She took a few moments in hesitation before she slid her hand into his, and stood. Her gaze jumped between the bench and the back of the wagon as if trying to figure out how to get there. He chuckled and moved closer, grasping her around the waist and lifting her. She gasped and clutched his shoulders as he carefully lifted her over the seat. The moment she regained her footing, she released him and stepped back.
He motioned to the floor of the wagon. “I know the floor isn’t that comfortable, but it’s probably better than the carriage seat. Would you care to join me?”
She shrugged and lowered to the floor, pressing her back against the side. He sat across from her, mainly so that he could continue to gaze at her lovely features.
She wrung her hands in her lap as she looked outside. “I suppose this will keep us from the wind.”
“It will. If the weather decides to rain on us, we might have to move. But this should work for now.”
Her focus moved back to his face. “Do you think it will rain?”
“No. I think it’s just going to be really windy.”
Sighing, she relaxed her fidgeting hands. “So,” she began, “the old man who I talked to earlier, told me that you have two brothers – Bryan and Joel. Do you still live with them?”
Maverick grinned. “Cooper? I’m surprised he didn’t tell you about the mermaids he saw in the lake last month.” He laughed. “The poor guy is having problems with his memory. However, I do have two brothers, and that is their names. We all have our own place to live, but we’re still within a mile from each other. We all live on the land our grandfather purchased for us.”
“Do you and your brothers get along?”
Maverick shrugged. “I suppose. Just as most brothers that I know, we were close when we were younger, but as adults, we don’t always see eye-to-eye.”
“Will you tell me a little about them?”
“Bryan is the brother that is a perfectionist. He wants everyone to see his success, and his life needs to be in order, and if things don’t go his way, the whole town hears about it.” Maverick rolled his eyes. “Joel, on the other hand, is more easy-going. He’s the type of man most women would think of as their closest friend. He’s sweet, but if you ask me, he’s not tough – like his brothers.”
“Does your grandfather still live around here?”
“He lives in the next big town over. As I mentioned before, he’s allowed his grandsons to run things here, but unless we marry, we won’t be able to actually own anything.”
Her gaze dropped to her hands, and she started fidgeting again. “Tell me, truthfully, do you want to marry me?”
It was still difficult for him to believe that men weren’t lined up, waiting to court Miss Ross. Could her joining the stage performers really have ruined her reputation so badly? Yet, what other excuses could there be for someone so pretty to want to be a mail-order bride?
Maverick folded his arms and relaxed against the side of the wagon as he studied her. “I suppose I should ask you what kind of wife you’ll be?”
Her eyes widened. “Pardon me?”
“How do you usually treat your beaus? I’m sure you’ve had a few.”
Her cheeks flamed, giving away her answer. “I’ve had a few, yes, and I have always shown respect. I’m not the type of woman who likes to control a relationship; neither am I the type who likes to be controlled. I will treat you as kindly as you treat me. I don’t approve of men beating women, either, so if you’re like that—”
“I have never struck a woman out of anger, and I never will.” He was relieved to know her conditions for the marriage. “You will never need to fear me.”
“Mr. Easton?”
“Please, call me Maverick, or Mav.”
She nodded. “You must address me as Hannah, then.”
“Good. I like that name.”
Her cheeks reddened again. “Maverick, will you tell me what you are looking for in a wife?”
“Absolutely.” He shifted his position as he lay on his side, stretching his legs toward the end of the wagon. “I watched the way my parents treated each other with kindness, patience, and understanding. I would like a marriage like that. They had an arranged marriage, but by the time I was born, they had a deep love for one another.”
She inhaled shakily, nodding. “I think that would be a good relationship to have. I certainly want to be able to trust my husband and not think he’s stepping out on me.”
“And I would like to be able to trust my wife, as well.” He smiled.
“Then, I expect we have come to an understanding.”
“Yes, we have.” He reached out his hand. “Do you want to shake on it?” She slid her palm against his, and he wrapped his fingers around her dainty hand. “But before we make a final verbal agreement, I need you to do something for me.”
Her gaze turned skeptical. “What is that?”
“My grandfather can’t know what we’re doing.”
“But... I thought he wants you to get married.”
“He does, however, he wants us to marry the old-fashioned way. You know, court, fall in love – that kind of stuff.”
A corner of her mouth lifted in a half-grin. “So why exactly do you want to lie to him?”
“I don’t have time to court and fall in love. The loggers are at the peak of the season, and we need to get as much done before winter hits. If my grandfather had given us this ultimatum in January, I would have been fine with courting the normal way. But not now.”
“Well, Maverick, I have to confess that I’ve been impressed with you. When you handled the drunken cowboy, I realized you were a man who takes care of things of importance.”
Grinning, Maverick couldn’t help but puff his chest. “You figured me out quickly, Hannah. I commend you for that.” He leaned closer, still holding her hand. “Does that mean you’ll go along with the story I plan on telling my grandfather?”
She arched an eyebrow. “Indeed, but I must know what you’re going to tell him first.”
