Del sighed. She had only wanted to help. That was the reason she was here, wasn’t it? There was no doubt that Blake was a great father who worked hard to provide for his kids. Perhaps a little too hard lately. Still, all things considered, that was no excuse for his outburst and Del was sure it did not fit his normal behavior pattern from what she had already seen. He seemed like a loving father. The strain was obviously too much for him.
Poor Royce. Her heart ached for him and for his sister. They had missed out on the consistent love of both parents they needed in their lives, and it tore at Delilah’s heart.
Chapter 6
When Delilah hobbled out to the kitchen the next morning on her crutches, she was the first one up. The throb of her ankle had woken her early and she couldn’t stay in bed any longer. Bless him, Bluey had ignored her pleas to leave the dishes for this morning and she was greeted by a clean kitchen.
She set about fixing the table for breakfast and filled the kettle, desperate for a cup of coffee. Looking out the kitchen window, she watched the farm come to life, and waited for the water to boil.
“Delilah.” Blake jarred her out of her daydreams and she turned to face him.
“Morning.” Biting her lip, she turned back to the kettle and reached for another cup, adding coffee to it for him. “Sleep well?”
“Yes, I did. Look about last night. I don’t normally lose my temper with the kids but—”
“It’s okay, I understand. It was a bad day all round and I didn’t make it any easier on you.” The kettle boiled and she turned back to make the coffee.
Blake took both cups when she was finished and placed them on the table before sitting down. “It was my fault. I’ve been more than a little bit stressed these last couple of weeks without any help in the house.” He gave Delilah a sheepish grin and picked up his cup, blowing on the hot liquid before placing it at his mouth to sip
Del’s gaze followed the cup. His lips puckered as he tasted the early morning brew and the emotions swamped her once again. When the cup lowered, she met his gaze before looking back to her own cup. “That’s understandable.” She coughed to clear her throat, giving herself a few seconds to regroup her thoughts. “I’ll do what I can while I’m here, that I promise you. I would hate the children to suffer when it’s not their fault you’re stretched to the limit.”
“I know. I have to apologize, Delilah. If you must know, I slept like crap. Tossing around in my bed most of the night, I had time to think and regret my outburst. I snapped, okay. I know I shouldn’t do that to the kids, but some days it all gets too much and I can’t help myself.” He gazed at her as she dropped into the seat opposite. “It’s just that things are starting to get on top of me. There is so much to do on the farm, no money to employ anyone else, and the kids are the ones that suffer. I hate the way I reacted last night to Royce, he didn’t deserve it. It’s harder than I thought to raise a couple of kids singlehandedly and keep everything else under control.”
“I understand, really I do. Maybe there is more we can do.”
“I do my best. You can’t ask for more than that.”
The sudden chill of his voice rolled over her like a winter’s fog and she shuddered. “That wasn’t what I meant and I think you know that. What I meant to say was, I will do my best to help you out while I’m here. Its no-one’s fault you are short-staffed. The children shouldn’t have to suffer for things beyond your control.” She tried to smile to lighten the mood, but the frown on Blake’s face stopped her short. He opened his mouth to reply when the sound of footsteps in the other end of the house stopped him.
Knowing this time to let this one go, Del focused on getting out the breakfast so he could eat and get to work while Blake stood to pour himself another cup.
Royce made his way into the kitchen and was eating beside his father when they heard the patter of tiny feet coming down the hallway. Lilly rubbed her eyes, and tried to tuck her hair behind her ears. Unfortunately, it kept falling free over her face.
“Daddy, I'm starving.” Lilly came padding into the kitchen and latched onto Blake's leg, looking over at Delilah.
“How about cornflakes, and toast with honey?” Delilah smiled at the child. When Lilly nodded her head, she reached for the cereal and filled a bowl. Delilah took the milk from the fridge, and poured it in the cereal bowl before adding a splash to Blake's second cup of coffee.
He took the cup from her and sighed. “We will talk about this later.” Giving her one last look, he turned to sit with Lilly for breakfast. Footsteps sounded on the back stairs and Bluey walked in, hanging his hat on the hook at the back door. “Morning all.”
“Morning, Bluey. Ready for coffee?” Delilah smiled in his direction, and did her best to ignore Blake sitting at the table glancing her way.
“Yep, sure am. Want to get as organized as I can before the shearers arrive. If you need any help in the kitchen or need to know anything, now is the time to ask. Later will be too damned late because we’ll be working in the shed and nothing else will get much of a look in, I’m afraid.”
“No worries. If you don't mind dinner from the slow cooker for the next few nights, I think I can manage.” She poured him a coffee and put it on the table in front
