“Starved,” Corey spoke up.
“Let’s get you all something to eat, then.”
Beth’s son, who’d been sticking to his mother’s side, finally moved toward them. “I’ll show you where you can put your horses. Is that an Indian pony?” he asked Corey.
“Hope not. I caught him wild and don’t want to get scalped for doing it.”
“We have wild horses on our land, but my ma won’t let me get near them.”
Corey winked. “She’s a smart woman. Better listen to her. This one about kicked my teeth in before we became friends.”
“Can I be his friend?” asked the boy.
“I don’t know.” Corey rubbed his chin. “Sugarfoot’s pretty selective. Why don’t you come over here and let her give you a sniff?”
The boy turned to Beth with pleading blue eyes.
“As long as you don’t touch her without permission. But first I want you meet your namesake.” She touched the boy’s shoulder and angled him in Braddock’s direction. “Christopher Braddock Hartman, meet Christopher Braddock.” Braddock stared at the child. He should have known Jay would follow through with his threat to name his unborn child after him. His only hope had been that the child Beth had carried would have been a girl. Poor kid.
“Both names, huh?” was all he could think to say. The kid looked too old to change his name now.
The boy returned Braddock’s stare with none of the eagerness he’d shown toward Corey. Beth urged her son forward with a gentle shove.
“Do you think Jay could be persuaded to do any less? I guess you’re just lucky he didn’t name him Captain Christopher Braddock Hartman.”
“I’m not a captain anymore,” said Braddock, not because it needed to be said, but because he was at a loss. Something was expected of him but he didn’t know what.
The child inched toward him reluctantly.
Braddock could feel Lorelei’s gaze on him. She would see just how truly incompetent he was with anyone who wasn’t a criminal or an enemy, and she’d be glad to be rid of him. Still, he didn’t want to scar the child for life. He already had his plate full, with the cross of a name he’d been given.
Braddock hunched down, trying to bring himself to the boy’s level, and reached out.
The boy placed his small hand in Braddock’s. “Nice to meet you. My dad says you’re a hero.”
Braddock shook with a gentle grip, but he couldn’t find the smile he wanted to give. “No, your dad’s the hero.” Christopher Braddock Hartman grinned from ear to ear. “Really? What’d he do?”
Braddock rested one knee on the ground. “He had you. And your brother and sisters. That’s pretty brave, if you ask me.”
Braddock hadn’t said it as a joke but the child laughed anyway. “That’s what my ma says when we try to teach her to ride. She says having so many kids is all the excitement she can stand.”
“It is. I don’t need to go racing around on the backs of those big animals when I have plenty to do with chasing after you and your sister.”
Christopher Braddock Hartman looked to the sky while a silly, upside-down grin tugged at his mouth. Braddock recognized the gesture as his father’s. He hadn’t seen Jay make that face since before his injury, and he wondered if it had been passed down like his blond hair and blue eyes. Braddock got a funny feeling in his chest. To his horror he felt like he was going to cry. He hadn’t cried since the first year of the war. But the emotion, being as overwhelming as it was, he recognized instantly.
“My mama’s afraid of horses,” little Christopher whispered loudly.
Braddock swallowed hard and forcibly got himself under control.
“I’m not!” yelled the boy’s sister. She escaped from Lorelei and ran in their direction. She stopped in front of Braddock and stuck her fingers in her belly button. “I’m not afraid of horses,” she said as she swayed from side to side.
Braddock stood mute, totally unsure of the proper etiquette with naked female children. He glanced at Beth, who seemed amused over his discomfort. A glance to Lorelei garnered the same response.
“She can’t ride yet. She’s too little,” said Chris. “Is that your horse?”
Braddock’s gaze strayed to where Chris pointed, knowing Lucky was the horse in question. Now that the little girl was taking inventory of her body parts, Braddock needed something to do with his eyes.
“Yep. That’s Lucky.”
“Can I ride him?”
“Christopher,” reprimanded Beth. “How many times have I told you not to ask people if you can ride their horses? Now, go take your sister around back and finish her bath so I can get our guests something to eat.”