He paused, discomfort evident in his posture. She took a fancy to me, though I never encouraged it. When her father found out, he was furious. Accused me of trying to seduce her for her inheritance. "That's absurd," Delilah said immediately, surprising herself with the vehements of her reaction.
Yates's mouth quirked in a humorless smile. "Absurd, but dangerous." Thompson has influence in Dallas friends in law enforcement, business connections. He made it clear that my continued health depended on me disappearing. His eyes met Delilah's. I'd already purchased this land, was planning to leave soon anyway, but when I saw what happened to you at the church, I recognized another person being unfairly condemned.
The revelation explained so much his eagerness to leave Dallas, his understanding of her situation, perhaps even his impulsive offer of partnership. So, we're both running from something, Delilah said softly. Not running, Yates corrected. Building something new. There's a difference.
As their eyes held across the small space between them, Delilah felt something shift once again, another layer of pretense falling away, leaving a deeper understanding in its place. They were no longer just convenient allies. They were confidants, perhaps even friends, bound by shared secrets and mutual respect. The child chose that moment to kick vigorously, making Delilah gasp softly. Without thinking, she reached for Yates's hand, placing it on her belly.
"Feel!" she whispered. His eyes widened as he felt the movement beneath his palm. For a moment they were frozen in the intimacy of the gesture, his large hand gentle against the curve of her stomach, her smaller one resting at top his. Strong, Yates murmured, something like wonder in his expression, like its mother. The compliment simply delivered brought a rush of emotion to Delilah's throat.
Impulsively, she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, her lips brushing against the stubble along his jaw. "Thank you," she whispered, "for everything. The winter months brought challenges neither had fully anticipated. December arrived with a vengeance, blanketing the valley in snow and confining them largely to the cabin. The close quarters might have bred contempt, but instead fostered a deepening companionship as they found ways to pass the long evenings, Yates whittling by the fire while Delila read aloud, teaching each other card games they remembered from childhood, sharing stories of their pasts.
As Christmas approached, Delilah found herself wanting to create some semblance of celebration despite their isolation and limited resources. Using skills nearly forgotten from her childhood, she secretly fashioned a small gift for Yates, a new hatband braided from leather scraps, embellished with bead work she traded for during their last trip to Clearwater. On Christmas Eve, with the wind howling outside and snow piling against the cabin walls, Delilah surprised Yates with a special dinner rabbit stew with dumplings using precious stores of flour and the last of the summer herbs she dried. "What's the occasion?" he asked, though the twinkle in his eye suggested he knew perfectly well Christmas, she replied simply. "I thought we should mark it somehow." After the meal, she presented him with the hatband wrapped in a scrap of the blue fabric.
"It isn't much," she said nervously as he examined it. "It's perfect," Yates said, running his fingers over the intricate bead work. "I've never had anything so finely made." He hesitated, then reached into his pocket. "I have something for you, too." Was going to wait until tomorrow, but he handed her a small package. Inside Delilah found a brooch silver fashioned in the shape of a flower.