug.

He stood behind his boys. Might be nice to be hugged too, but he had already informed himself that he could not be yearning after things out of his reach so he settled for saying, “Good morning.”

“Good morning to all of you.”

He allowed himself to think her smiling eyes might have lingered somewhat longer than her greeting required.

“Did you have coffee? Do you want some, or are you anxious to get to work?”

For a moment, he forgot about work, but forced it back to the forefront of his thoughts. “I had coffee at home, thanks. I’ll be getting to your seeding.” He headed for the small pasture where Boots and Boss grazed and whistled for them. They trotted over and he led them to the barn.

He wasn’t surprised, nor disappointed, that Freyda followed him and insisted on trying to do the harnessing.

Boss and Boots were not as gentle or as well trained as his pair and tossed their heads and resisted her attempts.

He grabbed their halters and ordered them to stand still.

They snorted, but obeyed him. He held them as she harnessed them and stepped to one side as she took them to the seeder.

“Back up,” she ordered, pulling on the reins exactly as he had taught her.

But Boots shuffled to one side and Boss refused to move.

“I’ll help you,” Ward offered.

“And who will help me when you’re done here?” She ground the words out over gritted teeth.

If he needed any more proof that she still clung to her determination to run this farm as she and Baruk had planned, that was it. So he stood helplessly to one side as she struggled with the horses and yelled at them in Norwegian. He didn’t ask what she said. Figured it was best to keep his mouth shut until she was ready to ask for help.

She dragged her arm across her forehead to wipe off the sweat then jammed her fists to her hips and stared at the horses. She spun around to face him. “I’ll trade you straight across. My horses for your horses.”

He laughed then cut the sound at the look she gave him.

“I like my pair just fine. And yours will be good too. They’ve simply gotten fat and lazy.”

“Lazy and rebellious. Why I have half a mind to—” She tossed her hands upward. “I give up. Will you put the stubborn beasts to work? Maybe that will take some of the cantankerousness out of them.” She crossed to the house, muttering about horses.

The boys looked from Ward to Freyda.

“She’s mad,” Kit said.

Ward paused from his task. Were the boys afraid of her? Surely not. But then, he’d trusted Mrs. Wright and look what she’d done. He’d trusted Dorothy enough to marry her and it had been a mistake. He watched Freyda. He believed his sons were safe with her. Could he be wrong?

“Come on,” Milo said. “She’s not mad at us. Let’s go see her kitten.”

Kit followed his brother. “Papa says I can have my own kitten.”

Relieved to know his faith in Freyda’s kindness was shared by the boys, Ward took the now cooperative horses to the field. He worked close enough to the house to be able to see Freyda and the boys as they went to the chicken house, then played with the kitten. After that, they played some sort of game that involved the two boys chasing Freyda. Once they caught her she tickled them, then they ran away so she had to chase them. Again, she caught them and tickled them.

Ward grinned as their rowdy laughter reached him. But deep inside, lay a spot that ached at their play. They needed someone like Freyda in their lives every day. And he could not convince himself he meant only the boys.

When the sun was high overhead, Freyda and the boys walked to the field to inform him dinner was ready. She stayed at his side as he took the horses to the barn for their midday break.

She scowled at the animals. “Looks to me like you lost some of your snuff and stuff this morning.”

He chuckled. “A couple of days working hard and they’ll be a gentle as lambs. Especially if you reward them with their favorite treat.”

“That I will.” She gave them each a ration of oats.

Ward walked at her side to the house where Milo and Kit waited on the step for them.