The Marriage Agreement

by Carolyn Davidson

  “That’s the one I’m looking for,” Morgan told him. “She’s my wife.”

  The man’s eyes widened. “I didn’t hear from Susanna that the girl’d got herself married. Don’t know if she’s told anybody yet.” He laughed softly. “I’d say you’re about to toss a fox in the henhouse, mister.”

  Morgan dismounted and gave the reins to Jethro, fixed a smile on his face and turned toward the house. The veranda was wide, stretching the length of the back, then bending to enclose the east side of the white building. At the back door, a tall figure watched his approach, and Morgan felt the inkling of trouble about to break over his head. He stiffened his spine and strode across the yard.

  “What can I do for you, stranger?” the man in the doorway asked.

  Morgan hesitated, then plowed ahead. “I’m looking for my wife.”

  “What makes you think she’s here?” Stepping out from the shadows next to the house, the man seemed more formidable, taller and broader of shoulder than Morgan had thought at first sight. “Who are you?”

  “Gage Morgan.” He halted at the foot of the shallow set of steps and waited.

  “Don’t recognize the name, Mr. Morgan. Tell me, who’s your wife?”

  “Her name’s Lily. She was heading here, last I saw her. You might know her better as Yvonne, though she doesn’t lay claim to the name any longer.”

  “She’s my sister,” the man told him. “I’m Roan Devereaux.” He turned his head as a voice spoke behind him. “It’s a visitor for Yvonne, Pa,” he said quietly. “You want to go get her?”

  “Ask the man in, Roan.” Spoken with the natural courtesy of a Southern man, the words were a rebuke.

  “All right.” Roan stepped back and opened the screened door, watching as Morgan stepped onto the porch and faced the man who stood in the shadows of the room beyond the doorway. White-haired, with dark piercing eyes, he looked long and hard at his visitor.

  “You’d better be Yvonne’s husband.” he said bluntly. “’Cause if you’re not—if you’re some fella who’s been messing with my girl, you’d do well to turn tail and run, mister. Fact is, you’re damn lucky you ain’t the man who took her away from here. He’s a dead man if ever I catch sight of him.”

  “I’m her husband,” Morgan said, feeling his hackles rise at the challenge he’d been offered. “Where is she? Didn’t she tell you about me?”

  “Nope, she surely didn’t. But that makes no never mind. Come on in anyway.” The older man offered his hand. “I’m LeRoy, the girl’s pa. This here’s her brother, Roan.”

  “We’ve met,” Morgan said shortly. He reached for LeRoy’s hand and clasped it firmly. “Where’s my wife?”

  “Kinda in a hurry, ain’t you, young fella?” LeRoy asked. “I don’t know as Yvonne wants to see you, to tell the truth. She’s been feeling a bit poorly since yesterday when she showed up here.”

  “She’s ill?” Morgan felt his heart pick up in rhythm at the thought of Lily arriving at her parent’s doorstep, alone and sickly.

  “No, I reckon there’s nothing wrong with her that time won’t cure,” LeRoy said flatly. “But I suspect you’d better take a look for yourself. Come on in.” He led the way into a wide hallway and across it to parlor doors. One slid open at the touch of his hand and he entered the room, Morgan fast on his heels, Roan bringing up the rear.

  If he’d ever felt surrounded in his life, it was at this moment, Morgan thought. And there, sitting on a couch, holding a glass of tea, looking every bit the Southern lady, sat his wife. Anger was his first reaction. Next came relief. If Lily was ill, it sure didn’t show. She was rosy-cheeked, and her eyes shone with a dark glow as she smiled toward her father.

  Her dress was one Morgan had never seen before, and he wondered if it had come from days past. Worn a bit, it nevertheless fit her well. She looked past her father then and spotted Morgan behind him. Her face paled and the color leached from her eyes.

  “Morgan?” The single word was spoken quietly, even as Lily rose to her feet.

