Spring Brides

by Judith Stacy

  Noise from the lumberyard caught her attention as she crossed the yard. Work had been under way for nearly two hours now. She scanned the men moving about, then realized she hoped to spot Cade. An odd wave of disappointment washed through her when she didn’t.

  Had he come back home?

  The back door at the Riker house stood open. Had Cade returned for some reason? And why did she keep thinking of him?

  Anna stepped up onto the porch and glanced inside. Kyle sat at the kitchen table, reading.

  He looked up as she walked in. “Hi, Miss Anna.”

  “Didn’t I sent you off to school a few hours ago?” she asked, keeping her voice light.

  Kyle shrugged. “I was there…for a while.”

  “Aren’t you afraid of getting into trouble with your teacher?” Anna asked. “Back when I was in school, a good swat with a hickory stick wasn’t unheard of.”

  “Teacher’s not allowed to hit me,” Kyle said. “Cade told her not to. She’s supposed to tell Cade if I cause trouble. He takes care of it.”

  Kyle seemed content with the arrangement, and not in the least fearful of his brother. It didn’t surprise Anna.

  For a moment she wondered what she should do with the boy, finding him here when he should be in school. Send him back to his teacher? Send him to Cade?

  Really, she had no authority over him, just concern for his education and well-being. He wasn’t causing harm to anyone, except himself, and he’d come home, of all places, to his own kitchen to read.

  This was the oddest truancy Anna could imagine. She didn’t envy Cade trying to figure it out.

  “I’m going into town. Come with me?” Anna asked, thinking it better to keep him in sight.

  “Sure.” Kyle closed his book and followed her outside.

  “Cade mentioned he wanted to send you to college back East,” Anna said, as they walked. “That sounds exciting.”

  “Yeah, I guess…” Kyle murmured. “What are you going to town for?”

  After much thought, Anna had decided the best way to break the news about the fabric was to invite everyone to the house. Surely the ladies would be on good behavior in someone else’s home.

  “I’m inviting a few ladies for refreshments this afternoon,” Anna said.

  “Mama used to do that,” Kyle said.

  Anna glanced down at him and saw the same hint of sorrow she’d seen in Cade’s face when he’d told her about the death of their parents.

  “My mother died a few years ago,” Anna said softly. “I still miss her.”

  “Then how come you came here?” Kyle stopped abruptly, freezing Anna in place. His gaze came up sharply, the blue of his eyes showing bewilderment. “If you’d stayed at home, you could see the chair where she used to sit and the basket where she kept her knitting, things like that. It would be like she was still close by.”

  “I do miss those things,” Anna admitted. “But I didn’t get along so well with the rest of my family.”

  Kyle didn’t seem to understand. “How could you not want to be around your family? Family is…well, family.”

  Anna smiled. “If I had a family like yours, Kyle, I’m sure I would never have left home.”

  He nodded thoughtfully as they continued on. When they reached town, Anna spotted Rachel right away. Rachel saw her at the same instant and walked over. A young girl, around Kyle’s age, was with her.

  “This is my cousin Ariel,” Rachel said. “She arrived from Kansas last night with my aunt. They’re here for the wedding.”

  Ariel could have been a porcelain doll standing on a store shelf, with golden hair and a magnolia-blossom complexion, dressed in a soft blue dress that matched her eyes. When Rachel made introductions, she dipped her lashes demurely.

  “Pleased to meet you,” Ariel said, her cheeks blushing.

  “I’m so glad you’re visiting,” Anna said to her.

  Kyle, however, couldn’t seem to utter a single word. He stared, his mouth open slightly.

  “Where’s your mother?” Anna asked Rachel, expecting to see them together, as usual.

  “She’s gone with the preacher and his wife to visit the sick and shut-ins outside of town.” Rachel nodded across the street and lowered her voice. “You might notice Talbot’s is closed today. He’s gone fishing. The sheriff’s suggestion.”

