His Heart for the Trusting by Lisa Mondello

strength.
    Sara remembered
all too well how it had felt earlier to be in Mitch's arms.  Her heart still
raced with the memory.
    “What if she's
never ready to trust you?”
    Mitch's
expression grew serious, pulling her into his gaze.  He took a few steps
closer, his boots kicking up dust from the ground as he walked.  He stopped a
good ten feet from where she was standing and said, “I can wait as long as it
takes, Sara.”
     
    # # #
     
    Chapter Five
     
    “I'm leaving.”
    A jolt of panic
hit Mitch square in the center of his chest like electric shock from a socket. 
If he hadn't held tight to his spoon, he would have dropped it in his Corn
Flakes.
    “Wha-why?”  His
eyes darted to the packed bags Sara carefully placed on the floor by the
kitchen door.  “I thought everything was going okay.”
    Sara's lips
lifted ever so slightly at the corners.  Her dark eyes deepened with a mixture
of amusement and bewilderment.  “What on earth are you talking about?”
    “Me?  You’re
the one who just said you're leaving.”
    Her lips now
curled into a full-blown smile and the spoon finally slipped from his fingers
and plopped into the bowl of milk directly below. 
    “You didn't
hear a word I said last night, did you Mitch?”
    Last night?  He
thought back to the night before and drew a blank.  They'd talked briefly
during dinner.  And even then, neither of them said much because Jonathan
fussed and Sara kept getting up from the table to soothe him.  She'd said he
was cutting teeth and would probably be a little cranky for a while until it
broke through the gum.  After dinner, she spent some time rocking him to
sleep. 
    Mitch had
welcomed the reprieve.  Things had been a little...tense between him and Sara
since the incident in the workshop.  They talked amiably, mostly about
Jonathan.  Beyond that, he'd just been too busy for either of them to have time
to talk about anything else, let alone get past the awkwardness they'd felt.
    He'd kissed
her.  It was just a little kiss, but he could almost still taste her lips, and
feel the soft sweetness of her as he’d held her in his arms.  Yeah, that had
been a real swell idea, especially in light of what he'd suspected had gone on
in her marriage.  She had to have thought about it a thousand times since then,
just as he had, and finally decided it was time to pack her bags.
    But no, there
was something else.  Mitch searched the events of last night again and drew
another blank.  He'd been so tired lately his mind was a bit foggy.
    “What did we
talk about?” he finally asked, admitting defeat.
    “My taking
Jonathan to the reservation today.  It's mom's day off and I thought I'd go do
a little investigating, maybe even connect with an old friend or two so I can
best plan out the next few months.  I want to meet with the school principal
and see about setting up some classes for storytelling in the curriculum.  Mom
said she'd watch Jonathan while I did all that.”
    It sounded
vaguely familiar.  He'd been working the horses more and more lately, pleased
with the progress he'd made with them.  He's gone straight to the corral after
dinner.  After that, he'd gone into the workshop to finish the final touches on
the baby's crib.  He'd been so tired when he'd walked upstairs that he'd gone
straight to bed and slept like a dead horse. 
    No, he'd met
Sara in the hallway for just a brief moment before he'd turned in.  That must
have been when she'd mentioned her plans. 
    Mitch shrugged
apologetically.  “Yesterday was a really long day.”  He nodded to the overnight
bag.  “What's that for?”
    “I have some
things, some presents to give my family.  It was easier to stuff them all in a
suitcase with the things Jonathan was going to need than to carry everything
loose.”
    He nodded his
understanding.
    “You look
relieved.”
    Mitch gave a
quick laugh and settled back in his chair, wiping the spilled milk that
splattered on the table with a paper