Love Inspired Historical February 2016 Box Set

by Karen Kirst

  “It’s your instinct to push me away?” A light of discovery flickered in his eyes. “Is this what happened with our first engagement?”

  “I don’t know. I suppose so.”

  He shook his head. “How did I not notice this before?”

  “Perhaps because I didn’t notice it, either.” She searched her mind to figure out how that could be. “Everything happened so fast the first time we got engaged. I know it probably sounds horrible, but I think I was a little relieved when I was forced to move away right after that. I guess the distance made me feel safe. However, the closer I got to my birthday, the more I began to panic. Then I heard about you and Amy. I was hurt, but it made my decision that much easier.”

  A maddening hint of a smile curved his lips. “Now, we’re getting too close again. It’s making you uncomfortable.”

  She frowned at him. “Well, you don’t have to sound so excited about it.” She ignored his laugh and the strange mixture of relief and panic it set fluttering in her belly. “I have options now. I don’t have to be close. We both have what we wanted. Maybe that should be enough.”

  “Maybe, but I don’t think it is. Not anymore. I suppose it’s my job to convince you of that.”

  She barely held back a sigh. It would be so much easier if he didn’t put up a fight. He hadn’t last time. What was so different now? Still, it was only fair to let him have a shot at it. It would still be her decision. As wonderful as he was, he was still a risk. Britta was still out there gunning for him. There were those other women, too. She couldn’t forget about any of that. Not yet. Nor could she totally ignore the still, small voice that whispered that all of those reasons were simply excuses to pull back and to keep her guard up. However, in a situation like this, what else was a sensible woman to do?

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Despite the illusion of confidence Chris had managed to show Adelaide, he couldn’t help feeling shaken by how close she’d been to calling off the courtship. Even so, he couldn’t help but be a little proud of himself for how he’d responded. He hadn’t given in or surrendered to his doubts. He’d somehow managed to move their relationship back to steadier ground. He only wished he could be certain that he’d be able to keep it from crumbling again.

  All of those thoughts were heavy on his mind when he went to the Grangers’ house to interview Rhett for the newspaper the following evening. After Chris had all of the information he needed for the news story, he accepted the couple’s invitation to stay for coffee. Rhett didn’t bother to beat around the bush. He just leaned back in his chair across the table and asked, “How are things going with you and Adelaide?”

  “Actually, I could use some advice about that.” Chris paused, searching for the right words. “The trouble is, she’s holding back. I need her not to. I need to know that she’s falling in love with me, or at least that she’s willing to marry me.”

  Alarm filled Isabelle’s green eyes. “At least? Chris, you didn’t propose to her already.”

  “No! I mean, technically…that was a long time… Listen, let’s focus on the present. All right?”

  “All right, but only because I’m very confused right now.”

  Rhett covered Isabelle’s hand with his. “He proposed to her before she left town five years ago. She said yes, but ended the engagement later. You must have missed that when you were eavesdropping the other day. Let’s back up for a minute, though. Chris, it sounds to me like you might be getting the buggy in front of the horse. You said you need her to stop holding back and fall in love with you. Do you know why she’s holding back?”

  “Yes.” Chris stretched out the word until it turned into a no. “Sorry. I’m just realizing that she didn’t actually give me any details.”

  “There you go.” Rhett finished his coffee, then stood to place his cup in the sink. “Figure out what the issue is. That way you can help her deal with and move past it.”

  Isabelle crossed her arms on the table, then leaned forward, her perceptive eyes searching his. “So you’re in love with her, huh?”

  “What?”

  “You’re in love with Adelaide.”

  “I never said that.”

  She smiled and he felt as though he’d walked right into her trap. “Yes, I noticed. So here’s my question to you, my friend. If you can’t admit your feelings for her in your own heart, how is it that you expect her to reveal her feelings to you?”

  Speechless, Chris stared at Isabelle until Rhett came up behind her and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Man, my wife is smart.”

