“You didn’t answer my question. Why didn’t you come for me? I sent word to your father through a trusted friend and begged him to send you to rescue me as soon as you came home.” More memories of those days returned. “I’m not being fair. He died the day you returned, didn’t he? I didn’t learn of it until months later when I found a newspaper Lucius had forbidden me to read. He probably died before he could tell you about my plea.” She reached across the divide between them to squeeze his hand, puzzled by the furious frown he wore. Didn’t he believe her? If not, then they couldn’t be friends. And that would break her heart all over again.
* * *
The day had worn Justice down, but Evangeline’s revelation reignited his energy as only anger could.
“Father tried to tell me something about you. All he could manage was your name. I didn’t understand how close to death he was, or I would have begged him to tell me more. Instead, I let him sleep. He never woke up.”
Evangeline rested her delicate hand on his rough one and squeezed again. “Oh, Justice, I’m so sorry. Poor Mr. Gareau. Trying with his last breath to save our future for us.” More tears fell, but at least this time she didn’t weep as before. Seeing her cry tore at his soul as much as seeing Gerard up a tree with a cougar reaching for his heels.
“If I’d known your father imprisoned you in your own home, I’d have broken down the doors to reach you. All I ever wanted was to spend my life with you.” He pulled her into his arms again and kissed the top of her head. Her golden curls tickled his nose. In the midst of their shared grief, this bit of humor lightened the burden on his heart, while her gardenia perfume evoked sweet memories. How endearing was the trusting way she lay against his chest, she who had been so badly treated by the men in her life, including him. Somehow he must repair the damage, if only his part.
“Evangeline, maybe it’s not too late for us.”
She gazed up at him through tear-filled eyes. “Maybe not.” She touched his face, which still stung as it thawed from icy windburn. “Where do we go from here?”
“Would you permit me to court you?”
“Court?” Her eyes widened, and color brightened her face. “Oh.” Her forehead wrinkled as she appeared to ponder the question. His pulse began to race at her hesitation...until she smiled. “Yes. I’d like that.”
He slowly exhaled with relief. “Good.” He cradled her face again, taking care not to scrape her with his dry, rough hand.
As she leaned against him, he felt happiness was just within reach. All he needed to do was take hold of it. Tomorrow he would show her his house, maybe ask her advice on draperies and such. If all went well, he would take the next step. Or, rather, he’d ask the Lord to direct his next step.
* * *
After several years of making his home above the jail, Justice enjoyed sleeping in a real bedroom in a house filled with warmth and love, even with three small boys snoring in harmony in the other beds. Being here at the Northams’ reinforced Justice’s belief he’d done right to ask Evangeline’s permission to court her. Yes, they still must sort out a few things, but he awoke on Saturday morning fully thawed-out from yesterday and ready to take another step with her. Although they’d both been too tired to discuss the future last night, he now felt both nervous and excited about showing her his almost completed house. If their courtship led to marriage and she didn’t like the house, he’d sell it and build one she did like.
After helping Nate with the morning chores, he found his lady in the kitchen helping Susanna prepare breakfast. Her beauty stole his breath away just as the impact of Gerard landing on his chest had the day before. He rubbed the spot where a bruise had formed to match the one near his right eye. When finally able to speak, he addressed his hostess.
“Susanna, would you mind watching Gerard and Isabelle today? I’d like to take Evangeline to town for a little while.” He glanced at her. “That is, if you’ll go with me.”
“Of course she will.” Susanna laughed in her sweet way. “And of course I will. It’s about time.” She muttered her last remark.
Nate chuckled. “Sheriff, you may as well admit it. You were a goner the moment Evangeline stepped off of that train. Once Susanna sets her sights on matchmaking, nobody’s safe.”
While the others laughed, Evangeline’s face turned a becoming shade of pink. Justice couldn’t tell whether she was embarrassed or pleased by the teasing, but he did notice the wariness in her eyes had disappeared. Winning her trust meant a great deal to him.
“Coffee?” She placed a china cup on a matching saucer, poured coffee and handed it to him with the grace of a society lady serving a guest. “Do you still prefer it black?”
“Yes, thank you.” He managed to brush her hand as he took the saucer. A pleasant sensation skittered up his arm, and he shivered, causing the cup to rattle on the saucer.
“Are you all right?” The loving concern in her expression warmed his heart.
For most of his life, especially since coming to Esperanza, he hadn’t lacked friends who cared about him. Yet this was something deeper, something between just the two of them. Could they truly move beyond the past and into that special relationship between a man and a woman?
“I couldn’t be better.” He set down his coffee and grasped her hand. “Do you mind going to town on a Saturday?”
“I’d love to.”
“Love to what?” Gerard entered the kitchen rubbing sleep from his eyes. The other children filed in behind him and took their places at the table.
Evangeline brought them plates of scrambled eggs and biscuits. “Sheriff Gareau has asked me to go to town with him for a while. You children are going to stay home and bake cookies with Cousin Susanna.”
“Oh.”
Justice watched with dismay as a familiar frown darkened the boy’s face. Hadn’t they gotten past this animosity?
