That condition mattered more than the others. It protected the children from another borrowed promise and protected Adella from being turned into an answer to their grief. Wilbur covered one of her hands with his. Agreed. Adella's fingers tightened in his vest.
Then, yes, court me. He lifted one hand to her waist and stepped in. He paused there, not asking with words, but leaving her room to turn away. Adella did the opposite. She rose slightly on her toes, pulled him closer by the vest, and met him halfway.
Wilbur kissed her. It was slow and sure, stripped of every false gesture they had borrowed for Barnaby. Her arms came around his neck. When he drew back, she followed for one brief second kiss of her own. "Do not become pleased with yourself," she murmured.
"Too late." That was the only joke either of them managed before the screen door opened and Toby's head appeared. "Are we allowed to come out yet?" Adella stepped back, still holding Wilbur's hand. "Yes."
The 10 children spilled onto the porch. Wilbur looked at them and then at Adella. We have something to tell you. Ruthie gasped as if a circus had arrived. Wilbur pointed at her before she could speak.
Nothing about mothers. Nothing about weddings. The little girl clapped both hands over her mouth. Adella squeezed Wilbur's fingers. Mr. Jennings is courting me for real now.
Toby studied them with grave suspicion. Not play acting. Not play acting, Wilbur said. Martha grinned. Clara smiled.
Samuel asked whether courting meant extra pie and was told it did not. Then Wilbur called the evening count. This time Adella took every other name. The next morning nothing magical happened. There were still wet boots by the stove, backward sums on three slates, and a calf nosing the lower fence.
Adella still rode to Mrs. Miller's that evening. Wilbur still slept alone. Through December, she taught from the west room and took supper at the ranch by invitation. When snow made the road poor, Wilbur offered the buckboard or the guest room. She chose what suited the weather, and he never treated either choice as an answer about marriage.
Wilbur hired a widow from near Silvercliffe two days a week for washing and heavier work. The older children kept their chore turns. The ranch remained Wilbur's responsibility without requiring Adela to become its unpaid center. Adella began asking for help before she was worn out. Once she handed Wilbur a stack of primers and simply said, "Carry these, please."
Another evening she asked him to ride beside her over an icy bend. She received the help without turning it into a debt. In January, Wilbur made his old mistake in a smaller form. Clara asked whether Adella would stay for Sunday dinner, and he answered, "She will before thinking." Adella heard him.