  Isabelle tilted her head back to smile at Rhett. He rewarded her with a quick kiss. Chris glanced away to gather his thoughts. “Listen, I know it might seem unfair, but this is something I can’t budge on, given my history with her. I don’t want to be invested more heavily in this than she is. Couldn’t I marry her first and then figure out that other stuff?”

  “Quinn would say yes. I say it’s hard enough to convince a gal to marry you without leaving out the most important stuff.”

  Chris was fully aware of that, having botched several proposals himself without ever using the L word. In fact, that was precisely why Isabelle had turned him down. She’d told him that he should marry for love. Now that it was within his grasp, he couldn’t even manage to say the word.

  Rhett frowned. “Besides, you know that isn’t how courtships work. Now, I don’t claim to be an expert on the subject—”

  “You got the girl. That makes you more knowledgeable than me.”

  “Right. Well, if you want to get anywhere…” Rhett held out a hand to Isabelle, guided her from her seat, then twirled her under his arm. “She needs to be able follow your lead. It’s up to you to get her on the floor and dance. You know that.”

  Chris did. He simply hadn’t wanted to take the chance and give Adelaide the opportunity to reject him. He sighed as he watched the couple dance across the kitchen. Isabelle sure seemed content to take her cues from Rhett. They made it look easy. Chris was pretty sure that when it came to him and Adelaide, it wouldn’t be. He had to start somewhere, though. Apparently, somewhere was admitting his feelings for Adelaide to himself, if not to her. If he planned to do that, it wasn’t going to happen in Rhett and Isabelle’s kitchen. He thanked them for their help and saw himself out a few minutes later.

  Maybe Adelaide was right. Maybe this was a good time to call it quits. Adelaide seemed to think if they did so now, they would somehow be able to avoid being seriously hurt by the separation. That’s what bothered him the most about all of this. He couldn’t believe, after all they’d been through and all they’d meant to each other, that there was any way to end this without pain. She may not have realized it yet, but he did. That’s why it was so hard to call his feelings what they were. It seemed to him that doing so would only give them more power over him—make the eventual hurt all the worse. That meant he had a decision to make. He either had to be all in or completely out.

  He kicked at a twig on the sidewalk and buried his hands in his pockets. A quick look around told him no one was in hearing distance so he lowered his head and mumbled, “All right, God, I admit it. I love her. I love her something awful. I’m going to do everything I can to convince her it’s safe to love me, too. I’m going to need some help, though, because I have no idea how to go about this. I lost her once. I don’t want to lose her again. Like I said, please help me.”

  He hadn’t meant it to be a prayer but that’s what it was so he finished with an “Amen.” Of course, his fool heart couldn’t be satisfied with that. It had to go and lead him right to Adelaide’s porch. He knocked on the door. Everett opened it and greeted him with surprise in his voice. “Hello, Chris. Come in. I didn’t know Adelaide was expecting you.”

  Chris shook his head. “She isn’t. Thank you, but I’ll stay out here. I’d like to talk to Adelaide for a minute if she’s available.”

  Everett tilted his head and narrowed his eyes to survey Chris. Then, letting the front door close
behind him, the man stepped onto the porch and crossed his arms. “Maybe you ought to run it by me first.”

  “Oh. I don’t think—”

  Everett placed a heavy hand on Chris’s shoulder. “Son, you look like you’re going to burst any second. Now, you don’t seem angry so I’m guessing you’re love struck. Is that right?”

  “How did you know?”

  “You look how I felt with Rose a time or two—all eager and busting with the need to tell her how you feel. Trust me. That isn’t the way to go about this. Let’s take a walk. I’ll see if I can’t teach you a thing or two about how to handle these ladies.”

  Chris stayed put as Everett walked down the front steps. His gaze trailed from Adelaide’s stepfather back to the front door. He was so close. Yet Everett was right. This wasn’t the right way to tell Adelaide how he felt—with no warning and no romance. That didn’t mean he had to like it. Frowning, Chris joined Everett on the path in the yard. “Why did you stop me?”

  “Because you were about to mess things up for good.”

  “By telling her how I felt?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I need her to know.”

  “By all means show her, but if you get into an all-fired hurry to tell her and make things official, you’re going to send her running for the hills.”

