Chapter Eight #2
Amy looked over her shoulder at him with annoyance that didn’t fully conceal her nerves. "I'm being careful."
Caleb smiled to himself. There it was again. That stubborn streak that refused to admit uncertainty, even when it stared her in the face. "So is she."
A spark flashed through her eyes. "I didn't realize cows judged character." She shook her head, though the hint of a smile pulled at her lips as she tried again. A thin stream of milk struck the bucket with a sharp, metallic ‘ping.’ Her face brightened immediately. “I did it!”
Noah paused near the gate, his attention drifting toward Amy before he looked away again. She noticed anyway. The smile she offered him came easily, though a hint of uncertainty followed when he gave no response.
The next few streams came more steadily. Buttercup flicked her tail across Amy’s face sharply. She closed her eyes and took a slow breath. "You enjoyed that."
"I was deciding whether to warn you."
Amy's laugh caught him off guard. It suited her better than the guarded expressions she'd worn since arriving, and he looked away before she could notice the corner of his mouth threatening to lift.
Amy reached beneath Buttercup again just as a loose board slammed against the barn. The cow lurched sideways, and Amy pushed to her feet, but her skirt caught beneath her boot. The stool tipped, knocking the bucket over into the dirt, and Buttercup cocked a hind leg.
Caleb reached her before the kick landed. His arm circled her waist as he pulled her clear. The bucket rolled through the straw, spilling its hard-earned milk while Buttercup trotted several paces away with another swat of her tail.
Amy's hands were twisted in the front of Caleb’s shirt.
A loose curl brushed his jaw, carrying the faint scent of soap warmed by the afternoon sun.
She looked up at him, surprise still lingering in her eyes.
She held his gaze a beat longer than before, the teasing gone from her expression, replaced by quiet uncertainty.
He'd caught frightened chickens, soothed restless colts, and coaxed calves that refused to stand many times over the years.
Holding Amy felt nothing like any of those things.
Her fingers loosened against his shirt, though she made no move to step away. Color warmed her cheeks, and Caleb wondered if she'd caught the hesitation he'd failed to hide. The thought arrived with enough force that he released her at once.
Amy brushed dirt from her cheek before smoothing the front of her skirt. “Well, that was certainly interesting.”
His laugh escaped before he could stop it. "You hurt?"
"My dignity took the worst of it."
He retrieved the bucket, set it beneath Buttercup once more, then steadied her while Amy settled onto the stool again.
"Keep your knee against her leg," he said. "You'll feel her start to move sooner."
Amy glanced up at him, her expression gentler than it had been all afternoon. "I'll remember that."
Caleb remained beside Buttercup's head while Amy reached beneath the cow again. He told himself he stayed because the animal had already proved unpredictable, yet every glance toward Amy made that explanation ring a little less true.
***
By noon, Amy carried half a bucket of milk toward the house while Maggie skipped beside her, peppering her with questions about butter. Noah stayed close to Amy, explaining that Jonah had always strained fresh milk through clean cloth three times before churning it.
Caleb listened without interrupting. Jonah had always insisted on doing it that way, claiming even the smallest shortcut showed up in the butter.
The memory still had enough sharp edges to catch at him, yet hearing Noah repeat Jonah’s words with such certainty reminded Caleb there'd been more to the man than the mistakes that had come later.
Amy listened with patient attention, nodding now and then as Noah pointed toward the kitchen.
Caleb watched them all cross the yard. Maggie reached for Amy's hand without thinking, and Noah held the door open before following her inside.
Neither child seemed aware of the quiet habits they'd already begun to build around her as their grief ebbed just a little.
Russ wandered over, his hat pushed back on his head. "You planning to stand there and gawk at your wife all afternoon?"
Caleb bent to pick up the milking stool, forcing his attention back to their work. It was easier to tidy up than examine why the sight of Amy laughing with the children unsettled him. "What do you need?"
Russ's smile faded. "Carter lost another fence last night."
Caleb straightened up, giving Russ a hard look. "Storm?"
"Wire was cut. His cattle wandered onto Dray's grazing land, and Dray rode over before breakfast, offering to buy the place."
A familiar weight settled over Caleb's shoulders as he carried the stool into the barn. "Carter refused, I imagine.”
“He laughed in Dray’s face.” Russ rested one hip against the workbench. “It isn’t only Carter, though. Miller's well rope got cut last week, and then he lost two calves. Hollis Creed stopped by afterward and suggested selling before things turned worse. More and more folks have similar stories."
Amy stood at the kitchen window, pouring milk through folded cloth while Maggie watched with complete fascination.
Noah corrected her once, reminding her of how his father did things once again.
Amy smiled, thanked him, and followed his advice as if he'd done her a favor instead of the other way around.
The boy's shoulders eased a fraction. Caleb couldn't say whether it was the milking, the conversation, or simply the fact that Amy hadn't rushed him once all morning, but Noah looked less wary than he had at breakfast.
"We should ride every boundary this afternoon," Russ said. “Check to see if there is anything we need to be worried about.”
"Sounds like a plan."