Chapter 8

Lee parked the wagon behind the church and hobbled the horses. Mal tied his horse to the back of the wagon and helped the children and Christian out. He might have held Christian’s hand too long, but she didn’t pull away from him. In fact, she squeezed his fingers, which sent an odd shiver down Mal’s back. The contact was so fleeting he shouldn’t have given it a second thought, but her palm seemed to be imprinted against his skin.

Lee led the procession into the small church, with Mrs. Rose carrying the boy. The two girls and Mercy followed, and Christian lingered behind them. Mal brought up the end of the party, and a few times he was close enough to reach out and touch Christian’s shoulder. He itched to do just that, but he knew it wasn’t appropriate. Lee went directly to the pew near the front of the church, and Mal couldn’t stop his small grin when he settled next to Christian.