“No,” Leah said, looking at Kim. “It’s my fault that this has happened to you and I’ll do what I can to give you back some of what you’ve lost.”
“That’s not your responsibility,” Regan began, but Leah gave her a look she’d never seen before.
“Would you pour?” Leah said to Regan, and Regan sat down and obeyed her.
Chapter 5
Leah put the last stitches in the border of the coverlet, a blue and white Irish chain pattern, and smoothed it in her lap. She looked up at Janie’s laugh.
“Is it
my imagination or are your hands shaking?”
Leah returned her smile. “I think they are a bit.” She paused. “Was that the bell?”
Janie laughed harder. “I’m afraid not.”
“You don’t think they’d forget to ring it, do you? I mean, they wouldn’t let Wesley arrive and not tell me.”
“Leah,” Janie said, her hand on her shoulder, “Travis and Regan are waiting to see him too. The minute he’s sighted, they’ll ring the bell.”
At that moment came the loud, excited clang of the bell by the wharf.
Leah didn’t move but her face drained of color.
“Don’t look so scared,” Janie said with a laugh. “Come on, let’s greet him.”
Slowly, Leah rose, looking down in doubt at her dress. She wore a deep rust-colored silk twill that brought out the auburn in her hair, and the high waist was trimmed with black silk ribbons, with more ribbons entwined in her hair, which was piled on her head in a mass of glossy curls.
“You look beautiful,” Janie was saying as Regan rushed into the room.
“Are you going to stay here all day?” Regan demanded. “Don’t you want to see him?”
“Yes!” Leah gasped. “Oh yes!” And together the three of them left the loom house at a run.
Two weeks before, Travis had received news from Wesley saying that he and Steven were returning around the second of April; today was the third. Travis had sent someone upriver to watch for the men, and the moment they were seen the big wharf bell was to be rung so everyone could come to greet the returning men.
Now, as Leah was running, she touched the gold coin pinned to the inside of her pocket, the coin Wesley had given her so long ago. Would he be pleased with the way she’d changed? As they drew near the wharf and she could see Travis talking to someone, she stopped running. I will make you the best wife in all the world, my Wesley, she vowed. You’ll never regret having lost your Kimberly.
Leah was behind the gathering crowd as everyone pushed to greet the returning men, but as people moved about, Leah had her first glimpse of him. He’d put on some size while he’d been gone and now stood as big as Travis; covering his broad shoulders was an outrageous costume of pale leather, fringed about the shoulders and down the sides of his pants legs. Criss-crossing his shoulders were straps to a couple of pouches, one decorated with an intricate design of tiny beads. On his head was a broad-brimmed hat that looked as if it’d made the journey back and forth to Kentucky tied to the bottom of a wagon wheel.
Leah looked at him and felt her heart begin to beat faster, her throat closing in anticipation. She’d waited for this moment for years and years.
“Here she is,” Travis was saying, slapping his brother’s shoulder.
As he said the words, Leah saw Wesley’s face turn from the joy of greeting to one of coldness, and she hesitated.
Regan came forward and took Leah’s arm. “Come on. He doesn’t even recognize you.”
Hesitantly, shyly, Leah stepped toward her husband.
“She’s changed some, hasn’t she?” Travis was saying with pride. “Could have knocked me over with a feather when she cleaned up so pretty.”
Blushing, but very pleased, Leah looked up through her lashes at Wesley. He was looking toward the fields over her head.
“You have to tell me how last year’s crops were,” Wes was saying. “And I’ll need some seed to take back with me. Ah!” He smiled. “Is that Jennifer?” he called to Travis and Regan’s five-year-old daughter who was running toward her uncle. “Excuse me,” Wesley said and made his way through the crowd to greet the child.
For a moment everyone was too embarrassed to speak, but as they cast looks of sympathy toward Leah, the crowd began to break apart.