Page 64 of Short-Straw Bride

Meredith clung to Travis, blinking away the sudden moisture that blurred her vision. She wanted to weep for the young boy who had watched his father die, for the boy who carried such a heavy burden of guilt so unnecessarily.

Give me words to ease his burden, Father.

“He died because he fell from a horse, Travis. Not because you left the ranch.”

Her husband tried to release her hand, but she refused to let go. “He wouldn’t have fallen from that horse if I hadn’t disobeyed him.”

“It was an accident, Travis. A tragic accident. One you are no more responsible for than I am for the sickness that struck my parents.”

“It’s not the same.”

“No?” She kept hold of Travis’s hand but shifted her body to stand partly in front of him. “Why not? I disobeyed my parents many times. Maybe their death was my punishment, too.”

“That’s ridiculous.” He shoved his hat back and rubbed the lines of his forehead.

“Yes. It is.” Meredith stretched up on her tiptoes and laid a slow, tender kiss on her husband’s tanned cheek. “God forgave you long ago, Travis. Your father, too, I imagine. It’s time to forgive yourself.”

As she settled back onto the flat of her feet, Travis’s eyes met hers. The intensity shimmering in his eyes was so intense, Meredith couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. He slipped his arm from her grasp and wrapped it around her waist, his hold so strong she wanted nothing more than to melt into him. Travis angled his head. His gaze shifted to her lips.

Meredith lifted her face to him, the love inside her swelling.

Then Crockett strolled up with Travis’s horse, and cleared his throat. “You send Neill up to the north pasture?” he asked, completely unsuccessful in his feigned innocence. The rogue knew exactly what he was interrupting and wasn’t the least bit repentant.

Travis cleared his throat and released her. He adjusted the way his hat sat on his head, angling it more sharply over his eyes. “I plan to join him out there in a bit,” he said, gravel in his voice. “I didn’t figure you and Moses would need me on the barn. With the roof done, all you’ll need to do is bring in the hay and add those two extra stalls we talked about.”

“I figured as much.” Crockett handed Bexar’s reins over to Travis and climbed aboard his bay. “I’ll ride with Jim to the gate and wait for Moses there. He and Josiah should be along shortly.”

The mention of Jim brought Meredith’s attention back to her cousin. They’d already said their good-byes in the house, but Meredith couldn’t resist one final word of farewell. As Jim gave Cassie a leg up into the saddle, Meredith quietly approached.

Seeing her, Jim nodded once and backed away, allowing them a private moment.

“I’m going to miss you.” Meredith reached her hand up, and Cassie grasped it, her gloved fingers tightening around Meredith’s bare ones.

Tears glistened in Cassie’s eyes and her chin wobbled slightly, but she pulled her mouth taut and managed to keep her emotions under control. So proud of her, Meredith raised her other hand and cocooned Cassie’s between both of hers. It was one thing to plot and plan when safely removed from a threat. It was another matter entirely to ride out to meet that threat. Yet her little Cassie was doing exactly that.

“Whatever comes, God will see us through.” Meredith punctuated her words with a squeeze to Cassie’s hand. “Trust him, Cass. Lean on his strength.”

“I will.” Her voice quivered, but when she pulled free of Meredith’s grip, she sat erect on the rented livery nag and even found a tiny smile.

As Jim led her down the path, Travis came up behind Meredith. The welcome weight of his arm settled atop her shoulder. He didn’t say anything, just hugged her to his chest and let her rest her head against him. As she watched Cassie enter the trees, Meredith sank into Travis’s strength, comforted by his solid presence.

“Thank you for staying with me this morning,” she murmured once Cassandra had completely passed from sight. “It would have been much harder to say good-bye alone.”

He tightened his hold on her, and she felt the gentle pressure of his lips against her scalp as he pressed a kiss into her hair. Meredith’s eyes slid closed.

“Travis?”

“Yeah?”

She turned to face him, his arms loosening to accommodate her movement. Immediately she missed his warmth. “Would you mind if I rode out to Beaver Valley to visit with Myra for a short while this afternoon? I won’t be gone long. I promise. I just . . . Well, I feel the need of a woman’s company. I think it would help me adjust to Cassie’s leaving and give me a chance to talk to her about something besides teaching.”

Something like husbands.

Travis stared hard at the sky. “I don’t like the look of this weather. It could turn nasty if the temperature keeps dropping.”

“Or it could be sunny by noon. One never knows in Texas.”

He resituated his hat and blew out a quiet breath. “Visiting with Mrs. Jackson is that important to you?”