Almost a Bride (The Bride Ships Book 4)

by Jody Hedlund

  It would be just his luck if she happened to recognize him.

  He picked up his shot glass, tipped in the last mouthful, and let the liquid burn down his throat.

  As the woman stepped into the open doorway again, Zeke zeroed in on her lovely features even though his gut warned that he was heading toward danger. Her face was gently rounded with a flush highlighting her cheeks. Her eyes were wide, revealing a dark brown richer than the deepest layers of earth. And her lips were slightly parted, her fingers pressed against them, as if to stifle any words that might try to escape.

  In spite of the dust of travel, she radiated beauty and sweetness. Like a lone mountain flower that somehow had managed to flourish amidst the waste-rock debris. Though worry etched her face, something in her expression reflected an innocence that tugged at his protective instincts.

  Before she could make it inside the shop, Herb appeared behind her, grabbed her arm, and spun her around so swiftly that she let out a startled cry.

  Zeke leaped to his feet. His chair bumped against a shelf and knocked several tins to the floor. He started across the store. “Let her go, Herb.”

  Herb took hold of the woman’s shoulders. “Miss Millington, please don’t walk away. I love you.”

  Behind Herb, a stout black woman swatted Herb on the back. “Let go of Miss Kate or you gonna be in real trouble.”

  Herb was oblivious to everyone except for the young woman. He leaned in as though he planned to kiss her.

  She tried to wrench free, releasing another cry, this one louder.

  In three long strides, Zeke reached the doorway and pinched Herb’s wrists, giving the miner no choice but to let go of his captive. Once the woman was loose, Zeke shoved Herb, causing him to stumble backward out the door, trip across the boardwalk, and fall into the street on his backside.

  Zeke dodged past the woman and went after Herb.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Hart?” Herb yelled up at him, red-faced, his hat knocked off and rolling down the street.

  “Coming to the lady’s defense. I can’t abide any man using force on a woman.”

  “She’s my woman—”

  “Not anymore.”

  “She agreed to marry me, and I aim to hold her to it.”

  “You can’t force her. Not when she’s changed her mind.”

  “That right!” The black woman now stood next to Zeke on the boardwalk, fists on her hips, glaring down at Herb.

  “Zeke?” the woman said from behind them. “Zeke Hart?”

  Zeke froze. A colorful word slipped out. The woman was one of the broken hearts he’d left behind in Manchester. And now he was caught. His backbone stiffened in preparation for the coming wrath and the tongue-lashing he deserved.

  “Zoe’s been looking for you. In fact, you’re one of the reasons she came to the colonies.” The woman’s tone rose with a tinge of excitement. “Does your sister know you’re here?”

  For a long moment, Zeke refused to turn, refused to meet the woman, refused to come face-to-face with one more of his many past mistakes. But now that every eye in Williamsville was trained upon him, he had no choice but to acknowledge her presence.

  He shifted in a slow turn until he faced her. The anxiety in her pretty face was gone and replaced with wonder and—awe? Her lips rose into a smile, one he ought to remember but couldn’t.

  He studied her features more closely, taking in the softness of her skin, the lushness of her lashes, the fullness of her lips. How had he forgotten a face like hers?

  She seemed to be taking him in every bit as much as he was her. The openness of her expression, the interest, the warmth—everything about her invited him into her life and her world.

  No wonder Herb had fallen for this woman and couldn’t let her go.

  She clasped her hands together as if she was genuinely happy to see him. “Even though I haven’t seen Zoe since she got married and moved up the Fraser River to Yale, I know for certain she’ll be thrilled to find you.”

  Zeke cleared his throat. “Zoe and I met back up already.”

  “You have?”

  “Aye, I saw her last month when she opened the home for foundlings.” Because this woman had come over on the bride ship, she’d obviously become a friend of Zoe’s and was well aware of his rift with his twin sister. Maybe that’s all she knew about him. Maybe she wasn’t one of his past conquests after all.

  A playful glimmer brightened her eyes. “You don’t remember who I am, do you?”

