For Love

Chapter 32

JASON

Jason chastely kissed Laurie's lips while she slept and closed their bedroom door with a quiet click. He quickly padded down the stairs and heard Lottie humming in the kitchen as he left the saloon.

First things first. Joshua and Jeremy had given him their brief accounts with men hovering around his elbows the night before, Lottie and the girls interjecting now and then. It was chaotic, but he had clearly understood the key points. He wanted to hear from Aaron what he saw while Joshua was dangling from the saloon. After that, he planned to wake Laurie and talk to her about what she had endured. His wife was right when she said they had a lot to discuss, but he wasn't sure just how much she was ready to divulge. No, it was best to hear the account from Aaron first, that way he'd know what question to ask Laurie later. It would save her a lot of pain, and him a lot of frustration.

Finding Aaron's home empty, Jason made his way to the mill. At a glance, he could see the office was just as deserted. He turned to leave when he heard shouts down by the water. Following the noise, he found Aaron holding the left side of his chest, yelling at Harv, his right-hand man who was naked from the waist up and hip-deep in water.

"What's going on, Aaron?" Jason asked, Harv's position startling him.

"Waterwheel is stuck," said Aaron, and he shifted his attention back to Harv. "I mean it. Whatever that is down there has got to come up."

Harv stopped wiggling the water out of his ear with his finger and shrugged. "I know, Mr. Stempel, but it's stuck real good. I need another fella down there. Maybe two."

"I'll go," a stout man said, pulling a wool cap off his bald head. "I ain't afraid o' water."

"All right. Both of you get the job done but don't be heroes. Take your time to do it right, but do it quickly. Otherwise, you'll have to come out, warm yourselves, and go back in. That water's cold."

"No kidding," Harv grumbled and slipped underneath the surface with the other man when Aaron sent him a scathing look.

"It seems to pour when it rains, doesn't it, Aaron?"

Aaron motioned for Jason to follow him and started walking toward his office. "Yeah, seems that way. What can I do for you?"

"When I got back last night, Jeremy and Josh told me I owe you a thank you for saving my brother's life."

"Yeah. Kinda thought Laurie might say something about that."

"Uh, well, we got a little sidetracked you might say." Jason tried to keep a straight face but felt the side of his mouth lift for a fraction of a second.

Aaron's eyebrow came up, and Jason shrugged. Aaron shook his head and began chuckling. "You devil, you."

"Yes, well, newlyweds and all." He tossed his hands up, at a loss for how else to say it.

Aaron laughed, his shoulders shaking. "Newlyweds. You know, I've gotten so used to Laurie being a part of your life sometimes I forget. Tell me... it was the ribbon, right? I told her it was a stroke of genius."

Jason nodded without really answering, having known the ribbing was inevitable. "What can I say?" When Aaron started laughing again, Jason shook his head. "Anyway, she's sleeping just now—"

"Wore the poor woman out, eh?" Aaron started laughing again, holding his side.

Jason gave him a withering look and continued, "And I wanted to ask you about it first."

"Why?"

"Because Laurie's been through a lot, and I figured if I could save her a few questions, all the better."