Page 67 of Mail-Order Lady

He moved to the door and held it open for her, but grabbed his rifle leaning against the wall before he stepped outside himself. Better to have it, just in case. The evening air carried the scent of pine, and the lingering warmth of the day’s sun still hung in the air. A breeze moved through the trees beyond the barn, rustling the branches.

Enoch sat on the porch with his own gun across his lap—his turn for watch. He gave Robert a single nod but said nothing.

They descended the steps and moved past the barn. The sounds of the ranch settled around them—the low calls of cattle in the east pasture, an owl hooting somewhere in the trees, the distant rush of the creek. The last of the sunset had faded to purple along the western ridge, and stars were beginning to appear overhead.

Clara walked near enough that her shoulder almost brushed his arm. Not quite touching, but close. Every nerve in his body hummed with awareness of her. Should he extend an arm to her? Or maybe rest a hand at her back? With the uneven ground, that might turn awkward.

He settled for letting his free hand hang and matched her pace as they strolled toward the lower meadow.

She let out a long breath. “It’s beautiful out here. I forget sometimes, when I’m in the house all day.”

“You should come out more often.” That wasn’t the right thing to say, what with all the chaos these days. “I mean, when things settle. When Kate is better, and Nathan recovers, and all the threat is gone.”

“I’d like that.” She glanced at him, and the fading light illuminated her beauty even more than usual. “Maybe you could show me some of the ranch. I’ve only seen bits and pieces.”

The idea of it—showing her the places he knew best, the hidden corners of the property where the creek pooled deep enough to swim, the ridge where you could see for miles in every direction—made heat spread through his chest. And also…

“We should pick out a spot for our home.” The moment the words left his mouth, he wanted to snatch them back. “I mean… If you want to.” He’d promised her a marriage in name only. Even if they slept in separate rooms, just the two of them in their own house might seem…intimate.

She raised her face to look at him, but now the shadows shielded her eyes so he couldn’t read her expression. “That would be nice.”

The tightness inside him eased. Except…had she only said that to be kind? Maybe she would rather live at the main house. Kate and Thomas would be moving into their own cabin soon, and James and Rose had started talking about where they would build. Did Enoch expect Robert to move his own family out too?

Even if they weren’t a family in full? Just two people who shared a surname and enjoyed the companionship of the other.

The thought twisted hard. He wanted every part of Clara, but he would never, ever ask her for it. That was her choice alone.

Besides, Enoch and Mandie would travel to England soon anyway, for Enoch to begin training with Father. It might be best for him and Clara to stay at the main house to help Mrs. Wang.

Except…would they? If Nathan were truly the heir, wouldn’t he be the one to move to England and learn how to be the duke?

Once Enoch moved past his suspicion of the man, maybe Nathan taking that weight off Enoch’s shoulders would finally come as a relief. Robert had always been fairly certain Enoch didn’t want to take on the responsibility of parliament and running the estate in England. These mountains wove through all of them. For his own part, being forced to leave would feel like a ball and chain. A duty he’d loathe more with each passing month.

“How is Enoch doing with all this?” Clara’s voice pulled him to the present, but for a second, her question clouded in his mind.

Had he mentioned Enoch aloud? Or had her thoughts taken the same trail as his?

Maybe the latter. Clara possessed a quiet intuition that she didn’t always let people see.

“I’m not sure.” He glanced toward the house, though from this angle he could only see the roofline against the darkening sky. “He’s been...tense.”

“That’s one word for it.” Her tone held a dry edge that wasn’t like her. Clara rarely spoke with anything close to criticism.

“He’s afraid.” Maybe Robert shouldn’t say that aloud, but it was true. “For all of us. I think…” He worked to gather the thoughts that he hadn’t put into words yet. “I think the threats feel so big, maybe wariness and distrust are the only weapons he has right now.”

He slid a look at her. “At least, that’s what it might feel like to him. He has a wife and a baby to protect.”

Her mouth curved in a sad smile. “And all the rest of us. I think he sees us all as his responsibility.”

He turned forward again. This woman saw details not many would. “Maybe so.”

She stayed quiet for a few steps, then her words came softly. “What else do you think Enoch is afraid of?”

Did there have to be more? Was there more? Even as his mind asked the question, the answer slipped in.

“I think… Maybe he’s also afraid of what happens if Nathan is who he says he is. What that means for all of us.”

Clara’s hand slipped in around his upper arm, holding there. The warmth of her touch through his shirt sleeve steadied something inside him.