  “You look familiar. But I admit my memories of my last years in Manchester are blurry.” Especially since he’d been working hard to forget them.

  “Remember your friend, Jeremiah?”

  After first arriving in the colony, Jeremiah was the name he’d taken as an alias, the name of his best friend from Manchester. But once he’d learned from Zoe that he was free of the accusations against him, he started using his real name again. Most people referred to him by Hart, so the adjustment hadn’t been too difficult. “I remember Jeremiah. How do you know him?”

  Her smile quirked higher on one side than the other, which only made her look younger and more innocent. “He’s my older brother.”

  Zeke’s mind rushed back years to his boyhood, to the ragged school, to his companion and best friend, Jeremiah Millington. They’d done everything together in those early years—played, learned, and even found their faith together. Until they started working at the mill. Until the long days of operating the spinning machines zapped them of energy. Until the factory had begun to take away the people they loved. Until they’d had so little left to live for . . .

  “I’m Katherine. But everyone calls me Kate.” She paused, giving him time to place her name and face.

  She didn’t have to remind him they’d been neighbors most of their lives, that they practically grew up together, and that if he’d been a decent human being and less selfish, he might have taken more time to concern himself with the well-being of others.

  But she said none of that and instead nodded at him encouragingly.

  “Kate.” He tried to conjure up a picture of Jeremiah’s many siblings. Mostly brothers. Aye, there had been one sister. A sweet little girl. She tried to keep up with them, especially when they’d been younger. With her blond hair and brown eyes, he could see the resemblance to Jeremiah now. “You’ve sure grown up.”

  “You still don’t remember me, do you?” Her smile was forgiving.

  “’Course I do. You tagged along with Jeremiah sometimes.”

  “I suppose you thought I was a pest?” Her voice contained a note of teasing, almost flirtation. The tilt of her head seemed to beckon him.

  “If I ever did, I regret it.” He’d show her he could flirt just as easily in return.

  She heaved a breath, the rigidness of her posture easing and only bringing attention to her lovely form.

  Lovely wasn’t the right word to describe the generous curves in the right places, along with a trim waist and the long legs outlined in the folds of her skirt. Somehow, against his better judgment, his gaze lingered over her, which only sent a spear of heat into his gut.

  Zeke jerked his sights away and scrubbed a hand over his mouth and jaw, surprised at the immediacy and strength of his desire. What was he thinking? Kate Millington was Jeremiah’s little sister.

  His friend had always been fiercely protective of his family, especially when he’d stepped into the role of caretaker and provider after his father had run off. He’d only been thirteen at the time, too young to shoulder such responsibility. But Jeremiah had done it without complaint. If he’d been able to read Zeke’s wayward thoughts just now about Kate, his friend would have pounded him in the face.

  The trouble was that Jeremiah would have had to pound every man in Williamsville. Zeke wasn’t the only one with wayward thoughts about Kate. And Herb wouldn’t be the only man who’d want to marry her. Once word spread that she was no longer engaged, every unattached man would be lining up at her do
or to propose marriage.

  Zeke’s muscles tightened at the remembrance of Herb’s manhandling. What was to stop Herb from going after her again?

  Herb was in the process of dusting off his trousers after picking himself up. The Cornish miner might be pushy at times and have trouble holding his liquor, but overall he was a good man. There were worse—much worse—who’d think nothing of preying upon Kate.

  Zeke eyed the black woman who’d moved to Kate’s side, angling her glare to include him now. Even with this guardian angel standing next to her, Kate still wouldn’t be safe. “Williamsville is no place for a single young woman like yourself.”

  “I’ll be fine, Zeke.” His name rolled off her tongue as soft as velvet. And for a second, all he could imagine was the stroke of her fingers and how her touch would surely be just as soft.

  “You’ll need a safe place to stay,” he insisted even as he fought to push away his strange reactions to her. Like every other man in the Cariboo, he’d gone too long without the pleasure of female company. And the deprivation was going to his head.

