Love is Patient - Kay P. Dawson Page 0,37

the children, insisting that the boys had won, until their eyes met. As soon as they did, the smile fell from his face like he’d seen a ghost and he turned away.

Her own smile faded slowly as she tried to figure out what had happened to make him suddenly angry with her. There was no other way to explain the look on his face.

How could a day that had been almost perfect, giving her a sense of home and joy she’d never imagined possible, fall apart so quickly with one simple glance?

Chapter 18

Colt knew he needed to apologize to Kathryn for his sour mood on the way home from the fair. But how could he apologize for something he didn’t even understand himself?

Everything had been perfect through the day, other than the run-in she’d had with Mrs. Pembrooke, and he knew Kathryn and the kids had all been having a wonderful time. He’d ended up paying more for her pie than he should have but seeing the joy on her face had been worth every penny.

Then, they’d joined the three-legged race and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed as much as he did watching Kathryn and Delia make their way toward the finish line. With everyone falling over and the cheering from the crowd, he’d almost let himself believe for a moment he was living a normal life with a wife and children.

Except, when their eyes had met, he’d been hit with the realization that she wasn’t his wife, and nothing he was feeling had been real.

And he’d been struck with a pain so hard in his chest, it had taken his breath away. His children had been enjoying the day just as much as he had, and he knew he couldn’t let them fall into that false reality too.

So, as soon as the tie had been declared, and they’d received their ribbons, he’d quickly gathered up his mother and told the family they were going home.

He knew he’d been surly and had practically dragged them all to the wagon, then barely spoken a word all the way home. And when he’d helped Kathryn down from the wagon, he’d been sure not to hold onto her hand for too long.

She’d politely declined the offer to stay for supper at the house and held her head up as she walked to her cabin, seeming to instinctively know he was angry about something, but not knowing why. His mother had been scolding him, but he’d barely heard a word as he’d watched Kathryn disappear into the distance.

Now he stood on the front porch, unable to keep his gaze from moving toward the little cabin nestled back among the trees. The sun was just making its way beneath the horizon, leaving a trail of orange, purple, and red filling the sky for as far as his eyes could see.

Everything around him seemed still as he listened to the birds singing their nightly songs. He slapped at the bug that was biting his neck and leaned against the post by the steps, breathing deeply of the fresh evening air as he tried to make sense of his thoughts.

While he watched the cabin, he noticed movement outside the door, and his breath caught when he recognized the figure of the woman he’d been thinking about. She came out and stood next to her own front door, looking out across the fields.

Even from this distance, Colt knew she was beautiful.

Before he knew what was happening, his feet were moving down the path toward her cabin. The sky was starting to get dark now, and while it wasn’t proper to go to a single woman’s home at this time of night, he needed to see her and apologize for how he’d acted earlier.

“You shouldn’t be standing outside in the dark on your own.” As soon as he said the words, he cringed. It wasn’t exactly the nice apology he’d planned when he saw her.

Kathryn jumped and turned to face him, her hand flying up to her chest in fright. Her hair hung down around her shoulders, framing her face in the glow from the lamp she’d hung out by the door. She wore a long white nightgown, and he knew if he were any kind of gentleman, he’d turn around and not cause her any more embarrassment.

“Colt! What are you doing here?” She looked around with a panicked expression before reaching back inside the door and pulling a shawl off the hook to wrap around