  “Now, don’t you be upsetting my girl,” a woman said firmly. Morgan turned toward the voice and found a woman watching him. “I’m Letitia Devereaux, and Lily is my daughter.” So focused on Lily, he’d not noticed the older woman’s presence. And then with a longer look, he found a second woman sitting across the room, a slender female with red hair and what appeared to be a fairly young infant on her lap.

  He ignored the other two women then, as Lily made a sound of despair, a whispered sob that clutched at his heart. He strode toward her, pushing past LeRoy, totally ignoring the men who followed in his tracks. His hands reached for her and in mere seconds she was clasped in his embrace.

  His face rested against her hair, and he inhaled the familiar scent of her, once in a long, shuddering breath, then again, before he spoke her name, repeating it aloud as if he could not believe he held her in his arms.

  “Lily. Are you all right?” he asked, and then held her shoulders, removing her from himself far enough to look down more intently into her face.

  She nodded and he felt the latent anger sweep through him, consuming the moment of anguish he’d felt. His words became harsh, his eyes glaring as he pronounced his fury aloud. “I’ve been worried sick about you, you foolish female.” Almost, he was tempted to shake her, only the silent threat offered by the two men behind him holding him immobile.

  “I’m fine,” Lily said, tilting her chin defiantly. “You didn’t need to follow me, Morgan. You’ve got things to do, folks in Texas to see, and your job is finished. You needn’t be concerned about me anymore.”

  “Concerned? Damn it, Lily. I’ve been tracking you for days, hitting every town and talking to every lawman between here and Brightmoor. Where did you think you could hide without me finding you?”

  She offered him a glare, and her words were sharp and piercing. “I’m not hiding. I’m right here, Morgan. Here at home where I belong. I told you I was coming back.”

  “And I told you I was going to bring you,” he countered. “Why the hell couldn’t you wait for me to finish up with the business we had in Brightmoor first? Why’d you go off half-cocked without me?”

  “You fulfilled your part of the agreement,” she said. “You don’t owe me anything.”

  “I’d say he does,” the older of the women said with simplicity, as though her claim was the final word.

  “Never mind, Mama,” Lily whispered. “Morgan’s off the hook. He did everything he said he would.”

  “Including marrying you and promising to take care of you for the rest of your life,” he told her bluntly. “And you didn’t even stick around long enough to give me a chance.”

  “Does that include giving her your child?” Letitia asked softly, and Morgan swung fully in her direction.

  “What are you talking about?” He looked back at Lily, his gaze taking in the stark expression she wore. “What’s going on, Lily?”

  “Lily is going to have your baby,” Letitia said. “At least I’m assuming you’re the father. Am I right?”

  “Damn right,” Morgan told her plainly. “She can’t be very far along, if my knowledge of these things is accurate.” And then he did a bit of hasty arithmetic. “About long enough for her to know for sure, though,” he amended.

  “Long enough for her to faint dead away on us yesterday right after she arrived, and then lose her breakfast this morning,” her mother said stiffly.

  “Mama!” Lily’s wail of anguish brought the russet-haired woman from her chair, baby and all, flying to Lily’s side. She hugged Lily with one arm, the baby reaching instinctively toward his mother’s neck.

  “Just look what the pair of you have done,” she said, shooting equally dismissive looks at Morgan and Lily’s mother, bouncing the baby for comfort. “Lily’s crying, and that’s not good for her.” And as if to commiserate, the baby boy joined in with the chorus.

  “Well, damn.” In a frustrated gesture, Morgan snatched the hat from his head and slap
ped it against his thigh. “Can we start this whole conversation over?” He looked at the other occupants of the room and stated his case, pitching his voice above that of the wailing infant, speaking simply and to the point.

  “I need to talk to Lily, and I’d like to do it with a bit of privacy. If the rest of you wouldn’t mind leaving us alone, I’d appreciate it. If that won’t work, then I’ll pick her up and take her somewhere else.” His gaze hardened as he awaited a reply, a reply not long in coming.

  “Skedaddle, every one of you,” the younger woman said, casting Morgan a look of understanding as she cuddled the child closer and released Lily from her embrace.