  “I’m sure I’ll find accommodations,” she responded, but with less certainty and a sideways glance toward her guardian angel.

  “I’ve got a fine log house ready for you, Miss Millington.” Herb situated his hat back on his head. “It’s just down the street, and I’m sure you’ll like it once you see it.”

  Kate edged closer to her protective angel. “You’ve been very kind to me, Mr. Frank. And I do thank you for the offer. But I’ve realized we’re just not suited to each other.”

  “You can stay with me.” The words were out before Zeke had time to process what he was saying.

  Kate’s brows flew up. “Stay with you?”

  “Aye.” Now that he’d made the offer, he couldn’t take it back. “I have the room.”

  “Oh, I see what this is about!” Herb shouted. “You’re trying to steal Miss Millington away from me by tempting her with your big house.”

  “I’m not stealing or tempting her away,” Zeke said. “How can I, when she’s already walked away?”

  Herb jerked on his vest to straighten it. “You think that just because you’ve got a bigger claim you can start putting on airs and doing whatever you want.”

  “You know as well as everyone else around here that I’m doing what I can to make this town and the surrounding mines safe.” Zeke braced himself for the onslaught of accusations that had become all too common from his competition. He’d once assumed he’d find peace and contentment if he had wealth and prosperity and power. But the past year had been anything but peaceful. And his life had been anything but content.

  “You’re not taking my bride away, Hart.” Herb’s deep voice echoed in the silence. “I won’t let you.”

  “I’m not planning to marry her. She’s just a childhood friend. A playmate’s little sister. Nothing more.”

  THREE

  KATE’S SINGING HEARTBEAT faded into silence. She was just a childhood friend to Zeke and nothing more?

  She studied his handsome face, hoping she’d see the spark of interest in his eyes again, the one that had flamed to life only moments ago when he’d been looking her over and seeing her as a grown woman instead of a girl.

  At least she thought she’d seen desire. And at least she thought he’d been viewing her as a woman. Had she been wrong?

  Disappointment rushed in to replace the melody that had started playing the instant she’d recognized Zeke Hart. She’d always fancied Zeke, even when he’d been but a boy. With his dark hair, long lashes, and stunning green eyes, he made her heart patter faster and her skin flush every time she’d seen him.

  It hadn’t mattered that he hardly looked at her in return. She’d admired him and allowed her daydreams of him to take life in her sketch pad. After he’d run away from Manchester to escape a crime he hadn’t committed, she’d pined over the drawings of him and prayed one day he’d be able to come back home.

  Fortunately, she hadn’t wallowed long before other young men took notice and distracted her from the girlhood infatuation with Zeke. She’d had several serious relationships and had even considered marrying one of the men. But in the end, none had been right for her.

  Perhaps if life in Manchester hadn’t been so hard, she would have been willing to settle down. As it was, when Miss Rye of the Female Immigration Committee had come looking for women to sail to Vancouver Island and British Columbia, Kate had been all too ready to go, especially to ease Jeremiah’s burden by having one less sibling to care for.

  Of course, she’d thought of Zeke from time to time over the past couple of years, especially because Zoe had been eager to find her twin brother and make amends with him. But Kate hadn’t expected to encounter him, certainly not here in Williamsville just moments after arriving.

  He looped his thumbs into his belt and stared into the interior of the store as though he’d tired of the conversation and was ready to get back to work. Obviously, it was his store. The sign above the door shared his name.

  Zeke had clearly done well for himself here in the colony, much better than he could have if he’d stayed in Manchester like Jeremiah. And Zeke had also grown more handsome. He was all man now, and her fingers twitched with the need to sketch him. His shoulders and arms had filled out proportionately, and his chest formed a beautiful upside-down trapezoid.

  The planes of his face had always been easy to draw. The lines, shadows, and symmetry had been so perfect, classical, like an ancient Greek god, with a straight nose, high cheekbones, and strong chin.

  And the dimples in his cheeks, she’d added them to almost every sketch she’d ever drawn. She’d only gotten the tiniest glimpse of them when he briefly smiled a moment ago, not enough to satisfy her.

