Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Are you certain about this?” Amelia asked again, for what felt like the dozenth time.
“Yes,” Cody said, touching her reassuringly on the shoulder. “It will work.” He spoke confidently, but the truth of the matter was that he was just as consumed with worry as she was.
But he knew his job: It was his place to be the confident one, the strong one right now, until Amelia found her footing again. She was clearly struggling, and he was only just now getting a sense of what it meant for her to let him see her in such a vulnerable state.
Amelia nodded and continued down the upstairs hallway.
They were both drifting around, helping the children pack their bags.
They hadn’t been told what was going on—both Amelia and Cody agreed that it would only worry them unnecessarily.
As far as they knew, they were leaving to do some pest control around the house.
“But do we have to go?” Logan whined from his room. The door was open, so his voice carried down the hallway to them.
Amelia, who was helping Ruby and had just entered her room, poked her head back out. Cody waved her away and went to Logan himself. The boy was sitting splay-legged on the floor, an open valise in front of him. Clothing was thrown into it haphazardly, shirt sleeves and pant legs hanging out.
“What, you want to be here while we’re poisoning and shooting rats?” Cody asked.
“Don’t see why not,” Logan muttered petulantly, his lower lip poking out. “Has to be better than going to Carter’s place.”
“It won’t be as bad as all that,” Cody reassured him. “Besides, his grandson—what’s his name, Robert—he’ll be there to help keep you company.”
Logan pulled a face. “The only thing Robert Carter is interested in is his history books and his specimens.”
“Specimens?”
Logan nodded gravely. “He’s got cases of bugs all over the place. They’re pinned down. It’s creepy.”
Cody absorbed this. He knew very little about Carter’s grandson, only that he’d taken him in after his daughter and her husband had gone farther west and were never seen again. Cody couldn’t help but feel some kinship with the boy; he knew what that was like.
“Well, then maybe you can take the chance to teach him a few games,” Cody suggested. He squatted down, pulled a shirt out of the valise, re-folded it, and placed it back inside more neatly. “Take your jacks or marbles with you.”
“Young Carter doesn’t like jacks,” Logan grumped. “He only likes sitting and reading.”
“Good,” Cody said. “Maybe his love of books will rub off on you. Never hurts to read more.” He reached out and ruffled Logan’s hair. Much like himself, it was always just a tad too long, always in need of a trimming.
“I read plenty!” Logan reached up and tried to pet his hair back into some kind of order.
“Not according to Miss Monroe,” Cody said. He glanced over and spotted some of Logan’s tin soldiers on the nightstand next to the bed. “Young Carter likes history books, does he?” he asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “You know, I bet he knows all about some famous battles.”
Logan looked at him dubiously, but his gaze slid to his soldiers as well. “You think so?”
“Sure,” Cody said, standing back up with a grunt, his hands on his knees for leverage. “Ask him about Waterloo; you’ll like that.”
Cody went back into the hallway to peer into Ruby’s room, which was directly across from Logan’s.
For all of Logan’s hesitation, Ruby was practically skipping through the house.
As far as she was concerned, a wish had been granted.
Her eagerness to comply almost made Cody rethink the entire enterprise.
“Ruby, I really don’t think you’ll need your Sunday dress,” Amelia sighed as Ruby pulled a frock from the cedar closet in her room.
“I might!” Ruby protested. “You know Old Carter never misses a Sunday at church.”
“That’s fair, but it’s only Tuesday. I really don’t expect you’ll be there that long,” Amelia said.
“It never hurts to be prepared. Besides, what if they dress for dinner?” Ruby demanded, the dress folded over her arm.
“Oh, very well, but if you wrinkle it, it will be up to you to iron it before it’s put back in the closet,” Amelia warned. She caught sight of Cody standing in the doorway and rolled her eyes at him, but she was smiling.
Cody returned her smile for a moment before turning away.
She had things in hand, and he had other preparations to make.
The moment he began the descent down the stairs, the carefully constructed mask of lightness and good humor began to crack.
The weight of what they meant to do pressed down on him, making his steps heavy.
It was risky, but the alternative was to continue to live like hermits. At the very least, the children would be in a safe place. Cody kept that fixed in his mind; he could handle anything if he remembered that.
Their plan was simple and broken down into only a few steps.
The first thing was to get the children to safety.
Cody had approached Old Carter, who at first had viewed him with the same sneering displeasure that he always did.