  “Katherine…” It was a word of warning from the man called Roan, a warning blithely ignored by the small woman who seemed to have no fear of riling the man who stood over her in a threatening manner. She shoved the infant in his direction and then turned him forcibly toward the doorway.

  “Go make yourself useful,” she said, her words pithy and to the point. “Mama, come on with me. We need to see about helping Susanna with supper.” Marching to the wide doorway, she turned and cast a long look at LeRoy. “Do you need a special invitation?” she asked sweetly, and was met by a grin from that austere gentleman.

  After ushering the rest from the room, she paused in the doorway, her arms widespread as she began closing the sliding doors. “I can hold them off for about ten minutes, I figure,” she told Morgan. “After that, you’re on your own.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” It was all he could think to say to her, this veritable whirlwind who apparently belonged to Roan Devereaux.

  The door closed with an almost silent snick and he turned back to Lily. “For starters, it’s gonna take me a good ten minutes just to tell you how mad I am.” His gaze relented then as he regarded the sadness evident in her dark eyes. He reached for her again, this time holding her gently, as if he feared she might shatter into a million pieces if not handled with care. His mouth found hers and he kissed her, a gentle, tender whisper, a meeting of lips that bid her response.

  She lifted her arms to encircle his neck then. “Don’t be angry with me,” she whispered. “I didn’t know what to do, Morgan. I really thought it was for the best if I let you go home to your family. They must be missing you, and I knew my folks would come around once I got here.”

  “You’re my family,” he told her. “Plain and simple, Lily. We’re married, and we’re gonna be a real family before long. You, me and that baby of ours.” A thrill, an aching joy he could barely contain swept through him as he considered the thought of a child such as the one Roan claimed as his own.

  “I don’t know if it will work,” Lily said. “I’ve thought and thought, and I’m not sure you’ll ever be able to face my past without trying to hide from it. And that won’t cut it, Morgan. You have to take me like I am, warts and all.”

  He kissed her again, his fingers making runnels through her hair, scattering pins on the floor surrounding her and bringing a quick flush to her cheeks. His hands ran swiftly over her body, caressing the firm lines of her breasts, cupping the rounding of her hips and pressing her against himself in a surge of need he could barely suppress.

  And then he took a deep breath, aware that his actions were those of a desperate man, and he still had a point to prove before he could set his marriage to rights in a way that would solidify their relationship beyond a doubt. “I’m not pure as the driven snow myself,” he told her, gaining control with an effort.

  She nodded. “I suppose not. But there are things you need to know. Things you haven’t been willing to hear.”

  “I’m ready to listen to anything you want to tell me, Lily. And I’ll answer any questions you have to ask. That’s about all I can offer you. If it’s not enough, then I’m not sure what’s next for us.” But if he had anything to say about it at all, it was going to involve a private place and a bed, he decided grimly.

  “All right,” she said softly. “Come and sit here beside me.” And then as he glanced once at the door, she laughed. “Don’t worry. Katherine will keep them at bay. She’s like a terrier at their heels. Keeps them in line as if she were born to the job.”

  “Katherine?” he asked, putting a name to Roan’s wife.

  “Katherine,” Lily said firmly. “Everyone loves her. I don’t know how anyone could help it. She’s Mama’s right hand, next to Susanna. My father thinks his daughter-in-law walks on water. She’s given him his first two grandsons, and he’s totally besotted with her.”

  “And Roan?” It was a foolish query, he thought. The big man was obviously smitten with the woman he’d married. And Lily confirmed his thoughts.

  “He’s a changed man since he married Katherine,” Lily told him. “He and Shay are back to being brothers again, and Shay’s wife, Jenny, is part of the reason. She drew them together, I understand. I haven’t met her, or seen Shay yet, for that matter, but Papa sent a letter out this morning, asking them to come.”

  “Is there room here for me?” Morgan asked, sensing the family ties were well in place. Wishing his own were so sturdy.

  “Of course there is,” Lily said quickly. “If you want there to be.”

  “I won’t go off and leave you, Lily. Not now, no matter what you say. I’m in this for the long ride, whether you like it or not. I told you before, I keep my promises. An agreement with Gage Morgan is worth blood, sweat and tears on his part.”