“Gerard.” Nate must have noticed his mood, because he spoke in a too-cheerful tone. “Would you help me with that new foal today?”
His eyebrows rose, but he didn’t smile. “Yessir.”
Could be the cookie baking idea he didn’t like. Justice would have to proceed cautiously with the boy so as not to lose the ground he’d gained yesterday. How many times, in how many ways would he have to prove to Gerard he was his friend?
After breakfast, they bade the children goodbye and bundled up in the sleigh. The sun shone dimly through a winter haze, the expected blizzard having spent itself on the Sangre de Cristo Range. The sleigh runners shooshed along the tracks they’d made the night before, and the horses kept a brisk pace, probably eager to get back to the warmth of the livery stable.
The closer they got to town, the tighter Justice’s chest grew. What if she didn’t like the house?
Chapter Thirteen
Unable to talk because of the wind blowing against their faces, Evangeline snuggled close to Justice, feeling true happiness for the first time in many years. She hadn’t slept much last night for the myriad of thoughts churning through her mind. Permitting Justice to court her was a dream come true, but during their courtship, they would have some practical matters to sort out.
The first, of course, concerned the children. While Gerard had shown gratitude toward Justice last night, this morning he seemed less than cheerful toward the man who’d saved his life. Isabelle, on the other hand, had been her usual sweet self, gazing at Justice as if he were her favorite person in the world.
Another problem involved where they would live if the courtship led to marriage. She knew Justice resided above the jail in what must be a small apartment, probably one with insufficient room for her and the children to join him there. Still, they’d make do. She didn’t know how much money a sheriff earned, but again, whatever amount it was, she’d make the best of it. She’d continue her work at the library, of course, and perhaps
take in sewing.
Her biggest concern was cooking, assuming he had some sort of stove in his apartment. Even after two months of Susanna’s tutelage, she still hadn’t been able to comprehend the secrets for preparing tasty, nourishing food. Her cousin never measured anything. A dash of this, a pinch of that, a handful of something else and delicious meals came into being. Evangeline couldn’t catch on no matter how hard she tried. But she was getting ahead of herself. If they couldn’t resolve the other issues, she’d never have to confess her deficiency.
Beside her, Justice continued to drive with his usual skill, apparently untroubled by such concerns. They reached the outskirts of town, and instead of driving to the livery stable on Main Street, he reined the horses down a side street with lovely two-story residences on either side. To her surprise, he pulled the horses to a stop in front of a particularly pretty red brick house with a wide, fenced-in front yard. Like several of its neighbors, it boasted a broad, covered wraparound porch with a balcony above it. The front door had an oval etched-glass window, with rectangular sidelights on either side.
“What do you think?” As Justice nodded toward the house, his expression was unreadable, and yet she sensed a little tremor in his voice. Here was a man who could face a cougar to save her son, and yet he seemed afraid of her reaction to this place.
“What a lovely house, Justice. Do you know who lives there?” Yes, she was deliberately being coy. She hoped he didn’t mind her teasing.
“Maybe we will.” The raw vulnerability in his voice almost made the statement a question.
“Oh, my.” She didn’t have to pretend to be enthusiastic. “Justice, it’s—” Tears choked off the rest of her words. Bother. Why couldn’t she stop crying?
“You don’t like it?” His laughter showed he was taking a turn at teasing her...and that he was relieved.
She tossed off the woolen blankets. “Take me inside.”
He climbed from the sleigh and stomped through the snow to her side. There he lifted her in his arms and carried her through the gate and up the front walk, where he set her down.
“If we get married, I’ll carry you all the way inside.”
“Yes, you will.” She gave him a saucy look.
These past two months with Susanna and Nate had shown her what a happy marriage could be. No fear of speaking her mind. No cringing when he lifted his hand toward her, no matter how hard it was to retrain her reactions. Plenty of light-hearted teasing.
She grasped his offered forearm and walked up the three steps to the porch.
“Madame.” Justice opened the door and bowed like a footman. “My domicile awaits your approval.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Or disapproval, whatever the case may be.”
“I love it already.” She stepped over the threshold into the spacious entryway.
“May I take your coat?”
She relinquished her wraps, and he hung them and his own on the large mahogany hall tree, a magnificent piece with a leather seat, rectangular mirror and umbrella holders.
In the center of the entry, a wide staircase with mahogany banisters beckoned. Rooms on either side held miscellaneous furniture set about randomly, awaiting arrangement. The front parlor on the right was furnished with an exquisite Persian rug, a damask settee and several chairs. A roaring fire filled the hearth. She entered the room, appreciating the warmth but curious about who’d started the fire. “What a grand place for family gatherings in the evening.” She turned to Justice. “I love it all.”
“You don’t have to say that.” He moved to her side and put an arm around her waist. “If we marry, you can change anything you don’t like.”
“Yes, ma’am.” A man appeared from the next room, possibly the dining room. “You say the word, and we’ll change anything you don’t like.” He shook hands with Justice. “Sheriff, I hope you don’t mind our fires in the fireplaces. It’s a mite hard to work in the cold.”
