“We’re here!” Ross chorused. Boots were pulled off, along with jackets, before heading into the kitchen.
Zack stopped in the doorway when he saw Leah and Della talking together near the sink. Both women turned around. Leah beamed as Ross came over to hug her. Della studied Zack, though he couldn’t read the look on her face.
“Look at you,” Leah chuckled. “It’s about time you came back to see us, Ross. Zack, we were wondering where you two were. And what is that you’ve brought?”
Ross pulled up the towel to show the bread. “Our favorite bread. We even melted butter on it. Are you the lady from the city?”
Della’s eyes widened before they softened into a smile. Zack felt his shoulders tense as he watched the two interact. When Leah grabbed the bread, Della guided him off to find the children who were adding the last of the berries to their Christmas tree. They could be heard in the next room with the others, preparing for the holiday.
It wasn’t until they were all seated around the supper table that the tension in his body began to loosen. Della and Ross were seated together, and he watched his son ask her question after question. Though he cut in to stop the boy, she said she didn’t mind. His heart pattered as he watched them talk.
Ross liked her. He was actually talking to her. The boy had a tendency to shy away from strangers. But soon, they were nudging each other and giggling. His son grinned big with happiness shining through his eyes.
Only then did Zack contemplate that perhaps he had done the right thing by sending for Della Prescott.
Chapter 7
Della was terribly confused.
Not only did Zack leave her with these strangers, as kind and generous as they were, for several days, but then he showed up at the house with an eight-year-old son. Though their hair and eyes were different colors, the nose was too obvious to ignore.
Ross Heston was a precocious boy with a wonderful sense of humor and curiosity. He had interesting questions to ask and wanted to know about the strangest things.
But she didn’t know where it came from. Della racked her brain for anything in the missives that had mentioned Zack with a son. It had never been mentioned and while the boy was sweet, she didn’t like the idea that he had purposely not told her.
She had been honest about everything in her letters. Why had he chosen otherwise?
Perhaps, she had been too hasty. They had only been writing for a couple of months.
Towards the end of the supper, all six children in the house cleaned up and went off to play around the Christmas tree. This left the adults to talk, where the two men began to discuss their plans for their cattle in the next couple of months. Della used the time to think, wondering if everything she was experiencing was normal. The adjustment to seeing everything different and new in Montana felt difficult, and she worried she had been foolish. Perhaps, she was too naïve. She hadn’t had enough life experiences with people and society to know how to act and behave.
“Della?”
She glanced up and forced a smile. “Sorry, Leah. I was lost in my thoughts. Yes?”
Leah held a bowl in her hands as she gestured to Zack with her elbow. “It sounds like they are leaving, so you should see them out.”
Her legs obeyed, helping her to stand. “Yes, of course.” She caught Zack’s eye as she stepped over to him. He nodded and whistled to Ross. Soon, the three of them were crowded in the hallway.
“You should come see my horse sometime,” Ross announced to Della. “Then you could ride him!”
She smiled. “That sounds lovely, Ross. But I’m afraid I don’t know how to ride a horse. Thank you, though. That’s very kind of you.”
The little boy’s bright eyes widened in disbelief. “You don’t know how to ride! That’s silly.” She chuckled. “Papa can teach you! He taught me and now I’m really good. Right? You could teach her. Then we could all go riding. You can ride my horse, and I’ll ride our pack horse. His name is Billy.”
“That’s a good name for a horse,” Della said with a serious expression. “I look forward to that day.” Her eyes flickered over to Zack, and she wondered what he thought. For a second, a dark look passed over his face. But it disappeared so quickly that she wasn’t certain if she had imagined it.
Ross put on his shoes and glanced at his father. “Can we? Can we all go riding?”
Settling a hat on his head, Zack offered a hesitant nod before turning to face Della straight on. “I think that sounds like a good idea. It would be nice to show Miss Della around the property.”
“Yeah!” Ross cheered.
The man studied her with a slight cock of his head. His look was so intense that Della could feel the heat climbing her cheeks. She bit her lip, hoping he wasn’t thinking about her birthmark. Anything but that. There was something about the way he looked at her, though, that made her feel certain that he didn’t even see it. That all he saw was her.
Della felt her heart skip a beat.
She wanted to say something but couldn’t find her voice. Zack said nothing as he considered her. The more he looked at her, the more she found it impossible to look away. Tension built up between them, and it only made the thumping of her heart grow louder and louder until it was deafening.
“We should go.”
Della gasped lightly for breath when Zack dropped his gaze. The man turned to open the front door in one motion. Soon, he and his son were out on
