“Me too.” He turned to her with some effort. “You know I can't stay forever, though.”
“About that. I think I may have some good news for you.”
Nothing short of Garrett being buried six feet under would be enough to allow him to stay with her. “Oh, yeah. What's that?”
“On his way back from the feed store, Cole saw the sheriff at the Monroe house. He said Mr. Monroe was handcuffed and being loaded into the back of a county vehicle.”
Ezra stopped in his tracks and faced her. That was some news he could work with. Had they tried to pull off that bank job? “Was anyone else arrested?”
Charlotte looked at him strangely. “Well, Cole didn't say, but I'm sure he'd have mentioned it if there had been more people there.”
Leaning in, Ezra kissed her lightly on the cheek. “Thank you. That is good news.
Her face flushed and she turned away.
“I like you, Charlotte Renee. Always have.”
“I like you, too.” Her head turned back to him in question. “Wait, how do you know my middle name?”
“From that first day we met. Remember? Your father saw us talking. He called for you to get away from me as if I was some kind of leper.” He chuckled at the memory. The look on Charlotte’s face when her father had called out to her was the same one she got when he kissed her cheek. The one that made him fall in love with her.
“You could’ve been any boy, and he'd have done the same. It was nothing against you, personally.”
“Yeah, I get it.” Maybe she believed that, but the truth was, her father was protecting her from a thief. He didn't blame him. “That day, I fell in love with your soft curls, your sweet smile, and the way your cheeks blushed when you looked at me.” He touched her cheek. “I didn’t want you to leave.”
“And here we are. Together again.”
Ezra fought the urge to pull her in his arms and kiss her. This time on her sweet lips. But he didn't have to hope for long because she turned to him, leaned up on her toes, and pecked him on the lips. Admiring her boldness, he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. Her hand came to the back of his neck as he took in her warm lips.
When she pulled away, he touched her reddened face. “Please don't tell me you regret it because I don't.”
“I want you to stay.” Her eyes pleaded with him. “Whatever happened, we can figure it out. Please say you'll stay.”
“I want to, Charlotte. More than anything.” He kissed her again. “But I can't make any promises.”
“It's settled then.” She released his hand. “You'll stay.” With a dash, she ran off toward the river.
“Wait! I said no promises!” He straggled after her, a hand to his wounded shoulder. His body had a long way to go, but his heart was vibrant.
She was almost to the riverbank when she glanced back. Out of breath, Ezra rolled onto the ground, holding his arm, and groaning.
“Ezra!” She rushed back to his side and bent down over him. “Are you okay?”
Pulling her to the ground beside him, he leaned in and kissed her again.
“You tricked me, you big lug!” She slapped at his good arm.
“Can I have one more?”
“You don't have to trick me to get a kiss.” She leaned up on her elbow beside him and placed her lips softly on his.
A hunger grew inside him, stronger than he'd ever felt before. A longing to be a good man. To belong somewhere. There, with Charlotte.
“A penny for your thoughts?” She touched his face.
“All the pennies in the world couldn't pay for the depth of my thoughts.”
“How about an IOU? I'm good for it.”
“Let's get out of this dirt and go sit by the river.”
“And you'll tell me?”
He nodded.
They stood, and he put an arm around her waist. “I think I really did hurt myself.”
“That's what you get for crying wolf.”
Ezra grinned. He’d give a thousand hurts to feel her lips on his again.
Chapter 6—Charlotte
As they sat on the bank of the river, Charlotte had no idea what she expected him to say. The affection they'd shared over the last week had been deeper than she'd ever imagined. And then he'd kissed her cheek, and she'd wanted more. Maybe her daddy would be ashamed of her for being so bold to kiss Ezra, but she hadn't let that stop her. It was beyond all reason for her to love him, but she did.
“How did you get your education?” he asked. “There are no schools out this way.”
“Oh, no you don't Ezra McCain. You promised me facts. Start talking.”
Ezra grinned and took her hand. “I don't remember promising, but if you’re sure you want to know, I'll tell you.”
“I do.”
“And you won't hate me when I'm done?”
“I could never hate you.”
“Don’t bet your chickens on that one. You won't be eating scrambled eggs for some time.”
“Tell me.”
“What do you want to know?”
She wanted to know where he came from, how he ended up with a dirty rat like Mr. Monroe, how he got those stripes on his back, where his real parents were . . . and so many more questions, but she settled for one. “How did you get shot?”
Ezra shifted. “You would go right in for the kill.” He stopped as if in deep thought.
“Don't tell me some half-truth. Please. I'm a big girl.”
“You’re more than a girl, Charlotte, you're a beautiful woman.”
“You're stalling again.” Still, she reveled in his words.
“It's hard to start there. You'd have to hear the whole story to understand the end.”
“I'm listening.”
Ezra leaned in and sighed. “I was six when my mother passed away. My father took it really hard. At first, he bottled it all up inside, but then he turned to a real bottle. He drank himself to sleep most nights. From my bedroom, I listened to him sob. He was a shattered man, and I, too, was broken. I yearned for my mother's love.” He sniffled.
“How did she die?”
