and she shrugged. “Well, at least it didn’t tear. I guess I need to remember to stay sitting until a wagon has come to a complete stop.”
“Daddy says I’m always supposed to wait to let him help me down, because it isn’t lady-like to be hopping over the side of the wagon. You should just wait for him to help you next time.”
Colt pulled his lips tight to stop from smiling at the fact his innocent daughter had just told her teacher what she’d done wasn’t considered lady-like. He knew Miss Reeves enough by now to know she would never scold Delia over her words, but he still moved his gaze back to her to see what her reaction was going to be.
Her mouth had opened, then closed, and when her eyes fell back on his, she burst out laughing. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard anything so beautiful.
“You’re absolutely right, Delia. I should have waited for help. I have so much to learn about living out here, so I’m very thankful to have a young lady like you to help me and make sure I’m not doing anything unseemly.”
As they got closer to the cabin, Colt’s heart jolted in the realization he was going to have to protect his daughter from being hurt again. He could already see how much she’d fallen for Miss Reeves, and he knew it was more than the feeling a student had for their teacher. She was trying to replace what she was missing in her life.
But Colt knew the woman wasn’t going to stay, and he couldn’t bear the thought of Delia having to go through the pain of losing her too. He reminded himself that he’d need to talk with Miss Reeves and tell her to make sure Delia didn’t get too attached.
And, with a sudden sinking in his stomach, he knew it was something he’d have to be careful with too. She was far too easy to be around, making him feel things he didn’t think he’d ever feel around a woman again.
But he was a grown man, so he knew he could take care of himself. He wasn’t like a child, completely naive to what would eventually happen when she left.
No, he would be just fine. There wasn’t a woman alive who could make him believe she could be trusted.
Even one who was now bent over investigating a flower on the path with his daughter as though it was the most important thing in her life.
No, especially not her.
Chapter 10
“I don’t see why I gotta help. This isn’t man’s work. Why can’t I just go help pa in the field?”
Mrs. Hammond finished dumping the last bucket of creek water into the tub, then set it down on the ground and turned to face her grandson. “Owen Hammond, you know your pa wouldn’t want to hear you talking like that about lady’s or man’s work. Sometimes a body has to do whatever they can to help, regardless of whether or not they think it’s work they need to be doing.”
Owen scowled and caught Kathryn’s eye before he turned away and kicked at a stone on the ground. But not before she’d noticed the redness in his cheeks. She knew he was embarrassed being scolded by his grandmother in front of her, but even though he was ill-mannered at times, Kathryn understood. She really didn’t know what she could do to make things easier for him, though. Owen seemed determined today to argue with everyone and just be grumpy to anyone who tried to talk to him. His father was plowing a bit more of the land, hoping to plant more crops there next spring, and had asked Owen to help his grandma and her carry water for their laundry.
Kathryn had been relieved to see that she wouldn’t actually have to crouch down in the creek like she’d been imagining. Instead, they’d carried a tub down next to it where a small stand had been built to set it on to make washing clothes easier. Delia had been so proud to point it out to her, saying that some families still just washed their clothes right in the creek, but they didn’t have to do that anymore.
Kathryn didn’t have the heart to tell the little girl that this was still quite primitive to what she’d had back home. In truth, she hadn’t actually ever washed her own clothes before, so she was nervous that it was going to be painfully