He chuckled and released her hand, rolling away from her. “If anyone asks – especially people you don’t know very well – we have been corresponding through letters for a few months.”
Hannah folded her arms, but her fingers tapped against her arm. “People are going to ask about when we first started writing. Who introduced us?”
His mind quickly searched for an explanation. “I could say I saw you on stage with your performing group.”
Her smile disappeared. “I’d rather them not know about that time in my life. As I’d mentioned, it ruined my reputation.”
“Fine, then we can say that you are friends with my cousin from Colorado, and she connected us.”
Hannah’s pretty eyes widened. “What’s your cousin’s name?”
“Beth.”
“Does your grandfather know about Beth?”
Maverick chuckled. “He does.”
“Then I believe,” she sat straighter, “we have an agreement.”
“Splendid.” He reached for her hand again, and she willingly gave it to him in a hearty shake. But, feeling a little mischievous, he gently tugged on her arm, and she came forward. Surprise registered on her expression, making her eyes sparkle.
“You know, Hannah, I think our marriage will actually work out.”
She tilted her head as her gaze narrowed. “You sound skeptical.”
As he studied her lovely features, the temptation grew to take her in his arms to see if they were compatible in other ways. While growing up, he was known as the woman-charmer. All of his childhood friends knew it, and even his family. Out of him and his brothers, he was the one that turned the girls’ head, which made him the brother the other two had a hard time trusting. But once he and his brothers started working for their grandfather, Maverick had been so busy with the logging camps that he hadn’t found much time to meet women – or steal them from his brothers. Perhaps the mail-order bride idea had been a good one, after all.
&nb
sp; “Well,” he said slowly, trying to phrase his words correctly, “I think we are well-suited as we both know how to communicate with one another. However, there is another aspect that I wonder about.”
“What is that?”
The innocence on her face made him want to smile. He didn’t doubt that a few men had kissed her, yet, for some reason, her expression made him wonder if she was new at the flirting game. The competitiveness inside him grew, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her so passionately that it would remove the memory of those other men.
“Did you kiss your beaus?”
She snapped upright, and her eyes widened again. He found it odd that she wasn’t blushing. In fact, it almost appeared that her face had lost some color.
“I... I... I’m not sure what that has to do with our conversation.”
The poor woman looked perplexed, and he wanted to chuckle over her momentary loss for words. He was sure her mind quit working for a moment. Why wouldn’t she think kissing had anything to do with marriage?
“Actually, Hannah, kissing has a lot to do with marriage.”
Her face flamed, but she still appeared frightened. He couldn’t let her feel this way about him. He was generally a nice guy, especially toward women.
Keeping her hand in his, he stroked the soft skin at her wrists. Her breathing had turned ragged, and her gaze dropped to his mouth. His heartbeat quickened. He must be doing something right, and he hoped that any minute he’d have her in his arms and testing the waters of her resistance.
“I suppose,” she said with a ragged breath, “that since we will be getting married soon, that it’s all right to share a kiss.”
He grinned wider. “Trust me, Hannah, it’s perfectly fine. I assure you it’s normal to kiss each other before the wedding.”
Slowly, he sat up and scooted closer to her. Her eyes were still round with hesitation, and he didn’t want to scare her in any way. If she told him to stop, he would.
Her breathing became labored, but she sat stiffly and allowed him to move closer. He caressed her cheek before cupping her cheek. Her skin was cool to the touch, but that only made him want to kiss her and warm up her body that much more.
Maverick leaned closer, studying her expression. Her heart-shaped lips tempted him more than he was prepared for, and more than anything, he wanted to hear her sigh of pleasure as he moved his lips across hers.
“It’s all right,” he said huskily. “You can relax. Don’t be afraid.”
Her throat jumped with what must have been a hard swallow. “I’m not afraid,” she whispered.
“Then relax... and enjoy.”
The moment he touched his lips to hers, she gave a quick intake of breath. It wasn’t quite the pleasurable sigh he’d hoped for, but he’d make certain that would come soon. But when her hands clasped the front of his shirt, he took this as a good sign. At least she hadn’t pushed him away yet.
Keeping his hand holding her face against his, he wrapped his other arm around her shoulders. Gently, he slid his palm down her back, persuading her closer with a little pressure. It seemed to work because she leaned against him.
Maverick took special care to kiss her tenderly. At first, he left small kisses along her lips – first on the top lip, and then on the bottom. He wanted to deepen the kiss, but until she relaxed, he didn’t want to do anything that might upset her.
Gradually, the stiffness in her body began to disappear. His heartbeat picked up rhythm, knowing things were only going to get better from this point. He anticipated the excitement he’d feel when she started participating in the kiss. It had been far too long since he’d had this kind of pleasurable enjoyment.
The grip she had on his shirt loosened, and suddenly, she took over the kiss, pulling him closer. Her mouth slanted over his, and she was the one who deepened the kiss. The shock from her boldness had him catching his breath, but he couldn’t let the small break in the moment, stop him from what was happening.
