The Widow of Rose Hill (The Women of Rose Hill Book 2), стр. 55

Natalie stared at the opening to the barn, her eyes stinging and watery, but she would not look away. Black smoke billowed out, and terrible noises came from within. Still, Levi and Samuel did not appear.

“Oh God, oh God,” she whispered over and over.

Harriet stood beside her, her own mutterings beseeching the Lord to spare Samuel and the colonel. A woman who’d lost children of her own, her prayers for the life of another’s innocent child surely reached heaven and God’s ear.

The minutes dragged by.

Finally, Moses shouted.

Natalie gasped, holding her breath, her hands clasped against her heart.

Like an apparition emerging from swampy fog, a blanket-covered form came through the smoke. Levi stumbled, and Moses kept him upright, leading him toward her. She couldn’t move as she watched them approach. He held a small bundle in his hands, but it was too small to be her son.

“No!” She covered her mouth with her hands. Harriet’s arm tightened across her shoulders, offering strength.

When he reached her, Levi dropped to his knees and placed the bundle gently on the ground. She recognized Samuel’s blanket, and a silent wail began in her heart. When the soft material flopped open to reveal a cat and several kittens, she could only stare, confused. He’d saved a cat family but let her son perish?

“Mama!”

The lump on Levi’s back wiggled. The blanket dropped to the ground, and there was her son, clinging to Levi’s neck. “Samuel!”

The boy slid down Levi’s back and ran to her. She sank to the ground, enveloping the precious child in a fierce embrace. She wept, and so did he. “Thank you, Lord,” she sobbed into his smoky hair. “Thank you.”

When she lifted her eyes, she met Levi’s steadfast gaze. How could she have doubted him?

A crash behind him drew their attention. The roof of the barn gave way, sending flames and sparks high into the night air. Shouts for more water rang out, and Levi, after one last look at her, hurried back to the line of men.

Natalie carried Samuel to the house, leaving the noise and commotion behind.

“Stay with me, Mama,” he whispered when they reached the porch, his arms tightening around her neck.

“I will, love.” She might never let him out of her sight again.

They settled on the swing, Samuel curling into a ball next to her. Tomorrow she would find out why he’d been in the barn and if he were responsible for the fire. But not tonight. Tonight, she would hold him and comfort him and reassure herself that he was safe.

Eventually, Samuel fell asleep, leaving Natalie to stroke his hair as his head lay in her lap. She listened to the sounds of people fighting the fire until a large group of riders entered the yard. One of the soldiers must have gone to Langford Manor to get help, for men in uniform were suddenly everywhere.

Closing her eyes, tears rolled down her cheeks. God had given her back her son. When all seemed lost, He sent Levi. Strong, courageous Levi. He’d risked his own life to save Samuel. Even now, he battled to save the other barns. Levi. The man who’d kissed her with more tenderness and passion than she knew existed. A man her son adored. A man she knew she could trust without a shadow of doubt.

A man, she joyfully admitted, whom she loved with all her heart.

Soldiers were milling about the yard, cups of strong coffee in their hands, when the sun peeked over a cloudless eastern horizon. The acrid smell of smoke hung heavy in the air, but thankfully, the fire was no longer a threat. They’d been able to contain it to the one barn, although Levi doubted any of the grain and corn would be salvaged. Between the smoke, flames, and water, it had doubtless all been destroyed.

“Mo’ coffee, Colonel?”

He glanced up from his place on the porch steps to see Harriet come toward him, a blue enamel pot in her hands. She looked as tired as he felt. “I believe I’ve had my fill, but thank you.”

She nodded, her serious gaze resting on him. “You runnin’ in after Samuel ’bout the bravest thing I ever saw, Colonel.” Tears sprang to her eyes. “Losing a chile the worst heartache a person can go through in this world. You done saved Miz Natalie’s life, I ’spect, just as shorely as you saved little Samuel. Don’t know that she would’a survived iffen somethin’ happen to that boy. You done a good thing for this family, Colonel. A mighty good thing.”

He watched her walk away, thoughtful. While the praise was appreciated, saving Samuel was not something he’d done to be heroic. The truth was, sometime between the day he and his men had arrived at Rose Hill and last night, he’d fallen in love with Natalie and Samuel. Seeing the boy in the opening to the hayloft, flames licking the walls behind him, Levi felt he was looking at his own son. The danger hardly crossed his mind.

“She’s right, you know.”

Natalie’s soft voice came from behind him. Levi turned. She stood in the doorway, an expectant look shining in her eyes. He stood, muscles aching from fighting the fire most of the night, and went to her. There hadn’t been an opportunity to talk after he’d carried Samuel out of the barn. Harriet said she was resting when he and the men came looking for coffee after the last bucket of water had been tossed onto the smoldering embers. Several of his men continued to watch what remained of the structure to make certain it no longer posed a threat.

Now, with her mere inches away, he didn’t know where to begin. He loved this woman. He wanted to spend the rest of his life protecting her and Samuel. That she’d returned his kiss, sweet and promising, ignited a hope deep in his heart.

“How is Samuel?” He was overcome by a