Snowbound Reunion by Barbara McMahon

Author:Barbara McMahon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

WHEN Mrs. Watson and her nephew left, Jake turned to study the door. The old house had settled over the years, and the door frame was no longer square. He had enough basic skills to plane the door so it would fit better, and shaving a bit of wood from it would insure it wouldn’t stick shut again. Bart had offered to help, but he didn’t need the young neighbor’s assistance.

Jake planned to fix it right away if he could find the proper tools. He didn’t like thinking what might have happened to Cath if she’d been caught down there alone with no neighbors needing the phone.

“If you’re going to fix that now, could you bring up the cradle first?” Cath asked.

Jake nodded and brought it up. He placed it gently down in the center of the kitchen. It was old, yet had obviously been cared for through the years. How many babies had slept in its shelter? Cath’s eyes were shining as she gazed at it. He felt a pang. Once she’d looked at him that way. Would she ever do so again?

“I’m going to the garage to see if there’re any tools I can use to fix the door. It’s too cold to let the cellar air come up into this level if we don’t have to,” he said.

Maybe he couldn’t bring that shine to her eyes again, but he could keep her safe.

Cath nodded, already reaching for the rags she’d used for cleaning. She’d wipe down the cradle, give it a good polish to see what it looked like. Maybe there was even a small mattress for it somewhere and some bedding, though she couldn’t imagine who had been the last baby to use it. Had it been her father? She didn’t believe she herself had ever been put in it as her parents hadn’t visited often, preferring Sally to come to their house.

The simple carving on the headboard was of flowers. She worked to get all the dust out of the crevasses and corners, wondering who had made it, who had done the carving. A proud father-to-be, she was sure. Maybe even Jonathan?

Jake returned with a handful of tools. He moved the door, placing it half on the table, half on the back of two chairs and started shaving curlicues of wood from the edge. Working on their respective projects kept both from feeling chilled in the cooling air. They’d really need the fire in a while if the electricity didn’t come back on. While the heater was oil fueled, it needed electricity to work.

Cath brought out the wood wax she’d seen beneath the sink and began to work it into the old wood. Once finished, she sat back on her heels and smiled. The cradle was a beautiful piece of furniture. It was worn a bit on the sides, as if by many arms reaching in to pick up an infant, but that made it all the more special. The carving was as sharp and clear as if it had been done yesterday.

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