“Dad said it was cancer. I'm not sure what kind. All I know is that she died a slow, agonizing death. And it killed my father and me.” He stopped, picked up a rock, and threw it into the river.
Charlotte's heart broke for the young boy who had to endure such a loss. She knew loss, but she’d had a good childhood before enduring that hardship.
“So, by the time I was eight, my father had lost his job and did nothing but sit at home and drink. He took his anguish out on me. Over and over again. I was a constant reminder of my mother. By the time I was ten, I’d had enough. I ran away, and that’s where I met Garrett. He took me in, and, as much as people think he’s a horrible man, he took care of me. I’m not ashamed to say, that because of him, I’m alive.”
“But isn’t he the one who shot you? Ezra, you―”
Ezra placed a finger to her lips. “He is. But you gotta understand. Garrett grew up rough, too. That old house was passed down to him by his father. I’ve heard stories about him being tied to a tree and getting his feet burned for stealing a nickel from his daddy. Sometimes behaviors are inherited. Passed down from generation to generation, and Garrett Monroe was certainly better to me than his father was to him.”
She didn’t understand why he was defending the guy who shot him in the back. “Tell me about the shooting.”
“So, Garrett is a, well, let’s just say he’s resourceful. His cotton fields were dying, and he had no help to keep them going. He didn’t start out being a bad guy. For a couple years after I got there, we did everything we could to keep the fields going. But we just couldn’t do it. One day he says to me, let’s go for a drive. We were hungry. Our fingers were blistered from picking cotton, and we had only two small bags to show for it. Barely enough to even pay the cost of gas. We drove into town, and he told me to wait in the car. Fifteen minutes later he came back with two bags of groceries, and we ate like king
s.”
“He robbed a grocery store?”
“I’m really not sure. All’s I know is that I was hungry and he fed me. I had so much respect for him that I told him I wanted to help out, too. The next thing I know, we’re driving all the way to Scottsdale to break into homes and cars of the rich. It was like we were Robin Hoods robbing from the rich to give to the poor . . . only we were the poor.”
“And that was okay with you?” She heard the condemnation in her tone. “I’m sorry.”
“No. I get it. And yeah, my conscience weighed heavily on me for a while. But you have to understand. For the longest four years of my life, I mourned the loss of my mother and was treated like an outcast by my own father. Garrett took care of me. He taught me to read and write, gave me life skills, and he fed me. No matter what you say about Garrett Malone, he cared for me like my father never did.”
“I understand.” She touched his arm. “Go on.”
“So, Garrett said if we stick to Scottsdale, we would never get caught. It’s a good three hours away, and no one would come looking this far out if we were careful. He said those people could afford to lose a little here and there. But that day, the day he shot me, everything went wrong. Garrett had lost his mind. He wanted to rob a bank at gunpoint. We’d never done anything like that. No one ever got hurt before.”
“So, you tried to leave?”
“I got up and walked away. I couldn’t be a part of that. I’ve never seen Garrett kill a man with my own eyes, but I know he has. Mostly people who double-crossed him. So, when I walked out that door, I did it, knowing that I would most likely die.”
Charlotte leaned her head on his shoulder. There was so much to take in. So much to understand. Ezra was a criminal plain and simple, but hadn’t she known that?
“You hate me now?”
“No. Of course not. Ezra, you were just a kid. No one would hold that against you.”
“Maybe not. But I’m not a kid anymore. I’m a grown man, and I chose to be a part of his gang of hoodlums. I could’ve walked away at any time.”
“And get shot in the back?”
He leaned his head on hers. “Thanks for saving me. I never knew how much I wanted to live until I woke up to your green eyes looking back at me.”
“It’s never too late to change.”
Chapter 7—Ezra
“You like my sister, don’t you,” Cole said as he and Ezra laid the four by four white bathroom tile into the mortar.
Ezra knew the question was coming after Cole had witnessed them holding hands. “I do.”
“What are your intentions with her?” Cole laid another tile down and straightened it with a spacer on each side.
“Not sure what you mean.” Ezra kept his eyes on spreading mortar.
“I mean, is she just a free place to stay to you or do you care about her?”
Ezra looked up and into the boy’s eyes. He respected him for his concern for Charlotte.
“I care for her very much. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”
“So, if you had to, you would―”
Charlotte popped her head in the doorway. “Cole, Samantha’s on the phone.”
Cole dropped the tile into place, jumped up, wiped his hands on his pant legs, and rushed out.
“He’s got it bad,” Charlotte said looking around. “You guys did great work.”
“We’re almost finished. Wanna help?” Ezra flicked a clump of mortar at her, and it fell short, hitting the ground.
“Sure.” She sat down and flicked it back at him. It landed right on his nose.
“Nice shot.” Ezra wiped his nose, smearing the mortar all over his face.
Grabbing a paper towel from the roll next to her, she lifted it to her mouth, wet it with her tongue, and wiped the mortar from his face.
“You drive me crazy when you do that,” Ezra teased, swiping his hand in a fan in front of his face.
“What?” Her face turned a deep shade of red. “Wipe the mortar from your nose?”
“Exactly. Makes a man want to cry out in pain.”
