The Widow's Hope by Courtney Willis

Author:Courtney Willis [Willis, Courtney]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-06-11T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Cassandra spent the entire day keeping herself busy. She folded laundry, cleaned the morning dishes, and worked on her knitting. She fed Lucy then laid her in the cradle, so lovingly made by Grayson. Dear Grayson. With the arrival of that letter, she felt the weight of the world resting completely on her shoulders, though it was just the lives of two people. Her daughter, and… there was no proper term for what Grayson was to her. A stranger with no memory? Her hired hand? The man she’d grown inordinately fond of?

It was hard to decipher the current situation for a clear path to her future. Emotions were blinding her, and she knew it, but perhaps her emotions weren’t too far off. When she thought about what would be best for Lucy, it was clear she needed a family, which was easy to see with someone like Grayson. She didn’t know everything about him, but what she did know of him reflected his uncommon goodness. He may have been a quiet man of not many words, but he was attentive and hardworking and kind to a fault.

But could he be married?

The thought haunted her, and caused such agitation that she had to stand and pace the room. She thought on the morning he’d revealed his memory to her, when he’d spoken of the war and the woman he’d been promised to. His words rang over and over in her mind every day since then. It was only fair that he have a life before coming to Utah and falling onto Cassandra’s porch, but it seemed so unjust to have him appear just as she needed him, and yet he was still beyond her reach. The emotions swirled around in her heart, only adding to the confusion in her mind. Glancing out the window, she realized the day was coming to an end, so she turned to the kitchen.

She cooked dinner thoughtlessly, with her mind completely distracted. What would he do if she were to leave? Without his memory, where would he go? There were kind people in Little Creek, but there were also skeptical ones, especially with an outlaw posse on the loose. Would Grayson eventually find his own way? Cassandra didn’t want to think on what would happen if he couldn’t. She shouldn’t feel responsible for him, but she did.

As the sun faded behind the distant mountains, Grayson walked through the door, and she gave him a smile.

“Smells divine,” he said, same as always, like nothing had changed, when almost everything had.

“Come on in, Grayson. Have a seat.” It was all she could say.

She stirred the pot for what seemed like ages, getting lost in the motions and wondering what it would be like if she chose to stay… if he chose to stay. If he were the man of the house, and she could continue cooking for him every day. If he were the one who helped her raise Lucy, who ran the farm, who held her close…

“You’re the quiet one today,” Grayson said softly.

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