  Anna nodded in understanding. She was disappointed, though, that she couldn’t get everyone together right away and be done with the fabric problem. She didn’t dare make the situation known without Vida Kendall present.

  But at least the sheriff had stepped in and relieved the tension, for a day, anyway. And a delay that brief wouldn’t adversely affect the brides who still needed to sew their wedding dresses. With every woman in town standing at the ready, the gowns could be completed in no time.

  “Can you and your mother come by the house tomorrow afternoon?” Anna asked. “I’m inviting the other brides and their mothers, too.”

  “Certainly. Ariel and I were heading to the bakery. Would you two like to come along?” Rachel smiled dreamily. “I want to hear about your trip from Virginia. How wonderful it must have been for you to get on a train and just go.”

  Anna followed the two of them down the boardwalk but got no more than three steps before realizing Kyle hadn’t moved.

  “Come with us,” Anna said. “I’ll buy us cookies.”

  Kyle shook his head frantically. “I—I can’t go. She’s too…pretty.”

  A flash of memory took Anna back to her own youthful days of trembling knees and sweaty palms, of being too tongue-tied to speak.

  Cade popped into her head. Maybe those days weren’t so far in the past, after all.

  She touched Kyle’s shoulder. “Ariel is new in town. I’m sure she’d enjoy talking with someone her own age.”

  His eyes grew big as saucers. “You want me to talk? I can barely breathe.”

  Anna pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. “Just come with us. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. But you should keep breathing.”

  “Breathing.” Kyle nodded. “Yeah, okay, I can do that.”

  Anna gave him a gentle push and they headed off down the boardwalk together.

  When the knock sounded at her back door, Anna didn’t need to answer it to know it was Cade. She’d heard the thud of his boots on the steps and porch, and knew it was him.

  She opened the door, and though she’d just seen him a short while ago during supper at his house, her stomach warmed at the sight of him.

  “Come in.” She stepped out of his way, and closed the door behind him. “Coffee?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  He stood near the door, looking a little uncomfortable. Or perhaps he was tired. His days were long and he had more than his share of problems.

  “You’ve got the place looking nice,” Cade said, jerking his chin to encompass the kitchen.

  Anna smiled as she poured coffee she’d just made, pleased that he’d noticed the work she’d done. Curtains, table linens and other items she’d brought with her from Virginia complemented things she’d gotten here in town.

  “I’m working on the downstairs,” Anna said, handing him a cup of coffee. “In fact, I’ve only been upstairs once.”

  On the day she’d arrived at the house, she’d gone to the second floor and found it empty, except for a few boxes of items that belonged to Henry. She’d had no reason to go upstairs since. The downstairs rooms were all she needed.

  “Maybe you should sit down,” Anna said, gesturing toward the table in the corner.

  Cade froze, his cup halfway to his mouth. “Something tells me I’m not going to like the reason you asked me to come over here.”

  “Probably not,” she admitted.

  He heaved a tired sigh and set his cup aside. “Just tell me what’s going on.”

  “Kyle wasn’t in school today.”

  “Damn…” Cade dropped into a chair. “Why won’t that boy stay in school? I’ve t
alked to him over and over, and I can’t get him to tell me what’s wrong.”

  “There’s another…situation.” Anna placed his coffee cup on the table and sat down across from him. “I took him into town with me. We met Rachel’s cousin, Ariel. She’s a lovely young girl. Kyle seemed quite taken with her.”

  Cade frowned. “You mean…?”

  Anna nodded quickly. “Yes.”

  “Great…” Cade blew out a heavy breath. “You got any more good news for me?”

  “Actually, yes. Only this good news is actually good,” She said with a quick smile. “I’ve invited the brides and their mothers over tomorrow. I’m going to explain what happened with the fabric.”

  He perked up, as if this news was actually something he wanted to hear.

  “I’d like to receive them at your house rather than here, if you don’t mind,” Anna said. “Your mother’s parlor has more breakables. It might keep a fight from erupting.”

