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Their eyes met. Held. Lingered.
His gaze dropped to her mouth. Stayed there. And then he reached out one finger to her cheek. Just one. He traced the curve of her cheek with that one finger as if remembering. Or maybe reminding himself of what they’d had way back when.
The sound of the stable door clicking shut pulled them apart, and when Corrie turned down the alley with Zeke, Lizzie was studiously watching mother and baby, which was what she should have been doing all along.
She turned to welcome Heath’s son and focused on the boy’s excitement. “Hey, little man. The baby is here and he’s beautiful.”
“I’m so happy he’s here!” Zeke kept his voice quiet. He peeked into the stall when Heath lifted him into his arms. “Isn’t he like the coolest baby horse ever?”
“He is a rare beauty,” noted Corrie, but she sent Lizzie a sharp look. A look that Lizzie refused to acknowledge. “He might be your second-generation stallion if you keep him. That color alone is worth a fair price.”
“We’ll see how he musters up, but yes.” Lizzie hung back with them so they wouldn’t spook the mother. “He’s a looker.”
“He sure is. I’m going up to take care of some overdue office work up front,” Heath said. He faced Corrie. “Are you okay with Zeke for a while?”
Corrie shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. We’ve had a nice afternoon, but Cookie and I are laying plans for the vegetable garden. But I’ll see you both at supper.”
He started to turn toward Lizzie. The mare whinnied, a reminder that Lizzie was on the job, too. “Well, bud, you’ll have to tag along with me.”
Zeke pressed a kiss to his father’s cheek. “I love that, Dad!”
Heath’s expression relaxed. “Me, too. We’ll see you ladies later.”
“Wonderful.” Corrie smiled, but when he was out of sight, she turned to Lizzie with a more thoughtful expression. “You guard your head. He guards his heart.” She drawled the words intentionally. “How can this possibly work, darlin’?”
“There’s nothing to work,” Lizzie told her.
Corrie sniffed. “You couldn’t fool me then, you can’t fool me now. And it’s not that I don’t understand the attraction. Heath Caufield is a fine man. And he carries himself tall and strong, but there’s a world of hurtin’ in those big blue eyes and you’ve had enough of that, I think.”
“Corrie…”
Corrie raised both hands up, palms out. “I’m not interfering.”
“Mmm-hmm.” Lizzie drew the wheelbarrow closer for stall cleaning.
“But I’m not afraid to protect my own, Lizzie-Beth. I might have failed in that before. I don’t aim to fail now.”
Concern drew Corrie’s brows together and Lizzie knew the sincerity of the sweet nanny’s words. But she wasn’t a wayward teen any longer. “I’m all grown up, Corrie. And pretty independent.”
“Tell this old woman something I don’t know.”
Lizzie grinned and looped an arm around Corrie’s shoulders in a half hug. “You’re not old. You’re seasoned. And I’d be lying to say there isn’t an attraction. The kid is a total bonus. But I will never settle for less than the whole thing again, Corrie. Faith, hope and love. Heath’s so mad at God and life that whatever faith he had is gone and he wears his wedding ring like a badge of honor. I decided a long time ago that I’ll never take second place again. And I meant it.”
“So we wait and see while we work here. Maybe the good Lord has brought us to Idaho to make a difference. Your uncle’s generosity has opened a door for us. Perhaps there’s a way to open a door for others.”
Lizzie envisioned the worn-out town, the thinning population and the problems surrounding them. “I don’t know how, Corrie.”
“Then we pray for vision.” Corrie squeezed her hand lightly. “The little man and I made spoon bread to go with supper. If we bring some Southern cooking and hospitality into the deep north, it’s bound to have some kind of effect. It can’t hurt anything more than it’s already hurting.”
Southern cooking.
Hospitality.
Lizzie worked those thoughts around in her head once Corrie went back to the house.
How could people work together if they never came together? And what brought most people out?
Weddings and funerals.
Since there wasn’t a wedding in the plans, she sought Heath out that evening, once Zeke was in bed. “Got a minute?”
“Before I fall asleep?” He’d been checking something on his phone. He put it away. “Yes.”
