still on his mother's lap for most of the day, but he seemed to be
making up for lost time now. Full of vitality, he raced in circles
from one end of the clearing to the other, chattering away a mile a
minute.
Every once in a while he would burst into laughter over what Cole
decided must have been a private joke only a toddler could
appreciate.
His shoulders would shake with merriment.
The kid was a charmer, even when he was having a fullblown tantrum
because Jessica wouldn't let him go into the water. All her energies
were spent trying to turn his attention, but for some reason, when Cole
told Caleb to do something, he did it. He told him to sit, and the
baby promptly did just that. Caleb had already taken off his shoes and
socks and sat perched on top of one of the saddles under the overhang,
watching Cole brush the horses. His undershirt had ridden up to the
top of his belly, his nappy had slid to the tilt of his hips, and he
looked about as happy as a baby could be.
His mother, on the other hand, looked like hell. She was clearly
exhausted. She reminded him of his little sister's rag doll after it
had been left out in the rain and the slm too long. Her hair hung in
clumps, her white blouse was covered with dust and the strawberry jam
Caleb had smeared on it while eating his biscuit, and there were
smudges all over her cheeks. He still thought she looked too damned
sexy for her own good . . . and his peace of mind.
Jessica was too tired to eat, until he convinced her she needed the
nourishment. He coaxed her in much the same way she'd coaxed her son,
but he was smart enough not to mention that fact to her. In her
present state of mind, she wouldn't be amused.
He was starving and ate two helpings of the ham, beans, biscuits, and
sugar cookies. He kept his eye on her while he ate.
She was definitely in a mood tonight if her frowns were any
indication.
After suffering her stony silence for several minutes, he gave up and
asked her to tell him what was wrong.
"Why didn't you tell me we would be camping out tonight? You should
have warned me."
"Would you have done anything different if I had told you? " She
started to nod, then stopped. "I don't know, but I would have insisted
that you select a safer spot, " she said.
"This is about as safe as I could find, " he replied. "No one can get
to us from behind, and I can hear anyone coming down the path."
"That isn't what I mean, " she said. "And now you've started a fire.
I can't be in three places at once." He wasn't sure what she was riled
up about. He leaned back against the rock and stared at her. "We'll
need the fire later, " he said. "It's going to get cold in the middle
of the night. It always does up here in the mountains." She threaded
her fingers through her hair and closed her eyes. "Did you have to set
up camp next to a lake? " "The horses need water, Jessie, and so do
we, } he reasoned.