Western Christmas Brides. Carol Arens

aback by her interruption, he asked, “Burned what?”

      “The list. Right after you gave it back to me.” She wasn’t looking at him, but straight ahead, toward the corner they would soon turn down and head east toward Brett’s house.

      “Hannah, I—”

      “It wasn’t because of anything you said or did. It was me.” She glanced his way. “Can I ask you a question?”

      “Sure.”

      “Were you in love with the woman who didn’t marry you?”

      He paused before answering. “I thought I was at the time.” He wasn’t so sure now. Becky had been young and alone, not so different from Hannah, except that Hannah had Brett and Fiona. Becky hadn’t had anyone and that had worried him.

      “You thought?”

      Becky had been in his thoughts lately, as well as what his life might have been like if she had married him, and he questioned the absence of any ache, of any sense of loss. “I was worried about her and wanted to help her.”

      “Why? Was something wrong?”

      He couldn’t stop his eyes from darting to her waist. Lifting his gaze, he shook his head. “Not necessarily wrong.” Becky had left him for a man she loved. Hannah still loved Eric, and he had to wonder if that would be worse. She might always love Eric, and where would that leave him? Needing to change the subject, and curious, he asked, “How are you feeling?”

      “Fine.” Her smile increased. “I loved etching all of the children. I’d never drawn people before, and wasn’t sure if I could.”

      “Well, those etchings are amazing. Your grandfather must have been an excellent teacher.”

      “Oh, he was. He and Gram are the best.”

      “You miss them.”

      She nodded and put one hand on her stomach. “I do. Very much.” Her sigh caught on the breeze as they turned the corner to walk toward the blacksmith shop. “I was never scared or worried while at their house.”

      “But you were at your own home?”

      She nodded.

      “I’ve already told you my father wanted a boy instead of me. It was worse that Eric’s family continued to have children. Boys to carry on the family name, and our side of the family didn’t.”

      Anger rolled inside Teddy. He couldn’t imagine a father—any man—blaming a child for something that was so out of their control. It was ludicrous. “Being born a girl was not your fault, Hannah. You had nothing to do with it.”

      She shook her head solemnly. “It went beyond that. I couldn’t do anything right in his eyes. Including my etchings.”

      “Well, I believe your etchings are remarkable. And I’m not the only one. Every time someone inquires about an advertisement, they ask if you’d be able to create a picture to accompany it.”

      “They do?”

      The shine in her eyes made his heart skip a beat. “Yes, they do. You’ve been very good for our business.” He added a wink, hoping that she understood it was the truth, but he was also teasing her a bit.

      She giggled. “I’m glad. It feels good to know I’m helping someone and I do enjoy it very much.”

      “Good, because we’d lose customers if you stopped.”

      She playfully slapped his arm. “You would not. You’re just teasing.”

      He patted the hand she still had on his arm as his mind came full circle back to the list she’d created. If she did marry one of those men, she might become too busy to etch any more pictures. “I’m not teasing,” he admitted. “I’m proud of you, Hannah. Proud of your etchings.”

      Her expression grew serious, yet content. “Thank you, Teddy. Thank you very much.”

      Rhett and Wyatt shot from around the blacksmith shop and ran toward them. “Are you going to print the picture, Teddy? Are you?” Rhett asked.

      Hannah laughed and leaned a bit closer to say, “I warned them you might not be able to, but if you did, they were to keep it a secret.”

      He knelt down as the boys arrived and put on a serious expression as he whispered, “I can’t tell you if you’re going to run around shouting about it.”

      “We won’t,” Wyatt assured, casting a glare toward his younger brother.

      “I was only shouting ’cause it was you,” Rhett said. “I won’t tell anyone else. I promise.”

      “Cross-your-heart promise?” Teddy asked.

      Both boys nodded and used a fingertip to draw an X over their chests.

      “Then, yes, I’m going to print it, and I’ll make sure you each get your very own copy.”

      The giggle from Hannah, and the way she squeezed his arm as he stood up, filled him with more happiness than he might ever have known before.

      Fiona and Brett walked around the building just then.

      An unusual wave of disappointment washed over him as Hannah let go of his arm.

      “Thank you for walking me home,” she said. “I hope you enjoy the pie.”

      “I will,” Teddy answered, having totally forgotten about the pie. He graced Fiona with a smile before nodding at Brett.

      When the women were several steps away Brett said, “I don’t know what she was etching, but she worked all day on it yesterday.”

      Still watching her walk away, and knowing the boys were within hearing distance, Teddy replied, “It’s a secret. That’s all I can tell you.”

      The boys giggled before they ran off, and a thought shot across Teddy’s mind. He wondered what Brett would say if he said he wanted to marry Hannah. It wasn’t the first time he’d had that thought, but he was still unsure if that was what his heart truly wanted, or if he was just worried about her like he had been about Becky.

      “I wasn’t happy about letting Hannah do all this work for your paper in the beginning, but Fiona insisted it would be good for her,” Brett said. “I guess she was right.”

      “She enjoys it,” Teddy replied. “And she is also very good at it.”

      “Yes, she is,” Brett replied. “She’ll make some man a wonderful wife.”

      Teddy buckled a bit inside. He’d thought he’d kept his thoughts buried too deep for anyone to see. Before he could say anything, Brett slapped his shoulder.

      “I got a wagon wheel calling my name,” Brett said. “See you later.”

      Teddy nodded, yet his eyes were once again on Hannah as she and Fiona disappeared into the house across the field. “See you later,” he said, after swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat at the idea of Hannah making someone a wonderful wife. And that someone not being him.