  “What are you going to do about the fabric?” he asked.

  “I’m simply going to hand it over,” she said. “I don’t know how else to handle it.”

  Cade just looked at her. Anna waited for him to say something; men always did. She’d yet to meet a man who kept his mouth closed long enough to hear a problem in its entirety before blurting out his solution.

  But Cade said nothing. Somehow, the silence between them was comfortable. Just as his unexpected presence was. When she’d ducked into the alley to cry that first day she’d looked up and seen him there. As if he knew, somehow, that she needed him.

  Anna supposed Cade was used to being needed. The demanding business he ran, his many employees, his brothers. He carried a lot of responsibility on his shoulders.

  Wide, strong shoulders…

  Anna gave herself a mental shake, anxious now to end the silence between them.

  “Do you have a better idea?” she asked.

  “I think you ought to have a plan in mind to divide up the fabric. Otherwise, things could get real ugly, real fast.”

  Anna thought about it for a moment. “That’s a possibility. But if the fabric is divided among the three brides, there won’t be enough to make a complete dress. If they use what’s available for trim along with another type of cloth, for example, it won’t do the fabric justice. Besides, I can’t imagine any of the brides being willing to do that.”

  “Especially Mrs. Kendall.”

  Anna cringed. “Especially Mrs. Kendall.”

  “Then you’ll have to find some impartial way to decide who gets it,” Cade said. “Like playing a hand of poker, or cutting for high card.”

  “You expect brides to gamble for a wedding dress?” Anna shook her head. “That sounds like something men would do.”

  “Men would have a drinking contest or a wrestling match.”

  Anna rolled her eyes. “Women certainly aren’t going to wrestle for fabric.”

  Cade grinned. “Might be kind of interesting.”

  “Oh, honestly…” Anna got up from her chair and walked to the sideboard. “This is what I get for asking a man what he thinks.”

  “I seem to recall you wanting to know about that sort of thing.” Cade rose and followed her.

  “So you’re ready to answer my questions now?” Anna turned and found him standing so close they nearly touched. Yet she didn’t shrink from his greater size. If anything, it drew her nearer, somehow.

  “I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” Cade said, his voice soft and mellow. “But I can save you some time by saying that we only think about three things.”

  “That’s all?”

  Cade angled his body closer and glanced down. Anna shivered as his gaze flicked across her breasts.

  “Okay. Four things.”

  Heat surged through Anna. She struggled against the desire to lean a little closer, to press her body to his. She realized those “three things” weren’t proper conversation for an unmarried couple.

  “It’s more complicated than that. It has to be,” Anna insisted.

  Cade eased back, just a little. Anna fought the urge to follow.

  “What are you trying to figure out?” he asked.

  “Men. How do they think? What makes them happy?” Anna shook her head. “I tried so hard to please my father, to understand what he wanted so he’d let me help with the family business. I never did. I read books and magazines, talked with my married friends, trying to learn how I could please Henry, make him a good wife. But somehow, through reading my letters, he knew I didn’t measure up.”

  “Your pa had his reasons for doing what he did and, I imagine, they had nothing to do with what you were capable of.” Cade’s expression hardened. “And Henry was a fool.”

  Anna turned away. “Maybe I should forget about ever getting married.”

  Cade touched her chin and brought her face around. “That would be a waste.”

  Anna saw warmth and hunger in his expression. The same grew inside her, threatened to overtake her. How easy, how delightful that would be. She’d experienced his hard body against hers, tasted his kisses. Dare she give in to desire?

  “You’re not really helping,” Anna declared, moving out of his reach.

  He didn’t pursue her, yet somehow held her captive, leaving her unable to stray too far.

  “Then how about this for some advice?” Cade asked. “Make yourself happy first.”

  Anna studied the open honesty of his face, the aura of trust and fairness that surrounded him. Though Cade himself was reluctant to trust anyone outside his family, it was easy to see why friends, employees and businessmen put their faith and confidence in him.

