Joe's Wife. Cheryl St.John

He must have been out hunting when we arrived. He’s probably curious to know who’s here.”

      The door opened without her crossing to open it, and an enormous, long-haired dog nosed his way through. He carried a chunk of wood in his mouth, promptly crossed the room and dropped it in the wood box beside the stove.

      “Good boy, Major,” she said with a laugh.

      The dog immediately zeroed in on Tye and came forward slowly, nose sniffing the air, tail wagging low.

      Meg crossed to Tye and touched his arm. “This is Major,” she explained, the touch obviously a sign for the animal that he was a friend.

      The heat from her fingers seeped through his shirtsleeve, and Tye stopped himself from moving away from the temptation of her nearness. She moved away herself soon enough. “I’ll change now. I was going to make a pie for our supper.”

      “I’ll change, too. And then I’ll acquaint myself with the place.”

      “I know it doesn’t look like much right now,” she said apologetically. “We’ve had to let some things go in order to care for the stock. The fellas try, but, well...”

      “It’s the best place I’ve ever lived, ma’am,” he told her honestly. “I’ll do all I can to take care of things now.”

      She smiled then, a genuine smile of reassurance. “I believe you will, Tye. If I didn’t believe that, well, we wouldn’t be here right now. Neither one of us.”

      Meaning she’d have been put off her ranch, and he’d still be trying to earn enough money to buy an acre or two. This way they each had what they wanted.

      It would be a fine place to bring Eve to, as well. Maybe he should have told Meg about the child before they’d gotten married, but there just hadn’t been the right time. Working extra hours for the ring and these clothes had seemed the imperative need at the time. He had no idea how he was going to find the words to tell her now.

      Besides, there would still be a little time for her to get used to the idea—he hoped. He hadn’t checked on Lottie for several days, so he really wasn’t sure about her condition.

      Tye picked up his belongings, stowed them in the attic and changed into work clothes. No time like the present to get down to business.

      

      Meg hated herself for the sense of relief that had accompanied Tye’s decision to sleep in the attic. She should have spoken up, shouldn’t have allowed him to postpone the inevitable. But she’d gone along. And the fact that she’d been unable to fall asleep that night was likely due to guilt over his uncomfortable sleeping arrangements.

      She rose early and prepared breakfast as she always did. Gus, probably allowing them privacy, hadn’t ground the beans or started the coffee, which added another task to her routine.

      Tye appeared from outside with Gus and Purdy. The two hands hung their hats and took their places beside each other on a bench. Tye stood awkwardly to the side.

      Meg placed a hot plate of skillet cakes on the table, then realized he was waiting for her to assign him a seat.

      “There.” She gestured to a single chair at the end. The chair where she usually sat. The chair that had been Joe’s.

      Tye stood behind it.

      Gus and Purdy dug into the food without hesitation.

      “You don’t have to wait for me to sit,” she said, realizing his intent. “I jump up and down a half-dozen times during a meal.”

      Tye seated himself.

      Meg poured coffee, then sat to his left.

      No one said much as they ate together, their first morning in this new situation. Meg tried to make it seem natural but knew she wasn’t fooling anyone.

      Tye ate more slowly than the ranch hands. And he didn’t eat half as much as most men she’d cooked for.

      She tasted everything to make sure she hadn’t made a mistake in her haste. It all tasted fine to her.

      “Everything all right?” she asked hesitantly.

      He looked up from his plate, his deep blue eyes vibrant in the morning light that streamed through the long kitchen windows. “Everything’s just fine, ma’am. Thank you.”

      Meg glanced at Gus, and he met her eyes only briefly, then popped his last bite of ham into his mouth, downed his coffee and stood.

      Purdy followed, going for his hat.

      “We’ve just got enough time to change,” Meg said, folding her napkin.

      Tye laid down his fork and sat still.

      “Tye?” she asked curiously.

      Gus and Purdy tromped out the door with a screech of hinges.

      “You don’t want me to come to church with you,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

      “But of course I do. I always go to church.”

      “I don’t.”

      She had started to get up, but she eased back down on the bench. “Aren’t you a God-fearing man, Tye Hatcher?”

      “Yes, ma’am. But for your sake, I fear God’s good people more.”

      “What do the others have to do with it?”