“Certainly. I’d expect it. Evangeline, meet Joe Wilkins.” Justice clapped the man on the shoulder. “He’s my building supervisor. Joe, this is Mrs. Benoit.”
“How d’ya do, ma’am.” The middle-aged man gave her a respectful nod.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Joe.” She returned a warm smile.
Judging from Justice’s pleased expression, he didn’t fault her for it. Lucius had forbidden her to smile at the servants and workmen. He’d always said she should treat them as inferiors, as he did. How good it felt to be friendly with those whose services made life easier. And from the looks of this house, Justice’s wife would have a much easier life than if she lived over a jailhouse. Once Joe returned to work in the other room, she looped an arm in Justice’s.
“Would you be so kind as to give me the grand tour?” Right away, she regretted using the term. The last time they’d spoken of a grand tour, it had brought him only pain.
This time, he seemed not to notice, if his wide smile was any indication. “I’d be delighted, my lady.”
He led her through the dining room and into the kitchen, where a wooden icebox, a work table, a cabinet, a center table and chairs and various cooking implements offered a homey welcome. However, an enormous enamel and cast-iron range gave her pause.
“My, my. That’s quite a cook stove.”
Justice smiled with pride. “Do you like it?”
“I suppose a woman who cooks would like it very much.” She gave him an apologetic shrug. “I’ve never learned, and even Susanna, who cooks so well, hasn’t managed to teach me.”
“Hmm.” He cleared his throat dramatically. “Well, I planned to hire a cook. No reason to change that plan...if we get married.”
“That’s quite an expense. Are you sure you don’t want me to try to learn—”
He stopped her with a kiss. A long kiss that made her knees weak and made her forget why she was worried. When he finally released her, he brushed a hand down her cheek.
“Sweetheart, I have something to tell you that may ease your worries, at least about finances.” He led her to the table and seated her in one of the ladder-back chairs. “After I left the Texas Rangers, I didn’t come directly to Esperanza. I went farther west, deep into the San Juan Mountains, where I found a nice little vein of gold, and it’s still producing.”
“What?” She gaped at him, unable to comprehend his words.
He shrugged and gave her his cockeyed grin. “Let’s just say, if we decide to get married, you won’t have to worry about learning to cook. Or cleaning house. Or washing clothes. We’ll hire a housekeeper, and you can spend your days as you like.”
Evangeline jumped up and walked to the back window, staring for several moments at the snow-covered yard and several outbuildings. A gold mine. Spending her days as she liked. Why, she’d be nothing more than a wealthy man’s ornament, as she’d been for Lucius. And why did Justice risk his life being a sheriff when he could do whatever he wished? It didn’t make sense.
“Is something wrong?” He stepped up behind her and gently touched her shoulders.
She turned around to face him. “I don’t want just to sit and be waited on. I’ve never cared about shopping for the latest fashions or idly drinking tea with other ladies. By working at the library, I finally found something useful to do with my life, and I plan to continue doing it.” She gave him a soft scowl. More of a pout, if she were honest with herself.
“Furthermore—” and far more important “—why on earth do you risk your life being a sheriff when you could do whatever you like?”
He grasped her shoulders again and stared into her eyes. “Because I finally found something useful to do with my life.” He pulled her into his arms, and she didn’t resist. “When I couldn’t protect my father from his crooked partners, I promised the Lord I’d protect other people from criminals. It’s a calling, as you have a calling to encourage folk
s to read. Look at the way you’ve put good books into the hands of people like Adam Starling. He can’t afford to go to college or buy books, but he’s teaching himself through those library books. I would never take that away from you.”
He moved back and lifted her chin so she couldn’t escape his gaze. “My darling Evangeline, we’ve lost so much in this life because of other people’s schemes. Now we have the opportunity to make up for the past. Don’t let misplaced pride come between us.” He tugged her close again.
She willingly rested her head against his chest. She was being silly, of course. Foolish, more like it. “Maybe I’m simply resisting the idea that it’s all right for me to be happy.”
“I’d like to spend the rest of my life making you the happiest woman in the world.”
“And my children?” Isabelle already adored Justice, and Gerard surely regarded him as his new hero.
An odd little grimace crossed his face.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.” He took her hand and led her back toward the dining room. “Let me show you the rest of the house.”
As they climbed the front staircase, she dismissed the shadow threatening to come over her. If they married, they would be happy—all of them together in this beautiful house.
“We have four bedrooms.” Waving a hand toward the center hallway, Justice spoke as if they were already engaged, as if the house were already hers as well as his.
“How grand.” She inspected the first two rooms. Isabelle and Gerard could each have a room, and the smallest chamber could be her sewing room. She blushed as she viewed the largest room across the front of the house, which she and Justice would share...if they could resolve all of their problems and marry. He, on the other hand, seemed more interested in her opinion of the shiny new bathroom.
“What do you think?” He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorjamb while she inspected the facilities.
“I think you have the most modern house in Esperanza.” She walked across the small space separating them and melted into his arms. “Any woman would be thrilled to enjoy such a luxury.”
Cowboy Lawman's Christmas Reunion Page 19
