He tugged on her waist and pulled her into his lap. “I don’t care what you’re wearing. You still look nice.” Tapping her nose with his finger, he released her.
But she stayed for an extra moment. “Thank you.”
“Miss Lakeman?” Louise’s voice carried from down the hall.
Anna bolted to her feet, a deep pink filling her cheeks.
“Oh, there you are.” The young woman who’d been nursing Mr. Lakeman appeared. “Mr. Walker is out there planting and asked a question, but I didn’t know what to tell him.”
“Tell him I’ll be there in a moment.” Anna kept her face averted. Probably to hide her blush.
“Julian is here?” He wanted to growl but refrained.
“Yes, he’s helping me get the garden planted, remember? I was coming to get some paper and pencil so I could draw a diagram of what is planted where when I ran into you.” She wiped the cloth over his head again, rinsed it out, then made another swipe.
“I can help you finish planting, if you’d like.” He certainly didn’t want Anna alone with Walker.
“It’s sweet of you to offer, but you just collapsed outside my door.”
“I’m okay. Besides, I want to help.” Maybe if he sounded sweet enough, she’d comply.
She placed her hands on her hips. “How about this? You can come sit and supervise. I’ll ask Louise to fix you something to eat and then after you’ve rested a bit and eaten, Imightallow you to help.” She dabbed at another wound. “But only because it’s taking forever to plant everything, and my back is already aching something fierce.”
“I’m fine. Doctor in training, remember?” He sent her what he hoped was a convincing smile but she didn’t budge. “Okay fine. I’ll supervise.”
She kept her stance. “Promise me that you’ll see Doc Walsh as soon as possible, and I won’t nag you about it anymore. Or ask you how you are doing.”
“Deal.” Lifting his eyebrows, he smiled at her. “So are you done? Can we go work on the garden now?”
“Most of the blood is off your head and face, but you could still use a good bath to get rid of the rest. I’ll take this water out for the garden and speak to Louise.”
As he got to his feet, every ache screamed for attention. He had to work at it not to groan in front of her. Tomorrow was sure to be brutal.
He grabbed a chair and headed outside. Walker eyed him but didn’t smile. He went right back to planting the next seedling in the row.
Anna was back with a tray and handed it to Joshua, then surveyed the little garden plot. “Gracious, Julian. You’ve accomplished a good deal. Where’d you find the stakes?”
He shrugged. “I had some in the wagon. The different colored string will tell you what’s planted there. So draw it up and I’ll explain the colors.”
Anna made a quick sketch while Joshua ate a sandwich. He watched them work for several minutes, then couldn’t stand it any longer.
He got down on his knees next to a wooden crate filled with little green sprouts. “Tell me where you’d like these, Julian.”
Anna quirked an eyebrow at him but shook her head and smiled. Walker shuffled over, gave him specific directions, and Joshua went to work. Not that he wouldn’t pay for it tomorrow, but what was a little more pain to ensure Anna was protected?
As the three of them made headway in each row, Joshua listened to Walker explain the plants to Anna. The different colors and blooms that she would eventually have if she kept it watered every day. As he talked about growing things, the man did seem to come alive. Perhaps Joshua was wrong. And his suspicions unfounded.
Walker seemed perfectly normal. Maybe he simply didn’t care to be around many people.
Except for Mary. He’d followed her around like a lost puppy dog, and now...
Anna.
And yet, he was gracious and kind. Soft spoken. Didn’t seem like he would ever want to hurt anyone.
Joshua dug in the dirt and examined his heart. Why was he on edge around Walker? What made him think Julian couldn’t be trusted? Was it simple jealousy?
God, if I’m off here, please help me to see that. Guide my heart and my mind.