  “When Henry was in Virginia and he talked about all the opportunities here in Branford, I thought maybe, just maybe, he would allow me to open my own business here,” Anna said. To her own ears, the words came out quietly. Her own secret dream, greeting the light of day. And Cade.

  He nodded. “You’d do a hell of a job.”

  “Do you think so?” Anna asked, her heart beating a little faster. She was thrilled in a way she’d never experienced.

  “I sure do.”

  “Even after this fabric situation? If I don’t handle it right, I could get run out of town by nightfall tomorrow.”

  A little grin pulled at Cade’s lips. “I still think my wrestling idea is a good one.”

  Anna giggled. “It is not.”

  “Sure it is. Look here. Let me show you a few moves.”

  Cade looped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. He caught her wrist with his other hand and held it out.

  “Want to know what I’m thinking now?” he asked, his voice low and husky.

  Probably the same thing she was thinking.

  Cade leaned down and kissed her. His lips covered hers, then slid lower to taste her jaw, her throat, then to nuzzle the skin near her ear. Anna tipped her head to the side, reveling in the warmth of his mouth against her flesh.

  She draped her arm around his neck and held on tight, certain her trembling knees wouldn’t hold her up. He took her lips again. She kissed him back. Cade groaned as his hand went to her waist. His fingertips burned through her dress, scorching a trail upward until his palm captured her breast.

  Anna gasped but didn’t pull away. She leaned closer. Cade deepened their kiss.

  When he finally eased back, he kept her locked in his embrace and rested his forehead against hers. His breath was warm. Everything was warm.

  “I’d…I’d better go,” he whispered.

  Her first instinct was to tell him no, but Anna stepped away and followed him to the door. Cade hesitated, as if he wanted to say something—or wanted to stay?—then left, closing the door behind him.

  Anna watched from the window as he walked past his house and continued on toward the lumberyard, disappearing into the shadows. A little piece of her heart went with him.

  How she wished he’d given her that secret bit of advice she needed so she’d know the way to please
him, to make him happy. Would her ignorance drive him away, as it had done with Henry, as it had distanced her from her father?

  Suddenly, facing the brides and their mothers tomorrow, explaining about the fabric and figuring out what to do with it, seemed like a very small problem.

  Chapter Nine

  The parlor in the Riker home proved perfect for company, though Anna doubted it had seen a guest in years. Not one item in the room, she suspected, had been changed since the day the elder Rikers boarded their train for Texas.

  Conversation buzzed among the brides-to-be and their mothers. Wedding talk, of course. Anna poured coffee and served the pastries she’d made, grateful that no one had yet noticed the large wooden crate sitting across the room.

  Mrs. Kendall seemed more calm than Anna had seen her before. Apparently the cooling off period the sheriff had insisted upon yesterday had served its purpose.

  “I’ll get more cookies,” Anna said, taking the tray into the kitchen. As she arranged them on the platter, the back door opened. Cade walked in.

  “I didn’t miss the fight, did I?” he asked, grinning.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. “Believe me, if I could hide out in the lumberyard that’s what I’d be doing.”

  “I had an attack of conscience,” Cade admitted, hanging his hat on the peg beside the back door.

  “I haven’t announced the good news yet,” Anna said, heading toward the parlor with the platter of cookies.

  Cade stepped in front of her, his gaze warm. “Maybe I should demonstrate that wrestling hold again, in case a fight breaks out. You know, like last night?”

  “You might need that for Mrs. Kendall,” Anna told him.

  “That old heifer? Damn, Anna…”

  She grinned and scooted around him.

  The ladies in the parlor greeted Cade as they helped themselves to the cookies. Anna perched on the edge of the settee and Cade positioned himself near the crate of fabric. The wedding talk continued while Anna gathered her courage. She glanced back at Cade. He gave her a little wink that made her smile. Finally, she got to her feet.