  “Even a marriage agreement?” she asked, her smile a bit unsteady.

  “Especially a marriage agreement,” he told her firmly.

  Chapter Seventeen

  It might not be the time or the place for her revelation, but she might not have another private moment with him. Lily forged ahead. “I have to tell you something, Gage,” she said, choosing her words with care. “I love you.”

  One hand flew up, palm outward in warning, as he would have spoken. “Just listen. I know those are words you’ll have trouble speaking aloud to me, but it doesn’t matter. I’ve loved you I think since the first night you took me in your bed. I didn’t recognize it for a while, but it goes back to the time when you offered me your protection and then kept your word.”

  “Now can I say something?” he asked, his smile tentative, as if he were trying to accept the words she spoke as fact. “I whispered those words to you the last night we were together. I told you then that I love you, Lily. You were asleep, but I guess I hoped you’d hear me in your dreams. You’re the woman I’ve looked for, long and hard. I’ve only met a couple of women I’d want to bring home to my folks, and you top the list, sweetheart. The other is one I’ve already told you about, a woman I never loved as I love you.”

  “She must be wonderful,” Lily said wistfully. “But I’m glad she’s in your past.”

  “She didn’t even know I cared about her,” he admitted ruefully. “And you’re right on that angle. She’s in my past. You’re my future, Lily.”

  A brisk knock on the door announced a visitor just before Katherine slid it open a bit and stuck her head through the gap. “Supper’s on the table. Y’all had better finish this later. Mama doesn’t like it if the food gets cold.”

  “We’re coming along directly,” Lily said, and then slid from Morgan’s embrace, tidying her hair quickly and straightening her dress.

  “You look fine,” Katherine said, opening the doors wider. “You can get all gussied up later, Lily.”

  They followed her to the dining room where the table held a platter of fried chicken and bowls of steaming vegetables. “Nothing fancy,” LeRoy told Morgan. “Just good Southern cookin’.”

  “Suits me,” Morgan told him. And as heads bowed around the table, he followed their example and reached his hand to grasp Lily’s. The words spoken were brief, but he felt honored when his name was included in the list of blessings LeRoy mentioned aloud.

  “Now, pass the chicken,” Roan said, casting one last, long look in Morgan’s direction, his dark gaze settling on Lily’s rumpled appearance. A
nd in that look gave warning that the two of them would have a discussion before very many days had passed.

  He couldn’t blame the man, Morgan decided. He seemed to have taken on the responsibility for this place, and that included Lily’s welfare over the past two days. He would be a formidable foe, he sensed, but a strong, loyal man to have at your back should the need arise.

  Shay and Jenny showed up on the third day, Jenny climbing down from the buggy in haste, meeting Katherine with a squeal of delight and then looking up to where Lily awaited her turn. Shay followed behind, their son in tow, his arm bearing an infant. An older man brought up the rear, and LeRoy took him in hand, leading the way to the barn.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” Jenny said breathlessly, and then she turned to her husband. “Let me take Mattie. She needs to meet her new aunt.”

  Shay was silent, a darkly tanned man with a puckered scar on one cheek, but the small boy who held his hand seemed not to pay any mind to it.

  The family was close, Morgan decided, the women hugging, the children in the midst of it all. With orders flying here and there, they were shepherded into the dining room and settled around the table.

  The meal was finished in short order and Lily drew the attention of her family as she rose, glancing from one to another, as if trying to gauge their degree of acceptance before she began. It was time, Morgan thought, somehow aware that Lily had not confided in her family yet. Her words proved him right.

  “I need to tell you all about why I left here,” she said, her voice faltering.

  “No need,” LeRoy stated firmly. “You’re back and that’s all that matters.”

  She shook her head. “It matters to me. Gage already knows most of this, but the rest of you don’t, and I can’t live with you thinking I left for the wrong reasons.”

  “I know why you left,” her mother said quietly. “I saw the torch in that colonel’s hand, and I watched when he whispered in your ear, Lily.”