  As if sensing the mental drawing she was making of him, he glanced at her, lifting one of his dark brows. Was he expecting an answer to his invitation to stay in his home?

  “Thank you for the offer, Zeke—”

  “No,” Herbert interrupted as he approached the edge of the boardwalk and looked up at her with pleading eyes. “I paid your traveling expenses here. You owe me now and can’t just walk away from our arrangement.”

  Kate opened her mouth to respond but couldn’t find an answer. Herbert was right. She hadn’t thought about the consequences of breaking off her engagement and repaying him. What could she do now?

  As her mind scrambled to find a solution, Zeke crossed his arms, his shirtsleeves stretching tight against his biceps. “I’ll cover Kate’s expenses.”

  “I don’t want your money, Hart.” Herbert hopped up onto the sidewalk.

  “I don’t want Zeke’s charity either,” Kate interjected. “I’ll find a way to earn my own money so I can repay you.”

  Herbert turned his back on her and faced off with Zeke. “The entire town can see as plainly as me that you’re stealing my bride.”

  “Now hold on, Herb.” Zeke’s voice was loaded with exasperation. “I already told you I’m not aiming to marry her. I’m not in the market for a wife. And if I was, I wouldn’t have to steal from you to get one.”

  A few guffaws arose from the men watching the interaction.

  Becca took hold of Kate’s arm, her worried eyes upon Zeke and Herb.

  Kate patted the woman’s hand. “Maybe I can work in Lee Chung Laundry with you, Becca. Surely Lee Chung could use an extra hand.”

  Becca pursed her lips and tugged Kate back a step.

  “I’m the one who found Miss Millington first.” Herbert advanced upon Zeke. “And I plan to keep her.”

  “Just accept the fact that she’s changed her mind and doesn’t want you anymore.”

  “She won’t get you either.” Herbert bent and slipped his fingers into his boot. An instant later, he rose with a knife in his hand. Kate barely had time to suck in a surprised breath before Herbert thrust the blade into Zeke.

  Kate screamed and darted toward Zeke, but Becca’s strong grip wrenched her back. In the
same moment, Zeke swung a fist into Herbert’s stomach, doubling him over. Before Herbert could gather his wits, Zeke had a hold of the man’s arm and was twisting it, causing him to cry out and drop to his knees.

  Thankfully, other bystanders had jumped into action and rushed to Zeke’s aid. Several took custody of Herbert while another man propelled Zeke toward the open doorway of the general store, shouting instructions for someone to fetch the doctor.

  As Zeke passed by, Kate glimpsed the handle of the knife protruding from his upper arm, his shirtsleeve stained crimson.

  Kate’s airways cinched, cutting off her breath. If Herbert had been aiming for Zeke’s heart, he’d come close.

  Zeke stumbled into the store, brushing off the assistance. “I’m gonna be fine. Just a little knife wound is all.”

  Kate moved to follow him, but once again Becca’s hold kept her in place. “I can help.” She wiggled to free herself. “I have a little practice doctoring wounds.” As the only girl in a family of all boys, she’d seen enough brawls and blood to have a basic knowledge of how to treat injuries.

  “I don’t know, Miss Kate.” In spite of the doubt grooved into her forehead, Becca released her.

  Kate rushed into the store, a handful of onlookers parting to make room for her.

  “Best let the doctor treat that man.” Becca’s words trailed after her. But as Zeke lowered himself into the nearest chair, Kate was already bending over him and examining the way the blade had entered his flesh. It wasn’t deep and hopefully hadn’t hit a major artery.

  Zeke closed his eyes and leaned his head against the shelf behind him. The pallor in his face and the throbbing vein in his neck attested to the pain he was beginning to feel.

  The first thing she needed to do was cut away his shirt and try to determine the angle of entry.

  “I need a pair of scissors,” she said to a short man hovering nearby and peering at Zeke through spectacles on the end of his nose. “I’ll also need a couple of clean strips of cloth.”