  Judging by Adelaide’s previous behavior, Everett’s assessment sounded frighteningly accurate. Still, Everett wasn’t privy to that information. “How can you be so certain of that?”

  Everett sighed. “Adelaide and Rose are more alike than you might think—especially when it comes to their perception of men. The only way I was able to win Rose over was by steady, patient persistence. Adelaide will be the same way. Only you might have it even harder than I did, considering how you look.”

  “What’s wrong with how I look?”

  “Nothing, according to Adelaide—and that’s bad.”

  Chris shook his head. “You’ve lost me.”

  Everett stopped walking to cross his arms. “How much do you know about Hiram?”

  “Who?”

  “Hiram Harper was Adelaide’s father, Rose’s first husband. Has Adelaide told you anything at all about him?”

  “I know that he was gone a lot when they lived here because he was a traveling salesman. He died when she was fifteen. They buried him in town.” Chris frowned and tried to think. “That’s about it.”

  “She’s been holding back on you, then.” Everett waited until a buggy passed before he crossed Main Street. “Hiram Harper was a no-good, philandering snake in the grass—God rest his soul. All that being said, I believe the man truly loved his daughter. Adelaide was his darling. She, like most little girls, thought her father was a shining knight, a paragon—until she stumbled on him kissing a woman who wasn’t her ma. She was only six at the time.”

  “That’s awful.”

  “He convinced her not to say a word about it to Rose. He told her it would only upset her ma, and since he promised to never do it again, there was no need. Of course, he did do it again pretty often. Occasionally, he’d slip up and Adelaide would find out. Each time, Adelaide would beg him to stop, threaten to tell her mother and eventually agree to keep quiet to protect Rose. She didn’t know that Rose had known since not long after their marriage. It was a nice little arrangement for Hiram because, with them both trying to protect each other from the knowledge of his transgressions, his actions were never addressed. He could control them by playing them against each other. As far as I know, that lasted until he died.”

  Chris shook his head. “Adelaide didn’t tell me any of that.”

  “Well, don’t feel bad. She didn’t tell me, either. I only know about all of this through what Rose managed to figure out over the years.” Everett’s brow wrinkled into well-worn lines of concern. “Adelaide hasn’t said a word about any of it to anyone as far as I know. She needs to, though. She needs to talk to you. Whatever she’s keeping inside is going to affect the two of you. In fact, it already has.”

  “You think this has something to do with why she broke our engagement?”

  “I won’t presume to know all of the details surrounding that decision. However, I suspect that it might have had some influence on her.” Everett stopped outside the closed mercantile. “I’m telling you all of this because I love my daughter. I think you do, too. Show her that, but be patient with her. You’ve done a good job of that so far.”

  “That’s only because I was too afraid to move any faster.” Chris frowned. “I don’t want to be afraid anymore.”

  Everett shrugged. “Then don’t be. There are many ways to be brave in your love for her. Just make sure you’re being wise, as well.”

  “I can do that.” At least, he hoped he could. He had to admit the history of his interactions with women didn’t exactly inspire much self-confidence. He seemed to have a habit of being…well, impetuous. Seeing as that hadn’t worked out too well for him, perhaps it was time to try a more patient and deliberate approach.

  “Good.” Everett scanned the street, then stepped a bit closer. “Listen, there’s one more thing. I wanted to tell you earlier, but I didn’t have a chance. I received a threatening letter about the newspaper today. It wasn’t like the ones that were routinely sent to my office in Houston. It seemed more personal and specifically directed at Adelaide.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’ve talked to Rose and we decided that we can’t keep running. We’re going to stay in Peppin. I’ve already notified the authorities. They’re actively trying to find this person. Meanwhile, I’d appreciate it if you could help me by watching out for Adelaide. I’m planning to tell her tonight. I think it’s best that she’s aware of what’s happening so that she can be on her guard.”

  “I agree, and I’d be happy to help in whatever way I can.”

  “Thank you, Chris.”

  “You’re more than welcome. Thank you, by the way, for your advice. I want you to know that I’m going to take it to heart.”