“I’ll show you pain, Ezra McCain,” she teased back.
“Get to work, before I kiss you again.”
“Promise?”She flirted as she laid another tile into the mortar.
“Never make a promise I can’t keep.” He leaned in and kissed her. “One for each tile you lay.”
“I hope you and Cole had no such arrangement.”
“Now you’ve gone too far.” He laughed heartily.
“I’m just teasing. Get some of that mortar spread, I’m waiting for my next kiss.”
With each tile laid and spaced, Ezra kissed her. When they were all finished, they stood back and admired their work. “We make a great team, Charlotte Renee.”
“We do.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him again. He pulled her close and allowed his emotions to take over, drowning in her warmth.
“Eh-hmm” a voice came from behind, and they separated like school kids caught making out. Cole looked around them to the bathroom floor. “I see you got the tile finished. Surprising with how distracted you two are with each other.”
“Just a celebratory kiss, my man. Tomorrow we can spread the grout, and the next day, we’ll install those commodes.”
“Yeah,” Cole grumbled. “Nice work. I’m going to go tend to the horses.”
Cole sidled away with his fists at his sides. It was easy to tell he was not happy about seeing his sister cuddled up in the arms of a villain.
“Maybe you should go talk to him,” he said. “I don’t want to cause any family issues.”
“He’ll be okay. He’s just worried about me.”
Charlotte turned away. He could tell there was something more going on in her brain.
“You agree with him?”
“It’s not that. I care for you, Ezra.”
“But?”
“But.” She turned toward him. “I’m a Christian. God is important to me.”
“And He doesn’t want you wrapped up in the likes of me?”
“No. No. That’s not how God is. I mean, He wants us . . . Ezra, don’t you see? God brought you here. Instead of kissing and flirting with you, I should be telling you about Him.”
“Charlotte, I have no use for a God who would let my mother die, allow my father to beat me, and put me in a position to have to steal for my supper.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “I don’t know why you had to go through that. But can’t you see the good in it? It brought you here, didn’t it?”
Ezra wiped his hands on his pants and turned. “That’s a whole lot of bad just to get me here. He could’ve taken an easier route than that.”
Chapter 8—Charlotte
Ezra walked away, leaving Charlotte standing there, watching him. There was nothing she could say to make him understand. Charlotte didn’t get it herself. How could she explain to him that in her heart, she felt that God had led him to her? It sounded crazy even as she made sense of it in her own head, but Ezra McCain was there for a purpose. And if falling in love was a part of that purpose, she was happy for it. But most of all, she felt God wanted Ezra to come to Him.
Putting her feelings aside, Charlotte went to the stables. She needed to ride, and Samson would be ready for a good trot.
Samson had always been her horse. She’d been only eleven when she’d cared for his mother, Lucy. Charlotte had bathed her, walked her, and spoiled her rotten when she was pregnant with Samson. And when she was foaling, Charlotte spent the entire night in the barn with her, making sure she was okay. She’d wiped the sweat from her brow and whispered sweet words in her ear as Samson’s head peeked out. Charlotte had cried tears of joy that day and claimed Samson as her own.
No one could tell her that God was not loving. The miracle of new life was proof of that. Nothing could prove the majesty of God more than the nature all around her. The way the earth spun on its axis, never falling off. The gorgeous sunsets, and the stars that shone i
n the sky. The way the wind blew spreading seed, and the bees, pollinating fruit. Everything was connected, and if you look hard enough, you could see the face of God, smiling, loving, caring for His children.
Saddling up her horse, she took him out. She mounted him and gently squeezed his sides, prompting him to move forward. Clicking her mouth, she nudged him into a canter. Soon he was galloping through the trail and down to the river. The hot wind bit at her face, but she didn’t care. She needed to talk to God, and when she was out in the open, just her and Samson, she was better at listening.
Samson stopped at the river, and she climbed down from the saddle as he went to the water to drink. She sat on the bank and poured out her heart to God. Asking Him to change things for Ezra and for her. And, as much as it pained her, she asked Him to transform the heart of Garrett Malone. People didn’t change easily, but with God, all things were possible.
The sound of hooves came up from behind, and Charlotte looked up. It was Cole.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked.
Cole jumped down and led his horse to drink at the river next to Samson. Sitting down next to her, he said. “I thought this is where you’d be. I wanted to speak to you.”
“It couldn’t wait?”
“Well, it seems lately you’re never alone.”
“Cole, I know what you’re going to say, and there’s no need to worry.”
“I am worried. You and Ezra are getting too close.” He put a hand on her back. “Charlie, I’m afraid what might happen. Garrett Malone is a dangerous man. And Ezra, how well do you know him?”
Charlotte turned away from him. She didn't believe that Ezra was dangerous, but she agreed that his presence could cause serious issues for them. She hadn’t planned on falling for him, it just happened. She worried that she was falling for the first man that showed her attention, but in her heart, she felt she’d loved Ezra from the first time they’d met.
“I’m not trying to be critical, sis. I just want you to be cautious.”
“I know. I get it. Thank you for looking out for me.”
The Cowboy's Forbidden Bride (The Blushing Brides Book 4) Page 5
