fur on the dogâs neck.
âHow did you know that would work?â Graham no longer looked as if he were ready to fire a cannon at someoneânamely, Ellieâbut she also didnât see the amazement sheâd hoped for in his face.
âI remembered how calm Betsy got this morning when she grabbed that long, floppy ear, so I thought Sugar might settle her down tonight too.â
âI have to admit, it made her happy again.â
Graham Talbotâacknowledging that Ellie was right? That was momentous, and she needed to seize the moment. âMy plan worked, and so will my courting idea. Give it some time, andââ
âWait a minute. Thatâs not the same. Just because a dog came over hereââ
âShe didnât come here on her own. I brought her. On purpose, so she could distract Betsy from whatever was wrong with her.â Surely even Graham couldnât argue with that.
Sugarâs high-pitched whine drew Ellieâs attention. She looked down to find Betsy grabbing the dog by the tail.
âNot the tail, Betsy.â She gently pried the little fingers away, and Sugar retreated to a far corner.
Betsyâs face wrinkled, and she let out a long, low wail that sounded as if her heart had broken.
âSugar, come,â Ellie coaxed, but the dog did her ceremonial dance of three circles and then flopped onto the floor, curling herself into a ball.
Ellie lifted the baby and held her against her shoulder, patting her back. âA wagon ran over Sugarâs tail last winter, and she canât stand to have it touched.â
Graham strode to Sugarâs corner and bent down as if examining the tail. He must not have touched it, though. The dog would have let her know.
âDonât you see that your schemes donât work out because they arenât based on logic? You have to think things through. You canât expect a dog to sit with a baby all night long so the people in the house can sleep.â
Betsyâs sobs had dissolved into shallow, fitful breaths now, and Ellie lowered her from her shoulder and cradled her instead. The babyâs eyes drifted shut.
âSuccess,â Ellie whispered.
âDonât forget how it went the last time she stopped crying.â
âI remember that Sugar quieted her, just as I thought she would. I wanted you to see that so youâd realize what a good idea my courtship plan is.â
âThatâs not how it happened at all. Yes, Sugar momentarily distracted her, but thatâs not what put her to sleep.â She could feel Grahamâs exasperation in the air. âWeâre not children anymore. Iâm a grown man with a grown manâs responsibilities, and I canât go along with you and play your silly games like I used to. This courtship of yours has to end.â
âBeing an adult doesnât mean you have to be gloomy all the time.â
âIâm not gloomy.â
Bless his heart. He didnât begin to realize how much the warâand military school tooâhad changed him. âYou used to be a lot of fun, but now everything is serious to you. The warâs over, Graham, and itâs time to stop fighting.â
A look of pain crossed his face, and although she used to know him better than anybody, she couldnât understand that look or what had caused it. Was it her complaint about his seriousness? She couldnât imagine that. Was he remembering the war, the suffering?
When he dropped his gaze to the floor as if unable to look at her, she knew. This powerful man, this war hero, had his mind on the pastâtheir pastâand sheâd caused his pain with her careless words: You used to be fun. Her subconscious, underlying message spoke her truth: he wasnât fun anymore.
But was that true? Considering how heâd spent the past eight years, was it fair of her to compare him to the carefree boy whoâd proposed marriage to her?
She
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