"Great. I'll throw on my work clothes and meet you in the barn in fifteen minutes."
Jack raced back into the bedroom and found Lissa dozing again. Quietly he dressed in his work clothes, then went to the bed and dropped to his knees.
She was turned toward him, her profile like a pale, perfect cameo atop the grayed pillow. Desire shot through him like a molten streak as he stared at her full, parted lips. The quiet whirring of her breath caressed him. God, she was beautiful.
"Lissa?" he whispered, stroking the velvet-soft side of her face. "Wake up."
She blinked awake. At first she looked confused, then she saw Jack and gave him a slow, lazy smile that made him ache to crawl in bed beside her. "Mornin', Jack."
"Mornin', Lissa. Jim Hannah and the men are here to help me shear the sheep."
She brushed a lock of hair from his eyes. "Sounds like hard work."
"It is. Backbreaking."
Disappointment flickered through her eyes. "I guess you'll be tired tonight." He grinned. "Not that tired." "Promise?"
He leaned over and gave her a rousing kiss. "I promise."
254
McGuffey's First Eclectic Reader lay open on Katie's school desk. She stabbed her forefinger under the letter and stared at the page. Concentration pulled her mouth into a taut frown. The letters danced around and mixed themselves up, but she just took a deep breath like her mama had taught her and tried again.
It was easy to calm herself down now. Being in school didn't cause that horrible panic and fear anymore. Miss Ames had promised not to call on her to read out loud until Katie herself said she was ready, and knowing that she wouldn't be embarrassed freed her to concentrate on the task at hand: learning to read.
B-A-R-N. Barn. Barn! It said barn.
Katie felt like she was gonna float right off the chair. Grinning, she poked Savannah in the side. "It says barn, Vannah. I read it!"
Savannah gasped and threw her arms around Katie, squeezing hard. "Oh, Katie. You done it!"
Miss Ames rapped her stick down on her desk. "What's going on back there, Savannah and Mary Katherine? We're in the middle of reading."
Savannah's arms popped free. She slid back into her own chair and folded her hands on her desk. "Sorry," she mumbled.
"I read 'barn,' Miss Ames," Katie said proudly. "All by myself."
Miss Ames's stern face softened. "That's wonderful." Her voice sounded sort of funny, and she cleared her throat. Snapping her chin up, she sniffled softly and glanced around the room. "You may take your break now. Run along."
Everybody bent down and grabbed their lard tins and beelined for the outside. The sound of running, shuffling feet echoed through the small wooden building.
255
Katie and Savannah walked to their regular spot beneath the big tree and plopped down onto the short grass. Burrowing through their tins, they pulled out the cornbread and bacon sandwiches Mama had made.
"I think Miss Ames was proud of you," Savannah said with a smile.
Katie grinned back. "I think so, too."
Savannah started to say something else, then stopped. Her gaze fixed on something behind Katie.
Katie turned, following the path of Savannah's trancelike stare. Jeffie Peters was standing by the water pump. He was staring at Savannah with a d
umb expression on his face.
Katie frowned and looked back at her sister. Savannah's cheeks were bright pink.
"Why don'tcha go talk to him?" "What? Huh, Katie, what did you say?" Katie smiled. "I'll be right back." Setting down her food, she got to her feet and walked, arms swinging, to the water pump. "Hey, Jeffie."