Maverick shifted his arms, running both his palms up and down her back while her hands rubbed tiny circles on his chest. The pleasurable sigh he’d been waiting to hear didn’t come from her – but from him. If it was with any other woman, he might have been embarrassed, but sighing this way seemed very natural. After he’d lost control for a second, the eagerness in the way she kissed had sped up a notch.
It was very refreshing to see that Hannah Ross was not shy in the least. In just the little passion he was able to experience, he felt she would make a wonderful wife.
His mind created a more comfortable position for their intense kiss, and just as he started to gently push her back to lie on the floor of the wagon, he heard the clip-clop of horses’ hooves and the crunch of wagon wheels from outside the cave.
Gasping, she jerked out of the kiss and snapped her attention toward the entrance. Maverick grumbled under his breath and glanced toward the end of the wagon. From out of the cave, he saw the man jump down from the wagon and march toward them. His arms were folded over his wide chest, and the man’s glare pierced right through Maverick. Of course, it always did when he did something to upset his older brother, Bryan.
As he came to a sudden stop at the end of the wagon, Bryan’s gaze jumped from Maverick to Hannah. The poor woman’s red face probably told Bryan what Maverick really didn’t want his brother to know about.
“Let me guess...” Bryan’s mouth thinned in irritation as he met Hannah’s startled gaze. “You must be Hannah Ross.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything.
“I shouldn’t be surprised that my younger brother found you before I did.” Bryan took a deep breath and met his brother’s gaze. “Maverick? What do you have to say for yourself this time? You’ve stepped over the line by stealing my bride!”
THREE
Hannah’s mind scrambled to return to reality since Maverick’s kiss had put her high in the clouds. Yet, at the same time, she felt as if she’d just been dunked in the river during a cold spell in December.
“Pardon me? What are you talking about?” she said with a shaky voice, staring at the intruder. He resembled Maverick a little with the brown hair, wide shoulders, and handsome face. However, this man looked a few years older and sported a mustache.
Beside her, Maverick released a defeated sigh. He lifted enough to swing himself over the side of the wagon. Once on his feet, he slowly walked toward the other man. Had the intruder really just called Maverick his brother? And she must have heard wrong because she thought he’d mentioned that she was his bride.
The rhythm of her heart took a different beat. Panic rushed through her as she watched Maverick saunter cockily toward the slightly older man.
“You should know by now, Bryan,” Maverick said, “that I don’t give excuses.” He held up his hands in surrender. “What you see is what you get.”
Anger filled Bryan’s expression, and he swung at his brother, connecting his fist to Maverick’s jaw. He stumbled back, rubbing the spot.
“You knew I had sent away for a mail-order bride.” He rubbed his sore fist. “And yet, you still took it upon yourself to get her before I could arrive. I just don’t understand how your brain works – or if you even have a brain.”
Was this a joke? Tears stung Hannah’s eyes. She couldn’t believe any of this. She, and her unborn child, were the ones getting hurt from all of this. Didn’t these men care about that?
Maverick continued to rub his jaw as he glared at his brother. “Don’t you care that I came to town to check her out for you?” He rolled his eyes. “Being the oldest brother, you need to be able to carry on the family name with your wife. All I wanted to do was make sure you were getting the right woman for the part she’ll play in our lives.”
Hannah’s chest was so tight with emotion she wanted to scream. She wanted to cry first, and the more she held back the tears, the more she couldn’t breathe. This couldn’t be happening. Why couldn’t she stay away from making bad choices? It was as if they followed her
around until she finally gave in. This wasn’t fair. But once again, she had no other choice but to follow through with her decision to become a mail-order bride.
“Out of the three of us,” Maverick continued, “I’m probably the only brother who uses his brain, which was why I wanted to make sure you weren’t getting played for a fool.”
Bryan’s expression was tight, and his breaths were ragged and slow as if he was trying to gain control. He looked at her again, a little longer this time, before switching his focus back to his brother.
“Maverick, I will probably never forgive you for this one.” Bryan moved toward her, holding out his hand. “I want to apologize for my insane brother’s treatment. I hope he didn’t offend you in any way.”
Slowly, she shook her head. Her body trembled from keeping her emotions under control. “He was... a gentleman.”
Bryan snorted a disbelieving laugh. “Well, I can assure you, he was playing a role, because Maverick is definitely not a gentleman.”
“Who... are you?” she wondered, even though she knew.
“I’m Bryan Easton. I’m the one you have been corresponding with as we set up this arrangement.” He stepped closer, still holding out his hand. “Let me help you out of the wagon. You’re coming with me now.”
Dizziness assailed her, making her stomach churn. What in tarnation was going on? And yet, she was just the puppet, not the master. For once in her life, she’d like to be in control.
Hesitantly, she reached her hand to him. Once their palms met, he tugged on her arm and assisted her out of the wagon. He wasn’t quite as handsome as Maverick, but they had many similarities. Their eyes were the same ocean blue color, and they both had a dimple in the middle of their chin.
He seemed like a nice fellow – except when his brother double-crossed him. And yet, she had just settled her mind on Maverick being her husband. Now that she had boldly kissed the younger brother, could she marry the older one?
Hannah's Hardship Page 2