Carter’s tone had quickly changed, however, when Cody explained that he feared for the children’s safety due to someone skulking about the ranch.
Carter might have been a cantankerous, miserable old cuss, but he was a firm believer in keeping order. For all his faults, Cody had no qualms about his ability to keep the children safe.
The children were soon packed, and Arthur was helping Cody to put their luggage into the wagon.
Logan, still looking sullen, slumped his way outside and kicked at the dirt while they waited for Ruby.
When she finally appeared, Cody couldn’t help but note that she’d put her hair up like a young lady, eschewing the braids typical for a girl.
She flounced past them, a smug look on her face.
Cody repressed both a sigh and the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.
“Alright, everyone, load up!” Arthur called, having climbed onto the driver’s box.
Logan scrambled up to the back of the wagon, all gangly limbs and pouts. Cody offered Ruby a hand, which she accepted with all the hauteur of a duchess. She settled herself primly on one of the benches along the side of the wagon, a small reticule in her lap.
“I don’t know what you’re in such a foul mood for,” Ruby snipped to Logan.
Logan rolled his eyes but leaned down closer to Cody, who stepped closer. “Please come fetch me the minute the rats are gone,” he whispered.
Cody felt an unexpected lump in his throat.
He swallowed past it and reached up to affectionately put his hand on Logan’s head for a moment.
“The very moment,” Cody promised solemnly.
He glanced at Ruby. “Keep an eye on your sister,” he said.
It was Logan’s turn to roll his eyes, but he nodded anyway.
Not wanting to tip the children off that something was amiss, Cody stepped back from the wagon. As Arthur clucked to the horses, the wagon was off with a lurch. The children waved to him, and Cody did his best to return their merry gesture.
The minute that the wagon turned out onto the road, however, Cody sagged. His hand dropped, and a distinct loneliness came over him. He knew that it was the right thing to do, but being without the children was strange and difficult. A stone settled in his stomach, weighing him down.
It’s not for long, he told himself. It was scant reassurance.
Amelia came to stand next to him in the yard.
He hadn’t heard her approach, being so focused on the children as they departed.
Tentatively, she reached out and took his arm, looping one of her arms around it and lacing the fingers of her other hand through his.
He squeezed her fingers, solidifying their connection.
“That was well done,” she said. “You held yourself together admirably.”
“You think so? I wasn’t so certain.”
“Absolutely,” Amelia said, her eyes fixed on the road. A cloud of dust followed the wagon, marking the children’s progress as they shrank into the distance. “I couldn’t manage that farewell without completely breaking down,” she admitted. “That’s why I hid in the house like a coward.”
Cody glanced down at her and saw that even now, her eyes were wet. He covered her hand on his arm with his. “You’re not a coward,” he reassured her. “You made the right choice to keep the children from worrying.”
“I hope so,” she sighed, laying her cheek against his shoulder. “I just hope that we’re doing the right thing by them. I wonder if…” Her voice trailed off.
“No point in that,” Cody said. “We’ll just have to take what comes now.”
“You’re not worried?”
“Of course I am,” Cody answered. “I’ve just never been one for speculating.” He frowned. “Tell you the truth, I’m more worried about Ruby.”
He could feel Amelia chuckle against him. “She’ll be fine. You know Carter won’t tolerate any tomfoolery.”
Cody grunted. Gently, he extricated himself from Amelia; it was nearly time for the next part of their plan, which would, perforce, make their separation necessary. He took Amelia by the shoulders, holding her at arm’s length.
“Are you certain about this?” he asked. She would, of course, be in the most danger of all of them.
He saw her teeth flash out as she bit her lip, as was her custom. When she looked up at him, however, her jaw was set, and her face was determined. “I’m sure.”
Cody nodded slowly. Truthfully, he’d asked not just to confirm that she was prepared, but because he found himself strangely in need of reassurance.
Impulsively, he pulled her close, embracing her fully.
He could feel her surprise in the way she stiffened, but she softened against him, wrapping her own arms around him.
He could feel her fingers digging into the back of his vest, clinging to him with a desperation he’d never seen in her before.
He responded in kind, burying his face against the dark warmth of her hair.
He inhaled the scent of her, a combination of the hair rinse she used and the baking she did every morning.
Feeling her in his arms, her head tucked under his chin, he couldn’t for the life of him understand now why he’d resisted this for so long.
He only hoped he hadn’t waited too long; if he only gave himself a few days to love her, Cody would never forgive himself.