  Everett gave an approving nod. “Good man. I’d better get back to the house now. I don’t want the ladies to worry. You have a good evening, Chris.”

  “You, too.” Chris climbed the stairs to enter his apartment and sat for a while, deep in thought. Now that Chris knew more about Adelaide’s past, he understood why she found remaining unmarried an appealing option. However, their marriage would be nothing like her parents’ had been. He had to find a way of convincing her of that. He also needed to find out why she was pushing him away, and why she had such a fear of being close to him.

  It might have something to do with Hiram, but he wouldn’t know for sure unless he was able to get her to confide in him. That wouldn’t be easy since she seemed unable or unwilling to be that vulnerable with anyone.

  Yes, he definitely had his work cut out for him, but he was eager to do it. He’d admitted his love for her to God, himself and Adelaide’s father. He’d committed to this—to Adelaide. He was going to see it through every single solitary terrifying second to the end. He could only pray that end didn’t include facing yet another rejection from Adelaide.

  *

  After Everett informed them about the renewed threats to the newspaper and their family, Adelaide was more than content to spend Monday at home, writing. He’d softened the news by giving Adelaide and Rose each a pearl-handled Remington derringer. At least it had softened the news for Adelaide. Rose had seemed a little intimidated by the firearm. Adelaide wasn’t, but that was probably because she’d convinced Everett to let her learn to shoot with his Colt .45 years ago for research purposes.

  Adelaide kept her gun on the desk beside her as she worked. Seeing it there helped her to refocus on the Wild West adventure she was writing any time her mind started to wander toward Chris, which happened disturbingly frequently. Even so, the day flew by until her growling stomach told her it was past time to help her mother start dinner. She set her typewriter aside and tucked the Remingt
on into her pocket before going downstairs.

  She found Rose sitting on the gold settee in the parlor surrounded by moving boxes. It seemed they never could get finished unpacking all of them. It didn’t help that, despite Rose’s valiant efforts otherwise, their frantic packing had degenerated into unorganized chaos those last few days in Houston. Adelaide’s energy for sorting things out had long since waned, even though she was still missing a few essentials. Realizing Rose hadn’t responded to her first query about supper, Adelaide asked, “Mother, did you hear me?”

  “Adelaide, what is this?”

  Adelaide stepped forward to take the paper Rose handed to her. Glancing down at it, Adelaide swallowed hard. “Oh. I see you found one of my boxes.”

  “What I found is your marriage certificate. Adelaide, how it is possible that you and Chris have been married for five years? When were you going to tell me?”

  “I wasn’t going to at all because we haven’t been married, not really. I mean, we filled out the paperwork, got the license, had a secret ceremony with Reverend Sparks and signed the certificate, but we aren’t actually married. You told me so yourself.”

  “I…” Rose shook her head. Pure confusion filled her voice. “What? When?”

  “Right before we left Peppin for Houston. Everything happened so fast. Chris and I kissed for the first time. He proposed. I said yes. We knew you wouldn’t approve of the engagement so we thought we might as well get married right away and break the news to you afterward. It was silly, I know, but I was so caught up in the moment that it made perfect sense at the time. Anyway, I came right home after the ceremony to tell you the truth. I was going to ease you into it. Remember? I said, ‘Ma, Chris asked me to marry him.’ Before I could say anything else, you laughed. Then you told me—”

  “I told you that you were underage and couldn’t legally marry without my consent.”

  “Right. You said I’d have to wait until I was eighteen. That’s when I realized that someone at the courthouse must have made a mistake. I couldn’t possibly be legally married to Chris. Nor was I likely to be, since you weren’t going to consent—especially after I’d gone behind your back. There wasn’t much that I could do besides leave Chris a note asking him to figure it out. He was supposed to come for me if we were actually married, but we weren’t. You were right. I was too young. The county clerk shouldn’t have given us a marriage certificate to begin with, so the marriage wasn’t valid. We resolved to get married again when I turned eighteen. Only that never happened. I suppose I should have thrown the certificate away. I just never could manage to do it.”