Homespun Bride

across the plains and there’d been no mistaking the yearning in Sunny’s eyes. So Thad had climbed to his feet and slipped off Sunny’s halter. The yearling had taken off with an eager whinny, bolting after the herd and out of sight.
    How lovely she’d looked, graced by the lamplight, and captivated by his story as he told of standing in the knee-high grass, feeling nothing but lonesome, when a low welcoming whinny sounded in the dark—Sunny had come back to stay with him.
    Had he been alone with Noelle when he’d been telling that story, he would have said it had felt like a sign on that lonely night. He’d been traveling too long, miserable living out of his saddle packs and Sunny’s return seemed to give him the hope that heaven was watching over him after all. Maybe there were still dreams to be had, and that he shouldn’t give up all hope.
    But since he hadn’t been alone with her, he’d kept those words to himself. They seemed to whisper within the chambers of his heart, in the lonesomeness within that he’d not been able to shake. He’d missed her. He’d been lonely for her these long years, for his best friend, for the woman he’d wanted to marry, for his one true love.
    Distant thunder rumbled through the mantle of cloud and snow, but the cold and dark did not feel as bleak as it once had. Thad nosed Sunny toward home.
    * * *
    Noelle shivered in the cold as she knelt in prayer. The storm howled like an angry wolf outside the bedroom window. She ended her nightly prayers as she always did. I pray that You will watch over Thad, Father. Please see to his happiness. Amen.
    She rose, teeth chattering and dived under the covers. Cold had sunk into the marrow of her bones and the sheets felt as cold as the air in the room. The flatiron at the foot of the bed gave off blessed heat, and she scrunched down to find the warmth with her toes.
    “Amen,” Matilda whispered. Her teeth chattered, too, and the thwack of the quilt told that she’d covered herself completely beneath the blankets.
    The house had quieted. Henrietta’s voice came faintly through the walls two rooms down the hall as she wished Minnie good-night. A door shut and then silence.
    Surely Thad had made it through the storm safely. So, why was she worried about him? She rolled onto her side to contemplate that. It made no sense because she knew he’d managed to drive cattle and ford dangerous rivers and crest mountain summits for years successfully. Surely he could manage to find his way home through one blustery whiteout.
    She had to be honest with herself. It wasn’t his safety she was worrying over. It was her feelings for him. For the man he’d made her believe in tonight with his tales of strength and steadfast gentleness.
    That was the Thad McKaslin she’d fallen so hard in love with she would have defied her beloved parents and a life of security for the chance at her dream—to love him for all the days of her life.
    How could that Thad, the one she’d known so well, have forsaken her? He was not a man who could break a promise, let alone a vow of love and forever. That man was the one she’d glimpsed tonight through his honest, plain stories of befriending a wild colt.
    He’d probably meant to tell of his horse-gentling philosophy, but she’d heard something different—a man who was trustworthy and steadfast and committed. The man Thad had always been.
    A sharp rustle came from Matilda’s side of the room. She must have thrown the covers off her head. “I’m too cold and tired to read tonight. Can I read two passages aloud to you tomorrow?”
    “Of course. I’m half asleep as it is, and I hate to trouble you anyway. You know that.”
    “It’s no trouble. I’m just greatly fatigued. I think my mind is overworked from those thrilling stories Mr. McKaslin told at dinner.”
    “Yes, they were very enjoyable.” And for her, personal, although that wasn’t something she was about to admit to anyone, even to someone she trusted as much as Tilly. Why, she could hardly admit the truth to herself. “Angelina was enthralled. Do you think she’s going to torment your mother with a new desire to run off and herd cattle?”
    “Probably. It’s Angelina’s lot in life to torment poor mama. She ought to be careful or Mama just might make good on her threat to send her to finishing school.”
    “Think of all the outhouses to overturn there. Angelina will be quite busy.”
    “True.” Matilda chuckled. “He likes you,