Courtship of the Recluse

"Well, he's about to outgrow the cradle. It doesn't take long." She sighed. Don't worry. I have the baby monitor. We'll hear him the same as when he's in here, but he won't be disturbed by us when we talk."

He met her gaze and his eyes warmed, his lips giving in to a smile.

"You've had the nursery ready for him a long time."

True. They had moved the antique furniture out of her old downstairs room and put it upstairs months before he was born. Together they had redecorated the room and changed it into a nursery. Claudette had sent them so many clothes. It was amazing how a baby could put love in so many hearts. Cade and Claudette might never be close, but they had certainly reduced the gap.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," he said. "I have a man coming out here tomorrow for the job. I thought he could stay in one of the rooms upstairs at night - if you don't mind."

She caught her breath and glanced up at him again. "You're actually getting help?"

He lifted a brow. "Yes, and I ordered a computer for you too. Dial-up internet will be slow, but at least you'll be able to stay in contact with the rest of the world."

It would be handy when she studied to home school too. Cade was an excellent provider. Who would have guessed two years ago that he would become a happily married man? His smile came slow now, but it came more frequently. Words of praise came more easily to his lips, but he still had trouble accepting praise. He had a gentle temperament, though. Throughout a difficult pregnancy, he had never raised his voice once. The real surprise came with his presence in the delivery room. Who would have thought he would actually clip the umbilical cord? It was strange how he could blush at praise, but watch with unabashed interest while she nursed their child.

Zach was asleep again, so she put him in his cradle and closed her blouse. She stood.

"Let's go eat before it gets cold."

He followed her out of the room, guiding her through the door with a light touch on her waist. He pulled the door shut gently and tiptoed down the hall after her. The way he touched her; the way he looked at her across the room - all those little things were his subtle way of saying he loved her without voicing the words. Maybe he would always be that way. Maybe that was what she found so intriguing about him. Once she had been unaware of his love, but now she had learned to read the signs. He was a man who said little, but felt a lot. In many ways he was still a recluse, but he wasn't wrapped up in himself. They had the ranch and each other, and now they had Zach. They would all grow strong leaning on each other.