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"Megan, dear, I'm more than happy to keep Bonnie with me tonight."
Megan glanced up and saw Mrs. Dobson scooting out from behind her desk. She frowned. "I don't understand."
"The meeting is tonight. Have you forgotten?"
Apparently, she had. Megan rose to her feet and wiped her hands on her calico skirt. "Meeting?"
Mrs. Dobson shook her head and sighed. Her large bosom rose and fell with exaggerated movement. "There is a town meeting to discuss what to do about hiring a teacher. All parents are expected to attend."
"But I'm not—" She clamped her mouth shut. She'd been about to say she wasn't a parent. Her gaze returned to the small girl standing on the boardwalk. She and Justin were responsible for Bonnie. That made them parents, in her eyes at least.
"You're right," she said. "Thanks for the offer. We'll pick her up on the way back."
The older woman waved her hand in the air. "Don't hurry on my account. I enjoy having the child."
"I do, too," Megan said. She did enjoy Bonnie's presence in her life. She'd tried to ignore the needs inside of her for so long that she'd finally forgotten about wanting a husband and children. But Justin and Bonnie reminded her of all of that. They made her remember her dreams from long ago.
Megan resumed sorting through the supplies, but her mind was far away, wondering what it would be like to hold a baby in her arms. Her baby, the one she'd made with Justin. She touched her hand to her flat belly. There'd been no child from their one night together. But if they were still sharing their nights, who knew what might happen.
Was that the reason he avoided her? Was he afraid of having a child? Or was he afraid of having a child with her?
Megan closed her eyes and fought against the longing. She wanted a baby, and she wanted her husband to be more than a stranger in their home. She wanted... She sighed. For some reason, she'd been given a second chance with Justin and this time she just had to get it right.
Chapter Sixteen
ustin kicked a small rock out of their path and watched it roll away.
You look as unhappy as an eight-year-old boy who would rather be fishing than going to church/' Megan teased.
He grinned at her. "I sure don't want to go to this meeting. Do you?''
"No, but we have to. Getting a teacher in Landing is important for everyone with children. We have to think about Bonnie."
"I think you and Widow Dobson are doing just fine teaching her."
"What about the children who don't have anyone to teach them?"
He grimaced. That argument worked. Who would have taught him if there hadn't been a teacher? When he and Megan had been young, there'd been a small single-room schoolhouse on the edge of town. A series of young women had come, spending a year, sometimes two, on the lonesome prairie. A fire had destroyed the building eight years [ago. Between the hard winters and grasshoppers, there hadn't been any spare time or money to think about rebuilding. The children in town had had to make do without formal instruction.
"Something tells me the other parents of Landing aren't going to appreciate our presence at their meeting," he grumbled. 'I know."
Nothing in her tone gave away her feelings, but he could feel her tension in the way the hand holding on to his arm tightened slightly, and the way her body stiffened.
"If you'd rather not go," he began.
"No. I want—" She drew in a steadying breath. "We need to be there, Justin."
He sure as hell didn't know why, but right now he wasn't inclined to argue. Not with Megan walking beside him in the cool evening. She wore a green calico dress that brought out the color in her face and eyes. After her day at the store, she'd freshened up, smoothing her hair back in place so that no strands escaped the elegant upswept twist. It should have looked severe. Instead her coiffure emphasized the heart shape of her face, her stubborn pointed chin and the fullness of her lower lip.
They walked easily together, her skirts swaying against his legs like a forbidden caress. Around them, other couples strolled in the direction of the church, where the meeting would take place. He didn't want to think about having to face Gene again without having the pleasure of smashing the man's face in, so he stared up at the darkening night. Stars were slowly making their appearance. Landing was so flat, it felt as if he could see the whole sky at once.
